Package java.io public interface Serializable Ī class implements this interface to indicate that its non- transient data members can be written to an ObjectOutputStream. Hybrid interfaces, which both act as markers and specify required methods, are possible but may prove confusing if improperly used.Īn example of the application of marker interfaces from the Java programming language is the Serializable interface: The mere presence of such an interface indicates specific behavior on the part of the implementing class.

Whereas a typical interface specifies functionality (in the form of method declarations) that an implementing class must support, a marker interface need not do so. To use this pattern, a class implements a marker interface (also called tagging interface) which is an empty interface, and methods that interact with instances of that class test for the existence of the interface. It provides a means to associate metadata with a class where the language does not have explicit support for such metadata.

The marker interface pattern is a design pattern in computer science, used with languages that provide run-time type information about objects. JSTOR ( June 2013) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: 'Marker interface pattern' – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.

This article needs additional citations for verification.

Kotlin serializable data class