IJavaElement

All Known Subinterfaces:

AbstractModule, IAnnotation, IClassFile, ICompilationUnit, IField, IImportContainer, IImportDeclaration, IInitializer, IJavaModel, IJavaProject, ILocalVariable, IMember, IMethod, IModularClassFile, IModuleDescription, IOrdinaryClassFile, IPackageDeclaration, IPackageFragment, IPackageFragmentRoot, IType, ITypeParameter, ITypeRoot

All Known Implementing Classes:

AbstractClassFile, AbstractModule.AutoModule, Annotation, AssistAnnotation, AssistCompilationUnit, AssistImportContainer, AssistImportDeclaration, AssistInitializer, AssistPackageDeclaration, AssistSourceField, AssistSourceMethod, AssistSourceType, AssistTypeParameter, BinaryLambdaExpression, BinaryLambdaMethod, BinaryMember, BinaryMethod, BinaryModule, BinaryType, ClassFile, ClassFileWorkingCopy, CompilationUnit, ExternalJavaProject, ExternalPackageFragmentRoot, ImportContainer, ImportDeclaration, Initializer, JarPackageFragmentRoot, JavaElement, JavaModel, JavaProject, JModPackageFragmentRoot, JrtPackageFragmentRoot, LambdaExpression, LambdaMethod, LocalVariable, Member, ModularClassFile, NamedMember, Openable, PackageDeclaration, PackageFragment, PackageFragmentRoot, ResolvedBinaryField, ResolvedBinaryMethod, ResolvedBinaryType, ResolvedLambdaExpression, ResolvedSourceField, ResolvedSourceMethod, ResolvedSourceType, SourceField, SourceMethod, SourceModule, SourceRefElement, SourceType, TypeParameter
```
public interface IJavaElement
```
Common protocol for all elements provided by the Java model. Java model elements are exposed to clients as handles to the actual underlying element. The Java model may hand out any number of handles for each element. Handles that refer to the same element are guaranteed to be equal, but not necessarily identical.
Methods annotated as "handle-only" do not require underlying elements to exist. Methods that require underlying elements to exist throw a JavaModelException when an underlying element is missing. JavaModelException.isDoesNotExist can be used to recognize this common special case.

Field Summary

Fields
Modifier and Type	Field and Description
`static int`	`ANNOTATION` Constant representing an annotation.
`static int`	`CLASS_FILE` Constant representing a class file.
`static int`	`COMPILATION_UNIT` Constant representing a Java compilation unit.
`static int`	`FIELD` Constant representing a field.
`static int`	`IMPORT_CONTAINER` Constant representing all import declarations within a compilation unit.
`static int`	`IMPORT_DECLARATION` Constant representing an import declaration within a compilation unit.
`static int`	`INITIALIZER` Constant representing a stand-alone instance or class initializer.
`static int`	`JAVA_MODEL` Constant representing a Java model (workspace level object).
`static int`	`JAVA_MODULE` Constant represents a module descriptor.
`static int`	`JAVA_PROJECT` Constant representing a Java project.
`static int`	`LOCAL_VARIABLE` Constant representing a local variable declaration.
`static int`	`METHOD` Constant representing a method or constructor.
`static int`	`PACKAGE_DECLARATION` Constant representing a package declaration within a compilation unit.
`static int`	`PACKAGE_FRAGMENT` Constant representing a package fragment.
`static int`	`PACKAGE_FRAGMENT_ROOT` Constant representing a package fragment root.
`static int`	`TYPE` Constant representing a type (a class or interface).
`static int`	`TYPE_PARAMETER` Constant representing a type parameter declaration.

Method Summary

All Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods
Modifier and Type	Method and Description
`boolean`	`exists()` Returns whether this Java element exists in the model.
`IJavaElement`	`getAncestor(int ancestorType)` Returns this Java element or the first ancestor of this element that has the given type.
`java.lang.String`	`getAttachedJavadoc(IProgressMonitor monitor)` Returns the Javadoc as HTML source if this element has attached Javadoc, `null` otherwise.
`IResource`	`getCorrespondingResource()` Returns the resource that corresponds directly to this element, or `null` if there is no resource that corresponds to this element.
`java.lang.String`	`getElementName()` Returns the name of this element.
`int`	`getElementType()` Returns this element's kind encoded as an integer.
`java.lang.String`	`getHandleIdentifier()` Returns a string representation of this element handle.
`IJavaModel`	`getJavaModel()` Returns the Java model.
`IJavaProject`	`getJavaProject()` Returns the Java project this element is contained in, or `null` if this element is not contained in any Java project (for instance, the `IJavaModel` is not contained in any Java project).
`IOpenable`	`getOpenable()` Returns the first openable parent.
`IJavaElement`	`getParent()` Returns the element directly containing this element, or `null` if this element has no parent.
`IPath`	`getPath()` Returns the path to the innermost resource enclosing this element.
`IJavaElement`	`getPrimaryElement()` Returns the primary element (whose compilation unit is the primary compilation unit) this working copy element was created from, or this element if it is a descendant of a primary compilation unit or if it is not a descendant of a working copy (e.g.
`IResource`	`getResource()` Returns the innermost resource enclosing this element.
`ISchedulingRule`	`getSchedulingRule()` Returns the scheduling rule associated with this Java element.
`IResource`	`getUnderlyingResource()` Returns the smallest underlying resource that contains this element, or `null` if this element is not contained in a resource.
`boolean`	`isReadOnly()` Returns whether this Java element is read-only.
`boolean`	`isStructureKnown()` Returns whether the structure of this element is known.

- Field Detail
  - JAVA_MODEL
```
static final int JAVA_MODEL
```
    Constant representing a Java model (workspace level object). A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IJavaModel.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - JAVA_PROJECT
```
static final int JAVA_PROJECT
```
    Constant representing a Java project. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IJavaProject.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - PACKAGE_FRAGMENT_ROOT
```
static final int PACKAGE_FRAGMENT_ROOT
```
    Constant representing a package fragment root. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IPackageFragmentRoot.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - PACKAGE_FRAGMENT
```
static final int PACKAGE_FRAGMENT
```
    Constant representing a package fragment. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IPackageFragment.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - COMPILATION_UNIT
```
static final int COMPILATION_UNIT
```
    Constant representing a Java compilation unit. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to ICompilationUnit.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - CLASS_FILE
```
static final int CLASS_FILE
```
    Constant representing a class file. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IClassFile.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - TYPE
```
static final int TYPE
```
    Constant representing a type (a class or interface). A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IType.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - FIELD
```
static final int FIELD
```
    Constant representing a field. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IField.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - METHOD
```
static final int METHOD
```
    Constant representing a method or constructor. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IMethod.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - INITIALIZER
```
static final int INITIALIZER
```
    Constant representing a stand-alone instance or class initializer. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IInitializer.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - PACKAGE_DECLARATION
```
static final int PACKAGE_DECLARATION
```
    Constant representing a package declaration within a compilation unit. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IPackageDeclaration.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - IMPORT_CONTAINER
```
static final int IMPORT_CONTAINER
```
    Constant representing all import declarations within a compilation unit. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IImportContainer.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - IMPORT_DECLARATION
```
static final int IMPORT_DECLARATION
```
    Constant representing an import declaration within a compilation unit. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IImportDeclaration.
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - LOCAL_VARIABLE
```
static final int LOCAL_VARIABLE
```
    Constant representing a local variable declaration. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to ILocalVariable.
    
    Since:
    
    3.0
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - TYPE_PARAMETER
```
static final int TYPE_PARAMETER
```
    Constant representing a type parameter declaration. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to ITypeParameter.
    
    Since:
    
    3.1
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ANNOTATION
```
static final int ANNOTATION
```
    Constant representing an annotation. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IAnnotation.
    
    Since:
    
    3.4
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - JAVA_MODULE
```
static final int JAVA_MODULE
```
    Constant represents a module descriptor. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IModuleDescription.
    
    Since:
    
    3.14
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
- Method Detail
  - exists
```
boolean exists()
```
    Returns whether this Java element exists in the model.
    Java elements are handle objects that may or may not be backed by an actual element. Java elements that are backed by an actual element are said to "exist", and this method returns true. For Java elements that are not working copies, it is always the case that if the element exists, then its parent also exists (provided it has one) and includes the element as one of its children. It is therefore possible to navigated to any existing Java element from the root of the Java model along a chain of existing Java elements. On the other hand, working copies are said to exist until they are destroyed (with IWorkingCopy.destroy). Unlike regular Java elements, a working copy never shows up among the children of its parent element (which may or may not exist).
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this element exists in the Java model, and false if this element does not exist
  - getAncestor
```
IJavaElement getAncestor(int ancestorType)
```
    Returns this Java element or the first ancestor of this element that has the given type. Returns null if no such element can be found. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Parameters:
    
    ancestorType - the given type
    
    Returns:
    
    this Java element or the first ancestor of this element that has the given type, or null if no such element can be found
    
    Since:
    
    2.0
  - getAttachedJavadoc
```
java.lang.String getAttachedJavadoc(IProgressMonitor monitor)
                             throws JavaModelException
```
    Returns the Javadoc as HTML source if this element has attached Javadoc, null otherwise.
    
    This should be used only for binary elements. Source elements will always return null.
    
    The encoding used to read the Javadoc is the one defined by the content type of the file. If none is defined, then the project's encoding of this Java element is used. If the project's encoding cannot be retrieved, then the platform encoding is used.
    
    In case the Javadoc doesn't exist for this element, null is returned.
    
    The HTML is extracted from the attached Javadoc and provided as is. No transformation or validation is done.
    Parameters:
    
    monitor - the given progress monitor, can be null
    
    Returns:
    
    the extracted javadoc from the attached javadoc, null if none
    
    Throws:
    JavaModelException - if:
    
    this element does not exist
    
    retrieving the attached javadoc fails (timed-out, invalid URL, ...)
    
    the format of the javadoc doesn't match expected standards (different anchors,...)
    Since:
    
    3.2
    
    See Also:
    
    IClasspathAttribute.JAVADOC_LOCATION_ATTRIBUTE_NAME
  - getCorrespondingResource
```
IResource getCorrespondingResource()
                            throws JavaModelException
```
    Returns the resource that corresponds directly to this element, or null if there is no resource that corresponds to this element.
    For example, the corresponding resource for an ICompilationUnit is its underlying IFile. The corresponding resource for an IPackageFragment that is not contained in an archive is its underlying IFolder. An IPackageFragment contained in an archive has no corresponding resource. Similarly, there are no corresponding resources for IMethods, IFields, etc.
    
    Returns:
    
    the corresponding resource, or null if none
    
    Throws:
    
    JavaModelException - if this element does not exist or if an exception occurs while accessing its corresponding resource
  - getElementName
```
java.lang.String getElementName()
```
    Returns the name of this element. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the element name
  - getElementType
```
int getElementType()
```
    Returns this element's kind encoded as an integer. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the kind of element; one of the constants declared in IJavaElement
    
    See Also:
    
    IJavaElement
  - getHandleIdentifier
```
java.lang.String getHandleIdentifier()
```
    Returns a string representation of this element handle. The format of the string is not specified; however, the identifier is stable across workspace sessions, and can be used to recreate this handle via the JavaCore.create(String) method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the string handle identifier
    
    See Also:
    
    JavaCore.create(java.lang.String)
  - getJavaModel
```
IJavaModel getJavaModel()
```
    Returns the Java model. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the Java model
  - getJavaProject
```
IJavaProject getJavaProject()
```
    Returns the Java project this element is contained in, or null if this element is not contained in any Java project (for instance, the IJavaModel is not contained in any Java project). This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the containing Java project, or null if this element is not contained in a Java project
  - getOpenable
```
IOpenable getOpenable()
```
    Returns the first openable parent. If this element is openable, the element itself is returned. Returns null if this element doesn't have an openable parent. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the first openable parent or null if this element doesn't have an openable parent.
    
    Since:
    
    2.0
  - getParent
```
IJavaElement getParent()
```
    Returns the element directly containing this element, or null if this element has no parent. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the parent element, or null if this element has no parent
  - getPath
```
IPath getPath()
```
    Returns the path to the innermost resource enclosing this element. If this element is not included in an external library, the path returned is the full, absolute path to the underlying resource, relative to the workbench. If this element is included in an external library, the path returned is the absolute path to the archive or to the folder in the file system. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the path to the innermost resource enclosing this element
    
    Since:
    
    2.0
  - getPrimaryElement
```
IJavaElement getPrimaryElement()
```
    Returns the primary element (whose compilation unit is the primary compilation unit) this working copy element was created from, or this element if it is a descendant of a primary compilation unit or if it is not a descendant of a working copy (e.g. it is a binary member). The returned element may or may not exist.
    
    Returns:
    
    the primary element this working copy element was created from, or this element.
    
    Since:
    
    3.0
  - getResource
```
IResource getResource()
```
    Returns the innermost resource enclosing this element. If this element is included in an archive and this archive is not external, this is the underlying resource corresponding to the archive. If this element is included in an external library, null is returned. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the innermost resource enclosing this element, null if this element is included in an external archive
    
    Since:
    
    2.0
  - getSchedulingRule
```
ISchedulingRule getSchedulingRule()
```
    Returns the scheduling rule associated with this Java element. This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    the scheduling rule associated with this Java element
    
    Since:
    
    3.0
  - getUnderlyingResource
```
IResource getUnderlyingResource()
                         throws JavaModelException
```
    Returns the smallest underlying resource that contains this element, or null if this element is not contained in a resource.
    
    Returns:
    
    the underlying resource, or null if none
    
    Throws:
    
    JavaModelException - if this element does not exist or if an exception occurs while accessing its underlying resource
  - isReadOnly
```
boolean isReadOnly()
```
    Returns whether this Java element is read-only. An element is read-only if its structure cannot be modified by the java model.
    Note this is different from IResource.isReadOnly(). For example, .jar files are read-only as the java model doesn't know how to add/remove elements in this file, but the underlying IFile can be writable.
    This is a handle-only method.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this element is read-only
  - isStructureKnown
```
boolean isStructureKnown()
                  throws JavaModelException
```
    Returns whether the structure of this element is known. For example, for a compilation unit that has syntax errors, false is returned. If the structure of an element is unknown, navigations will return reasonable defaults. For example, getChildren for a compilation unit with syntax errors will return a collection of the children that could be parsed.
    Note: This does not imply anything about consistency with the underlying resource/buffer contents.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if the structure of this element is known
    
    Throws:
    
    JavaModelException - if this element does not exist or if an exception occurs while accessing its corresponding resource

Interface IJavaElement

Field Summary

Method Summary

Field Detail

JAVA_MODEL

JAVA_PROJECT

PACKAGE_FRAGMENT_ROOT

PACKAGE_FRAGMENT

COMPILATION_UNIT

CLASS_FILE

TYPE

FIELD

METHOD

INITIALIZER

PACKAGE_DECLARATION

IMPORT_CONTAINER

IMPORT_DECLARATION

LOCAL_VARIABLE

TYPE_PARAMETER

ANNOTATION

JAVA_MODULE

Method Detail

exists

getAncestor

getAttachedJavadoc

getCorrespondingResource

getElementName

getElementType

getHandleIdentifier

getJavaModel

getJavaProject

getOpenable

getParent

getPath

getPrimaryElement

getResource

getSchedulingRule

getUnderlyingResource

isReadOnly

isStructureKnown