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25 
26 /**
27  * <em>Functional interfaces</em> provide target types for lambda expressions
28  * and method references.  Each functional interface has a single abstract
29  * method, called the <em>functional method</em> for that functional interface,
30  * to which the lambda expression's parameter and return types are matched or
31  * adapted.  Functional interfaces can provide a target type in multiple
32  * contexts, such as assignment context, method invocation, or cast context:
33  *
34  * <pre>{@code
35  *     // Assignment context
36  *     Predicate<String> p = String::isEmpty;
37  *
38  *     // Method invocation context
39  *     stream.filter(e -> e.getSize() > 10)...
40  *
41  *     // Cast context
42  *     stream.map((ToIntFunction) e -> e.getSize())...
43  * }</pre>
44  *
45  * <p>The interfaces in this package are general purpose functional interfaces
46  * used by the JDK, and are available to be used by user code as well.  While
47  * they do not identify a complete set of function shapes to which lambda
48  * expressions might be adapted, they provide enough to cover common
49  * requirements. Other functional interfaces provided for specific purposes,
50  * such as {@link java.io.FileFilter}, are defined in the packages where they
51  * are used.
52  *
53  * <p>The interfaces in this package are annotated with
54  * {@link java.lang.FunctionalInterface}. This annotation is not a requirement
55  * for the compiler to recognize an interface as a functional interface, but
56  * merely an aid to capture design intent and enlist the help of the compiler in
57  * identifying accidental violations of design intent.
58  *
59  * <p>Functional interfaces often represent abstract concepts like functions,
60  * actions, or predicates.  In documenting functional interfaces, or referring
61  * to variables typed as functional interfaces, it is common to refer directly
62  * to those abstract concepts, for example using "this function" instead of
63  * "the function represented by this object".  When an API method is said to
64  * accept or return a functional interface in this manner, such as "applies the
65  * provided function to...", this is understood to mean a <i>non-null</i>
66  * reference to an object implementing the appropriate functional interface,
67  * unless potential nullity is explicitly specified.
68  *
69  * <p>The functional interfaces in this package follow an extensible naming
70  * convention, as follows:
71  *
72  * <ul>
73  *     <li>There are several basic function shapes, including
74  *     {@link java.util.function.Function} (unary function from {@code T} to {@code R}),
75  *     {@link java.util.function.Consumer} (unary function from {@code T} to {@code void}),
76  *     {@link java.util.function.Predicate} (unary function from {@code T} to {@code boolean}),
77  *     and {@link java.util.function.Supplier} (nilary function to {@code R}).
78  *     </li>
79  *
80  *     <li>Function shapes have a natural arity based on how they are most
81  *     commonly used.  The basic shapes can be modified by an arity prefix to
82  *     indicate a different arity, such as
83  *     {@link java.util.function.BiFunction} (binary function from {@code T} and
84  *     {@code U} to {@code R}).
85  *     </li>
86  *
87  *     <li>There are additional derived function shapes which extend the basic
88  *     function shapes, including {@link java.util.function.UnaryOperator}
89  *     (extends {@code Function}) and {@link java.util.function.BinaryOperator}
90  *     (extends {@code BiFunction}).
91  *     </li>
92  *
93  *     <li>Type parameters of functional interfaces can be specialized to
94  *     primitives with additional type prefixes.  To specialize the return type
95  *     for a type that has both generic return type and generic arguments, we
96  *     prefix {@code ToXxx}, as in {@link java.util.function.ToIntFunction}.
97  *     Otherwise, type arguments are specialized left-to-right, as in
98  *     {@link java.util.function.DoubleConsumer}
99  *     or {@link java.util.function.ObjIntConsumer}.
100  *     (The type prefix {@code Obj} is used to indicate that we don't want to
101  *     specialize this parameter, but want to move on to the next parameter,
102  *     as in {@link java.util.function.ObjIntConsumer}.)
103  *     These schemes can be combined, as in {@code IntToDoubleFunction}.
104  *     </li>
105  *
106  *     <li>If there are specialization prefixes for all arguments, the arity
107  *     prefix may be left out (as in {@link java.util.function.ObjIntConsumer}).
108  *     </li>
109  * </ul>
110  *
111  * @see java.lang.FunctionalInterface
112  * @since 1.8
113  */
114 package java.util.function;
115