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| Chapter 15 The java.net Package |

# ContentHandler

## Name

ContentHandler

## Synopsis

Class Name:

  `java.net.ContentHandler`

Superclass:

  `java.lang.Object`

Immediate Subclasses:

  None

Interfaces Implemented:

  None

Availability:

  JDK 1.0 or later

## Description

The `ContentHandler` class is an `abstract` class that defines a method to read data from a `URLConnection` and then create an `Object` appropriate for the type of content it has read. Each subclass of `ContentHandler` handles a specific type of content (i.e., MIME type).

You do not create `ContentHandler` objects directly; they are created by an object that implements the `ContentHandlerFactory` interface. A `ContentHandlerFactory` object selects and creates an appropriate `ContentHandler` for the content type. If you write your own `ContentHandler` subclasses, you should also write your own `ContentHandlerFactory`. The content handler factory for an application is set by a call to `URLConnection.setContentHandlerFactory()`.

An application does not normally call the `getContent()` method of a `ContentHandler` directly; it should call `URL.getContent()` or `URLConnection.getContent()` instead.

A `ContentHandler` works in conjunction with a `URLStreamHandler`, but their roles do not overlap. The `URLStreamHandler` deals with the specifics of a protocol, such as negotiating with a server to retrieve a resource, while the `ContentHandler` expects a data stream from which it can construct an object.

## Class Summary

    public abstract class java.net.ContentHandler extends java.lang.Object {
      // Instance Methods
      public abstract Object getContent(URLConnection urlc) throws IOException;
    }

## Instance Methods

### getContent

####

     public abstract Object getContent(URLConnection urlc) throws IOException

Parameters

  `urlc`

    A `URLConnection` that is the data source.

Returns

  The `Object` created from the data source.

Throws

  `IOException`

    If any kind of I/O error occurs.

Description

  This method reads data from the given `URLConnection` and returns the object that is represented by the data.

## Inherited Methods

Method | Inherited From | Method | Inherited From
--- | --- | --- | ---
`clone()` | `Object` | `equals(Object)` | `Object`
`finalize()` | `Object` | `getClass()` | `Object`
`int hashCode()` | `Object` | `notify()` | `Object`
`notifyAll()` | `Object` | `toString()` | `Object`
`wait()` | `Object` | `wait(long)` | `Object`
`wait(long, int)` | `Object` |  |

## See Also

`ContentHandlerFactory`, `IOException`, `URL`, `URLConnection`, `URLStreamHandler`

ConnectException |  | ContentHandlerFactory