Java Serialization
Introduction
• Serialization is simply turning an existing object into a byte array.
• This byte array represents
• the class of the object,
• the version of the object,
• and the internal state of the object.
• This byte array can be used to
• Store the state of the object for later retrieval (store in a file).
• Send object over a network to another JVM running the same code.
• Deserialization is converting a byte array back to an Object.
Serialization
• A marker interface called Serializable is provided.
• It is an empty interface, hence, classes implementing this interface are not
required to override any methods related to the interface.
• [Link](Object) traverses all the internal
references of the object recursively and writes all of them provided
classes associated with the objects have also implemented
Serializable.
• Any fields that the programmer does not want to serialize should be
marked as transient.
Object Storage in a File
• Classes ObjectInputStream and ObjectOutputStream are high-level
streams that contain the methods for serializing and deserializing an
object.
• Writing Objects to a File
1. FileOutputStream file = new FileOutputStream("[Link]");
2. The writeObject(Object obj) from the ObjectOutputStream class can be
used to write an object into a file
• Reading Objects from a File
Classes Implementing the Serializable Interface
public class Student implements Serializable { public class LibraryAccount implements Serializable {
private int Roll;
private int Id;
private String Name;
private LibraryAccount lib; private static int NumberAccounts=0;
private final static long serialVersionUID = 1000; public LibraryAccount(){
public Student(int Roll, String Name){ NumberAccounts++;
[Link]= Roll;
[Link]= NumberAccounts;
[Link] = Name;
} }
public int getRoll(){return [Link];} public int getId(){return [Link];}
public String getName(){return [Link];} public static int getNumberofAccounts() {
public LibraryAccount getLibAccount(){
return NumberAccounts;}
return [Link];}
public void createLibraryAccount(){ }
[Link] = new LibraryAccount();}
}
Writing Objects in a File
public class WriterClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Student std = new Student(1,"Muhammad Ali");
[Link]();
[Link]([Link]()+ " " + [Link]() + " " +
[Link]().getId());
try { /* A file is created/opened where we want to write an object. “ser” is normally a
convention that is followed for file names containing a serialized file.*/
FileOutputStream file = new FileOutputStream("[Link]");
/ *The writeObject(Object obj) from the ObjectOutputStream class can be used to
write an object into a file.*/
ObjectOutputStream out = new ObjectOutputStream(file);
[Link](std);
[Link]();
[Link]();}
catch (FileNotFoundException e) {[Link]();}
catch (IOException e) {[Link]();}
} }
Reading Object (Deserialization) from a File
public class ReaderClass {
public static void main(String[] args) {
try { /* The file is opened from where we want to read an object.*/
FileInputStream input = new FileInputStream(“[Link]”);
/ *The readObject() from the ObjectInputStream class can be used to
read an object from a file. The return object needs to be casted before use.*/
ObjectInputStream inStream = new ObjectInputStream(input);
Student obj = (Student) [Link]();
[Link]([Link]+ " " + [Link]);
[Link]();
[Link]();
}
catch (FileNotFoundException e) {[Link]();}
catch (IOException e) {[Link](); }
catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {[Link]();}
}
}
Sending Objects over a Network
• Example attached separately in the shared folder.
