# ContentHandler

Added in[API level 1](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element#ApiLevels)  
Summary:[Ctors](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#pubctors)\|[Methods](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#pubmethods)\|[Inherited Methods](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#inhmethods)  

# ContentHandler

`
public


abstract
class
ContentHandler
`  
`

extends `[Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object)`


``


`

|---|-------------------------|
| [java.lang.Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object) ||
| ↳ | java.net.ContentHandler |

<br />

*** ** * ** ***

The abstract class`ContentHandler`is the superclass of all classes that read an`Object`from a`URLConnection`.

An application does not generally call the`getContent`method in this class directly. Instead, an application calls the`getContent`method in class`URL`or in`URLConnection`. The application's content handler factory (an instance of a class that implements the interface`ContentHandlerFactory`set up by a call to`setContentHandler`) is called with a`String`giving the MIME type of the object being received on the socket. The factory returns an instance of a subclass of`ContentHandler`, and its`getContent`method is called to create the object.

If no content handler could be found, URLConnection will look for a content handler in a user-defineable set of places. By default it looks in sun.net.www.content, but users can define a vertical-bar delimited set of class prefixes to search through in addition by defining the java.content.handler.pkgs property. The class name must be of the form:  

```
     {package-prefix}.{major}.{minor}
 e.g.
     YoyoDyne.experimental.text.plain
 
```
If the loading of the content handler class would be performed by a classloader that is outside of the delegation chain of the caller, the JVM will need the RuntimePermission "getClassLoader".

<br />

**See also:**

- [getContent(java.net.URLConnection)](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#getContent(java.net.URLConnection))
- [ContentHandlerFactory](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandlerFactory)
- [URL.getContent()](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/URL#getContent())
- [URLConnection](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/URLConnection)
- [URLConnection.getContent()](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/URLConnection#getContent())
- [URLConnection.setContentHandlerFactory(java.net.ContentHandlerFactory)](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/URLConnection#setContentHandlerFactory(java.net.ContentHandlerFactory))

## Summary

|                                            ### Public constructors                                            ||
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---|
| ` `[ContentHandler](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#ContentHandler())`() ` |

|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ### Public methods                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     ||
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ` abstract `[Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object) | ` `[getContent](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#getContent(java.net.URLConnection))`(`[URLConnection](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/URLConnection)` urlc) ` Given a URL connect stream positioned at the beginning of the representation of an object, this method reads that stream and creates an object from it.                                                                                                                                    |
| ` `[Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object)          | ` `[getContent](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/ContentHandler#getContent(java.net.URLConnection,%20java.lang.Class[]))`(`[URLConnection](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/net/URLConnection)` urlc, `[Class[]](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Class)` classes) ` Given a URL connect stream positioned at the beginning of the representation of an object, this method reads that stream and creates an object that matches one of the types specified. |

| ### Inherited methods |
|-----------------------|---|
| From class` `[java.lang.Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object)` ` |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | ` `[Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object)          | ` `[clone](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#clone())`() ` Creates and returns a copy of this object.                                                                                                                                                      | | ` boolean`                                                                     | ` `[equals](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#equals(java.lang.Object))`(`[Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object)` obj) ` Indicates whether some other object is "equal to" this one.                                           | | ` void`                                                                        | ` `[finalize](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#finalize())`() ` Called by the garbage collector on an object when garbage collection determines that there are no more references to the object.                                                          | | ` final `[Class](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Class)`<?>` | ` `[getClass](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#getClass())`() ` Returns the runtime class of this`Object`.                                                                                                                                                | | ` int`                                                                         | ` `[hashCode](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#hashCode())`() ` Returns a hash code value for the object.                                                                                                                                                 | | ` final void`                                                                  | ` `[notify](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#notify())`() ` Wakes up a single thread that is waiting on this object's monitor.                                                                                                                            | | ` final void`                                                                  | ` `[notifyAll](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#notifyAll())`() ` Wakes up all threads that are waiting on this object's monitor.                                                                                                                         | | ` `[String](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/String)          | ` `[toString](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#toString())`() ` Returns a string representation of the object.                                                                                                                                            | | ` final void`                                                                  | ` `[wait](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#wait(long,%20int))`(long timeoutMillis, int nanos) ` Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being*notified* or*interrupted*, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed. | | ` final void`                                                                  | ` `[wait](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#wait(long))`(long timeoutMillis) ` Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being*notified* or*interrupted*, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.                   | | ` final void`                                                                  | ` `[wait](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object#wait())`() ` Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being*notified* or*interrupted*.                                                                                             | ||

## Public constructors

### ContentHandler

Added in[API level 1](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element#ApiLevels)  

```
public ContentHandler ()
```

<br />

<br />

## Public methods

### getContent

Added in[API level 1](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element#ApiLevels)  

```
public abstract Object getContent (URLConnection urlc)
```

Given a URL connect stream positioned at the beginning of the representation of an object, this method reads that stream and creates an object from it.

<br />

|                    Parameters                     ||
|--------|-------------------------------------------|
| `urlc` | `URLConnection`: a URL connection. <br /> |

|                                                      Returns                                                       ||
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| [Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object) | the object read by the`ContentHandler`. <br /> |

|                                                            Throws                                                            ||
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| [IOException](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/io/IOException) | if an I/O error occurs while reading the object. |

### getContent

Added in[API level 1](https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/uses-sdk-element#ApiLevels)  

```
public Object getContent (URLConnection urlc, 
                Class[] classes)
```

Given a URL connect stream positioned at the beginning of the representation of an object, this method reads that stream and creates an object that matches one of the types specified. The default implementation of this method should call getContent() and screen the return type for a match of the suggested types.

<br />

|                       Parameters                       ||
|-----------|---------------------------------------------|
| `urlc`    | `URLConnection`: a URL connection. <br />   |
| `classes` | `Class`: an array of types requested <br /> |

|                                                                                                    Returns                                                                                                    ||
|--------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| [Object](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/lang/Object) | the object read by the`ContentHandler`that is the first match of the suggested types. null if none of the requested are supported. <br /> |

|                                                            Throws                                                            ||
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| [IOException](https://developer.android.com/reference/java/io/IOException) | if an I/O error occurs while reading the object. |