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 Detail

    - #### asType

          TypeMirror asType()

      Returns the type defined by this element.

      A generic element defines a family of types, not just one. If this is a generic element, a prototypical type is returned. This is 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.

      Returns:
        the type defined by this element
      See Also:
        `Types`

    - #### 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 module, `null` is returned.
      Returns:
        the enclosing element, or `null` if there is none
      See Also:
        `Elements.getPackageOf(javax.lang.model.element.Element)`

    - #### getEnclosedElements

          List<? extends Element> getEnclosedElements()

      Returns the elements that are, loosely speaking, directly enclosed by this element. A class or interface is considered to enclose the fields, methods, constructors, and member types that it directly declares. A package encloses the top-level classes and interfaces within it, but is not considered to enclose subpackages. A module encloses packages within it. Enclosed elements may include implicitly declared mandated elements. Other kinds of elements are not currently considered to enclose any elements; however, that may change as this API or the programming language evolves.
      API Note:
        Elements of certain kinds can be isolated using methods in `ElementFilter`.
      Returns:
        the enclosed elements, or an empty list if none
      See Also:
        `TypeElement.getEnclosedElements()`, `PackageElement.getEnclosedElements()`, `ModuleElement.getEnclosedElements()`, `Elements.getAllMembers(javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement)`
      See The Java™ Language Specification:
        8.8.9 Default Constructor, 8.9 Enums

    - #### equals

          boolean equals​(Object obj)

      Returns `true` if the argument represents the same element as `this`, or `false` otherwise.
      Overrides:
        `equals` in class `Object`
      API Note:
        The identity of an element involves implicit state not directly accessible from the element's methods, including state about the presence of unrelated types. Element objects created by different implementations of these interfaces should not be expected to be equal even if "the same" element is being modeled; this is analogous to the inequality of `Class` objects for the same class file loaded through different class loaders.
      Parameters:
        `obj` - the object to be compared with this element
      Returns:
        `true` if the specified object represents the same element as this
      See Also:
        `Object.hashCode()`, `HashMap`

    - #### hashCode

          int hashCode()

      Obeys the general contract of `Object.hashCode`.
      Overrides:
        `hashCode` in class `Object`
      Returns:
        a hash code value for this object.
      See Also:
        `equals(java.lang.Object)`

    - #### getAnnotationMirrors

          List<? extends AnnotationMirror> getAnnotationMirrors()

      Returns the annotations that are directly present on this construct.

      To get inherited annotations as well, use `getAllAnnotationMirrors`.

      Specified by:
        `getAnnotationMirrors` in interface `AnnotatedConstruct`
      Returns:
        the annotations directly present on this construct; an empty list if there are none
      Since:
        1.6

    - #### getAnnotation

          <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`.

      The annotation returned by this method could contain an element whose value is of type `Class`. This value cannot be returned directly: information necessary to locate and load a class (such as the class loader to use) is not available, and the class might not be loadable at all. Attempting to read a `Class` object by invoking the relevant method on the returned annotation will result in a `MirroredTypeException`, from which the corresponding `TypeMirror` may be extracted. Similarly, attempting to read a `Class[]`-valued element will result in a `MirroredTypesException`.

      > Note: This method is unlike others in this and related interfaces. It operates on runtime reflective information — representations of annotation types currently loaded into the VM — rather than on the representations defined by and used throughout these interfaces. Consequently, calling methods on the returned annotation object can throw many of the exceptions that can be thrown when calling methods on an annotation object returned by core reflection. This method is intended for callers that are written to operate on a known, fixed set of annotation types.

      Specified by:
        `getAnnotation` in interface `AnnotatedConstruct`
      Type Parameters:
        `A` - the annotation type
      Parameters:
        `annotationType` - the `Class` object corresponding to the annotation type
      Returns:
        this construct's annotation for the specified annotation type if present, else `null`
      Since:
        1.6
      See Also:
        `AnnotatedConstruct.getAnnotationMirrors()`, `AnnotatedElement.getAnnotation(java.lang.Class<T>)`, `EnumConstantNotPresentException`, `AnnotationTypeMismatchException`, `IncompleteAnnotationException`, `MirroredTypeException`, `MirroredTypesException`

    - #### accept

          <R,​P> R accept​(ElementVisitor<R,​P> v,
                               P p)

      Applies a visitor to this element.
      Type Parameters:
        `R` - the return type of the visitor's methods
        `P` - the type of the additional parameter to the visitor's methods
      Parameters:
        `v` - the visitor operating on this element
        `p` - additional parameter to the visitor
      Returns:
        a visitor-specified result