RecursiveAction (Java Platform SE 8 )
Keywords: java.util.concurrent.RecursiveAction class
Date: 2026-01-21

compact1, compact2, compact3
java.util.concurrent

## Class RecursiveAction

- java.lang.Object
- - java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinTask<Void>
  - - java.util.concurrent.RecursiveAction

- All Implemented Interfaces:
    Serializable, Future<Void>

      public abstract class RecursiveAction
      extends ForkJoinTask<Void>

  A recursive resultless `ForkJoinTask`. This class establishes conventions to parameterize resultless actions as `Void` `ForkJoinTask`s. Because `null` is the only valid value of type `Void`, methods such as `join` always return `null` upon completion.

  Sample Usages. Here is a simple but complete ForkJoin sort that sorts a given `long[]` array:

       static class SortTask extends RecursiveAction {
         final long[] array; final int lo, hi;
         SortTask(long[] array, int lo, int hi) {
           this.array = array; this.lo = lo; this.hi = hi;
         }
         SortTask(long[] array) { this(array, 0, array.length); }
         protected void compute() {
           if (hi - lo < THRESHOLD)
             sortSequentially(lo, hi);
           else {
             int mid = (lo + hi) >>> 1;
             invokeAll(new SortTask(array, lo, mid),
                       new SortTask(array, mid, hi));
             merge(lo, mid, hi);
           }
         }
         // implementation details follow:
         static final int THRESHOLD = 1000;
         void sortSequentially(int lo, int hi) {
           Arrays.sort(array, lo, hi);
         }
         void merge(int lo, int mid, int hi) {
           long[] buf = Arrays.copyOfRange(array, lo, mid);
           for (int i = 0, j = lo, k = mid; i < buf.length; j++)
             array[j] = (k == hi || buf[i] < array[k]) ?
               buf[i++] : array[k++];
         }
       }

  You could then sort `anArray` by creating `new SortTask(anArray)` and invoking it in a ForkJoinPool. As a more concrete simple example, the following task increments each element of an array:

       class IncrementTask extends RecursiveAction {
         final long[] array; final int lo, hi;
         IncrementTask(long[] array, int lo, int hi) {
           this.array = array; this.lo = lo; this.hi = hi;
         }
         protected void compute() {
           if (hi - lo < THRESHOLD) {
             for (int i = lo; i < hi; ++i)
               array[i]++;
           }
           else {
             int mid = (lo + hi) >>> 1;
             invokeAll(new IncrementTask(array, lo, mid),
                       new IncrementTask(array, mid, hi));
           }
         }
       }

  The following example illustrates some refinements and idioms that may lead to better performance: RecursiveActions need not be fully recursive, so long as they maintain the basic divide-and-conquer approach. Here is a class that sums the squares of each element of a double array, by subdividing out only the right-hand-sides of repeated divisions by two, and keeping track of them with a chain of `next` references. It uses a dynamic threshold based on method `getSurplusQueuedTaskCount`, but counterbalances potential excess partitioning by directly performing leaf actions on unstolen tasks rather than further subdividing.

       double sumOfSquares(ForkJoinPool pool, double[] array) {
         int n = array.length;
         Applyer a = new Applyer(array, 0, n, null);
         pool.invoke(a);
         return a.result;
       }

       class Applyer extends RecursiveAction {
         final double[] array;
         final int lo, hi;
         double result;
         Applyer next; // keeps track of right-hand-side tasks
         Applyer(double[] array, int lo, int hi, Applyer next) {
           this.array = array; this.lo = lo; this.hi = hi;
           this.next = next;
         }

         double atLeaf(int l, int h) {
           double sum = 0;
           for (int i = l; i < h; ++i) // perform leftmost base step
             sum += array[i] * array[i];
           return sum;
         }

         protected void compute() {
           int l = lo;
           int h = hi;
           Applyer right = null;
           while (h - l > 1 && getSurplusQueuedTaskCount() <= 3) {
             int mid = (l + h) >>> 1;
             right = new Applyer(array, mid, h, right);
             right.fork();
             h = mid;
           }
           double sum = atLeaf(l, h);
           while (right != null) {
             if (right.tryUnfork()) // directly calculate if not stolen
               sum += right.atLeaf(right.lo, right.hi);
             else {
               right.join();
               sum += right.result;
             }
             right = right.next;
           }
           result = sum;
         }
       }

  Since:
    1.7
  See Also:
    Serialized Form

- - ### Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Constructor and Description
    `RecursiveAction()`

  - ### Method Summary

    All Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods Concrete Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `protected abstract void` | `compute()` The main computation performed by this task.
    `protected boolean` | `exec()` Implements execution conventions for RecursiveActions.
    `Void` | `getRawResult()` Always returns `null`.
    `protected void` | `setRawResult(Void mustBeNull)` Requires null completion value.

    - ### Methods inherited from class java.util.concurrent.ForkJoinTask

      `adapt, adapt, adapt, cancel, compareAndSetForkJoinTaskTag, complete, completeExceptionally, fork, get, get, getException, getForkJoinTaskTag, getPool, getQueuedTaskCount, getSurplusQueuedTaskCount, helpQuiesce, inForkJoinPool, invoke, invokeAll, invokeAll, invokeAll, isCancelled, isCompletedAbnormally, isCompletedNormally, isDone, join, peekNextLocalTask, pollNextLocalTask, pollTask, quietlyComplete, quietlyInvoke, quietlyJoin, reinitialize, setForkJoinTaskTag, tryUnfork`

    - ### Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

      `clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait`

- - ### Constructor Detail

    - #### RecursiveAction

          public RecursiveAction()

  - ### Method Detail

    - #### compute

          protected abstract void compute()

      The main computation performed by this task.

    - #### getRawResult

          public final Void getRawResult()

      Always returns `null`.
      Specified by:
        `getRawResult` in class `ForkJoinTask<Void>`
      Returns:
        `null` always

    - #### setRawResult

          protected final void setRawResult(Void mustBeNull)

      Requires null completion value.
      Specified by:
        `setRawResult` in class `ForkJoinTask<Void>`
      Parameters:
        `mustBeNull` - the value

    - #### exec

          protected final boolean exec()

      Implements execution conventions for RecursiveActions.
      Specified by:
        `exec` in class `ForkJoinTask<Void>`
      Returns:
        `true` if this task is known to have completed normally

Submit a bug or feature
For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java SE Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.
Copyright © 1993, 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Use is subject to license terms. Also see the documentation redistribution policy.