StringInterning class

A string interning system that reduces memory usage by storing only one copy of identical strings.

String interning is particularly beneficial for metadata tags where many files may share common values like genre names, artist names, or album names. Instead of storing duplicate strings in memory, the interning system maintains a single canonical copy that can be referenced by multiple tags.

Benefits

• Memory Reduction: Eliminates duplicate string storage
• Cache Efficiency: Better CPU cache utilization with fewer unique strings
• Comparison Speed: Interned strings can use reference equality
• Collection Performance: Reduced memory pressure improves GC performance

Usage Examples

final interning = StringInterning();

// Common genre names will be interned
final rock1 = interning.intern('Rock');
final rock2 = interning.intern('Rock');
assert(identical(rock1, rock2)); // Same object reference

// Artist names across multiple files
final artist1 = interning.intern('The Beatles');
final artist2 = interning.intern('The Beatles');
assert(identical(artist1, artist2)); // Memory saved

// Check memory usage
print('Interned strings: ${interning.size}');
print('Memory saved: ${interning.estimatedMemorySaved} bytes');

// Clear when done processing a batch
interning.clear();

Thread Safety

This implementation is not thread-safe. Use separate instances per thread or add external synchronization if needed.

Memory Management

The interning system uses weak references where possible to allow garbage collection of unused strings. Call clear periodically to release memory when processing large batches of files.