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## java.security
Class Permission

    java.lang.Object
      java.security.Permission

All Implemented Interfaces:
  Serializable, Guard

Direct Known Subclasses:
  AllPermission, BasicPermission, FilePermission, MBeanPermission, PrivateCredentialPermission, ServicePermission, SocketPermission, UnresolvedPermission

    public abstract class Permission

extends Object
implements Guard, Serializable

Abstract class for representing access to a system resource. All permissions have a name (whose interpretation depends on the subclass), as well as abstract functions for defining the semantics of the particular Permission subclass.

Most Permission objects also include an "actions" list that tells the actions that are permitted for the object. For example, for a `java.io.FilePermission` object, the permission name is the pathname of a file (or directory), and the actions list (such as "read, write") specifies which actions are granted for the specified file (or for files in the specified directory). The actions list is optional for Permission objects, such as `java.lang.RuntimePermission`, that don't need such a list; you either have the named permission (such as "system.exit") or you don't.

An important method that must be implemented by each subclass is the `implies` method to compare Permissions. Basically, "permission p1 implies permission p2" means that if one is granted permission p1, one is naturally granted permission p2. Thus, this is not an equality test, but rather more of a subset test.

Permission objects are similar to String objects in that they are immutable once they have been created. Subclasses should not provide methods that can change the state of a permission once it has been created.

See Also:
  `Permissions`, `PermissionCollection`, Serialized Form

Constructor Summary
`Permission(String name)` Constructs a permission with the specified name.

Method Summary
`void` | `checkGuard(Object object)` Implements the guard interface for a permission.
`abstract boolean` | `equals(Object obj)` Checks two Permission objects for equality.
`abstract String` | `getActions()` Returns the actions as a String.
`String` | `getName()` Returns the name of this Permission.
`abstract int` | `hashCode()` Returns the hash code value for this Permission object.
`abstract boolean` | `implies(Permission permission)` Checks if the specified permission's actions are "implied by" this object's actions.
`PermissionCollection` | `newPermissionCollection()` Returns an empty PermissionCollection for a given Permission object, or null if one is not defined.
`String` | `toString()` Returns a string describing this Permission.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
`clone, finalize, getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait`

Constructor Detail

### Permission

    public Permission(String name)

  Constructs a permission with the specified name.

  Parameters:
    `name` - name of the Permission object being created.

Method Detail

### checkGuard

    public void checkGuard(Object object)
                    throws SecurityException

  Implements the guard interface for a permission. The `SecurityManager.checkPermission` method is called, passing this permission object as the permission to check. Returns silently if access is granted. Otherwise, throws a SecurityException.

  Specified by:
    `checkGuard` in interface `Guard`
  Parameters:
    `object` - the object being guarded (currently ignored).
  Throws:
    `SecurityException` - if a security manager exists and its `checkPermission` method doesn't allow access.
  See Also:
    `Guard`, `GuardedObject`, `SecurityManager.checkPermission(java.security.Permission)`

### implies

    public abstract boolean implies(Permission permission)

  Checks if the specified permission's actions are "implied by" this object's actions.

  This must be implemented by subclasses of Permission, as they are the only ones that can impose semantics on a Permission object.

  The `implies` method is used by the AccessController to determine whether or not a requested permission is implied by another permission that is known to be valid in the current execution context.

  Parameters:
    `permission` - the permission to check against.
  Returns:
    true if the specified permission is implied by this object, false if not.

### equals

    public abstract boolean equals(Object obj)

  Checks two Permission objects for equality.

  Do not use the `equals` method for making access control decisions; use the `implies` method.

  Overrides:
    `equals` in class `Object`
  Parameters:
    `obj` - the object we are testing for equality with this object.
  Returns:
    true if both Permission objects are equivalent.
  See Also:
    `Object.hashCode()`, `Hashtable`

### hashCode

    public abstract int hashCode()

  Returns the hash code value for this Permission object.

  The required `hashCode` behavior for Permission Objects is the following:

  - Whenever it is invoked on the same Permission object more than once during an execution of a Java application, the `hashCode` method must consistently return the same integer. This integer need not remain consistent from one execution of an application to another execution of the same application.

  - If two Permission objects are equal according to the `equals` method, then calling the `hashCode` method on each of the two Permission objects must produce the same integer result.

  Overrides:
    `hashCode` in class `Object`
  Returns:
    a hash code value for this object.
  See Also:
    `Object.equals(java.lang.Object)`, `Hashtable`

### getName

    public final String getName()

  Returns the name of this Permission. For example, in the case of a `java.io.FilePermission`, the name will be a pathname.

  Returns:
    the name of this Permission.

### getActions

    public abstract String getActions()

  Returns the actions as a String. This is abstract so subclasses can defer creating a String representation until one is needed. Subclasses should always return actions in what they consider to be their canonical form. For example, two FilePermission objects created via the following:

         perm1 = new FilePermission(p1,"read,write");
         perm2 = new FilePermission(p2,"write,read");

  both return "read,write" when the `getActions` method is invoked.

  Returns:
    the actions of this Permission.

### newPermissionCollection

    public PermissionCollection newPermissionCollection()

  Returns an empty PermissionCollection for a given Permission object, or null if one is not defined. Subclasses of class Permission should override this if they need to store their permissions in a particular PermissionCollection object in order to provide the correct semantics when the `PermissionCollection.implies` method is called. If null is returned, then the caller of this method is free to store permissions of this type in any PermissionCollection they choose (one that uses a Hashtable, one that uses a Vector, etc).

  Returns:
    a new PermissionCollection object for this type of Permission, or null if one is not defined.

### toString

    public String toString()

  Returns a string describing this Permission. The convention is to specify the class name, the permission name, and the actions in the following format: '("ClassName" "name" "actions")'.

  Overrides:
    `toString` in class `Object`
  Returns:
    information about this Permission.

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For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java 2 SDK SE Developer Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.

Copyright 2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. Use is subject to license terms. Also see the documentation redistribution policy.