Package org.eclipse.jdt.core

Interface IJavaElement

All Superinterfaces:
org.eclipse.core.runtime.IAdaptable
All Known Subinterfaces:
IAnnotation, IClassFile, ICompilationUnit, IField, IImportContainer, IImportDeclaration, IInitializer, IJavaModel, IJavaProject, ILocalVariable, IMember, IMethod, IModularClassFile, IModuleDescription, IOrdinaryClassFile, IPackageDeclaration, IPackageFragment, IPackageFragmentRoot, IType, ITypeParameter, ITypeRoot
public interface IJavaElement extends org.eclipse.core.runtime.IAdaptable
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.

Restriction:
This interface is not intended to be implemented by clients.

  • Field Summary

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

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    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.
    String
    getAttachedJavadoc(org.eclipse.core.runtime.IProgressMonitor monitor)
    Returns the Javadoc as HTML source if this element has attached Javadoc, null otherwise.
    org.eclipse.core.resources.IResource
    getCorrespondingResource()
    Returns the resource that corresponds directly to this element, or null if there is no resource that corresponds to this element.
    String
    getElementName()
    Returns the name of this element.
    int
    getElementType()
    Returns this element's kind encoded as an integer.
    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.
    org.eclipse.core.runtime.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. it is a binary member).
    org.eclipse.core.resources.IResource
    getResource()
    Returns the innermost resource enclosing this element.
    org.eclipse.core.runtime.jobs.ISchedulingRule
    getSchedulingRule()
    Returns the scheduling rule associated with this Java element.
    org.eclipse.core.resources.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.

    Methods inherited from interface org.eclipse.core.runtime.IAdaptable

    getAdapter

  • Field Details

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • FIELD

      static final int FIELD
      Constant representing a field. A Java element with this type can be safely cast to IField.
      See Also:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

    • 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:

  • Method Details

    • 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

      String getAttachedJavadoc(org.eclipse.core.runtime.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:

    • getCorrespondingResource

      org.eclipse.core.resources.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

      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:

    • getHandleIdentifier

      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:

    • 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

      org.eclipse.core.runtime.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

      org.eclipse.core.resources.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

      org.eclipse.core.runtime.jobs.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

      org.eclipse.core.resources.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