path: root/docs/adk15ProgGuideDB/annotations.xml

<chapter id="annotations" xreflabel="Annotations">

  <title>Annotations</title>
  
   <sect1 id="annotations-inJava5">
    <title>Annotations in Java 5</title>

	<para>
		This section provides the essential information about annotations in
		Java 5 needed to understand how annotations are treated in AspectJ 5.
		For a full introduction to annotations in Java, please see the
		documentation for the Java 5 SDK.
	</para>

	<sect2>
		<title>Using Annotations</title>
	
	    <para>
	      Java 5 introduces <emphasis>annotation types</emphasis> which can
	      be used to express metadata relating to program members in the
	      form of <emphasis>annotations</emphasis>. Annotations in Java 5 
	      can be applied to package and type declarations (classes,
	      interfaces, enums, and annotations), constructors, methods, 
	      fields, parameters, and variables. Annotations are specified in the
	      program source by using the <literal>@</literal> symbol. For example,
	      the following piece of code uses the <literal>@Deprecated</literal>
	      annotation to indicate that the <literal>obsoleteMethod()</literal>
	      has been deprecated:
	    </para>
	
		<programlisting><![CDATA[
		@Deprecated
		public void obsoleteMethod() { ... }
		]]></programlisting>
	
		<para>
			Annotations may be <emphasis>marker annotations</emphasis>,
			<emphasis>single-valued annotations</emphasis>, or 
			<emphasis>multi-valued annotations</emphasis>.
			Annotation types with no members or that provide default values
			for all members may be used simply as marker annotations, as in
			the deprecation example above. Single-value annotation types have
			a single member, and the annotation may be written in one of
			two equivalent forms:
		</para>
		
		<programlisting><![CDATA[
		@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked"})
		public void someMethod() {...}
		]]></programlisting>
		
		<para>
			or
		</para>
			
		<programlisting><![CDATA[
		@SuppressWarnings(value={"unchecked"})
		public void someMethod() {...}
		]]></programlisting>
	
		<para>
			Multi-value annotations must use the <literal>member-name=value
			</literal> syntax to specify annotation values. For example:
		</para>
		
		<programlisting><![CDATA[
		@Authenticated(role="supervisor",clearanceLevel=5)
		public void someMethod() {...}
		]]></programlisting>
		
	</sect2>

	<sect2>
	 <title>Retention Policies</title>			
	 
	    <para>
	      Annotations can have one of three retention policies:
	    </para>
	    
	    <variablelist>
	
	        <varlistentry>
	          <term>Source-file retention</term>
	          <listitem>
	            <para>
	            	Annotations with source-file retention are read by the 
	            	compiler during the compilation process, but are not
	            	rendered in the generated <literal>.class</literal> files.
	            </para>
	          </listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	        <varlistentry>
	        	<term>Class-file retention</term>
	        	<listitem>
	        		<para>
	        			This is the default retention policy. Annotations
	        			with class-file retention are read by the compiler
	        			and also retained in the generated <literal>
	        			.class</literal> files.
	        		</para>
	        	</listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	        <varlistentry>
	        	<term>Runtime retention</term>
	        	<listitem>
	        		<para>
	        			Annotations with runtime retention are read by the
	        			compiler, retained in the generated <literal>
	        			.class</literal> files, and also made available
	        			at runtime.
	        		</para>
	        	</listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	    </variablelist>
	    
	    <para>Local variable annotations are not retained in class files (or at runtime)
	    regardless of the retention policy set on the annotation type. See JLS 9.6.1.2.</para>
    </sect2>		

    <sect2>
    	<title>Accessing Annotations at Runtime</title>
    	
    	<para>
    		Java 5 supports a new interface, 
    		<literal>java.lang.reflect.AnnotatedElement</literal>, that is
    		implemented by the reflection classes in Java (<literal>Class</literal>, 
    		<literal>Constructor</literal>,
    		<literal>Field</literal>, <literal>Method</literal>, and 
    		<literal>Package</literal>). This interface gives you access
    		to annotations <emphasis>that have runtime retention</emphasis> via
    		the <literal>getAnnotation</literal>, <literal>getAnnotations</literal>, 
    		and <literal>isAnnotationPresent</literal>. Because annotation types are
    		just regular Java classes, the annotations returned by these methods
    		can be queried just like any regular Java object.
    	</para>
    	
    </sect2>
    
    <sect2>
    	<title>Annotation Inheritance</title>
    	
    	<para>
    		It is important to understand the rules relating to inheritance of
    		annotations, as these have a bearing on join point matching
    		based on the presence or absence of annotations.
    	</para>
    	
    	<para>
    		By default annotations are <emphasis>not</emphasis> inherited. Given
    		the following program
    	</para>

		<programlisting><![CDATA[
			@MyAnnotation
			class Super {
			  @Oneway public void foo() {}
			}
			
			class Sub extends Super {
			  public void foo() {}
			}
			]]></programlisting>

    	<para>
    		Then <literal>Sub</literal> <emphasis>does not</emphasis> have
    		the <literal>MyAnnotation</literal> annotation, and 
    		<literal>Sub.foo()</literal> is not an <literal>@Oneway</literal>
    		method, despite the fact that it overrides 
    		<literal>Super.foo()</literal> which is.
    	</para>
    	
    	<para>
    		If an annotation type has the meta-annotation <literal>@Inherited</literal>
    		then an annotation of that type on a <emphasis>class</emphasis> will cause
    		the annotation to be inherited by sub-classes. So, in the example
    		above, if the <literal>MyAnnotation</literal> type had the
    		<literal>@Inherited</literal> attribute, then <literal>Sub</literal>
    		would have the <literal>MyAnnotation</literal> annotation.    		
    	</para>
    	
    	<para>
    		<literal>@Inherited</literal> annotations are not inherited when used to
    		annotate anything other than a type. A type
    		that implements one or more interfaces never inherits any annotations from
    		the interfaces it implements.
    	</para>
    	
    </sect2>
  </sect1>
  
  <!-- ============================== -->
  
  <sect1 id="annotations-aspectmembers">
    <title>Annotating Aspects</title>
    
    <para>
    	AspectJ 5 supports annotations on aspects, and on method, field,
    	constructor, advice, and inter-type declarations within aspects. 
    	Method and advice parameters may also be annotated.
    	Annotations are not permitted on pointcut declarations or on 
    	<literal>declare</literal> statements.
    </para>
    
    <para>
    	The following example illustrates the use of annotations in aspects:
    </para>


	<programlisting><![CDATA[
		@AspectAnnotation
		public abstract aspect ObserverProtocol {
		
			@InterfaceAnnotation
			interface Subject {}
		
			@ITDFieldAnnotation
			private List Subject.observers;  
				
			@ITDMethodAnnotation
			public void Subject.addObserver() { ... }
			
			@ITDMethodAnnotation
			public void Subject.removeObserver() { ... }
			
			@MethodAnnotation
			private void notifyObservers(Subject subject) { ... }
			
			/**
			 * Delegate to concrete sub-aspect the actual form of
			 * notification for a given type of Subject.
			 */
			@MethodAnnotation
			protected abstract void notifySubject(Subject s);
			
			/* no annotations on pointcuts */
			abstract pointcut observedEvent(Subject subject);
			
			@AdviceAnnotation
			after(Subject subject) returning : observedEvent(subject) {
				notifyObservers(subject);  
			} 
		}
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
    An annotation on an aspect will be inherited by sub-aspects, iff it has
    the <literal>@Inherited</literal> meta-annotation.
    </para>

    <para>
        AspectJ 5 supports a new XLint warning, "the pointcut associated with this
        advice does not match any join points". The warning is enabled by default and
        will be emitted by the compiler if the pointcut expression associated with an 
        advice statement can be statically determined to not match any join points. The
        warning can be suppressed for an individual advice statement by using the 
        <literal>@SuppressWarnings({"unmatched"})</literal> annotation. (See JLS 9.6.1.5).
    </para>
  </sect1>

  <!-- ============================== -->
    
  <sect1 id="annotations-pointcuts-and-advice">
    <title>Join Point Matching based on Annotations</title>

    <para><emphasis>Note: compared to the previous version, this version restricts the
    use of annotations in type patterns (package annotations and outer type annotations
    cannot be specified inline), and requires parenthesis more often. These changes were
    made to make pointcut expressions easier to read and interpret.</emphasis></para>  
  
  <para>
  	This section discusses changes to type pattern and signature pattern matching in
  	AspectJ 5 that support matching join points based on the presence or absence of
  	annotations. We then discuss means of exposing annotation values within the body
  	of advice.
  </para>
  	
  <sect2>
    <title>Annotation Patterns</title>
  
      <para>
          For any kind of annotated element (type, method, constructor, package, etc.), 
          an annotation pattern can be used to match against the set of annotations
          on the annotated element. Annotation patterns are defined by the following
          grammar.
      </para>
      
      <programlisting><![CDATA[
		AnnotationPattern := '@' AnnotationTypePattern AnnotationPattern* |
  		                     '!' AnnotationPattern
        
        AnnotationTypePattern := FullyQualifiedName |
                                 '(' TypePattern ')'
  		                     
  		FullyQualifiedName := JavaIdentifierCharacter+ ('.' JavaIdentifierCharacter+)*  		
      ]]></programlisting>
        
      <para>In simple terms, an annotation pattern element has one of two basic
      forms:</para>  
    
      <itemizedlist>
          <listitem>@&lt;qualified-name&gt;, for example, @Foo, or 
          @org.xyz.Foo.</listitem>
          <listitem>@(&lt;type-pattern&gt;), for example, @(org.xzy..*), or
          @(Foo || Boo)</listitem>
      </itemizedlist>

      <para>These simple elements may be negated using <literal>!</literal>, and
      combined by simple concatentation. The pattern <literal>@Foo @Boo</literal>
      matches an annotated element that has both an annotation of type <literal>Foo</literal>
      and an annotation of type <literal>Boo</literal>.</para>
      
      <para>Some examples of annotation patterns follow:</para>    

      <programlisting><![CDATA[
      @Immutable
      ]]></programlisting>

      <para>Matches any annotated element which has an annotation of 
      type <literal>Immutable</literal>.</para>

      <programlisting><![CDATA[
      !@Persistent
      ]]></programlisting>

      <para>Matches any annotated element which does not have an annotation of 
      type <literal>Persistent</literal>.</para>

      <programlisting><![CDATA[
      @Foo @Goo
      ]]></programlisting>

      <para>Matches any annotated element which has both an annotation of type <literal>Foo</literal> and
      an annotation of type <literal>Goo</literal>.</para>

      <programlisting><![CDATA[
      @(Foo || Goo)
      ]]></programlisting>

      <para>Matches any annotated element which has either an annotation of a type matching
      the type pattern <literal>(Foo || Goo)</literal>. 
      In other words, an annotated element with either an
      annotation of type <literal>Foo</literal> or
      an annotation of type <literal>Goo</literal> (or both). (The parenthesis are required in this example).
      </para>

      <programlisting><![CDATA[
      @(org.xyz..*)
      ]]></programlisting>

      <para>Matches any annotated element which has either an annotation of a type matching
      the type pattern <literal>(org.xyz..*)</literal>. 
      In other words, an annotated element with an annotation that is declared in the
      org.xyz package or a sub-package. (The parenthesis are required in this example).</para>

  </sect2>
  
  <sect2>
  	<title>Type Patterns</title>
  	
	<para>AspectJ 1.5 extends type patterns to allow an optional <literal>AnnotationPattern</literal>
	prefix. (Extensions to this definition for generics are shown in the next chapter).</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	    TypePattern := SimpleTypePattern |
  	                   '!' TypePattern |
  	                   '(' AnnotationPattern? TypePattern ')'
  	                   TypePattern '&&' TypePattern |
  	                   TypePattern '||' TypePattern |
  	  	
  	  	SimpleTypePattern := DottedNamePattern '+'? '[]'*
  	  	
  		DottedNamePattern := FullyQualifiedName RestOfNamePattern? |
  		                     '*' NotStarNamePattern?
  		
  		RestOfNamePattern := '..' DottedNamePattern |
  		                     '*' NotStarNamePattern?
  		                     
  		NotStarNamePattern := FullyQualifiedName RestOfNamePattern? |
  		                      '..' DottedNamePattern               

  		FullyQualifiedName := JavaIdentifierCharacter+ ('.' JavaIdentifierCharacter+)*  				  		  		  		               									 				  		             
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>Note that in most cases when annotations are used as part of a type pattern,
        the parenthesis are required (as in <literal>(@Foo Hello+)</literal>). In
        some cases (such as a type pattern used within a <literal>this</literal>
        pointcut expression, the parenthesis are optional:</para>

      <programlisting><![CDATA[
        OptionalParensTypePattern := AnnotationPattern? TypePattern
      ]]></programlisting>
    
	<para>
		The following examples illustrate the use of annotations in type
		patterns:
	</para>

     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     (@Immutable *)
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>Matches any type with an <literal>@Immutable</literal> annotation.</para>

     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     (!@Immutable *)
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>Matches any type which does not have an <literal>@Immutable</literal> annotation.</para>

     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     (@Immutable (org.xyz.* || org.abc.*))
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>Matches any type in the <literal>org.xyz</literal> or <literal>org.abc</literal>
     packages with the <literal>@Immutable</literal> annotation.</para>

     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     ((@Immutable Foo+) || Goo)
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>Matches a type <literal>Foo</literal> or any of its subtypes, which have the <literal>@Immutable</literal>
     annotation, or a type <literal>Goo</literal>.</para>
     
     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     ((@(Immutable || NonPersistent) org.xyz..*)
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>
     Matches any type in a package beginning with the prefix <literal>org.xyz</literal>,
     which has either the <literal>@Immutable</literal> annotation or the
     <literal>@NonPersistent</literal> annotation.
     </para>

     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     (@Immutable @NonPersistent org.xyz..*)
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>
     Matches any type in a package beginning with the prefix <literal>org.xyz</literal>,
     which has both an <literal>@Immutable</literal> annotation and an
     <literal>@NonPersistent</literal> annotation.
     </para>
     
     <programlisting><![CDATA[
     (@(@Inherited *) org.xyz..*)
     ]]></programlisting>

     <para>
     Matches any type in a package beginning with the prefix <literal>org.xyz</literal>,
     which has an inheritable annotation. The annotation pattern 
     <literal>@(@Inherited *)</literal> matches any annotation of a type matching the
     type pattern <literal>@Inherited *</literal>, which in turn matches any type with the
     <literal>@Inherited</literal> annotation.
     </para>
     
  </sect2>
  
  <sect2 id="signaturePatterns" xreflabel="Signature Patterns">
  	<title>Signature Patterns</title>
  	
  	<para>A <literal>FieldPattern</literal> is described by the following
  	grammar:</para>
  	
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  		FieldPattern := 
  		    AnnotationPattern? FieldModifiersPattern? 
  		    TypePattern (TypePattern DotOrDotDot)? SimpleNamePattern

		FieldModifiersPattern := '!'? FieldModifier FieldModifiersPattern*
		                         		
		FieldModifier := 'public' | 'private' | 'protected' | 'static' | 
		                 'transient' | 'final' 

        DotOrDotDot := '.' | '..'		            		      
		            		      		            			
		SimpleNamePattern := JavaIdentifierChar+ ('*' SimpleNamePattern)?		            
	]]></programlisting>
  	
  	<para>
  	    The optional <literal>AnnotationPattern</literal> restricts matches to fields with
  	    annotations that match the pattern. For example:
  	</para>

    <variablelist>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@SensitiveData * *</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a field of any type and any name, that has an annotation of
            	type <literal>@SensitiveData</literal>
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@SensitiveData List org.xyz..*.*</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a member field of a type in a package with prefix <literal>org.xzy</literal>,
            	where the field is of type <literal>List</literal>, and has an annotation of type
            	<literal>@SensitiveData</literal>
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>(@SensitiveData *) org.xyz..*.*</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a member field of a type in a package with prefix <literal>org.xzy</literal>,
            	where the field is of a type which has a <literal>@SensitiveData</literal> annotation.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@Foo (@Goo *) (@Hoo *).*</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a field with an annotation <literal>@Foo</literal>, of a type with an 
            	annotation <literal>@Goo</literal>, declared in a type with annotation
            	<literal>@Hoo</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@Persisted @Classified * *</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a field with an annotation <literal>@Persisted</literal> and
            	an annotation <literal>@Classified</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>
  	
  	<para>A <literal>MethodPattern</literal> is of the form</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  		MethodPattern := 
  		    AnnotationPattern? MethodModifiersPattern? TypePattern 
  		                       (TypePattern DotOrDotDot)? SimpleNamePattern 
  		                       '(' FormalsPattern ')'ThrowsPattern?

		MethodModifiersPattern := '!'? MethodModifier MethodModifiersPattern*
		
		MethodModifier := 'public' | 'private' | 'protected' | 'static' | 
		                  'synchronized' | 'final' 
		            		      
		FormalsPattern := '..' (',' FormalsPatternAfterDotDot)* |
		                  OptionalParensTypePattern (',' FormalsPattern)* |
		                  TypePattern '...'
		                  
		FormalsPatternAfterDotDot := 
		        OptionalParensTypePattern (',' FormalsPatternAfterDotDot)* |
		        TypePattern '...'
		                                               		                  
		ThrowsPattern := 'throws' TypePatternList
		
		TypePatternList := TypePattern (',' TypePattern)*
		            					            
	]]></programlisting>
  	
  	<para><emphasis>Note: compared to the previous version, this definition of MethodPattern does
  	not allow parameter annotation matching (only matching on annotations of parameter types).</emphasis></para>
  	
  	<para>A <literal>ConstructorPattern</literal> has the form</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  		ConstructorPattern := 
  		    AnnotationPattern? ConstructorModifiersPattern?  
  		                       (TypePattern DotOrDotDot)? 'new' '(' FormalsPattern ')'
  		                       ThrowsPattern?
	
		ConstructorModifiersPattern := '!'? ConstructorModifier ConstructorModifiersPattern*
		
		ConstructorModifier := 'public' | 'private' | 'protected'
		
	]]></programlisting>
      	
  	<para>
  	    The optional <literal>AnnotationPattern</literal> at the beginning of a 
  	    method or constructor pattern restricts matches to methods/constructors with
  	    annotations that match the pattern. For example:
  	</para>

    <variablelist>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@Oneway * *(..)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a method with any return type and any name, that has an annotation of
            	type <literal>@Oneway</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@Transaction * (@Persistent org.xyz..*).*(..)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a method with the <literal>@Transaction</literal> annotation,
            	declared in a type with the <literal>@Persistent</literal> annotation, and
            	in a package beginning with the <literal>org.xyz</literal> prefix.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>* *.*(@Immutable *,..)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches any method taking at least one parameter, where the parameter
            	type has an annotation <literal>@Immutable</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
    </variablelist>

  </sect2>
  
  <sect2>
  	<title>Example Pointcuts</title>

   <variablelist>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>within(@Secure *)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches any join point where the code executing is declared in a 
            	type with an <literal>@Secure</literal>
            	annotation. The format of the <literal>within</literal> pointcut designator
            	in AspectJ 5 is <literal>'within' '(' OptionalParensTypePattern ')'</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>staticinitialization(@Persistent *)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches the staticinitialization join point of any type with the
            	<literal>@Persistent</literal> annotation. The format of the 
            	<literal>staticinitialization</literal> pointcut designator
            	in AspectJ 5 is <literal>'staticinitialization' '(' OptionalParensTypePattern ')'</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>call(@Oneway * *(..))</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a call to a method with a <literal>@Oneway</literal> annotation.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>execution(public (@Immutable *) org.xyz..*.*(..)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
                The execution of any public method in a package with prefix 
                <literal>org.xyz</literal>, where the method returns an 
                immutable result.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>set(@Cachable * *)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
                Matches the set of any cachable field.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>handler(!@Catastrophic *)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
                Matches the handler join point for the handling of any exception that is
                not <literal>Catastrophic</literal>. The format of the <literal>handler</literal>
                pointcut designator in AspectJ 5 is <literal>'handler' '(' OptionalParensTypePattern ')'</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>

  </sect2>

   <sect2>
  	<title>Runtime type matching and context exposure</title>

    <para>AspectJ 5 supports a set of "@" pointcut designators which
    can be used both to match based on the presence of an annotation at
    runtime, and to expose the annotation value as context in a pointcut or
    advice definition. These designators are <literal>@args, @this, @target,
    @within, @withincode</literal>, and <literal>@annotation</literal>
    </para>
    
    <para>It is a compilation error to attempt to match on an annotation type 
    that does not have runtime retention using one of these pointcut designators.</para>

    <para>
        The <literal>this()</literal>, <literal>target()</literal>, and
        <literal>args()</literal> pointcut designators allow matching based
        on the runtime type of an object, as opposed to the statically 
        declared type. In AspectJ 5, these designators are supplemented
        with three new designators : <literal>@this()</literal> (read, "this
        annotation"), <literal>@target()</literal>, and <literal>@args()</literal>.    
    </para>
    
    <para>
        Like their counterparts, these pointcut designators can be used 
        both for join point matching, and to expose context. The format of 
        these new designators is:
    </para>
    
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  	    AtThis := '@this' '(' AnnotationOrIdentifer ')'
    
        AtTarget := '@target' '(' AnnotationOrIdentifier ')'
  	
  	    AnnotationOrIdentifier := '@' FullyQualifiedName | Identifier
        
        AtArgs := '@args' '(' AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPattern ')'
        
        AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPattern :=
                          '..' (',' AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPatternAfterDotDot)? |
		                  AnnotationOrIdentifier (',' AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPattern)* |
		                  '*' (',' AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPattern)*
		                  
		AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPatternAfterDotDot := 
		                  AnnotationOrIdentifier (',' AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPatternAfterDotDot)* |
		                  '*' (',' AnnotationsOrIdentifiersPatternAfterDotDot)*
  	
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
        The forms of <literal>@this()</literal> and <literal>@target()</literal> that
        take a single annotation name are analogous to their counterparts that take
        a single type name. They match at join points where the object bound to 
        <literal>this</literal> (or <literal>target</literal>, respectively) has an
        annotation of the specified type. For example: 
    </para>    

   <variablelist>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@this(@Foo)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches any join point where the object currently bound to 'this'
            	has an annotation of type <literal>Foo</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>call(* *(..)) &amp;&amp; @target(@Classified)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches a call to any object where the target of the call has
            	a <literal>@Classified</literal> annotation.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>
    
    <para>
        Annotations can be exposed as context in the body of advice by 
        using the forms of <literal>@this(), @target()</literal> and
        <literal>@args()</literal> that use bound variables in the place
        of annotation names. For example:
    </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	pointcut callToClassifiedObject(Classified classificationInfo) :
  	    call(* *(..)) && @target(classificationInfo);

  	pointcut txRequiredMethod(Tx transactionAnnotation) :
  	    execution(* *(..)) && @this(transactionAnnotation) 
  	    && if(transactionAnnotation.policy == Tx.Policy.REQUIRED);
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
        The <literal>@args</literal> pointcut designator behaves as its <literal>args</literal>
        counterpart, matching join points based on number and position of arguments, and 
        supporting the <literal>*</literal> wildcard and at most one <literal>..</literal>
        wildcard. An annotation at a given position in an <literal>@args</literal> expression
        indicates that the runtime type of the argument in that position at a join point must
        have an annotation of the indicated type. For example:
    </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	/**
  	 * matches any join point with at least one argument, and where the
  	 * type of the first argument has the @Classified annotation
  	 */
  	pointcut classifiedArgument() : @args(@Classified,..);
  	
  	/**
  	 * matches any join point with three arguments, where the third
  	 * argument has an annotation of type @Untrusted.
  	 */
  	pointcut untrustedData(Untrusted untrustedDataSource) : 
  	    @args(*,*,untrustedDataSource);
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
        <emphasis>Note: an alternative design would be to allow both annotation
        patterns and type patterns to be specified in the existing args pcd.
        This works well for matching, but is more awkward when it comes to
        exposing context.</emphasis>
    </para>

    <para>Access to <literal>AnnotatedElement</literal> information is available
    reflectively with the body of advice through the <literal>thisJoinPoint</literal>,
    <literal>thisJoinPointStaticPart</literal>, and 
    <literal>thisEnclosingJoinPointStaticPart</literal> variables. To access 
    annotations on the arguments, or object bound to this or target at a join
    point you can use the following code fragments:</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	Annotation[] thisAnnotations = thisJoinPoint.getThis().getClass().getAnnotations();
  	Annotation[] targetAnnotations = thisJoinPoint.getTarget().getClass().getAnnotations();
  	Annotation[] firstParamAnnotations = thisJoinPoint.getArgs()[0].getClass().getAnnotations();
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
        <emphasis>Note: it would be nicer to provide direct helper methods in
        the JoinPoint interface or a sub-interface that provide the annotations
        directly, something like "AnnotatedElement getThisAnnotationInfo()".
        The problem here is that the "AnnotatedElement" type is only in the
        Java 5 runtime libraries, and we don't want to tie the AspectJ runtime
        library to Java 5. A sub-interface and downcast solution could be used
        if these helpers were felt to be sufficiently important.</emphasis>
    </para>

    <para>
    The <literal>@within</literal> and <literal>@withincode</literal> pointcut designators
    match any join point where the executing code is defined within a type (<literal>@within</literal>),
     or a method/constructor (<literal>@withincode</literal>) that has an annotation of the specified 
    type. The form of these designators is:
    </para>
    
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
        AtWithin := '@within' '(' AnnotationOrIdentifier ')'
        AtWithinCode := '@withincode' '(' AnnotationOrIdentifier ')'        
    ]]></programlisting>  		

    <para>Some examples of using these designators follow:</para>

   <variablelist>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>@within(@Foo)</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches any join point where the executing code is defined 
            	within a type which has an annotation of type <literal>Foo</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>pointcut insideCriticalMethod(Critical c) : 
                  @withincode(c);</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	Matches any join point where the executing code is defined
            	in a method or constructor which has an annotation of type <literal>@Critical</literal>,
            	and exposes the value of the annotation in the parameter 
            	<literal>c</literal>.
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>

    </variablelist>
    
    <para>The <literal>@annotation</literal> pointcut designator matches any
    join point where the <emphasis>subject</emphasis> of the join point has 
    an annotation of the given type. Like the other @pcds, it can also be
    used for context exposure.</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
        AtAnnotation := '@annotation' '(' AnnotationOrIdentifier ')'
    ]]></programlisting>
    
    <para>The subject of a join point is defined in the table in chapter one of
    this guide.</para>  		

    <para>
      Access to annotation information on members at a matched join point is also available
      through the <literal>getSignature</literal> method of the <literal>JoinPoint</literal>
      and <literal>JoinPoint.StaticPart</literal> interfaces. The <literal>MemberSignature</literal>
      interface is extended with the additional operation 
      <literal>java.lang.reflect.AccessibleObject getAccessibleObject()</literal>. The following fragment
      illustrates an example use of this interface to access annotation information.
    </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	Signature sig = thisJoinPointStaticPart.getSignature();
  	AnnotatedElement declaringTypeAnnotationInfo = sig.getDeclaringType();
  	if (sig instanceof MemberSignature) {
  	  // this must be an initialization, pre-initialization, call, execution, get, or
  	  // set join point.
  	  AnnotatedElement memberAnnotationInfo = ((MemberSignature)sig).getAccessibleObject();
  	}
	]]></programlisting>
    
    <para>
        <emphasis>Note again that it would be nicer to add the method getAnnotationInfo
        directly to MemberSignature, but this would once more couple the runtime library
        to Java 5.</emphasis>
    </para>
    
    <para>
        The <literal>@this,@target</literal> and <literal>@args</literal> 
        pointcut designators can only be used to match against annotations 
        that have runtime retention. The <literal>@within, @withincode</literal>
        and <literal>@annotation</literal> pointcut designators can only be used
        to match against annotations that have at least class-file retention, and
        if used in the binding form the annotation must have runtime retention. 
    </para>
    
  </sect2>

  <sect2>
      <title>Package and Parameter Annotations</title>

      <para>
          <emphasis>Note: A previous design allowed package annotation patterns to be specified
          directly in type patterns, and parameter annotation patterns to be
          specified directly in method and constructor signature patterns. Because
          this made some pointcut expressions hard to read and understand, we moved
          in favour of the design presented below, which also has its drawbacks. 
          Matching on package and parameter annotations will be
          deferred until after the 1.5.0 release so that we can gain more understanding
          of the kinds of uses AspectJ users are making of annotations in pointcut
          expressions before commiting to any one approach.</emphasis>
      </para>

<!-- @withinpackage ??? -->

<!--
      <para>
          Java 5 allows both packages and parameters to be annotated. To allow matching on package and parameter annotations,
          AspectJ 5 introduces the <literal>@package</literal> and <literal>@parameters</literal> pointcut designators.           
      </para>
      
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  		PackageAnnotationPointcut := '@package' '(' AnnotationPattern ')'
	]]></programlisting>
	
	<para>The <literal>@package</literal> pointcut matches any join point 
	occuring within the scope of a package with
	annotations matching the giving <literal>AnnotationPattern</literal>. For
	example:
	 </para>
    
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  		@package(@Model)
	]]></programlisting>
    
    <para>
        Matches any join point occuring within the scope of a package with the
        <literal>@Model</literal> annotation.
    </para>
    
    <para>
    <emphasis>
        Note: we added @package as a result of a conscious decision not to allow the
        specification of package annotation patterns within a general TypePattern. A 
        consequence of this decision is that we lose the ability to say the following
        things: "a call to a method defined in a type in a package with annotations
        matching..." ; "the set of a field defined in a type in a package with annotations
        matching..." ; "the get of a field defined in a type in a package with annotations
        matching...". As well as the package of the target at these join points, there is
        also the package of the runtime type of the target (call/target difference). So
        there are at least three possible sets of package annotations you could theoretically
        want to match on at a call, get, or set join point. We have chosen to provide the
        means to express the simplest of these, and could consider extending the language
        to allow for the others in the future when we better understanding how users will
        really use both package annotations and these features.
    </emphasis>
    </para>  
    
    <para>
        The <literal>@parameter</literal> pointcut designator acts in a similar manner to
        <literal>args</literal> in that it matches based on number and position of arguments
        at a join point (and supports the same wildcard options of <literal>*</literal> and
        <literal>..</literal>.    
    </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[  	
  		ParamsAnnotationPointcut := '@parameters' '(' ParamsAnnotationPattern ')'
  		
  		ParamsAnnotationPattern := AnnotationPattern (',' ParamsAnnotationPattern)? |
  		                         '*' (',' ParamsAnnotationPattern)? |
  		                         '..' (',' SingleParamsAnnotationPattern)* 
  		
  		SingleParamsAnnotationPattern := AnnotationPattern (',' SingleParamsAnnotationPattern)? |
  		                               '*' (',' SingleParamsAnnotationPattern)?  		
	]]></programlisting>
    
    <para>The <literal>*</literal> wildcard matches a single parameter regardless of its annotations. 
    The <literal>..</literal> wildcard matches zero or more parameters with any annotations. An
    annotation pattern in a given parameter position matches a parameter in that position with annotations
    matching the given annotation pattern. For example, the method signature</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	    public void foo(@Immutable int i, String s, @Cached Object o);  	
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
    Is matched by:
    </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	    @parameters(@Immutable, *, @Cached);
  	    
  	    and,
  	    
  	    @parameters(..,@Cached);
  	    
  	    and,
  	    
  	    @parameters(@Immutable, *, *); 	
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>
     It is not matched by:
    </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	    @parameters(@Immutable, *);
  	    
  	    or,
  	    
  	    @parameters(*,@Immutable);
  	    
  	    or,
  	    
  	    @parameters(*, int, @Cached); 	
	]]></programlisting>
    
    <para>
    This last example will result in a compilation error since <literal>int</literal> is not a 
    valid annotation pattern.
    </para>

 -->      
     
  </sect2>

  <sect2>
  	<title>Annotation Inheritance and pointcut matching</title>
  	
  	<para>
  	    According to the Java 5 specification, non-type annotations are not
  	    inherited, and annotations on types are only inherited if they have the 
  	    <literal>@Inherited</literal> meta-annotation.
  	    
  	    Given the following program:
  	</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	class C1 {
  	  @SomeAnnotation
  	  public void aMethod() {...}
  	}
  	
  	class C2 extends C1 {
  	  public void aMethod() {...}
  	}
  	
  	class Main {
  	  public static void main(String[] args) {
  	    C1 c1 = new C1();
  	    C2 c2 = new C2();
  	    c1.aMethod();
  	    c2.aMethod();
  	  }
  	}
  	
  	aspect X {
  	
  	  pointcut annotatedMethodCall() : 
  	    call(@SomeAnnotation * C1.aMethod());
  	
  	  pointcut c1MethodCall() :
  	    call(* C1.aMethod());
  	}
	]]></programlisting>
  	
  	<para>
  	    The pointcut <literal>annotatedMethodCall</literal> will match the call
  	    to <literal>c1.aMethod()</literal>, but not the call to 
  	    <literal>c2.aMethod()</literal>.
  	</para>
  	
  	<para>
  	    The pointcut <literal>c1MethodCall</literal> matches both 
  	    <literal>c1.aMethod()</literal> and <literal>c2.aMethod()</literal>.
  	</para>
  	
  </sect2>
  
  <sect2>
    <title>Limitations</title>
    <para>
        It would be useful to be able to match join points based on  
        annotation values, rather than merely the presence of a
        class-file retention annotation of a given type. This facility may be supported in a future version of AspectJ, by expanding the
        definition of <literal>AnnotationPattern</literal>. Matching annotation values for
        annotations with runtime retention can be done by exposing the annotation value
        as a pointcut parameter and then using an <literal>if</literal> pointcut expression
        to test the value. 
    </para>
  </sect2>
  
  </sect1>

  <!-- ============================== -->

  <sect1 id="annotations-decp">
    <title>Using Annotations with declare statements</title>
  
   <sect2>
  	<title>Declare error and declare warning</title>
  	
  	<para>
  	    Since pointcut expressions in AspectJ 5 support join point matching based
  	    on annotations, this facility can be exploited when writing
  	    <literal>declare warning</literal> and <literal>declare error</literal>
  	    statements. For example:
  	</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	declare warning : withincode(@PerformanceCritical * *(..)) &&
  	                  call(@ExpensiveOperation * *(..))
  	                : "Expensive operation called from within performance critical section";
	]]></programlisting>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	declare error : call(* org.xyz.model.*.*(..)) &&
  	                !@within(@Trusted *)
  	                : "Untrusted code should not call the model classes directly";
	]]></programlisting>
    
  </sect2>
    
  
  	<sect2>
  		<title>declare parents</title>
  
  	<para>
  		The general form of a <literal>declare parents</literal> statement is:
  	</para>
  
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	declare parents : TypePattern extends Type;
  	declare parents : TypePattern implements TypeList;
	]]></programlisting>
	
	<para>
		Since AspectJ 5 supports annotations as part of a type pattern
		specification, it is now possible to match types based on the presence
		of annotations <emphasis>with either class-file or runtime retention</emphasis>.
		For example:
	</para>

	    <variablelist>
	
	        <varlistentry>
	          <term>declare parents : (@Secured *) implements SecuredObject;</term>
	          <listitem>
	            <para>
	            	All types with the <literal>@Secured</literal> annotation
	            	implement the <literal>SecuredObject</literal> inteface.
	            </para>
	          </listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	        <varlistentry>
	          <term>declare parents : (@Secured BankAccount+) implements SecuredObject;</term>
	          <listitem>
	            <para>
	            	The subset of types drawn from the <literal>BankAccount</literal> type and any subtype of
	            	<literal>BankAccount</literal>, where the 
	            	<literal>@Secured</literal> annotation is present, implement the
	            	<literal>SecuredObject</literal> interface.
	            </para>
	          </listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	    </variablelist>

    <para>An annotation type may not be used as the target of a declare parents
    statement. If an annotation type is named explicitly as the target of a
    declare parents statement, a compilation error will result. If an annotation
    type is matched by a non-explicit type pattern used in a declare parents
    statement it will be ignored (and an XLint warning issued).</para>

  	</sect2>

	<sect2>
		<title>declare precedence</title>

	<para>
		The general form of a declare precedence statement is:
	</para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	declare precedence : TypePatList;
	]]></programlisting>

	<para>
		AspectJ 5 allows the type patterns in the list to include annotation information
		as part of the pattern specification. For example:
	</para>	

    <variablelist>

        <varlistentry>
          <term>declare precedence : (@Security *),*;</term>
          <listitem>
            <para>
            	All aspects with the <literal>@Security</literal> annotation
            	take precedence over any other aspects in the system. (Or, more
            	informally, all security-related aspects take precedence).
            </para>
          </listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        
	</variablelist>

  </sect2>	    

  </sect1>
        
  <!-- ============================== -->
  
  <sect1 id="annotations-declare">
    <title>Declare Annotation</title>
  
      <para>AspectJ 5 supports a new kind of declare statement, <literal>declare annotation</literal>.
      The general form of a <literal>declare annotation</literal> statement is:
      </para>

  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	declare annotation : ElementPattern : Annotation ;
	]]></programlisting>

    <para>Where annotation is a regular annotation expression as defined in the Java 5 language. If the annotation has 
    the <literal>@Target</literal> meta-annotation, then the elements matched by <literal>ElementPattern</literal>
    must be of the kind specified by the <literal>@Target</literal> annotation.</para>
    
    <para><literal>ElementPattern</literal> is defined as follows:</para>
    
  	<programlisting><![CDATA[
  	        ElementPattern := TypePattern |
  	                          MethodPattern |
  	                          ConstructorPattern |
  	                          FieldPattern
	]]></programlisting>
    
    <para>The following examples illustrate the use of <literal>declare annotation</literal>.</para>

	    <variablelist>
	
	        <varlistentry>
	          <term>declare annotation : org.xyz.model..* : @BusinessDomain ;</term>
	          <listitem>
	            <para>
                    All types defined in a package with the prefix <literal>org.xyz.model</literal>
                    have the <literal>@BusinessDomain</literal> annotation.
	            </para>
	          </listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	        <varlistentry>
	          <term>declare annotation : public * BankAccount+.*(..) : @Secured(role="supervisor")</term>
	          <listitem>
	            <para>
	                All public methods in <literal>BankAccount</literal> and its subtypes have the
	                annotation <literal>@Secured(role="supervisor")</literal>.
	            </para>
	          </listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	        <varlistentry>
	          <term>declare annotation : * DAO+.* : @Persisted;</term>
	          <listitem>
	            <para>
	            	All fields defined in <literal>DAO</literal> or its subtypes have the
	            	<literal>@Persisted</literal> annotation.
	            </para>
	          </listitem>
	        </varlistentry>
	        
	    </variablelist>

  </sect1>
  
    <sect1 id="annotations-itds">
      <title>Inter-type Declarations</title>
      
      <para>An annotation type may not be the target of an inter-type declaration.</para>
    </sect1>  
  
</chapter>