Module java.compiler

Package javax.lang.model.element

Interface TypeElement

All Superinterfaces:

AnnotatedConstruct, Element, Parameterizable, QualifiedNameable

public interface TypeElement
extends Element, Parameterizable, QualifiedNameable

Represents a class or interface program element. Provides access to information about the type and its members. Note that an enum type is a kind of class and an annotation type is a kind of interface.

While a TypeElement represents a class or interface element, a DeclaredType represents a class or interface type, the latter being a use (or invocation) of the former. The distinction is most apparent with generic types, for which a single element can define a whole family of types. For example, the element java.util.Set corresponds to the parameterized types java.util.Set<String> and java.util.Set<Number> (and many others), and to the raw type java.util.Set.

Each method of this interface that returns a list of elements will return them in the order that is natural for the underlying source of program information. For example, if the underlying source of information is Java source code, then the elements will be returned in source code order.

Since:

1.6

See Also:

DeclaredType

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
TypeMirror	asType()	Returns the type defined by this type element, returning the prototypical type for an element representing a generic type.
List<? extends Element>	getEnclosedElements()	Returns the fields, methods, constructors, and member types that are directly declared in this class or interface.
Element	getEnclosingElement()	Returns the package of a top-level type and returns the immediately lexically enclosing element for a nested type.
List<? extends TypeMirror>	getInterfaces()	Returns the interface types directly implemented by this class or extended by this interface.
NestingKind	getNestingKind()	Returns the nesting kind of this type element.
Name	getQualifiedName()	Returns the fully qualified name of this type element.
Name	getSimpleName()	Returns the simple name of this type element.
TypeMirror	getSuperclass()	Returns the direct superclass of this type element.
List<? extends TypeParameterElement>	getTypeParameters()	Returns the formal type parameters of this type element in declaration order.

Methods declared in interface javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct

getAnnotationsByType

Methods declared in interface javax.lang.model.element.Element

accept, equals, getAnnotation, getAnnotationMirrors, getKind, getModifiers, hashCode

Method Details

asType

TypeMirror asType()

Returns the type defined by this type element, returning the prototypical type for an element representing a generic type.

A generic element defines a family of types, not just one. If this is a generic element, a prototypical type is returned which has the element's invocation on the type variables corresponding to its own formal type parameters. For example, for the generic class element C<N extends Number>, the parameterized type C<N> is returned. The Types utility interface has more general methods for obtaining the full range of types defined by an element.

Specified by:

asType in interface Element

Returns:

the type defined by this type element

See Also:

Types.asMemberOf(DeclaredType, Element), Types.getDeclaredType(TypeElement, TypeMirror...)

getEnclosedElements

List<? extends Element> getEnclosedElements()

Returns the fields, methods, constructors, and member types that are directly declared in this class or interface. This includes any mandated elements such as the (implicit) default constructor and the implicit values and valueOf methods of an enum type.

Specified by:

getEnclosedElements in interface Element

API Note:

As a particular instance of the general accuracy requirements and the ordering behavior required of this interface, the list of enclosed elements will be returned in the natural order for the originating source of information about the type. For example, if the information about the type is originating from a source file, the elements will be returned in source code order. (However, in that case the the ordering of implicitly declared elements, such as default constructors, is not specified.)

Returns:

the enclosed elements in proper order, or an empty list if none

See Java Language Specification:

8.8.9 Default Constructor
8.9.3 Enum Members

See Also:

getEnclosedElements(), PackageElement.getEnclosedElements(), ModuleElement.getEnclosedElements(), Elements.getAllMembers(javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement)

getNestingKind

NestingKind getNestingKind()

Returns the nesting kind of this type element.

Returns:

the nesting kind of this type element

getQualifiedName

Name getQualifiedName()

Returns the fully qualified name of this type element. More precisely, it returns the canonical name. For local and anonymous classes, which do not have canonical names, an empty name is returned.

The name of a generic type does not include any reference to its formal type parameters. For example, the fully qualified name of the interface java.util.Set<E> is "java.util.Set". Nested types use "." as a separator, as in "java.util.Map.Entry".

Specified by:

getQualifiedName in interface QualifiedNameable

Returns:

the fully qualified name of this class or interface, or an empty name if none

See Java Language Specification:

6.7 Fully Qualified Names and Canonical Names

See Also:

Elements.getBinaryName(javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement)

getSimpleName

Name getSimpleName()

Returns the simple name of this type element. For an anonymous class, an empty name is returned.

Specified by:

getSimpleName in interface Element

Returns:

the simple name of this class or interface, an empty name for an anonymous class

See Also:

PackageElement.getSimpleName(), ExecutableElement.getSimpleName(), getSimpleName(), VariableElement.getSimpleName(), ModuleElement.getSimpleName()

getSuperclass

TypeMirror getSuperclass()

Returns the direct superclass of this type element. If this type element represents an interface or the class java.lang.Object, then a NoType with kind NONE is returned.

Returns:

the direct superclass, or a NoType if there is none

getInterfaces

List<? extends TypeMirror> getInterfaces()

Returns the interface types directly implemented by this class or extended by this interface.

Returns:

the interface types directly implemented by this class or extended by this interface, or an empty list if there are none

getTypeParameters

List<? extends TypeParameterElement> getTypeParameters()

Returns the formal type parameters of this type element in declaration order.

Specified by:

getTypeParameters in interface Parameterizable

Returns:

the formal type parameters, or an empty list if there are none

getEnclosingElement

Element getEnclosingElement()

Returns the package of a top-level type and returns the immediately lexically enclosing element for a nested type.

Specified by:

getEnclosingElement in interface Element

Returns:

the package of a top-level type, the immediately lexically enclosing element for a nested type

See Also:

Elements.getPackageOf(javax.lang.model.element.Element)