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javaconstructorinitializationthread-safety

How does "this" escape the constructor in Java?

I've heard about this happening in non thread-safe code due to improperly constructed objects but I really don't have the concept down, even after reading about in in Goetz's book. I'd like to solidify my understanding of this code smell as I maybe doing it and not even realize it. Please provide code in your explanation to make it stick, thanks.

Solution

  • Really simple example:

    public class Test
{
    private static Test lastCreatedInstance;

    public Test()
    {
        lastCreatedInstance = this;
    }
}