Help needed in overriding the finalize() method!

Question

Hi
I need some help in overwriting the finalize() method.
I have a program, but at certain points, i would like to "kill" a particular object.
I figured that the only way to do that is to make that object's class override the finalize method, and call it when i need to kill the object.
Once that is done, i would call the garbage collector gc() to hopefully dispose of it.
Please assist me?
Thanks
Regards

Answer 1

To, as you put it, kill an object, just null it. This
will be an indication for the garbage collector to
collect the object. In the finalizer, you marely null
all fields in the class. Like this:
public class DummyClass
String string = "This is a string";
Object object = new Boolean(true);
public void finalize() throws Throwable
super.finalize();
string = null;
object = null;
public static void main(String[] args)
//Create a new object, i.e allocate an
te an instance.
DummyClass cls = new DummyClass();
//Null the reference
cls = null;
This is a pointless exercise. If an object is being finalized, then all the references it contains are about to cease being relevant anyway, so there's no purpose to be served in setting them to null.
All that clearing a reference to an object does is to clear the reference. Whether the object is subsequently finalized depends on whether the object has become unreachable.
Directly calling finalize is permitted, but doesn't usually serve any purpose. In particular, it does not cause the object to be released. Further, calling the finalize method does not consitute finalization of the object. Finalization occurs when the method is called as a consequence of a garbage collector action.
If a variable contains a reference to an object (say a table), and you want a new table instead, then create a new table object, and assign its reference to the variable. Assuming that the variable was the only place that the old table's reference was stored, the old table will, sooner or later, get finalized and collected.
Sylvia.