Elements (Java Platform SE 7 )

```
public interface Elements
```
Utility methods for operating on program elements.
Compatibility Note: Methods may be added to this interface in future releases of the platform.

Since:

1.6

See Also:
ProcessingEnvironment.getElementUtils()

Method Summary

Methods
Modifier and Type	Method and Description
`List<? extends AnnotationMirror>`	`getAllAnnotationMirrors(Element e)` Returns all annotations of an element, whether inherited or directly present.
`List<? extends Element>`	`getAllMembers(TypeElement type)` Returns all members of a type element, whether inherited or declared directly.
`Name`	`getBinaryName(TypeElement type)` Returns the binary name of a type element.
`String`	`getConstantExpression(Object value)` Returns the text of a constant expression representing a primitive value or a string.
`String`	`getDocComment(Element e)` Returns the text of the documentation ("Javadoc") comment of an element.
`Map<? extends ExecutableElement,? extends AnnotationValue>`	`getElementValuesWithDefaults(AnnotationMirror a)` Returns the values of an annotation's elements, including defaults.
`Name`	`getName(CharSequence cs)` Return a name with the same sequence of characters as the argument.
`PackageElement`	`getPackageElement(CharSequence name)` Returns a package given its fully qualified name.
`PackageElement`	`getPackageOf(Element type)` Returns the package of an element.
`TypeElement`	`getTypeElement(CharSequence name)` Returns a type element given its canonical name.
`boolean`	`hides(Element hider, Element hidden)` Tests whether one type, method, or field hides another.
`boolean`	`isDeprecated(Element e)` Returns `true` if the element is deprecated, `false` otherwise.
`boolean`	`overrides(ExecutableElement overrider, ExecutableElement overridden, TypeElement type)` Tests whether one method, as a member of a given type, overrides another method.
`void`	`printElements(Writer w, Element... elements)` Prints a representation of the elements to the given writer in the specified order.

- Method Detail
  - getPackageElement
```
PackageElement getPackageElement(CharSequence name)
```
    Returns a package given its fully qualified name.
    
    Parameters:
    name - fully qualified package name, or "" for an unnamed package
    
    Returns:
    the named package, or null if it cannot be found
  - getTypeElement
```
TypeElement getTypeElement(CharSequence name)
```
    Returns a type element given its canonical name.
    
    Parameters:
    name - the canonical name
    
    Returns:
    the named type element, or null if it cannot be found
  - getElementValuesWithDefaults
```
Map<? extends ExecutableElement,? extends AnnotationValue> getElementValuesWithDefaults(AnnotationMirror a)
```
    Returns the values of an annotation's elements, including defaults.
    
    Parameters:
    a - annotation to examine
    
    Returns:
    the values of the annotation's elements, including defaults
    See Also:
    AnnotationMirror.getElementValues()
  - getDocComment
```
String getDocComment(Element e)
```
    Returns the text of the documentation ("Javadoc") comment of an element.
    A documentation comment of an element is a comment that begins with "/**" , ends with a separate "*/", and immediately precedes the element, ignoring white space. Therefore, a documentation comment contains at least three"*" characters. The text returned for the documentation comment is a processed form of the comment as it appears in source code. The leading "/**" and trailing "*/" are removed. For lines of the comment starting after the initial "/**", leading white space characters are discarded as are any consecutive "*" characters appearing after the white space or starting the line. The processed lines are then concatenated together (including line terminators) and returned.
    
    Parameters:
    e - the element being examined
    
    Returns:
    the documentation comment of the element, or null if there is none
    See The Java™ Language Specification:
    
    3.6 White Space
  - isDeprecated
```
boolean isDeprecated(Element e)
```
    Returns true if the element is deprecated, false otherwise.
    
    Parameters:
    e - the element being examined
    
    Returns:
    true if the element is deprecated, false otherwise
  - getBinaryName
```
Name getBinaryName(TypeElement type)
```
    Returns the binary name of a type element.
    
    Parameters:
    type - the type element being examined
    
    Returns:
    the binary name
    See Also:
    TypeElement.getQualifiedName()
    See The Java™ Language Specification:
    
    13.1 The Form of a Binary
  - getPackageOf
```
PackageElement getPackageOf(Element type)
```
    Returns the package of an element. The package of a package is itself.
    
    Parameters:
    type - the element being examined
    
    Returns:
    the package of an element
  - getAllMembers
```
List<? extends Element> getAllMembers(TypeElement type)
```
    Returns all members of a type element, whether inherited or declared directly. For a class the result also includes its constructors, but not local or anonymous classes.
    Note that elements of certain kinds can be isolated using methods in ElementFilter.
    
    Parameters:
    type - the type being examined
    
    Returns:
    all members of the type
    See Also:
    Element.getEnclosedElements()
  - getAllAnnotationMirrors
```
List<? extends AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotationMirrors(Element e)
```
    Returns all annotations of an element, whether inherited or directly present.
    
    Parameters:
    e - the element being examined
    
    Returns:
    all annotations of the element
    See Also:
    Element.getAnnotationMirrors()
  - hides
```
boolean hides(Element hider,
            Element hidden)
```
    Tests whether one type, method, or field hides another.
    
    Parameters:
    hider - the first element
    hidden - the second element
    
    Returns:
    true if and only if the first element hides the second
  - overrides
```
boolean overrides(ExecutableElement overrider,
                ExecutableElement overridden,
                TypeElement type)
```
    Tests whether one method, as a member of a given type, overrides another method. When a non-abstract method overrides an abstract one, the former is also said to implement the latter.
    In the simplest and most typical usage, the value of the type parameter will simply be the class or interface directly enclosing overrider (the possibly-overriding method). For example, suppose m1 represents the method String.hashCode and m2 represents Object.hashCode. We can then ask whether m1 overrides m2 within the class String (it does):
    assert elements.overrides(m1, m2, elements.getTypeElement("java.lang.String"));
    A more interesting case can be illustrated by the following example in which a method in type A does not override a like-named method in type B:
    class A { public void m() {} }
    interface B { void m(); }
    ...
    m1 = ...; // A.m
    m2 = ...; // B.m
    assert ! elements.overrides(m1, m2, elements.getTypeElement("A"));
    When viewed as a member of a third type C, however, the method in A does override the one in B:
    class C extends A implements B {}
    ...
    assert elements.overrides(m1, m2, elements.getTypeElement("C"));
    
    Parameters:
    overrider - the first method, possible overrider
    overridden - the second method, possibly being overridden
    type - the type of which the first method is a member
    
    Returns:
    true if and only if the first method overrides the second
    See The Java™ Language Specification:
    
    8.4.8 Inheritance, Overriding, and Hiding, 9.4.1 Inheritance and Overriding
  - getConstantExpression
```
String getConstantExpression(Object value)
```
    Returns the text of a constant expression representing a primitive value or a string. The text returned is in a form suitable for representing the value in source code.
    
    Parameters:
    value - a primitive value or string
    
    Returns:
    the text of a constant expression
    
    Throws:
    
    IllegalArgumentException - if the argument is not a primitive value or string
    See Also:
    VariableElement.getConstantValue()
  - printElements
```
void printElements(Writer w,
                 Element... elements)
```
    Prints a representation of the elements to the given writer in the specified order. The main purpose of this method is for diagnostics. The exact format of the output is not specified and is subject to change.
    
    Parameters:
    w - the writer to print the output to
    elements - the elements to print
  - getName
```
Name getName(CharSequence cs)
```
    Return a name with the same sequence of characters as the argument.
    
    Parameters:
    cs - the character sequence to return as a name

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Interface Elements

Method Summary

Method Detail

getPackageElement

getTypeElement

getElementValuesWithDefaults

getDocComment

isDeprecated

getBinaryName

getPackageOf

getAllMembers

getAllAnnotationMirrors

hides

overrides

getConstantExpression

printElements

getName