> Jeroen Frijters wrote: > Calling ClassLoader.loadClass(String, boolean) from Class.forName is > incorrect and, more importantly, incompatible with Sun's > implementation, ...
Why is it incorrect to call loadClass(name, true)? Class.forName(String name, boolean init, ClassLoader cl) is required to "locate, load and link [the given class] using the given ClassLoader" and to initialize or not, depending on the init parameter. ClassLoader.loadClass(String name, boolean resolve) is required to find and load the given class, and if found to resolve it, or not, depending on the resolve parameter. Remembering that resolve means link, this means that the first part of Class.forName's job can be done by invoking: cl.loadClass(name, true); As for "compatibility" with Sun's implementation I am at a loss. First, I thought you classpath folk were supposed to remain untainted from internal knowledge of the Sun implementation. ;-) Second, in 1.4.1 Class.forName delegates to a native method, while loadClass implements the algorithm defined by its specification. So where is there any kind of compatability issue? The only potential problem with invoking a non-final method like loadClass is that you are relying on it being overriden correctly, so would have to be careful how you treated the returned class instance. But if that is a concern then forName should just use a native method or a VMxxx method - and neither the current code, nor the suggested patch seems to have this concern. David Holmes _______________________________________________ Classpath mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/classpath
