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 * ORACLE PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
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package java.lang.ref;


/**
 * Phantom reference objects, which are enqueued after the collector
 * determines that their referents may otherwise be reclaimed. Phantom
 * references are most often used to schedule post-mortem cleanup actions.
 *
 * <p> Suppose the garbage collector determines at a certain point in time
 * that an object is <a href="package-summary.html#reachability">
 * phantom reachable</a>. At that time it will atomically clear
 * all phantom references to that object and all phantom references to
 * any other phantom-reachable objects from which that object is reachable.
 * At the same time or at some later time it will enqueue those newly-cleared
 * phantom references that are registered with reference queues.
 *
 * <p> In order to ensure that a reclaimable object remains so, the referent of
 * a phantom reference may not be retrieved: The {@code get} method of a
 * phantom reference always returns {@code null}.
 *
 * @author Mark Reinhold
 * @since 1.2
 */

public class PhantomReference<T> extends Reference<T> {

 /**
 * Returns this reference object's referent. Because the referent of a
 * phantom reference is always inaccessible, this method always returns
 * {@code null}.
 *
 * @return {@code null}
 */
 public T get() {
 return null;
 }

 /**
 * Creates a new phantom reference that refers to the given object and
 * is registered with the given queue.
 *
 * <p> It is possible to create a phantom reference with a {@code null}
 * queue, but such a reference is completely useless: Its {@code get}
 * method will always return {@code null} and, since it does not have a queue,
 * it will never be enqueued.
 *
 * @param referent the object the new phantom reference will refer to
 * @param q the queue with which the reference is to be registered,
 * or {@code null} if registration is not required
 */
 public PhantomReference(T referent, ReferenceQueue<? super T> q) {
 super(referent, q);
 }

}