Basic Question: How does serialization handle multiple references?

Question

Hello, I am not entirely sure how serialiazation works.
class Employee implements Serializable {
// properties and stuff here
class Company implements Serializable {
public ArrayList allPeople = new ArrayList(); // this holds a bunch of Employee objects
public ArrayList somePeople = new ArrayList(); // this holds a bunch of Employee objects
Company company = new Company();
Employee jsmith = new Employee();
company.allPeople.add(jsmith);
company.somePeople.add(jsmith);
ok, so my question is... if we serialize the Company object and then deserialize it back to company2 (another Company object) . In company2 will allPeople.get(0) and somePeople.get(0) point to the same physical Employee object? Or to 2 identical ones?

Answer 1

If you talk about serialization over one stream, then yes both references to the object will be the same. If you serialize data to serveral files and later read them in you will get multiple instances unless you implement a readResolve() to handle it.
Its all in the serialization white paper. So go read the documentation.
/robo