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Provides interfaces describing constant pool entries for the {@link java.lang.classfile} library.

* * The {@code java.lang.classfile.constantpool} package contains interfaces describing constant pool entries in the * {@code class} file format. Constant pool entries are low-level models to faithfully represent the exact structure * of a {@code class} file. *

* Unless otherwise specified, passing {@code null} or an array or collection containing a {@code null} element as an * argument to a constructor or method of any Class-File API class or interface will cause a {@link NullPointerException} * to be thrown. * *

Reading the constant pool entries

* When read from {@code class} files, the pool entries are lazily inflated; the contents of these entries, besides the * bare structure, are not evaluated to speed up parsing. Entries to users interest, usually accessed from other models * and elements, have their contents read on demand. For example, to search for methods, a user should filter first by * access flags and then by method name, and use {@link Utf8Entry#equalsString(String)} instead of checking equality * against {@link Utf8Entry#stringValue()}. This avoids inflation of UTF-8 entries as much as possible: * {@snippet lang="java" class="PackageSnippets" region="isStaticWorkMethod"} *

* The entries also define accessors to validated symbolic information with nominal descriptor abstractions from the * {@link java.lang.constant} package. These symbolic information accessors perform validation against the read * {@code class} files, and throw {@link IllegalArgumentException} when the accessed constant pool entry contains * invalid data. The nominal descriptors represent validated data, which saves users from extra validations in future * processing. *

* Due to the lazy nature of {@code class} file parsing, {@link IllegalArgumentException} indicating malformed * {@code class} file data can be thrown at any method invocation. For example, an exception may come from a {@link * ClassEntry} when it is first read from the constant pool (referring to an invalid index or wrong type of entry), when * its referred UTF-8 entry is expanded (malformed UTF-8 data), or when its symbolic information is accessed (the string * is not valid for a class entry). * *

Writing the constant pool entries

* In general, users do not need to worry about working with the constant pool and its entries when writing {@code * class} files. Most Class-File API models and elements have two sets of factory methods: one that accepts symbolic * information representing the uses, and another that accepts constant pool entries. The constant pool builder * associated with {@code class} file builders, {@link ClassFileBuilder#constantPool}, automatically creates or reuses * pool entries from the symbolic information. Validated data in symbolic information helps {@code class} file * generation by avoiding extraneous parsing of raw constant pool entry data. *

* As always, users can use factories that accept constant pool entries if they already have them by hand, or if they * desire fine-grained control over {@code class} file generation. *

* If many models and elements are reused from another {@link ClassModel} in class building, the class building process * can use a constant pool builder that extends from the given {@code ClassModel}, available through {@link * ConstantPoolBuilder#of(ClassModel) ConstantPoolBuilder::of(ClassModel)}, so that byte data with constant pool * references can be copied in batch, speeding up class building. This is especially applicable to class transformations, * and {@link ClassFile.ConstantPoolSharingOption ConstantPoolSharingOption} exists to control this behavior. * * @jvms 4.4 The Constant Pool * @since 24 */ package java.lang.classfile.constantpool; import java.lang.classfile.ClassFile; import java.lang.classfile.ClassFileBuilder; import java.lang.classfile.ClassModel; import java.lang.classfile.MethodModel;