ElementType (Java Platform SE 8 )
Keywords: java.lang.annotation.ElementType class
Date: 2026-04-24

compact1, compact2, compact3
java.lang.annotation

## Enum ElementType

- java.lang.Object
- - java.lang.Enum<ElementType>
  - - java.lang.annotation.ElementType

- All Implemented Interfaces:
    Serializable, Comparable<ElementType>

      public enum ElementType
      extends Enum<ElementType>

  The constants of this enumerated type provide a simple classification of the syntactic locations where annotations may appear in a Java program. These constants are used in `java.lang.annotation.Target` meta-annotations to specify where it is legal to write annotations of a given type.

  The syntactic locations where annotations may appear are split into declaration contexts , where annotations apply to declarations, and type contexts , where annotations apply to types used in declarations and expressions.

  The constants `ANNOTATION_TYPE` , `CONSTRUCTOR` , `FIELD` , `LOCAL_VARIABLE` , `METHOD` , `PACKAGE` , `PARAMETER` , `TYPE` , and `TYPE_PARAMETER` correspond to the declaration contexts in JLS 9.6.4.1.

  For example, an annotation whose type is meta-annotated with `@Target(ElementType.FIELD)` may only be written as a modifier for a field declaration.

  The constant `TYPE_USE` corresponds to the 15 type contexts in JLS 4.11, as well as to two declaration contexts: type declarations (including annotation type declarations) and type parameter declarations.

  For example, an annotation whose type is meta-annotated with `@Target(ElementType.TYPE_USE)` may be written on the type of a field (or within the type of the field, if it is a nested, parameterized, or array type), and may also appear as a modifier for, say, a class declaration.

  The `TYPE_USE` constant includes type declarations and type parameter declarations as a convenience for designers of type checkers which give semantics to annotation types. For example, if the annotation type `NonNull` is meta-annotated with `@Target(ElementType.TYPE_USE)`, then `@NonNull` `class C {...}` could be treated by a type checker as indicating that all variables of class `C` are non-null, while still allowing variables of other classes to be non-null or not non-null based on whether `@NonNull` appears at the variable's declaration.

  Since:
    1.5
  See The Java™ Language Specification:
    9.6.4.1 @Target, 4.1 The Kinds of Types and Values

- - ### Enum Constant Summary

    Enum Constants
    Enum Constant and Description
    `ANNOTATION_TYPE` Annotation type declaration
    `CONSTRUCTOR` Constructor declaration
    `FIELD` Field declaration (includes enum constants)
    `LOCAL_VARIABLE` Local variable declaration
    `METHOD` Method declaration
    `PACKAGE` Package declaration
    `PARAMETER` Formal parameter declaration
    `TYPE` Class, interface (including annotation type), or enum declaration
    `TYPE_PARAMETER` Type parameter declaration
    `TYPE_USE` Use of a type

  - ### Method Summary

    All Methods Static Methods Concrete Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `static ElementType` | `valueOf(String name)` Returns the enum constant of this type with the specified name.
    `static ElementType[]` | `values()` Returns an array containing the constants of this enum type, in the order they are declared.

    - ### Methods inherited from class java.lang.Enum

      `clone, compareTo, equals, finalize, getDeclaringClass, hashCode, name, ordinal, toString, valueOf`

    - ### Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

      `getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait`

- - ### Enum Constant Detail

    - #### TYPE

          public static final ElementType TYPE

      Class, interface (including annotation type), or enum declaration

    - #### FIELD

          public static final ElementType FIELD

      Field declaration (includes enum constants)

    - #### METHOD

          public static final ElementType METHOD

      Method declaration

    - #### PARAMETER

          public static final ElementType PARAMETER

      Formal parameter declaration

    - #### CONSTRUCTOR

          public static final ElementType CONSTRUCTOR

      Constructor declaration

    - #### LOCAL_VARIABLE

          public static final ElementType LOCAL_VARIABLE

      Local variable declaration

    - #### ANNOTATION_TYPE

          public static final ElementType ANNOTATION_TYPE

      Annotation type declaration

    - #### PACKAGE

          public static final ElementType PACKAGE

      Package declaration

    - #### TYPE_PARAMETER

          public static final ElementType TYPE_PARAMETER

      Type parameter declaration
      Since:
        1.8

    - #### TYPE_USE

          public static final ElementType TYPE_USE

      Use of a type
      Since:
        1.8

  - ### Method Detail

    - #### values

          public static ElementType[] values()

      Returns an array containing the constants of this enum type, in the order they are declared. This method may be used to iterate over the constants as follows:

          for (ElementType c : ElementType.values())
              System.out.println(c);

      Returns:
        an array containing the constants of this enum type, in the order they are declared

    - #### valueOf

          public static ElementType valueOf(String name)

      Returns the enum constant of this type with the specified name. The string must match exactly an identifier used to declare an enum constant in this type. (Extraneous whitespace characters are not permitted.)
      Parameters:
        `name` - the name of the enum constant to be returned.
      Returns:
        the enum constant with the specified name
      Throws:
        `IllegalArgumentException` - if this enum type has no constant with the specified name
        `NullPointerException` - if the argument is null

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