WeakReference Class
Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.
Represents a weak reference, which references an object while still allowing that object to be reclaimed by garbage collection.
Inheritance Hierarchy
System.Object
System.WeakReference
Namespace: System
Assembly: mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)
Syntax
'Declaration
<ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _
Public Class WeakReference
[ComVisibleAttribute(true)]
public class WeakReference
The WeakReference type exposes the following members.
Constructors
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Protected method") .gif "Supported by Silverlight for Windows Phone") .gif "Supported by Xbox 360") |
WeakReference() | Initializes a new instance of the WeakReference class. This constructor overload cannot be implemented in Silverlight-based applications. |
.gif "Public method") |
WeakReference(Object) | Initializes a new instance of the WeakReference class, referencing the specified object. |
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WeakReference(Object, Boolean) | Initializes a new instance of the WeakReference class, referencing the specified object and using the specified resurrection tracking. |
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Properties
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
.gif "Public property") |
IsAlive | Gets an indication whether the object referenced by the current WeakReference object has been garbage collected. |
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Target | Gets or sets the object (the target) referenced by the current WeakReference object. |
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TrackResurrection | Gets an indication whether the object referenced by the current WeakReference object is tracked after it is finalized. |
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Methods
| Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Equals(Object) | Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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Finalize | Discards the reference to the target represented by the current WeakReference object. (Overrides Object.Finalize().) |
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GetHashCode | Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.) |
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GetType | Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.) |
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MemberwiseClone | Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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ToString | Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.) |
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Remarks
A weak reference allows the garbage collector to collect an object while still allowing an application to access the object. If you need the object, you can still obtain a strong reference to it and prevent it from being collected.
Version Information
Silverlight
Supported in: 5, 4, 3
Silverlight for Windows Phone
Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0
XNA Framework
Supported in: Xbox 360, Windows Phone OS 7.0
Platforms
For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.
Thread Safety
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.