java.lang
Class Runtime

java.lang.Object
  |
  +--java.lang.Runtime

public class Runtime

extends Object

Every Java application has a single instance of class Runtime that allows the application to interface with the environment in which the application is running. The current runtime can be obtained from the getRuntime method.

An application cannot create its own instance of this class.

Since:

JDK1.0

See Also:

getRuntime()

Method Summary

void	exit(int status) Terminates the currently running Java application.
long	freeMemory() Returns the amount of free memory in the system.
void	gc() Runs the garbage collector.
static Runtime	getRuntime() Returns the runtime object associated with the current Java application.
long	totalMemory() Returns the total amount of memory in the Java Virtual Machine.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

equals, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Method Detail

getRuntime

public static Runtime getRuntime()

Returns the runtime object associated with the current Java application. Most of the methods of class Runtime are instance methods and must be invoked with respect to the current runtime object.

Returns:

the Runtime object associated with the current Java application.

exit

public void exit(int status)

Terminates the currently running Java application. This method never returns normally.

The argument serves as a status code; by convention, a nonzero status code indicates abnormal termination.

Parameters:

status - exit status.

Since:

JDK1.0

freeMemory

public long freeMemory()

Returns the amount of free memory in the system. Calling the gc method may result in increasing the value returned by freeMemory.

Returns:

an approximation to the total amount of memory currently available for future allocated objects, measured in bytes.

totalMemory

public long totalMemory()

Returns the total amount of memory in the Java Virtual Machine. The value returned by this method may vary over time, depending on the host environment.

Note that the amount of memory required to hold an object of any given type may be implementation-dependent.

Returns:

the total amount of memory currently available for current and future objects, measured in bytes.

gc

public void gc()

Runs the garbage collector. Calling this method suggests that the Java Virtual Machine expend effort toward recycling unused objects in order to make the memory they currently occupy available for quick reuse. When control returns from the method call, the Java Virtual Machine has made its best effort to recycle all discarded objects.

The name gc stands for "garbage collector". The Java Virtual Machine performs this recycling process automatically as needed, in a separate thread, even if the gc method is not invoked explicitly.

The method System.gc() is hte conventional and convenient means of invoking this method.