java.lang

## Class ThreadLocal<T>

- java.lang.Object
- - java.lang.ThreadLocal<T>

- Direct Known Subclasses:
    InheritableThreadLocal

      public class ThreadLocal<T>
      extends Object

  This class provides thread-local variables. These variables differ from their normal counterparts in that each thread that accesses one (via its `get` or `set` method) has its own, independently initialized copy of the variable. `ThreadLocal` instances are typically private static fields in classes that wish to associate state with a thread (e.g., a user ID or Transaction ID).

  For example, the class below generates unique identifiers local to each thread. A thread's id is assigned the first time it invokes `ThreadId.get()` and remains unchanged on subsequent calls.

       import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;

       public class ThreadId {
           // Atomic integer containing the next thread ID to be assigned
           private static final AtomicInteger nextId = new AtomicInteger(0);

           // Thread local variable containing each thread's ID
           private static final ThreadLocal<Integer> threadId =
               new ThreadLocal<Integer>() {
                   @Override protected Integer initialValue() {
                       return nextId.getAndIncrement();
               }
           };

           // Returns the current thread's unique ID, assigning it if necessary
           public static int get() {
               return threadId.get();
           }
       }

  Each thread holds an implicit reference to its copy of a thread-local variable as long as the thread is alive and the `ThreadLocal` instance is accessible; after a thread goes away, all of its copies of thread-local instances are subject to garbage collection (unless other references to these copies exist).

  Since:
    1.2

- - ### Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Constructor and Description
    `ThreadLocal()` Creates a thread local variable.

  - ### Method Summary

    Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `T` | `get()` Returns the value in the current thread's copy of this thread-local variable.
    `protected T` | `initialValue()` Returns the current thread's "initial value" for this thread-local variable.
    `void` | `remove()` Removes the current thread's value for this thread-local variable.
    `void` | `set(T value)` Sets the current thread's copy of this thread-local variable to the specified value.

    - ### Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

      `clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait`

- - ### Constructor Detail

    - #### ThreadLocal

          public ThreadLocal()

      Creates a thread local variable.

  - ### Method Detail

    - #### initialValue

          protected T initialValue()

      Returns the current thread's "initial value" for this thread-local variable. This method will be invoked the first time a thread accesses the variable with the `get()` method, unless the thread previously invoked the `set(T)` method, in which case the `initialValue` method will not be invoked for the thread. Normally, this method is invoked at most once per thread, but it may be invoked again in case of subsequent invocations of `remove()` followed by `get()`.

      This implementation simply returns `null`; if the programmer desires thread-local variables to have an initial value other than `null`, `ThreadLocal` must be subclassed, and this method overridden. Typically, an anonymous inner class will be used.

      Returns:
        the initial value for this thread-local

    - #### get

          public T get()

      Returns the value in the current thread's copy of this thread-local variable. If the variable has no value for the current thread, it is first initialized to the value returned by an invocation of the `initialValue()` method.
      Returns:
        the current thread's value of this thread-local

    - #### set

          public void set(T value)

      Sets the current thread's copy of this thread-local variable to the specified value. Most subclasses will have no need to override this method, relying solely on the `initialValue()` method to set the values of thread-locals.
      Parameters:
        `value` - the value to be stored in the current thread's copy of this thread-local.

    - #### remove

          public void remove()

      Removes the current thread's value for this thread-local variable. If this thread-local variable is subsequently read by the current thread, its value will be reinitialized by invoking its `initialValue()` method, unless its value is set by the current thread in the interim. This may result in multiple invocations of the `initialValue` method in the current thread.
      Since:
        1.5

Submit a bug or feature
For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java SE Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.
Copyright © 1993, 2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.