isKnownUniquelyReferenced(_:)
Returns a Boolean value indicating whether the given object is known to have a single strong reference.
func isKnownUniquelyReferenced<T>(_ object: inout T?) -> Bool where T : AnyObject Parameters
- object
An instance of a class. This function does not modify
object; the use ofinoutis an implementation artifact.
Returns
true if object is known to have a single strong reference; otherwise, false. If object is nil, the return value is false.
The isKnownUniquelyReferenced(_:) function is useful for implementing the copy-on-write optimization for the deep storage of value types:
mutating func update(withValue value: T) {
if !isKnownUniquelyReferenced(&myStorage) {
myStorage = self.copiedStorage()
}
myStorage.update(withValue: value)
}isKnownUniquelyReferenced(_:) checks only for strong references to the given object—if object has additional weak or unowned references, the result may still be true. Because weak and unowned references cannot be the only reference to an object, passing a weak or unowned reference as object always results in false.
If the instance passed as object is being accessed by multiple threads simultaneously, this function may still return true. Therefore, you must only call this function from mutating methods with appropriate thread synchronization. That will ensure that isKnownUniquelyReferenced(_:) only returns true when there is really one accessor, or when there is a race condition, which is already undefined behavior.