# class Reference

- Reference
- Object

##
Overview

`Reference` is the base class of classes you define in your program. It is set as a class' superclass when you don't specify one:

    class MyClass # < Reference
    end

A reference type is passed by reference: when you pass it to methods, return it from methods or assign it to variables, a pointer is actually passed.

Invoking `.new` on a `Reference` allocates a new instance on the heap. The instance's memory is automatically freed (garbage-collected) when the instance is no longer referred by any other entity in the program.

##
Direct Known Subclasses

- Array(T)
- Benchmark::BM::Job
- Benchmark::BM::Tms
- Benchmark::IPS::Entry
- Benchmark::IPS::Job
- Box(T)
- Channel(T)
- Crypto::Bcrypt
- Crypto::Bcrypt::Password
- Crypto::Blowfish
- Crystal::Macros::ASTNode
- CSV
- CSV::Builder
- CSV::Lexer
- CSV::Parser
- Deque(T)
- Digest::Base
- Dir
- Exception
- Fiber
- Gzip::Header
- Hash(K, V)
- HTTP::Client
- HTTP::Client::Response
- HTTP::CompressHandler
- HTTP::Cookie
- HTTP::Cookies
- HTTP::ErrorHandler
- HTTP::FormData::Builder
- HTTP::FormData::Parser
- HTTP::LogHandler
- HTTP::Params::Builder
- HTTP::Request
- HTTP::Server
- HTTP::Server::Context
- HTTP::Server::RequestProcessor
- HTTP::StaticFileHandler
- HTTP::WebSocket
- HTTP::WebSocketHandler
- INI
- IO
- Iterator::Stop
- JSON::Builder
- JSON::Lexer
- JSON::Parser
- JSON::PullParser
- JSON::Token
- Levenshtein::Finder
- LLVM::ABI
- LLVM::ABI::FunctionType
- LLVM::Builder
- LLVM::Context
- LLVM::FunctionPassManager
- LLVM::GenericValue
- LLVM::JITCompiler
- LLVM::MemoryBuffer
- LLVM::Module
- LLVM::ModulePassManager
- LLVM::PassManagerBuilder
- LLVM::TargetMachine
- Logger
- MIME::Multipart::Builder
- MIME::Multipart::Parser
- Mutex
- OAuth2::AccessToken
- OAuth2::Client
- OAuth2::Session
- OAuth::AccessToken
- OAuth::Consumer
- OAuth::RequestToken
- OpenSSL::Cipher
- OpenSSL::Digest
- OpenSSL::HMAC
- OpenSSL::MD5
- OpenSSL::SHA1
- OpenSSL::SSL::Context
- OpenSSL::SSL::Server
- OptionParser
- PrettyPrint
- Process
- Process::Status
- Random::ISAAC
- Random::PCG32
- Regex
- Spec::Context
- Spec::Example
- Spec::VerboseFormatter::Item
- String
- StringPool
- StringScanner
- System::Group
- System::User
- Time::Location
- URI
- URI::Punycode
- WeakRef(T)
- YAML::Builder
- YAML::Nodes::Builder
- YAML::Nodes::Node
- YAML::ParseContext
- YAML::PullParser
- Zip::File
- Zip::File::Entry
- Zip::Reader
- Zip::Reader::Entry
- Zip::Writer
- Zip::Writer::Entry

##
Defined in:

##
Constructors

- .new

##
Instance Method Summary

- #==(other : self)

  Returns `true` if this reference is the same as other.

- #==(other : JSON::Any)
- #==(other : YAML::Any)
- #==(other)

  Returns `false` (other can only be a `Value` here).

- #dup

  Returns a shallow copy of this object.

- #hash(hasher)

  See `Object#hash(hasher)`

- #inspect(io : IO) : Nil

  Appends a String representation of this object which includes its class name, its object address and the values of all instance variables.

- #object_id : UInt64

  Returns a `UInt64` that uniquely identifies this object.

- #pretty_print(pp) : Nil
- #same?(other : Reference)

  Returns `true` if this reference is the same as other.

- #same?(other : Nil)

  Returns `false`: a reference is never `nil`.

- #to_s(io : IO) : Nil

  Appends a short String representation of this object which includes its class name and its object address.

### Instance methods inherited from class `Object`

!=(other) !=, !~(other) !~, ==(other) ==, ===(other : JSON::Any)
===(other : YAML::Any)
===(other) ===, =~(other) =~, __crystal_pseudo_! : Bool __crystal_pseudo_!, __crystal_pseudo_as(type : Class) __crystal_pseudo_as, __crystal_pseudo_as?(type : Class) __crystal_pseudo_as?, __crystal_pseudo_is_a?(type : Class) : Bool __crystal_pseudo_is_a?, __crystal_pseudo_nil? : Bool __crystal_pseudo_nil?, __crystal_pseudo_responds_to?(name : Symbol) : Bool __crystal_pseudo_responds_to?, class class, dup dup, hash(hasher)
hash hash, inspect : String
inspect(io : IO) : Nil inspect, itself itself, not_nil! not_nil!, pretty_inspect(width = 79, newline = "\n", indent = 0) : String pretty_inspect, pretty_print(pp : PrettyPrint) : Nil pretty_print, tap(&) tap, to_json(io : IO)
to_json to_json, to_pretty_json(indent : String = " ")
to_pretty_json(io : IO, indent : String = " ") to_pretty_json, to_s : String
to_s(io : IO) : Nil to_s, to_yaml(io : IO)
to_yaml to_yaml, try(&) try, unsafe_as(type : T.class) forall T unsafe_as

### Class methods inherited from class `Object`

from_json(string_or_io, root : String)
from_json(string_or_io) from_json, from_yaml(string_or_io : String | IO) from_yaml

##
Constructor Detail

def self.new #

##
Instance Method Detail

def ==(other : self) #

Returns `true` if this reference is the same as other. Invokes `#same?`.

def ==(other : JSON::Any) #
def ==(other : YAML::Any) #
def ==(other) #

Returns `false` (other can only be a `Value` here).

def dup #

Returns a shallow copy of this object.

This allocates a new object and copies the contents of `self` into it.

def hash(hasher) #

See `Object#hash(hasher)`

def inspect(io : IO) : Nil #

Appends a String representation of this object which includes its class name, its object address and the values of all instance variables.

    class Person
      def initialize(@name : String, @age : Int32)
      end
    end

    Person.new("John", 32).inspect # => #<Person:0x10fd31f20 @name="John", @age=32>

def object_id : UInt64 #

Returns a `UInt64` that uniquely identifies this object.

The returned value is the memory address of this object.

    string = "hello"
    string.object_id # => 4460249568

    pointer = Pointer(String).new(string.object_id)
    string2 = pointer.as(String)
    string2.object_id == string.object_id # => true

def pretty_print(pp) : Nil #
def same?(other : Reference) #

Returns `true` if this reference is the same as other. This is only `true` if this reference's `#object_id` is the same as other's.

def same?(other : Nil) #

Returns `false`: a reference is never `nil`.

def to_s(io : IO) : Nil #

Appends a short String representation of this object which includes its class name and its object address.

    class Person
      def initialize(@name : String, @age : Int32)
      end
    end

    Person.new("John", 32).to_s # => #<Person:0x10a199f20>