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Buffer.java API Doc Java SE 5 API 14084 Fri Aug 26 14:57:08 BST 2005 java.nio

Buffer

java.lang.Object

public abstract class Buffer extends Object

A container for data of a specific primitive type.

A buffer is a linear, finite sequence of elements of a specific primitive type. Aside from its content, the essential properties of a buffer are its capacity, limit, and position:

A buffer's capacity is the number of elements it contains. The capacity of a buffer is never negative and never changes.

A buffer's limit is the index of the first element that should not be read or written. A buffer's limit is never negative and is never greater than its capacity.

A buffer's position is the index of the next element to be read or written. A buffer's position is never negative and is never greater than its limit.

There is one subclass of this class for each non-boolean primitive type.

Transferring data

Each subclass of this class defines two categories of get and put operations:

Relative operations read or write one or more elements starting at the current position and then increment the position by the number of elements transferred. If the requested transfer exceeds the limit then a relative get operation throws a {@link BufferUnderflowException} and a relative put operation throws a {@link BufferOverflowException}; in either case, no data is transferred.

Absolute operations take an explicit element index and do not affect the position. Absolute get and put operations throw an {@link IndexOutOfBoundsException} if the index argument exceeds the limit.

Data may also, of course, be transferred in to or out of a buffer by the I/O operations of an appropriate channel, which are always relative to the current position.

Marking and resetting

A buffer's mark is the index to which its position will be reset when the {@link #reset reset} method is invoked. The mark is not always defined, but when it is defined it is never negative and is never greater than the position. If the mark is defined then it is discarded when the position or the limit is adjusted to a value smaller than the mark. If the mark is not defined then invoking the {@link #reset reset} method causes an {@link InvalidMarkException} to be thrown.

Invariants

The following invariant holds for the mark, position, limit, and capacity values:

0 <= mark <= position <= limit <= capacity

A newly-created buffer always has a position of zero and a mark that is undefined. The initial limit may be zero, or it may be some other value that depends upon the type of the buffer and the manner in which it is constructed. The initial content of a buffer is, in general, undefined.

Clearing, flipping, and rewinding

In addition to methods for accessing the position, limit, and capacity values and for marking and resetting, this class also defines the following operations upon buffers:

{@link #clear} makes a buffer ready for a new sequence of channel-read or relative put operations: It sets the limit to the capacity and the position to zero.
{@link #flip} makes a buffer ready for a new sequence of channel-write or relative get operations: It sets the limit to the current position and then sets the position to zero.
{@link #rewind} makes a buffer ready for re-reading the data that it already contains: It leaves the limit unchanged and sets the position to zero.

Read-only buffers

Every buffer is readable, but not every buffer is writable. The mutation methods of each buffer class are specified as optional operations that will throw a {@link ReadOnlyBufferException} when invoked upon a read-only buffer. A read-only buffer does not allow its content to be changed, but its mark, position, and limit values are mutable. Whether or not a buffer is read-only may be determined by invoking its {@link #isReadOnly isReadOnly} method.

Thread safety

Buffers are not safe for use by multiple concurrent threads. If a buffer is to be used by more than one thread then access to the buffer should be controlled by appropriate synchronization.

Invocation chaining

Methods in this class that do not otherwise have a value to return are specified to return the buffer upon which they are invoked. This allows method invocations to be chained; for example, the sequence of statements

b.flip();
b.position(23);
b.limit(42);

can be replaced by the single, more compact statement

b.flip().position(23).limit(42);

author: Mark Reinhold
author: JSR-51 Expert Group
version: 1.34, 04/06/14
since: 1.4

Fields Summary
private int
mark
private int
position
private int
limit
private int
capacity
long
address
Constructors Summary
Buffer(int mark, int pos, int lim, int cap)
// Creates a new buffer with the given mark, position, limit, and capacity, // after checking invariants. // // package-private if (cap < 0) throw new IllegalArgumentException(); this.capacity = cap; limit(lim); position(pos); if (mark > 0) { if (mark > pos) throw new IllegalArgumentException(); this.mark = mark; }
Methods Summary
public final int capacity()
Returns this buffer's capacity.
return
The capacity of this buffer
return capacity;
static void checkBounds(int off, int len, int size)
// package-private if ((off | len | (off + len) | (size - (off + len))) < 0) throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();
final int checkIndex(int i)
Checks the given index against the limit, throwing an {@link IndexOutOfBoundsException} if it is not smaller than the limit or is smaller than zero.
// package-private if ((i < 0) || (i >= limit)) throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException(); return i;
final int checkIndex(int i, int nb)
// package-private if ((i < 0) || (nb > limit - i)) throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException(); return i;
public final java.nio.Buffer clear()
Clears this buffer. The position is set to zero, the limit is set to the capacity, and the mark is discarded.
Invoke this method before using a sequence of channel-read or put operations to fill this buffer. For example:
buf.clear(); // Prepare buffer for reading in.read(buf); // Read data

This method does not actually erase the data in the buffer, but it is named as if it did because it will most often be used in situations in which that might as well be the case.
return
This buffer
position = 0; limit = capacity; mark = -1; return this;
public final java.nio.Buffer flip()
Flips this buffer. The limit is set to the current position and then the position is set to zero. If the mark is defined then it is discarded.
After a sequence of channel-read or put operations, invoke this method to prepare for a sequence of channel-write or relative get operations. For example:
buf.put(magic); // Prepend header in.read(buf); // Read data into rest of buffer buf.flip(); // Flip buffer out.write(buf); // Write header + data to channel

This method is often used in conjunction with the {@link java.nio.ByteBuffer#compact compact} method when transferring data from one place to another.
return
This buffer
limit = position; position = 0; mark = -1; return this;
public final boolean hasRemaining()
Tells whether there are any elements between the current position and the limit.
return
true if, and only if, there is at least one element remaining in this buffer
return position < limit;
public abstract boolean isReadOnly()
Tells whether or not this buffer is read-only.
return
true if, and only if, this buffer is read-only
public final int limit()
Returns this buffer's limit.
return
The limit of this buffer
return limit;
public final java.nio.Buffer limit(int newLimit)
Sets this buffer's limit. If the position is larger than the new limit then it is set to the new limit. If the mark is defined and larger than the new limit then it is discarded.
param
newLimit The new limit value; must be non-negative and no larger than this buffer's capacity
return
This buffer
throws
IllegalArgumentException If the preconditions on newLimit do not hold
if ((newLimit > capacity) || (newLimit < 0)) throw new IllegalArgumentException(); limit = newLimit; if (position > limit) position = limit; if (mark > limit) mark = -1; return this;
public final java.nio.Buffer mark()
Sets this buffer's mark at its position.
return
This buffer
mark = position; return this;
final int markValue()
// package-private return mark;
final int nextGetIndex()
Checks the current position against the limit, throwing a {@link BufferUnderflowException} if it is not smaller than the limit, and then increments the position.
return
The current position value, before it is incremented
// package-private if (position >= limit) throw new BufferUnderflowException(); return position++;
final int nextGetIndex(int nb)
// package-private if (limit - position < nb) throw new BufferUnderflowException(); int p = position; position += nb; return p;
final int nextPutIndex()
Checks the current position against the limit, throwing a {@link BufferOverflowException} if it is not smaller than the limit, and then increments the position.
return
The current position value, before it is incremented
// package-private if (position >= limit) throw new BufferOverflowException(); return position++;
final int nextPutIndex(int nb)
// package-private if (limit - position < nb) throw new BufferOverflowException(); int p = position; position += nb; return p;
public final int position()
Returns this buffer's position.
return
The position of this buffer
return position;
public final java.nio.Buffer position(int newPosition)
Sets this buffer's position. If the mark is defined and larger than the new position then it is discarded.
param
newPosition The new position value; must be non-negative and no larger than the current limit
return
This buffer
throws
IllegalArgumentException If the preconditions on newPosition do not hold
if ((newPosition > limit) || (newPosition < 0)) throw new IllegalArgumentException(); position = newPosition; if (mark > position) mark = -1; return this;
public final int remaining()
Returns the number of elements between the current position and the limit.
return
The number of elements remaining in this buffer
return limit - position;
public final java.nio.Buffer reset()
Resets this buffer's position to the previously-marked position.
Invoking this method neither changes nor discards the mark's value.
return
This buffer
throws
InvalidMarkException If the mark has not been set
int m = mark; if (m < 0) throw new InvalidMarkException(); position = m; return this;
public final java.nio.Buffer rewind()
Rewinds this buffer. The position is set to zero and the mark is discarded.
Invoke this method before a sequence of channel-write or get operations, assuming that the limit has already been set appropriately. For example:
out.write(buf); // Write remaining data buf.rewind(); // Rewind buffer buf.get(array); // Copy data into array
return
This buffer
position = 0; mark = -1; return this;