Package io.microsphere.annotation.processor.util

Interface AnnotationUtils

  • All Superinterfaces:
    Utils
    public interface AnnotationUtils
extends Utils
    A utility interface for working with annotations in the javax.lang.model.* package.

    This interface provides methods to retrieve, filter, and check annotations and their attributes from various constructs such as Element, TypeMirror, and others commonly used in annotation processing.

    Example Usage

    
 // Retrieve a specific annotation from an element
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotation(element, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Retrieve all annotations from a type
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(typeMirror);

 // Check if an annotation is present on an element
 boolean present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(element, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Find meta-annotations on an annotation
 AnnotationMirror metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(annotation, MyMetaAnnotation.class);

    This interface is intended to be implemented by classes that provide static utility methods for handling annotations during annotation processing. It helps in organizing and reusing common operations related to annotations.

    Since:
    1.0.0
    Author:
    Mercy

    • Field Summary

      Fields 
      Modifier and Type Field Description
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValueVisitor<java.lang.Object,​javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement> DEFAULT_ANNOTATION_VALUE_VISITOR
      The default AnnotationValueVisitor
      static java.lang.annotation.ElementType[] EMPTY_ELEMENT_TYPE_ARRAY
      The empty ElementType array
      static java.lang.String VALUE_ATTRIBUTE_NAME
      The name of the attribute method : value()
      static boolean WITH_DEFAULT  

    • Method Summary

      Static Methods 
      Modifier and Type Method Description
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.annotation.processing.ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv, java.lang.CharSequence annotatedTypeName, java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotated type name from the given ProcessingEnvironment.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.annotation.processing.ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv, java.lang.reflect.Type annotatedType, java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotated type from the given ProcessingEnvironment.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given Element, applying the specified annotation filters to narrow down the results.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement element, java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)  
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type, java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given TypeMirror, applying the specified annotation filters to narrow down the results.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class name from the given Element.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class from the given Element.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class name from the given TypeMirror.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class from the given TypeMirror.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given AnnotatedConstruct that match the provided annotation filters.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findMetaAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element annotatedConstruct, java.lang.CharSequence metaAnnotationClassName)
      Retrieves the first meta-annotation of the specified meta-annotation class name from the given annotated element.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findMetaAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> metaAnnotationClass)
      Retrieves the first meta-annotation of the specified meta-annotation class from the given annotated element.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.annotation.processing.ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv, java.lang.reflect.Type annotatedType)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotated type from the given ProcessingEnvironment.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given Element.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class name from the given Element.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class from the given Element.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given TypeMirror.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class name from the given TypeMirror.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class from the given TypeMirror.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror getAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class name from the given AnnotatedConstruct.
      static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror getAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class from the given AnnotatedConstruct.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given AnnotatedConstruct.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class name from the given AnnotatedConstruct.
      static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class from the given AnnotatedConstruct.
      static <T> T getAttribute​(java.util.Map.Entry<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> elementValue)
      Retrieves the value of the specified attribute from the provided entry containing the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value.
      static <T> T getAttribute​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation, java.lang.String attributeName)
      Retrieves the value of the specified attribute from the given annotation.
      static <T> T getAttribute​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation, java.lang.String attributeName, boolean withDefault)
      Retrieves the value of the specified attribute from the given annotation, optionally including the default value.
      static java.lang.String getAttributeName​(javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement attributeMethod)
      Retrieves the name of the attribute method from the given ExecutableElement.
      static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the first matching annotation of the specified class on the given annotated construct.
      static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass, boolean withDefault)
      Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the first matching annotation of the specified class on the given annotated construct.
      static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
      Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the specified annotation.
      static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation, boolean withDefault)
      Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the specified annotation.
      static java.lang.annotation.ElementType[] getElementTypes​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
      Retrieves the ElementType array from the specified annotation.
      static java.lang.annotation.ElementType[] getElementTypes​(javax.lang.model.type.DeclaredType annotationType)
      Retrieves the ElementType array from the specified annotation type by checking the Target annotation associated with it.
      static java.util.Map.Entry<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValue​(java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> elementValues, java.lang.String attributeName)
      Retrieves the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value from the specified element values map based on the given attribute name.
      static java.util.Map.Entry<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation, java.lang.String attributeName, boolean withDefault)
      Retrieves the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value from the specified annotation based on the given attribute name.
      static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Retrieves the map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotatedConstruct and annotation class.
      static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass, boolean withDefault)
      Retrieves the map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotatedConstruct and annotation class.
      static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
      Retrieves a map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotationMirror.
      static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation, boolean withDefault)
      Retrieves a map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotationMirror.
      static <T> T getValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
      Retrieves the value of the default attribute method named "value" from the specified annotation.
      static boolean isAnnotationPresent​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
      Checks if the specified annotation (by class name) is present on the given element, either directly or as a meta-annotation.
      static boolean isAnnotationPresent​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element, java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
      Checks if the specified annotation is present on the given element, either directly or as a meta-annotation.
      static boolean matchesAnnotationType​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotationMirror, java.lang.reflect.Type annotationType)
      Checks if the given annotation mirror has the same type as the specified Type.
      static boolean matchesAnnotationTypeName​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotationMirror, java.lang.CharSequence annotationTypeName)
      Checks if the given annotation mirror has the same type as the specified annotation class name.
      static boolean matchesAttributeMethod​(javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement attributeMethod, java.lang.String attributeName)
      Checks if the provided executable element represents an annotation attribute method with the specified name.
      static boolean matchesAttributeValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue annotationValue, java.lang.Object attributeValue)
      Checks if the value of the given AnnotationValue matches the specified attribute value.
      static boolean matchesAttributeValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue one, javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue another)
      Checks if two given AnnotationValue instances are equal by comparing their values.
      static boolean matchesDefaultAttributeValue​(javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement attributeMethod, javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue annotationValue)
      Checks if the provided annotation value matches the default value of the specified attribute method.

    • Field Detail

      • VALUE_ATTRIBUTE_NAME

        static final java.lang.String VALUE_ATTRIBUTE_NAME
        The name of the attribute method : value()
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values

      • DEFAULT_ANNOTATION_VALUE_VISITOR

        static final javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValueVisitor<java.lang.Object,​javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement> DEFAULT_ANNOTATION_VALUE_VISITOR
        The default AnnotationValueVisitor

      • EMPTY_ELEMENT_TYPE_ARRAY

        @Immutable
static final java.lang.annotation.ElementType[] EMPTY_ELEMENT_TYPE_ARRAY
        The empty ElementType array

    • Method Detail

      • getAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror getAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                               java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class from the given AnnotatedConstruct. If either the construct or the annotation class is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Get an annotation directly present on a class
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotation(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Get an annotation from an element that may inherit annotations from its parent
 Element element = ...; // obtain an Element
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotation(element, MyAnnotation.class);
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • getAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror getAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                               java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class name from the given AnnotatedConstruct. If either the construct or the annotation class name is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Get an annotation by its class name from an element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotation(typeElement, annotationClassName);

 // Get an annotation from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotation(methodElement, "com.example.AnotherAnnotation");
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • getAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given AnnotatedConstruct. If the annotated construct is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve all annotations from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(typeElement);

 // Retrieve annotations from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(methodElement);
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct to search for annotations, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                                java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class from the given AnnotatedConstruct. If either the construct or the annotation class is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve all annotations of a specific type from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Retrieve annotations from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(methodElement, AnotherAnnotation.class);
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                                java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class name from the given AnnotatedConstruct. If either the construct or the annotation class name is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve annotations by their class name from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(typeElement, annotationClassName);

 // Retrieve annotations from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAnnotations(methodElement, "com.example.AnotherAnnotation");
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given TypeMirror. If the type mirror is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve all annotations from a type mirror
 TypeMirror type = ...; // obtain a TypeMirror
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(type);

 // Handle cases where the type might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        type - the type mirror to search for annotations, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given Element. If the element is null, this method returns an empty list.

        This method is designed to provide a consistent way of retrieving annotations across different constructs in the annotation processing framework.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve all annotations from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(typeElement);

 // Retrieve annotations from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(methodElement);

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        element - the annotated element to search for annotations, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type,
                                                                                   java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class from the given TypeMirror. If either the type or the annotation class is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve annotations from a type mirror
 TypeMirror type = ...; // obtain a TypeMirror
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(type, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Handle cases where the type might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns empty list

 // Handle cases where the annotation class might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(type, null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        type - the type mirror to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                                                                   java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class from the given Element. If either the element or the annotation class is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve annotations from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Retrieve annotations from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(methodElement, AnotherAnnotation.class);

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns empty list

 // Handle cases where the annotation class might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(typeElement, null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        element - the annotated element to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type,
                                                                                   java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class name from the given TypeMirror. If either the type or the annotation class name is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve annotations from a type mirror
 TypeMirror type = ...; // obtain a TypeMirror
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(type, annotationClassName);

 // Handle cases where the type might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null, annotationClassName); // returns empty list

 // Handle cases where the annotation class name might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(type, null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        type - the type mirror to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                                                                   java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotation class name from the given Element. If either the element or the annotation class name is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve annotations by their class name from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(typeElement, annotationClassName);

 // Retrieve annotations from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(methodElement, "com.example.AnotherAnnotation");

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null, annotationClassName); // returns empty list

 // Handle cases where the annotation class name might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(typeElement, null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        element - the annotated element to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • getAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> getAllAnnotations​(javax.annotation.processing.ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv,
                                                                                   java.lang.reflect.Type annotatedType)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotated type from the given ProcessingEnvironment. If either the processing environment or the annotated type is null, this method returns an empty list.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve annotations for a specific type from the processing environment
 ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv = ...; // obtain a ProcessingEnvironment instance
 Type annotatedType = MyAnnotation.class; // specify the annotation type
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(processingEnv, annotatedType);

 // Handle cases where the processing environment might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(null, annotatedType); // returns empty list

 // Handle cases where the annotated type might be null
 annotations = AnnotationUtils.getAllAnnotations(processingEnv, null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        processingEnv - the processing environment used to retrieve annotations, may be null
        annotatedType - the annotated type to search for annotations, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • findAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type,
                                                                java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class from the given TypeMirror. If either the type or the annotation class is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve an annotation from a type mirror
 TypeMirror type = ...; // obtain a TypeMirror instance
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(type, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Handle cases where the type might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the annotation class might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(type, null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        type - the type mirror to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • findAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type,
                                                                java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class name from the given TypeMirror. If either the type or the annotation class name is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve an annotation by its class name from a type mirror
 TypeMirror type = ...; // obtain a TypeMirror instance
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(type, annotationClassName);

 // Handle cases where the type might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(null, annotationClassName); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the annotation class name might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(type, null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        type - the type mirror to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • findAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                                                java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class from the given Element. If either the element or the annotation class is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve an annotation from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Retrieve an annotation from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(methodElement, AnotherAnnotation.class);

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the annotation class might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(typeElement, null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        element - the annotated element to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • findAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                                                java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Retrieves the first AnnotationMirror of the specified annotation class name from the given Element. If either the element or the annotation class name is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve an annotation by its class name from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 AnnotationMirror annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(typeElement, annotationClassName);

 // Retrieve an annotation from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(methodElement, "com.example.AnotherAnnotation");

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(null, annotationClassName); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the annotation class name might be null
 annotation = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(typeElement, null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        element - the annotated element to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • findMetaAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findMetaAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element annotatedConstruct,
                                                                    java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> metaAnnotationClass)
        Retrieves the first meta-annotation of the specified meta-annotation class from the given annotated element. A meta-annotation is an annotation that is present on another annotation. If either the annotated element or the meta-annotation class is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve a meta-annotation from an annotation on a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 AnnotationMirror metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(typeElement, MyMetaAnnotation.class);

 // Retrieve a meta-annotation from an annotation on a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(methodElement, AnotherMetaAnnotation.class);

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(null, MyMetaAnnotation.class); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the meta-annotation class might be null
 metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(typeElement, null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated element to search for meta-annotations, may be null
        metaAnnotationClass - the annotation class to look for as a meta-annotation, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching meta-AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • findMetaAnnotation

        static javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror findMetaAnnotation​(javax.lang.model.element.Element annotatedConstruct,
                                                                    java.lang.CharSequence metaAnnotationClassName)
        Retrieves the first meta-annotation of the specified meta-annotation class name from the given annotated element. A meta-annotation is an annotation that is present on another annotation. If either the annotated element or the meta-annotation class name is null, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve a meta-annotation by its class name from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 String metaAnnotationClassName = "com.example.MyMetaAnnotation";
 AnnotationMirror metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(typeElement, metaAnnotationClassName);

 // Retrieve a meta-annotation from a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(methodElement, "com.example.AnotherMetaAnnotation");

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(null, metaAnnotationClassName); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the meta-annotation class name might be null
 metaAnnotation = AnnotationUtils.findMetaAnnotation(typeElement, null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated element to search for meta-annotations, may be null
        metaAnnotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the meta-annotation to look for, may be null
        Returns:
        the first matching meta-AnnotationMirror, or null if none found

      • isAnnotationPresent

        static boolean isAnnotationPresent​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                   java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Checks if the specified annotation is present on the given element, either directly or as a meta-annotation.

        Example Usage

        
 // Check if an annotation is present on a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 boolean present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Check if an annotation is present on a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(methodElement, AnotherAnnotation.class);

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns false

 // Handle cases where the annotation class might be null
 present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(typeElement, null); // returns false
        Parameters:
        element - the element to check for the presence of the annotation; may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class to look for; may be null
        Returns:
        true if the annotation is present (either directly or as a meta-annotation), false otherwise or if either parameter is null

      • isAnnotationPresent

        static boolean isAnnotationPresent​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                   java.lang.CharSequence annotationClassName)
        Checks if the specified annotation (by class name) is present on the given element, either directly or as a meta-annotation.

        Example Usage

        
 // Check if an annotation is present on a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";
 boolean present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(typeElement, annotationClassName);

 // Check if an annotation is present on a method element
 Element methodElement = ...; // obtain a method Element
 present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(methodElement, "com.example.AnotherAnnotation");

 // Handle cases where the element might be null
 present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(null, annotationClassName); // returns false

 // Handle cases where the annotation class name might be null
 present = AnnotationUtils.isAnnotationPresent(typeElement, null); // returns false
        Parameters:
        element - the element to check for the presence of the annotation; may be null
        annotationClassName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for; may be null
        Returns:
        true if the annotation is present (either directly or as a meta-annotation), false otherwise or if either parameter is null

      • findAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                                 java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given AnnotatedConstruct that match the provided annotation filters.

        If the annotated construct is null, this method returns an empty list. If no annotation filters are provided, all annotations present on the construct are returned. Otherwise, only annotations that satisfy all the provided predicates are included in the result.

        Example Usage

        
 // Retrieve all annotations from a class element
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 List<AnnotationMirror> allAnnotations = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotations(typeElement);

 // Retrieve annotations that match a specific condition
 List<AnnotationMirror> filteredAnnotations = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotations(typeElement,
     annotation -> "com.example.MyAnnotation".contentEquals(annotation.getAnnotationType().asElement().toString()));

 // Retrieve annotations that match multiple conditions
 List<AnnotationMirror> multiFilteredAnnotations = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotations(typeElement,
     annotation -> isAnnotationPresent(annotation, "com.example.MetaAnnotation"),
     annotation -> annotation.getElementValues().size() > 1);

 // Handle cases where the annotated construct is null
 List<AnnotationMirror> annotations = AnnotationUtils.findAnnotations(null); // returns empty list
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationFilters - a varargs array of predicates used to filter annotations; may be empty or null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of matching AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • findAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.type.TypeMirror type,
                                                                                    java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given TypeMirror, applying the specified annotation filters to narrow down the results. If the type mirror is null, this method returns an empty list.

        This method delegates to findAllAnnotations(TypeElement, Predicate[]) after converting the TypeMirror to a TypeElement using TypeUtils.ofTypeElement(TypeMirror).

        Parameters:
        type - the type mirror to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationFilters - a varargs array of predicates used to filter annotations; may be empty or null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of matching AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • findAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement element,
                                                                                    java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)

      • findAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.lang.model.element.Element element,
                                                                                    java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances from the given Element, applying the specified annotation filters to narrow down the results. If the element is null, this method returns an empty list.

        This method attempts to resolve the element into a TypeElement. If successful, it delegates to findAllAnnotations(TypeElement, Predicate[]) to retrieve annotations from the type hierarchy. Otherwise, it falls back to using findAnnotations(AnnotatedConstruct, Predicate[]) directly on the element.

        Parameters:
        element - the annotated element to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationFilters - a varargs array of predicates used to filter annotations; may be empty or null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of matching AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • findAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.annotation.processing.ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv,
                                                                                    java.lang.reflect.Type annotatedType,
                                                                                    java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotated type from the given ProcessingEnvironment. If either the processing environment or the annotated type is null, this method returns an empty list.

        This method uses the fully qualified type name of the provided Type to locate the corresponding annotations. It delegates to the overloaded method that accepts a CharSequence for the type name.

        Parameters:
        processingEnv - the processing environment used to retrieve annotations, may be null
        annotatedType - the annotated type to search for annotations, may be null
        annotationFilters - a varargs array of predicates used to filter annotations; may be empty or null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • findAllAnnotations

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.List<javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror> findAllAnnotations​(javax.annotation.processing.ProcessingEnvironment processingEnv,
                                                                                    java.lang.CharSequence annotatedTypeName,
                                                                                    java.util.function.Predicate<? super javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror>... annotationFilters)
        Retrieves all AnnotationMirror instances of the specified annotated type name from the given ProcessingEnvironment. If either the processing environment or the annotated type name is null, this method returns an empty list.

        This method resolves the annotated type by delegating to TypeUtils.getTypeElement(ProcessingEnvironment, CharSequence), and then uses the resolved type to find annotations with the provided filters.

        Parameters:
        processingEnv - the processing environment used to retrieve annotations, may be null
        annotatedTypeName - the fully qualified class name of the annotation to look for, may be null
        annotationFilters - a varargs array of predicates used to filter annotations; may be empty or null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable list of matching AnnotationMirror instances; never null

      • matchesAnnotationType

        static boolean matchesAnnotationType​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotationMirror,
                                     java.lang.reflect.Type annotationType)
        Checks if the given annotation mirror has the same type as the specified Type.

        This method compares the fully qualified name of the annotation mirror's type with the provided type's name. Returns false if either parameter is null.

        Example Usage

        
 AnnotationMirror annotationMirror = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 Type annotationType = ...; // obtain a Type instance

 // Check if both are non-null and the types match
 boolean isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAnnotationType(annotationMirror, annotationType);

 // Handle cases where the annotation mirror might be null
 isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAnnotationType(null, annotationType); // returns false

 // Handle cases where the annotation type might be null
 isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAnnotationType(annotationMirror, null); // returns false
        Parameters:
        annotationMirror - the annotation mirror to compare; may be null
        annotationType - the target type to match against; may be null
        Returns:
        true if both parameters are non-null and their types match by name; false otherwise

      • matchesAnnotationTypeName

        static boolean matchesAnnotationTypeName​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotationMirror,
                                         java.lang.CharSequence annotationTypeName)
        Checks if the given annotation mirror has the same type as the specified annotation class name.

        This method compares the fully qualified name of the annotation mirror's type with the provided annotation class name. Returns false if either parameter is null.

        Example Usage

        
 AnnotationMirror annotationMirror = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 String annotationClassName = "com.example.MyAnnotation";

 // Check if both are non-null and the types match
 boolean isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAnnotationTypeName(annotationMirror, annotationClassName);

 // Handle cases where the annotation mirror might be null
 isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAnnotationTypeName(null, annotationClassName); // returns false

 // Handle cases where the annotation class name might be null
 isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAnnotationTypeName(annotationMirror, null); // returns false
        Parameters:
        annotationMirror - the annotation mirror to compare; may be null
        annotationTypeName - the target annotation class name to match against; may be null
        Returns:
        true if both parameters are non-null and their types match by name; false otherwise

      • getAttributeName

        static java.lang.String getAttributeName​(javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement attributeMethod)
        Retrieves the name of the attribute method from the given ExecutableElement.

        This method is typically used to extract the attribute name from an annotation method declaration. The returned name corresponds to the method's simple name as defined in the annotation interface.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value();
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attribute names from methods
 ExecutableElement valueMethod = ...; // method representing 'value()'
 ExecutableElement priorityMethod = ...; // method representing 'priority()'

 String valueName = AnnotationUtils.getAttributeName(valueMethod); // returns "value"
 String priorityName = AnnotationUtils.getAttributeName(priorityMethod); // returns "priority"

 // Handle cases where the executable element is null
 String name = AnnotationUtils.getAttributeName(null); // returns null
        Parameters:
        attributeMethod - the executable element representing the annotation attribute method, may be null
        Returns:
        the name of the attribute method, or null if the provided element is null

      • matchesAttributeMethod

        static boolean matchesAttributeMethod​(javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement attributeMethod,
                                      java.lang.String attributeName)
        Checks if the provided executable element represents an annotation attribute method with the specified name.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value();
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Check if the executable element corresponds to the "value" method
 ExecutableElement valueMethod = ...; // method representing 'value()'
 boolean isValueMethod = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeMethod(valueMethod, "value"); // returns true

 // Check if the executable element corresponds to the "priority" method
 ExecutableElement priorityMethod = ...; // method representing 'priority()'
 boolean isPriorityMethod = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeMethod(priorityMethod, "priority"); // returns true

 // Handle cases where the executable element is null
 boolean result = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeMethod(null, "value"); // returns false

 // Handle cases where the attribute name is null or blank
 result = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeMethod(valueMethod, null); // returns false
 result = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeMethod(valueMethod, ""); // returns false
        Parameters:
        attributeMethod - the executable element to check, may be null
        attributeName - the expected name of the attribute method, may be null or blank
        Returns:
        true if the method is not null and its name matches the given attribute name; false otherwise

      • matchesAttributeValue

        static boolean matchesAttributeValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue one,
                                     javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue another)
        Checks if two given AnnotationValue instances are equal by comparing their values.

        This method performs a deep comparison of the values contained within the annotation values. If both values are null, they are considered equal. If only one is null, they are not equal. Otherwise, the method compares the actual values using Objects.equals(Object, Object).

        Example Usage

        
 AnnotationValue value1 = ...; // obtain an AnnotationValue instance
 AnnotationValue value2 = ...; // obtain another AnnotationValue instance

 // Check if both annotation values are equal
 boolean isEqual = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeValue(value1, value2);

 // Handle cases where either value is null
 isEqual = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeValue(null, value2); // returns false
 isEqual = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeValue(value1, null); // returns false
        Parameters:
        one - the first annotation value to compare; may be null
        another - the second annotation value to compare; may be null
        Returns:
        true if both annotation values are either null or their contents are equal; false otherwise

      • matchesAttributeValue

        static boolean matchesAttributeValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue annotationValue,
                                     java.lang.Object attributeValue)
        Checks if the value of the given AnnotationValue matches the specified attribute value.

        This method compares the actual value extracted from the annotation value with the provided attribute value. Returns false if either parameter is null or if the values do not match.

        Example Usage

        
 AnnotationValue annotationValue = ...; // obtain an AnnotationValue instance
 String expectedValue = "example";
 boolean isMatch = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeValue(annotationValue, expectedValue); // returns true if values match

 // Handle cases where the annotation value is null
 boolean result = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeValue(null, expectedValue); // returns false

 // Handle cases where the attribute value is null
 result = AnnotationUtils.matchesAttributeValue(annotationValue, null); // returns false
        Parameters:
        annotationValue - the annotation value to compare; may be null
        attributeValue - the target value to match against; may be null
        Returns:
        true if both parameters are non-null and their values match; false otherwise

      • matchesDefaultAttributeValue

        static boolean matchesDefaultAttributeValue​(javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement attributeMethod,
                                            javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue annotationValue)
        Checks if the provided annotation value matches the default value of the specified attribute method.

        This method is useful when determining if an attribute value in an annotation is explicitly set or if it falls back to the default value declared in the annotation interface.

        Example Usage

        
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
 }

 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtained from an annotated element
 ExecutableElement attributeMethod = getAttributeMethod(annotation, "value");
 AnnotationValue annotationValue = getAttributeValue(annotation, "value");

 boolean isDefaultValue = matchesDefaultAttributeValue(attributeMethod, annotationValue);

        Parameters:
        attributeMethod - the executable element representing the annotation attribute method, may be null
        annotationValue - the annotation value to compare against the default, may be null
        Returns:
        true if both the attribute method and annotation value are non-null and the value matches the default; false otherwise

      • getAttributesMap

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                               java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the first matching annotation of the specified class on the given annotated construct. This includes both explicitly set values and default values for attributes.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attributes from an annotated class
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 Map<String, Object> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     "value" = "custom",
 //     "priority" = 0
 // }

 // Handle cases where the annotated construct is null
 attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns empty map

 // Handle cases where the annotation class is null
 attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(typeElement, null); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct (e.g., a class, method, or field) that may contain the annotation, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class used to locate the annotation on the construct, must not be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of attribute names to their corresponding values; never null, returns an empty map if no annotation is found, the construct is null, or the annotation class is null

      • getAttributesMap

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                               java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass,
                                                                               boolean withDefault)
        Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the first matching annotation of the specified class on the given annotated construct. This includes both explicitly set values and default values for attributes if the withDefault flag is set to true.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attributes from an annotated class
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 Map<String, Object> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class, true);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     "value" = "custom",
 //     "priority" = 0
 // }

 // Handle cases where the annotated construct is null
 attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(null, MyAnnotation.class, true); // returns empty map

 // Handle cases where the annotation class is null
 attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(typeElement, null, true); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct (e.g., a class, method, or field) that may contain the annotation, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class used to locate the annotation on the construct, must not be null
        withDefault - flag indicating whether to include default values for attributes that are not explicitly set; if true, default values will be included where applicable
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of attribute names to their corresponding values; never null, returns an empty map if no annotation is found, the construct is null, or the annotation class is null

      • getAttributesMap

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
        Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the specified annotation. This includes both explicitly set values and default values for attributes.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attributes from an annotation instance
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 Map<String, Object> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(annotation);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     "value" = "custom",
 //     "priority" = 0
 // }

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 Map<String, Object> emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(null); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotation - the specified annotation, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of attribute names to their corresponding values; never null, returns an empty map if the annotation is null

      • getAttributesMap

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<java.lang.String,​java.lang.Object> getAttributesMap​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation,
                                                                               boolean withDefault)
        Retrieves a map of attribute names to their corresponding values from the specified annotation. This includes both explicitly set values and default values for attributes if the withDefault flag is set to true.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attributes from an annotation instance with default values
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 Map<String, Object> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(annotation, true);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     "value" = "custom",
 //     "priority" = 0
 // }

 // Retrieve attributes without including default values
 Map<String, Object> explicitAttributes = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(annotation, false);

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 Map<String, Object> emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getAttributesMap(null, true); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotation - the specified annotation, may be null
        withDefault - flag indicating whether to include default values for attributes that are not explicitly set; if true, default values will be included where applicable
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of attribute names to their corresponding values; never null, returns an empty map if the annotation is null

      • getElementValues

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                                                                                 java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass)
        Retrieves the map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotatedConstruct and annotation class. This method finds the first matching annotation on the construct and returns all its declared attribute values, including default values.

        This method is a convenience overload that defaults to including default values. If the annotated construct is null or the annotation class is not present, an empty map is returned.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attribute values from an annotated class
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     value(): "custom",
 //     priority(): 0
 // }

 // Handle cases where the annotated construct is null
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(null, MyAnnotation.class); // returns empty map

 // Handle cases where the annotation class is null
 emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(typeElement, null); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct (e.g., a class, method, or field) that may contain the annotation, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class used to locate the annotation on the construct, must not be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of executable elements (attribute methods) to their annotation values; never null, returns an empty map if no annotation is found or if the construct is null

      • getElementValues

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.AnnotatedConstruct annotatedConstruct,
                                                                                                                                 java.lang.Class<? extends java.lang.annotation.Annotation> annotationClass,
                                                                                                                                 boolean withDefault)
        Retrieves the map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotatedConstruct and annotation class. This method finds the first matching annotation on the construct and returns all its declared attribute values, including default values if enabled.

        If the annotated construct is null or the annotation class is not present, an empty map is returned. If the withDefault flag is set to true, this method includes default values for attributes that are not explicitly set.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attribute values from an annotated class with default values
 TypeElement typeElement = ...; // obtain a TypeElement
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class, true);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     value(): "custom",
 //     priority(): 0
 // }

 // Retrieve attribute values without including default values
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> explicitAttributes = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(typeElement, MyAnnotation.class, false);

 // Handle cases where the annotated construct is null
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(null, MyAnnotation.class, true); // returns empty map

 // Handle cases where the annotation class is null
 emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(typeElement, null, true); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotatedConstruct - the annotated construct (e.g., a class, method, or field) that may contain the annotation, may be null
        annotationClass - the annotation class used to locate the annotation on the construct, must not be null
        withDefault - flag indicating whether to include default values for attributes that are not explicitly set; if true, default values will be included where applicable
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of executable elements (attribute methods) to their annotation values; never null, returns an empty map if no annotation is found or if the construct is null

      • getElementValues

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
        Retrieves a map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotationMirror. This method includes both explicitly set values and default values for attributes.

        If the provided annotation is null, an empty map is returned.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attribute values from an annotation instance
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(annotation);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     value(): "custom",
 //     priority(): 0
 // }

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(null); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotation - the annotation mirror to extract attribute values from, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of executable elements (attribute methods) to their annotation values; never null, returns an empty map if the annotation is null

      • getElementValues

        @Nonnull
@Immutable
static java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValues​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation,
                                                                                                                                 boolean withDefault)
        Retrieves a map of annotation attribute methods to their corresponding values from the specified AnnotationMirror. This method includes both explicitly set values and default values for attributes if the withDefault flag is set to true.

        If the provided annotation is null, an empty map is returned.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve attribute values from an annotation instance with default values
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> attributes = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(annotation, true);

 // Example output if MyAnnotation is applied with value="custom"
 // attributes will contain:
 // {
 //     value(): "custom",
 //     priority(): 0
 // }

 // Retrieve attribute values without including default values
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> explicitAttributes = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(annotation, false);

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 Map<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> emptyMap = AnnotationUtils.getElementValues(null, true); // returns empty map
        Parameters:
        annotation - the annotation mirror to extract attribute values from, may be null
        withDefault - flag indicating whether to include default values for attributes that are not explicitly set; if true, default values will be included where applicable
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable map of executable elements (attribute methods) to their annotation values; never null, returns an empty map if the annotation is null

      • getElementValue

        @Nullable
@Immutable
static java.util.Map.Entry<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation,
                                                                                                                                      java.lang.String attributeName,
                                                                                                                                      boolean withDefault)
        Retrieves the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value from the specified annotation based on the given attribute name. If no explicit value is found and withDefault is true, it attempts to find and return the default value for the attribute.

        If the provided annotation is null or the attribute name is blank, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 String attributeName = "value"; // the name of the attribute to retrieve

 // Retrieve an attribute with default value lookup enabled
 Map.Entry<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> attributeEntry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(annotation, attributeName, true);

 if (attributeEntry != null) {
     ExecutableElement attributeMethod = attributeEntry.getKey();
     AnnotationValue annotationValue = attributeEntry.getValue();
     // process attribute method and value
 }

 // Retrieve an attribute without default value lookup
 attributeEntry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(annotation, attributeName, false);

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 attributeEntry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(null, attributeName, true); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the attribute name is blank or null
 attributeEntry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(annotation, null, true); // returns null
        Parameters:
        annotation - the annotation mirror to extract the attribute value from, may be null
        attributeName - the name of the attribute method to look for, may be blank
        withDefault - flag indicating whether to include the default value if the attribute is not explicitly set; if true, the method will attempt to find and return the default value
        Returns:
        an entry containing the executable element (attribute method) and its corresponding annotation value; returns null if the annotation is null, the attribute name is blank, or the attribute method cannot be found

      • getElementValue

        @Nullable
static java.util.Map.Entry<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> getElementValue​(java.util.Map<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> elementValues,
                                                                                                                                      java.lang.String attributeName)
        Retrieves the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value from the specified element values map based on the given attribute name.

        This method searches through the provided map of executable elements (attribute methods) to their annotation values to find a matching attribute by name. If no match is found, it returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Assume elementValues contains:
 // {
 //     value(): "custom",
 //     priority(): 5
 // }

 // Retrieve an existing attribute
 Entry<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> entry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(elementValues, "value");
 if (entry != null) {
     String value = (String) entry.getValue().getValue(); // returns "custom"
 }

 // Retrieve a non-existent attribute
 entry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(elementValues, "nonExistent"); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the element values map is null or empty
 entry = AnnotationUtils.getElementValue(null, "value"); // returns null
        Parameters:
        elementValues - the map of executable elements (attribute methods) to their annotation values; may be null or empty
        attributeName - the name of the attribute method to look for; may be null or blank
        Returns:
        an entry containing the executable element (attribute method) and its corresponding annotation value; returns null if the element values map is empty, the attribute name is blank, or no matching attribute is found

      • getAttribute

        @Nullable
static <T> T getAttribute​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation,
                          java.lang.String attributeName)
        Retrieves the value of the specified attribute from the given annotation.

        This method attempts to find the attribute by name in the provided annotation. If the attribute is not explicitly set, it will attempt to retrieve the default value associated with that attribute. If the attribute cannot be resolved or no value is found, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve the value of the "value" attribute
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 String value = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(annotation, "value"); // returns "default" or explicit value

 // Retrieve the value of the "priority" attribute
 int priority = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(annotation, "priority"); // returns 0 or explicit value

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 String result = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(null, "value"); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the attribute name is blank or null
 result = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(annotation, null); // returns null
        Type Parameters:
        T - the type of the attribute value to return
        Parameters:
        annotation - the annotation mirror to extract the attribute value from; may be null
        attributeName - the name of the attribute method to look for; may be blank or null
        Returns:
        the value of the specified attribute if found, or the default value if available; returns null if the annotation is null, the attribute name is blank, or the attribute cannot be resolved

      • getAttribute

        @Nullable
static <T> T getAttribute​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation,
                          java.lang.String attributeName,
                          boolean withDefault)
        Retrieves the value of the specified attribute from the given annotation, optionally including the default value.

        This method attempts to find the attribute by name in the provided annotation. If the attribute is not explicitly set, and the withDefault flag is set to true, it will attempt to retrieve the default value associated with that attribute. If the attribute cannot be resolved or no value is found, this method returns null.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Retrieve the value of the "value" attribute including default
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 String value = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(annotation, "value", true); // returns "default" or explicit value

 // Retrieve the value of the "priority" attribute without default lookup
 int priority = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(annotation, "priority", false); // returns 0 only if explicitly set

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 String result = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(null, "value", true); // returns null

 // Handle cases where the attribute name is blank or null
 result = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(annotation, null, true); // returns null
        Type Parameters:
        T - the type of the attribute value to return
        Parameters:
        annotation - the annotation mirror to extract the attribute value from; may be null
        attributeName - the name of the attribute method to look for; may be blank or null
        withDefault - flag indicating whether to include the default value if the attribute is not explicitly set; if true, the method will attempt to find and return the default value
        Returns:
        the value of the specified attribute if found, or the default value if available; returns null if the annotation is null, the attribute name is blank, or the attribute cannot be resolved

      • getAttribute

        @Nullable
static <T> T getAttribute​(java.util.Map.Entry<javax.lang.model.element.ExecutableElement,​javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationValue> elementValue)
        Retrieves the value of the specified attribute from the provided entry containing the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value.

        If the entry is null or either the attribute method or annotation value is unresolved, this method returns null. Otherwise, it delegates to the default AnnotationValueVisitor to extract the attribute value.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
     int priority() default 0;
 }

 // Assume elementValue contains the entry for "value" attribute
 Entry<ExecutableElement, AnnotationValue> elementValue = ...; // obtain from AnnotationUtils.getElementValue()
 String value = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(elementValue); // returns "default" or explicit value

 // Handle cases where the element value entry is null
 String result = AnnotationUtils.getAttribute(null); // returns null
        Type Parameters:
        T - the expected type of the attribute value
        Parameters:
        elementValue - an entry containing the attribute method and its corresponding annotation value; may be null
        Returns:
        the resolved value of the attribute if found; returns null if the entry is null, or if either the attribute method or annotation value is unresolved

      • getValue

        @Nullable
static <T> T getValue​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
        Retrieves the value of the default attribute method named "value" from the specified annotation.

        This method delegates to getAttribute(AnnotationMirror, String) to obtain the value of the annotation's value() method. Returns null if the annotation is null or if the value cannot be resolved.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation interface:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
     String value() default "default";
 }

 // Retrieve the "value" attribute from an annotation instance
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 String value = AnnotationUtils.getValue(annotation); // returns "default" or explicit value

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 String result = AnnotationUtils.getValue(null); // returns null
        Type Parameters:
        T - the expected type of the attribute value
        Parameters:
        annotation - the annotation mirror to extract the value from; may be null
        Returns:
        the resolved value of the annotation's value() method if found; returns null if the annotation is null or the value cannot be resolved

      • getElementTypes

        @Nonnull
static java.lang.annotation.ElementType[] getElementTypes​(javax.lang.model.element.AnnotationMirror annotation)
        Retrieves the ElementType array from the specified annotation.

        This method checks the annotation's type for the presence of a Target annotation, which defines the element types the annotation can be applied to. If the provided annotation is null, this method returns an empty array.

        Example Usage

        
 AnnotationMirror annotation = ...; // obtain an AnnotationMirror instance
 ElementType[] elementTypes = AnnotationUtils.getElementTypes(annotation);

 // Handle cases where the annotation is null
 ElementType[] emptyTypes = AnnotationUtils.getElementTypes(null); // returns empty array
        Parameters:
        annotation - the specified annotation, may be null
        Returns:
        a non-null array of ElementType; never null, returns an empty array if the annotation is null

      • getElementTypes

        @Nonnull
static java.lang.annotation.ElementType[] getElementTypes​(javax.lang.model.type.DeclaredType annotationType)
        Retrieves the ElementType array from the specified annotation type by checking the Target annotation associated with it. If the annotation type does not have a Target annotation, an empty array is returned.

        Example Usage

        
 // Given an annotation type:
 public @interface MyAnnotation {
 }

 DeclaredType annotationType = ...; // obtain a DeclaredType for MyAnnotation
 ElementType[] elementTypes = AnnotationUtils.getElementTypes(annotationType);

 // If MyAnnotation is annotated with @Target(ElementType.TYPE)
 // elementTypes will contain: { ElementType.TYPE }

 // Handle cases where the annotation type does not have a @Target annotation
 ElementType[] emptyTypes = AnnotationUtils.getElementTypes(annotationType); // returns empty array
        Parameters:
        annotationType - the declared type of the annotation
        Returns:
        a non-null immutable array of ElementType; never null, returns an empty array if no Target annotation is present