Annotations - Beginning Java 8 Language Features - page 19

@Marker
public class Test {
// Code goes here
}

Meta-Annotation Types
Meta-annotations types are annotation types, which are used to annotate other annotation types. The following
annotation types are meta-annotation types:

Target

•

Retention •

Inherited •

Documented •

Repeatable •

Native
Meta-annotation types are part of the Java class library. They are declared in the package java.lang.annotation .

•

The Target Annotation Type
The Target annotation type is used to annotate an annotation type to specify the context in which the annotation
type can be used. It has only one element named value . Its value element is an array of java.lang.annotation.
ElementType enum type. Table 1-1 lists all constants in the ElementType enum.

Table 1-1. List of Constants in the java.lang.annotation.ElementType enum

Constant Name Description

ANNOTATION_TYPE

The annotation can be used to annotate another annotation type declaration. This makes the
annotation type a meta-annotation.

CONSTRUCTOR

The annotation can be used to annotate constructors.

FIELD

The annotation can be used to annotate fields and enum constants.

LOCAL_VARIABLE

The annotation can be used to annotate local variables.

METHOD

The annotation can be used to annotate methods.

PACKAGE

The annotation can be used to annotate package declarations.

PARAMETER

The annotation can be used to annotate parameters.

TYPE

The annotation can be used to annotate class, interface (including annotation type), or enum
declarations.

TYPE_PARAMETER

The annotation can be used to annotate type parameters in generic classes, interfaces,
methods, etc. It was added in Java 8.

TYPE_USE

The annotation can be used to annotate all uses of types. It was added in Java 8. The
annotation can also be used where an annotation with ElementType.TYPE and
ElementType.TYPE_PARAMETER can be used. It can also be used before constructors in
which case it represents the objects created by the constructor.