CodeThatAint

Java 7 Features:

Usage of Strings in Switch Statement
Diamond Operator – the diamond operator allows you to write more compact (and readable) code by saving repeated type arguments
Try with Resources
Multiple Exception Handling
Suppressed Exceptions
Allows Binay Literals – Binary Literal are expressing Integer Values in terms of Binary Value by adding the prefix 0b or 0B to the integral value.For more on BinayLiteral click here

Java 8 Features:

Lambda Expressions
Java Stream API for Bulk Data Operations on Collections.
Static and Default method in Functional Interfaces
forEach() method in Iterable interface
Functional Interfaces
Collection API improvements

Java 9 Features:

Factory Methods for Immutable List, Set, Map and Map.Entry
Private methods in Interfaces
Reactive Streams
JShell: the interactive Java REPL

Java 10 Features:

Local-Variable Type Inference
Application Class-Data Sharing
default set of root Certification Authority (CA) certificates in the JDK
Garbage Collector Interface

Java 11 Features:

Java 11 JDK is not free for usage on commercial purpose
No need to compile.typing >>Java in command prompt will compile and run java
Remove the Java EE and CORBA Modules –
Java String Methods – isBlank(), lines(), strip(), stripLeading(), stripTrailing()

Java 17 Features:

LTS support and licenses Java 17 LTS is the latest long-term support release for the Java SE platform
Pattern matching for the switch case

Sealed classes and interfaces. Sealed classes and interfaces restrict which other classes or interfaces may extend or implement them.

sealed class Human permits Manish, Vartika, Anjali 
{    
    public void printName() 
    { 
        System.out.println("Default"); 
    } 
} 

non-sealed class Manish extends Human 
{ 
    public void printName() 
    { 
        System.out.println("Manish Sharma"); 
    } 
}

Why Lambda Expressions

Now Lets Iterate through the simple ArrayList

Without Lambda Expressions

List<Integer> numbers = Arrays.asList(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6);

for (int number : numbers) 
{
    System.out.println(number);
}

We iterate the collection externally, explicitly pulling out and processing the items one by one. Now through Lambda Expressions, we are using an internal iteration the JIT compiler could optimize it processing the items in parallel or in a different order. These optimizations are impossible if we iterate the collection externally as we are used to doing in Java and more in general with the imperative programming.

With Lambda Expressions

numbers.forEach((Integer value) -> System.out.println(value));

(or)

numbers.forEach(value -> System.out.println(value));

Apart from the above reason Lambdas allows us to

Enable to treat functionality as a method argument, or code as data.
A function that can be created without belonging to any class.
A lambda expression can be passed around as if it was an object and executed on demand.
It reduces the line of code.
It Supports Sequential and Parallel execution by passing behavior in methods with collection stream API
Using Stream API and lambda expression we can achieve higher efficiency (parallel execution) in the case of bulk operations on collections

Java 8 Lambda uses JVM Opcode – invokedynamic

The Following code will result in Anonymous class being created when you compile the code.
So if you have 10 anonymous classes then it would be 10 more classes like(ClassName$1.class,ClassName$2.class….ClassName$10.class) in the final jar.

AccountService accountServiceAnonymous = new AccountService(){
    public void createAccount(){
        Account account = new Account();
        save(account);
    }
};

But Java 8 lambda uses invokedynamic to call lambdas thus if you have 10 lambdas it will not result in any anonymous classes thus reducing the final jar size.

AccountService accountServiceLambda = () -> {
    Account account = new Account();
    save(account);
}

Append and Prepend Using Regular Expressions

Append Operation

Find What    : ^[A-Z].*
Replace With : $&~
Search Mode  : Regular Expressions

Input

Apple
Mango
Orange

Output

Apple~
Mango~
Orange~

Prepend Operation

Find What    : ^[A-Z].*
Replace With : ~$&
Search Mode  : Regular Expressions

Input

Apple
Mango
Orange

Output

~Apple
~Mango
~Orange

Replace Empty Lines

Edit -> Line Operations -> Remove Empty Lines

Prepending based on Certain Condition(Lines Starting with Numbers)

Find What    : ^[1-9;].*
Replace With : $&?
Search Mode  : Regular Expressions

Input

1.How are you
Good
2.What is your Name
Mugil

Output

1.How are you?
Good
2.What is your Name?
Mugil

ஓம் பூர் புவஸ்ஸூவ
தத் சவிதுர்வரேண்யம்
பர்கோ தேவஸ்ய தீமஹி
தியோ யோ ந: ப்ரசோதயாத்|

காயத்திரி’ என்னும் ஒலியின் அளவைக் கொண்டு இந்த மந்திரம் இயற்றப்பட்டதால் “காயத்திரி மந்திரம்”.நமது புத்தியை இயங்கச் செய்யும் பரமாத்மாவை நாம் வணங்குவோம் என்பது சுருக்கமான பொருள்.சூரியனுடைய ஒளியை தியானிக்கின்றோம் என்பதால் கண்களை மூடிய நிலையில் சூரிய ஒளியில் நின்று இதைச் சொல்ல வேண்டும் என்பது யதார்த்தமான விஷயம்

Om Bhuur-Bhuvah Svah
Tat-Savitur-Varennyam |
Bhargo Devasya Dhiimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Pracodayaat ||

Full long version

Om bhUH, Om bhuvaH, Om svaH, Om mahaH, Om janaH, Om tapaH, Om satyam
Om tat savitur varenyaM, bhargo, devasya dhImahi, dhIyo yo naH, prachodayAt
Om Apo jyotiH rasoamRitaM brahma, bhur bhuvas svar Om.

A Japanese soap factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the soap inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timings so precise that every single unit coming out of it is perfect 100% of the time. Customers who come all the way to the supermarket would end up buying someone else’s product.

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the soap factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort.

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using some high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a soap box weighing less than it should. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done.

A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. Very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” – he says, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report. It turns out, the number of defects picked up by the new high precision scales was “zero” after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He filed a bug against it, and after some investigation, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren’t picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.

Puzzled, the CEO travels down to the factory, and walks up to the part of the line where the high precision scales were installed. A few feet before it, there was a $ 20 desk fan, blowing the empty boxes out of the belt and into a bin.

“Oh, that — one of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”, says one of the workers.
Moral of the Story: Everyone has a “solution” sometimes requiring an expenditure of “8 million bucks”. It requires an engineer with a high spirit of innovation and ingenuity to come up with a “$ 20 – simple cost-effective solution”!

Below is a code example of CustomClass Loader which Servers use internally for HotCode Swap without restarting the server.When you change the Quote in ServerImpl.java file the file should be reloaded by selecting the RELOAD option while running Client.java

IServer.java

public interface IServer {
	public String getQuote();
}

ServerImpl.java

public class ServerImpl implements IServer{
	@Override
    public String getQuote() {
        return "Its Working Man";
    }
}

Client.java

import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.net.URLClassLoader;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;

public class Client {
    static ClassLoader cl;
    static IServer server;

    public static void reloadServer() throws Exception {
        URL[] urls = new URL[]{new URL("file:///D:/java/HotDeplyment/appclasses")};
        System.out.println("Reloaded.....");
        cl = new URLClassLoader(urls);
        server  = (IServer) cl.loadClass("com.mugil.org.ServerImpl").newInstance();
    }

    public static void main(String [] args) throws Exception {
        BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
        reloadServer();
        while (true) {
            System.out.print("Enter QUOTE, RELOAD, or QUIT: ");
            String cmdRead = br.readLine();
            String cmd = cmdRead.toUpperCase();
            if (cmd.equals("QUIT")) {
                return;
            } else if (cmd.equals("QUOTE")) {
                System.out.println( server.getQuote());
            } else if (cmd.equals("RELOAD")) {
            	reloadServer();
            }
        }
    }
}

The Above code is not working as windows is not clearing cached .class files or JAR files. So the alternative is to try with the below Custom Class Loader(MyURLClassLoader) which in turn extends URLClassLoader again.

MyURLClassLoader.java

import java.lang.reflect.Field;
import java.net.URL;
import java.net.URLClassLoader;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.jar.JarFile;

public class MyURLClassLoader extends URLClassLoader {

	public MyURLClassLoader(URL[] urls, ClassLoader parent) {
	    super(urls, parent);
	}

    /**
     * Closes all open jar files
     */
    public void close() {
        try {
            Class clazz = java.net.URLClassLoader.class;
            Field ucp = clazz.getDeclaredField("ucp");
            ucp.setAccessible(true);
            Object sunMiscURLClassPath = ucp.get(this);
            Field loaders = sunMiscURLClassPath.getClass().getDeclaredField("loaders");
            loaders.setAccessible(true);
            Object collection = loaders.get(sunMiscURLClassPath);
            for (Object sunMiscURLClassPathJarLoader : ((Collection) collection).toArray()) {
                try {
                    Field loader = sunMiscURLClassPathJarLoader.getClass().getDeclaredField("jar");
                    loader.setAccessible(true);
                    Object jarFile = loader.get(sunMiscURLClassPathJarLoader);
                    ((JarFile) jarFile).close();
                } catch (Throwable t) {
                    // if we got this far, this is probably not a JAR loader so skip it
                }
            }
        } catch (Throwable t) {
            // probably not a SUN VM
        }
        return;
    }
}

In the below code the CustomClass Loader is called to load the classes which inturn calls the Super Class loader which is again Loaders from URL Class Loader.Once it is done we have defined a custom close method which closes the JAR files or .class files which is loaded by class loader.

TestClassLoader.java

package com.mugil.org;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;

public class TestClassLoader {
	static ClassLoader cl;
    static IServer server;
	
	public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
		
		while(true) {
			try {
			BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in));
			TestClassLoader obj = new TestClassLoader();
			obj.loadAndInstantiate();			
			System.out.println(server.getQuote());			
			}
			catch (Exception e){
				
			}
			finally {
				try {
                    Thread.sleep(3000);
                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
			}
		}    
	}
	
	void loadAndInstantiate() throws Exception {
	    MyURLClassLoader cl = null;
	    try {	    	
	        File file = new File("D:\\java\\HotDeplyment\\bin\\Sample.jar");
	        String classToLoad = "com.mugil.org.ServerImpl";
	        URL jarUrl = new URL("file:" + file.getAbsolutePath());
	        cl = new MyURLClassLoader(new URL[] {jarUrl}, getClass().getClassLoader());
	        Class loadedClass = cl.loadClass(classToLoad);
	        Object o = loadedClass.getConstructor().newInstance();
	        server  = (IServer) o;
	        
	    } finally {
	        if(cl != null)
	            cl.close();
	    } 
	}
}

Since the infinite while loop is called indefinitely with the thread sleep interval of every 3 seconds we replace the JAR file in the middle which takes the class from the new JAR file loaded.You need to change the ServerImpl.java file and build the JDK before you want to see the changes

Output

.
.
Its Working Man
Its Working Man
Its Working Man
Its Working Man
Its Working 
Its Working 
Its Working 
.
.

The Above code is not working either

Why Tomcat Server does not needs restart if changes are done in servlet and JSP?
Tomcat is capable of adding/modifying classpath to Web Application classloader at runtime. Tomcat will be having their custom Classloader implementation which allows them to add the classpaths at runtime.a new classloader is created for the Servlet/JSP with Application classloader as parent classloader. And the new classloader will load the modified class again.

It is always best to reload the entire application incase changes are done to servlet. If you were simply to reload one class, in isolation, you might break dependencies or miss some initialization steps. Therefore, it’s much safer to reload the entire application clicking deploy option in tomcat server.JSPs on the other hand, when properly coded, shouldn’t have anything in them by markup text. So reloading a single JSP, without reloading the entire app, should be safe. By default, tomcat is started in development mode, which means JSP-derived servlets recompiled when a change is detected.

In the web.xml you need to set the below config

<servlet>
   .
   .
    <!-- Add the following init-param -->
    <init-param>
        <param-name>development</param-name>
        <param-value>true</param-value>
    </init-param>
   .
   .
   .
</servlet>

In the Server.xml reloadable should be set to true

<Context path="/simple" docBase="webapps/simple"  debug="0" reloadable="true" ></Context>

More on how CustomClass loader works for Hot Deployment here

Simple Factory and Static Factory are not design patterns rather coding style. However factory pattern could be implemented by using any one of the coding style but they wont honor Open Closed Principle.

As per Open Closed Principle, Code should be open to extension and Closed to Changes. In both the above coding style we have to change either the if else or switch case if new implementation of abstract class is introduces.

Factory Pattern is a design pattern in object-oriented programming that lets subclasses decide which class to instantiate when creating an object

Now Factory pattern honors Open Closed Principle and does not need change to factory method

Factory Pattern vs Abstract Factory Pattern
One difference between the two is that with the Abstract Factory pattern, a class delegates the responsibility of object instantiation to another object via composition whereas the Factory Method pattern uses inheritance and relies on a subclass to handle the desired object instantiation

Abstract Factory Pattern
The Abstract Factory Pattern consists of an AbstractFactory, ConcreteFactory, AbstractProduct, ConcreteProduct and Client. We code against AbstractFactory and AbstractProduct and let the implementation to others to define ConcreteFactory and ConcreteProduct

Why Abstract Factory Introduced?
Another layer of abstraction over factory pattern. Abstract Factory patterns work around a super-factory which creates other factories. Factory pattern deals with creating objects of a single type(AppleFactory manufactures Iphones), while the Abstract Factory pattern deals with creating objects of related types(MobileFactory manufactures Mobiles). Abstract Factory pattern is more robust and consistent and uses composition to delegate responsibility of object creation.

When to use Abstract Factory?
When higher level of Abstraction is required.Provides an interface for creating families of related objects

MobileManufactureFactory.java

public interface MobileManufactureFactory {
    public Mobiles getManufacturerDetails();
}

Mobiles.java

public interface Mobiles {
    public void getMobileModels();
}

AppleFactory.java

public class AppleFactory implements MobileManufactureFactory {
    @Override
    public Mobiles getManufacturerDetails() {
        return new Iphone();
    }
}

GoogleFactory.java

public class GoogleFactory implements MobileManufactureFactory {
    @Override
    public Mobiles getManufacturerDetails() {
        return new Android();
    }
}

MicrosoftFactory.java

public class MicrosoftFactory implements MobileManufactureFactory {
    @Override
    public Mobiles getManufacturerDetails() {
        return new Windows();
    }
}

IphoneMobiles.java

public class IphoneMobiles implements Mobiles {
    @Override
    public void getMobileModels() {
        System.out.println("Iphone 13,14 and 15");
    }
}

AndroidMobiles.java

public class AndroidMobiles implements Mobiles {
    @Override
    public void getMobileModels() {
        System.out.println("Oneplus, Realme, Samsung");
    }
}

WindowsMobile.java

public class WindowsMobile implements Mobiles {
    @Override
    public void getMobileModels() {
        System.out.println("Samsung Focus, Nokia Lumia, Pocket PC");
    }
}

MobileFactory.java

public class MobileFactory {
    private MobileFactory(){
    }

    public static MobileManufactureFactory getMobilesBasedOnManufacturer(MobileCompany manufacturerName){
        if(manufacturerName.equals(MobileCompany.APPLE)){
            return new AppleFactory();
        }else if(manufacturerName.equals(MobileCompany.MICROSOFT)){
            return new MicrosoftFactory();
        }else if(manufacturerName.equals(MobileCompany.GOOGLE)){
            return new GoogleFactory();
        }
        return null;
    }
}

MobileCompany.java

public enum MobileCompany {
    APPLE, MICROSOFT, GOOGLE
}

Client.java

public class Client {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        MobileManufactureFactory objMobileManufa = MobileFactory.getMobilesBasedOnManufacturer(MobileCompany.APPLE);
        Mobiles objMobile = objMobileManufa.getManufacturerDetails();
        objMobile.getMobileModels();
    }
}

Output

 Iphone 13,14 and 15

Class Loaders
Let’s take two simple Java Files as below

Helper.java

package com.mugil.org;
public class Helper {
	public String getMessage()
	{
		return "Helper Method";
	}
}

TestHelper.java

package com.mugil.org;
public class TestHelper {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		Helper objHelper = new Helper();
		System.out.println(objHelper.getMessage());
	}
}

How to Compile class in Command Prompt
Normally when you compile Java class the class files would be created in bin folder with
the folder structure same as package name bin->com->mugil->org.
When you want the .class to be created in a specific folder then use the below command

D:\java\ClassLoaders>javac -d classes -sourcepath src src\com\mugil\org\Helper.java

Classes folder should be created manually or it’s going to throw
javac: directory not found: classes

Before Running the code the Classpath needs to be set which could be done either globally
by adding to the System classPath or locally at the application level

To Set globally the following should be run in Command Prompt

D:\java\ClassLoaders>set CLASSPATH=classes

After this, the Java code can be run as below

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java com.mugil.org.TestHelper
Helper Method

Setting Globally is not a good idea as other applications Classpath would be affected.If you
have set classpath globally chances are you may end up running wrong JAR file in the Classpath
The Better option is to set classpath while running the application itself

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java -cp classes com.mugil.org.TestHelper
Helper Method

Now let’s see how to take .class files in some other folder or .class files in JAR folder to

To run the .class file in other folders along with the one we are running adding the .class files separated by semicolon would be an easy way
as below

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java -cp D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes;D:\class1; com.mugil.org.TestHelper
Helper Method

The Helper.class is moved to D:\class1 folder and TestHelper.class is in D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes folder
TestHelper.class needs Helper.class to run.

Now how about JAR Files

D:\class1>jar cvf helper.jar com\mugil\org\Helper.class
added manifest
adding: com/mugil/org/Helper.class(in = 296) (out= 227)(deflated 23%)

To run the classes in the JAR Files the same command applies.D:\class1 is the location where the JAR’s are located(helper.jar).

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java -cp D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes;D:\class1; com.mugil.org.TestHelper
Helper Method

Once the JAR is created the .class files can be deleted and added to lib folder

While Creating JAR make sure you maintain the folder structure.Creating JAR file without adding com\mugil\org folder will result in classNotFound Exception

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java -cp D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes\lib\Helper.jar;D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes\; com.mugil.org.TestHelper

Class loaders are the part of the Java Runtime Environment that dynamically loads Java classes into the Java virtual machine. It is responsible for locating libraries, reading content and loading the classes contained within the libraries. When JVM is started three class loaders are used

How ClassLoaders works

When JVM requests for a class, it invokes loadClass function of the ClassLoader by passing the fully classified name of the Class.
loadClass function calls for findLoadedClass() method to check that the class has been already loaded or not. It’s required to avoid loading the class multiple times.
If the Class is not already loaded then it will delegate the request to parent ClassLoader to load the class.
If the parent ClassLoader is not finding the Class then it will invoke findClass() method to look for the classes in the file system.

1. Bootstrap class loader (Written in C)
2. Extensions class loader (Written in Java)
3. System or Application class loader (Written in Java)

Apart from CLASSPATH java looks into two other locations to load the JAR Folder
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_111\jre\lib in JRE installation Folder
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_111\jre\lib\ext

Bootstrap class loader
It loads JDK internal classes, typically loads rt.jar and other core classes for example java.lang.* package classes

rt.jar is one of the JAR files in JRE Folder. You can see the content in rt.jar by renaming it into rt.jar.
rt.jar is loaded by the bootstrap class loader.

Extensions class loader
It loads classes from the JDK extensions directory, usually $JAVA_HOME/lib/ext directory.
You can add your JAR files like DB Connection JAR in the EXT folder and would be available to all application which runs on JVM

helper.jar added to ext folder

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java -cp D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes;D:\class1; com.mugil.org.TestHelper
Helper Method

D:\java\ClassLoaders>java -cp D:\java\ClassLoaders\classes; com.mugil.org.TestHelper
Helper Method

Note:In the second statement the D:\class1 is missing which has the JAR files which is now moved to EXT folder.No need to specify the JAR files as JAR files in EXT are loaded by default

System (or) Application class loader
System or Application class loader and it is responsible for loading application specific classes from CLASSPATH environment variable, -classpath or -cp command line option, Class-Path attribute of Manifest file inside JAR.

Delegation of Classes

Delegation Classes are classes which delegates the call to its Parent Class which inturn Delegates to its Parent
Each class loader has a parent. Class Loaders may delegate to its Parent. Parent may or may not load the class
Loaded classes are always cached
Application loader asks the Extension Class loader which inturn asks Bootstap loader
If Bootstap loader couldnt find the class it will send fail message which makes the Extension Class loader to search for classes within
If Extension loader couldnt find the class it will send fail message to Application Class Loader and makes to search for classes within
If Application Class loader couldnt find the class NoClassDefinition Error would be Displayed

import java.net.URLClassLoader;

public class Delegation 
{
	public static void main(String[] args) 
	{
		URLClassLoader classloader = (URLClassLoader)ClassLoader.getSystemClassLoader();
		
		do {
			System.out.println(classloader);
		} while ((classloader = (URLClassLoader)classloader.getParent()) != null);
		
		System.out.println("Bootstrap ClassLoader");
	}
}

Output

sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader@1497b7b1
sun.misc.Launcher$ExtClassLoader@749cd006
Bootstrap ClassLoader

To See the location of the Class Files loaded you can use the below code

.
.
do {
			System.out.println(classloader);
			
			for(URL url : classloader.getURLs())		
			 System.out.println("\t %s"+ url.getPath());
			
		} while ((classloader = (URLClassLoader)classloader.getParent()) != null);
.
.

Output

sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader@1497b7b1
	 %s/D:/java/ClassLoaders/bin/
sun.misc.Launcher$ExtClassLoader@749cd006
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/access-bridge-64.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/dnsns.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/jaccess.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/localedata.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/sunec.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/sunjce_provider.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/sunmscapi.jar
	 %s/C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/zipfs.jar
Bootstrap ClassLoader

In the above Output, you can see the Application Class Loaders loads the Java class from the Project Directory and EXT jars from the EXT C:/Program%20Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/jre/lib/ext/ Folder

Why we need Custom ClassLoader?
Whenever a class is referenced in a java program it is loaded using JVM’s bootstrap class loader. This often becomes a problem when two different classes with same name and same package declaration are to be loaded. For example relying on JVM’s class loader one cannot load two different versions of the same JDBC driver. The work around to this problem is lies in making a custom class loader and loading classes directly from JAR archives.

Other Reasons

Better Memory Management Unused modules can be removed which unloads the classes used by that module, which cleans up memory.
Load classes from anywhere Classes can be loaded from anywhere, for ex, Database, Networks, or even define it on the fly.
Runtime Reloading Modified Classes Allows you to reload a class or classes runtime by creating a child class loader to the actual class loader, which contains the modified classes.Hot Deployment
Provides Modular architecture Allows to define multiple class loader allowing modular architecture.
Support Versioning Supports different versions of class within same VM for different modules. Multiple Version Support
Avoiding conflicts Clearly defines the scope of the class to within the class loader.
Class loading mechanism forms the basis of Inversion of Control

Simple URL Class Loader
In the below example we are using URL Class Loading method to load the Classes from the JAR file.We can load Classes from File Based URL or Network Based URL
We can also load class from DB

SimpleClassLoader.java

public class SimpleClassLoader {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		URL url;
        try {
            url = new URL("file:///D:/jars/helper.jar");
            URLClassLoader ucl = new URLClassLoader(new URL[]{url});
            Class clazz = ucl.loadClass("com.mugil.org.Helper");
            Object o = clazz.newInstance();
            Helper objHelper = (Helper)o;
            System.out.println(o.toString());
    		System.out.println(objHelper.getMessage());            
        } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (InstantiationException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
	}
}

Output

Helper Method
com.mugil.org.Helper@4631c43f

Note: In the above example you can see the Typecasting from Object to Helper which again makes the code tightly coupled and defeats the purpose of the class loader dynamically loads Java classes into the Java Virtual Machine. To resolve this issue we can use Interface which is loaded by application class loader with the implementing class loaded by our own class loader.

Account.java

public interface Account {
	public Integer getInterestRate(); 
}

SavingsAccount.java

public class SavingsAccount implements Account {
	@Override
	public Integer getInterestRate() {
		return 10;
	}
}

Implementation classes added to our JAR so it can be loaded by our Class Loader

D:\java\ClassLoaders\bin> jar cvf Accounts.jar com\mugil\org\SavingsAccount.class
added manifest
adding: com/mugil/org/SavingsAccount.class(in = 496) (out= 301)(deflated 39%)

CalculateInterest.java

public class CalculateInterest {
	public static void main(String[] args) 
	{
		URL url;
        try {
            url = new URL("file:///D:/jars/Accounts.jar");
            URLClassLoader ucl = new URLClassLoader(new URL[]{url});
            Class clazz = ucl.loadClass("com.mugil.org.SavingsAccount");
            Account o = (Account)clazz.newInstance();            
            System.out.println(o.toString());
    		System.out.println(o.getInterestRate());            
        } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (InstantiationException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
	}
}

In the above code I can change the logic interest is calculated in the SavingsAccount and redeploy the JAR without taking effect in other parts of the program.

The above jar file could be loaded accross network by giving URL as below

.
.
URL url = new URL("http://localhost:8080/Accounts.jar");
.
.

Multiple version Support of Same JAR

Java bytecode is universal across platforms, you can use it to instrument classes on any system: a measure which methods are called, suppress security-critical calls, divert System.out accesses to your own custom logging routines, or perform advanced dynamic bug-testing routines.

	public static void main(String[] args) {
		try { 
            URL url1 = new URL("file:///D:/jars/Accounts1.jar"); 
            URLClassLoader ucl1 = new URLClassLoader(new URL[]{url1}); 
            Class clazz1 = Class.forName("com.mugil.org.SavingsAccount", true, ucl1);
            Account quote1 = (Account) clazz1.newInstance();

            URL url3 = new URL("file:///D:/jars/Accounts.jar");
            URLClassLoader ucl3 = new URLClassLoader(new URL[]{url3});
            Class clazz2 = Class.forName("com.mugil.org.SavingsAccount", true, ucl3);
            Account quote2 = (Account) clazz2.newInstance();

            System.out.printf("clazz1 == clazz2? %b\n", clazz1 == clazz2);
            System.out.printf("quote1.class == quote2.class? %b\n", quote1.getClass() == quote2.getClass());

        } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (InstantiationException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
	}

Output

clazz1 == clazz2? false
quote1.class == quote2.class? false

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What,Why and When Lambda Expression

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