Module java.compiler

Package javax.lang.model.element

Interface Element

All Superinterfaces:

AnnotatedConstruct

All Known Subinterfaces:

ExecutableElement, ModuleElement, PackageElement, Parameterizable, QualifiedNameable, TypeElement, TypeParameterElement, VariableElement

public interface Element
extends AnnotatedConstruct

Represents a program element such as a module, package, class, or method. Each element represents a static, language-level construct (and not, for example, a runtime construct of the virtual machine).

Elements should be compared using the equals(Object) method. There is no guarantee that any particular element will always be represented by the same object.

To implement operations based on the class of an Element object, either use a visitor or use the result of the getKind() method. Using instanceof is not necessarily a reliable idiom for determining the effective class of an object in this modeling hierarchy since an implementation may choose to have a single object implement multiple Element subinterfaces.

Since:

1.6

See Also:

Elements, TypeMirror

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
<R, P> R	accept(ElementVisitor<R,P> v, P p)	Applies a visitor to this element.
TypeMirror	asType()	Returns the type defined by this element.
boolean	equals(Object obj)	Returns true if the argument represents the same element as this, or false otherwise.
<A extends Annotation> A	getAnnotation(Class<A> annotationType)	Returns this construct's annotation of the specified type if such an annotation is present, else null.
List<? extends AnnotationMirror>	getAnnotationMirrors()	Returns the annotations that are directly present on this construct.
List<? extends Element>	getEnclosedElements()	Returns the elements that are, loosely speaking, directly enclosed by this element.
Element	getEnclosingElement()	Returns the innermost element within which this element is, loosely speaking, enclosed.
ElementKind	getKind()	Returns the kind of this element.
Set<Modifier>	getModifiers()	Returns the modifiers of this element, excluding annotations.
Name	getSimpleName()	Returns the simple (unqualified) name of this element.
int	hashCode()	Obeys the general contract of Object.hashCode.

Methods declared in interface javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct

getAnnotationsByType

Method Details

asType

TypeMirror asType()

Returns the type defined by this element.

Returns:

the type defined by this element

See Also:

Types, ExecutableElement.asType(), ModuleElement.asType(), PackageElement.asType(), TypeElement.asType(), TypeParameterElement.asType(), VariableElement.asType()

getKind

ElementKind getKind()

Returns the kind of this element.

Returns:

the kind of this element

getModifiers

Set<Modifier> getModifiers()

Returns the modifiers of this element, excluding annotations. Implicit modifiers, such as the public and static modifiers of interface members, are included.

Returns:

the modifiers of this element, or an empty set if there are none

getSimpleName

Name getSimpleName()

Returns the simple (unqualified) name of this element. The name of a generic type does not include any reference to its formal type parameters. For example, the simple name of the type element java.util.Set<E> is "Set". If this element represents an unnamed package or unnamed module, an empty name is returned. If it represents a constructor, the name "<init>" is returned. If it represents a static initializer, the name "<clinit>" is returned. If it represents an anonymous class or instance initializer, an empty name is returned.

Returns:

the simple name of this element

See Also:

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

getEnclosingElement

Element getEnclosingElement()

Returns the innermost element within which this element is, loosely speaking, enclosed.

• If this element is one whose declaration is lexically enclosed immediately within the declaration of another element, that other element is returned.
• If this is a top-level type, its package is returned.
• If this is a package, its module is returned if such a module exists. Otherwise, null is returned.
• If this is a type parameter, the generic element of the type parameter is returned.
• If this is a method or constructor parameter, the executable element which declares the parameter is returned.
• If this is a