Interface ClassEntry

All Superinterfaces:

LoadableConstantEntry, PoolEntry

public sealed interface ClassEntry
extends LoadableConstantEntry

Models a CONSTANT_Class_info structure, representing a reference type, in the constant pool of a class file.

The use of a ClassEntry is modeled by a ClassDesc that is not primitive. Conversions are through ConstantPoolBuilder.classEntry(ClassDesc) and asSymbol().

A ClassEntry is composite:

ClassEntry(Utf8Entry name)

where name represents:

• The internal form of a binary name (JVMS 4.2.1), if and only if this ClassEntry represents a class or interface, such as java/lang/String for the String class.
• A field descriptor string (JVMS 4.3.2) representing an array type, if and only if this ClassEntry represents an array type, such as [I for the int[] type, or [Ljava/lang/String; for the String[] type.

A field descriptor string for an array type can be distinguished by its leading '[' character.

API Note:

The internal form of a binary name, where all occurrences of . in the name are replaced by /, is informally known as an internal name. This concept also applies to package names in addition to class and interface names.

See Java Virtual Machine Specification:

4.4.1 The CONSTANT_Class_info Structure

Since:

24

See Also:

• ConstantPoolBuilder::classEntry
• ClassDesc

Field Summary

Fields declared in interface java.lang.classfile.constantpool.PoolEntry

TAG_CLASS, TAG_DOUBLE, TAG_DYNAMIC, TAG_FIELDREF, TAG_FLOAT, TAG_INTEGER, TAG_INTERFACE_METHODREF, TAG_INVOKE_DYNAMIC, TAG_LONG, TAG_METHOD_HANDLE, TAG_METHOD_TYPE, TAG_METHODREF, TAG_MODULE, TAG_NAME_AND_TYPE, TAG_PACKAGE, TAG_STRING, TAG_UTF8

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method	Description
String	asInternalName()	Returns the represented reference type, as the internal form of a binary name or an array descriptor string.
ClassDesc	asSymbol()	Returns the represented reference type, as a symbolic descriptor.
default ConstantDesc	constantValue()	Returns a symbolic descriptor of this constant.
Utf8Entry	name()	Returns the Utf8Entry referred by this structure.

Methods declared in interface java.lang.classfile.constantpool.LoadableConstantEntry

typeKind

Methods declared in interface java.lang.classfile.constantpool.PoolEntry

constantPool, index, tag, width

Method Details

constantValue

default ConstantDesc constantValue()

Returns a symbolic descriptor of this constant.

This is equivalent to asSymbol().

Specified by:

constantValue in interface LoadableConstantEntry

Returns:

a symbolic descriptor of this constant

See Also:

• ConstantPoolBuilder.loadableConstantEntry(ConstantDesc)

name

Utf8Entry name()

Returns the Utf8Entry referred by this structure. If the value of the UTF8 starts with a [, this represents an array type and the value is a descriptor string; otherwise, this represents a class or interface and the value is the internal form of a binary name.

Returns:

the Utf8Entry referred by this structure

See Also:

• ConstantPoolBuilder::classEntry(Utf8Entry)

asInternalName

String asInternalName()

Returns the represented reference type, as the internal form of a binary name or an array descriptor string. This is a shortcut for name().stringValue().

Returns:

the represented reference type, as the internal form of a binary name or an array descriptor string

asSymbol

ClassDesc asSymbol()

Returns the represented reference type, as a symbolic descriptor. The returned descriptor is never primitive.

Returns:

the represented reference type, as a symbolic descriptor

See Also:

• ConstantPoolBuilder::classEntry(ClassDesc)