Target (Java 2 Platform SE 5.0) (original) (raw)

java.lang.annotation

Annotation Type Target

@Documented @Retention(value=RUNTIME) @Target(value=ANNOTATION_TYPE) public @interface Target

Indicates the kinds of program element to which an annotation type is applicable. If a Target meta-annotation is not present on an annotation type declaration, the declared type may be used on any program element. If such a meta-annotation is present, the compiler will enforce the specified usage restriction. For example, this meta-annotation indicates that the declared type is itself a meta-annotation type. It can only be used on annotation type declarations:

@Target(ElementType.ANNOTATION_TYPE)
public @interface MetaAnnotationType {
    ... 
}

This meta-annotation indicates that the declared type is intended solely for use as a member type in complex annotation type declarations. It cannot be used to annotate anything directly:

@Target({}) 
public @interface MemberType {
    ...
}

It is a compile-time error for a single ElementType constant to appear more than once in a Target annotation. For example, the following meta-annotation is illegal:

@Target({ElementType.FIELD, ElementType.METHOD, ElementType.FIELD})
public @interface Bogus {
    ...
}

Required Element Summary
ElementType[]	value

Element Detail

value

public abstract ElementType[] value

Submit a bug or feature
For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java 2 SDK SE Developer Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.