Comparing object references in Vala

Question

In vala, == compares the content for string type. I want to compare two objects (including strings) reference like java's obj == obj2. I couldn't find a document about it.

How to do it?

Possible duplicate of [How do I compare Strings in Java](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/513832/how-do-i-compare-strings-in-java) — xenteros, Oct 21 '16 at 11:42
Strings aren't objects in Vala, so what is the context in which you are trying to do a comparison? — apmasell, Oct 21 '16 at 13:28

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 21 '16 at 14:31

You can access the underlying byte array to compare it by reference.

string a = "a";
unowned string b = a;

assert (a.data == b.data);

More generally, comparing references is not relevant because string can only have a single owner. If you have two strong references on string objects, they are guarantee to be different.

This is why b has been assigned with a weak reference from a, otherwise a copy would be made.

Comparing object references in Vala

1 Answers1