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25 package java.lang.constant;
26 
27 import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandle;
28 import java.lang.invoke.MethodType;
29 import java.lang.invoke.VarHandle;
30 import java.util.Optional;
31 
32 /**
33  * Represents a type which is <em>constable</em>.  A constable type is one whose
34  * values are constants that can be represented in the constant pool of a Java
35  * classfile as described in JVMS 4.4, and whose instances can describe themselves
36  * nominally as a {@link ConstantDesc}.
37  *
38  * <p>Some constable types have a native representation in the constant pool:
39  * {@link String}, {@link Integer}, {@link Long}, {@link Float},
40  * {@link Double}, {@link Class}, {@link MethodType}, and {@link MethodHandle}.
41  * The types {@link String}, {@link Integer}, {@link Long}, {@link Float},
42  * and {@link Double} serve as their own nominal descriptors; {@link Class},
43  * {@link MethodType}, and {@link MethodHandle} have corresponding nominal
44  * descriptors {@link ClassDesc}, {@link MethodTypeDesc}, and {@link MethodHandleDesc}.
45  *
46  * <p>Other reference types can be constable if their instances can describe
47  * themselves in nominal form as a {@link ConstantDesc}. Examples in the Java SE
48  * Platform API are types that support Java language features such as {@link Enum},
49  * and runtime support classes such as {@link VarHandle}.  These are typically
50  * described with a {@link DynamicConstantDesc}, which describes dynamically
51  * generated constants (JVMS 4.4.10).
52  *
53  * <p>The nominal form of an instance of a constable type is obtained via
54  * {@link #describeConstable()}. A {@linkplain Constable} need
55  * not be able to (or may choose not to) describe all its instances in the form of
56  * a {@link ConstantDesc}; this method returns an {@link Optional} that can be
57  * empty to indicate that a nominal descriptor could not be created for an instance.
58  * (For example, {@link MethodHandle} will produce nominal descriptors for direct
59  * method handles, but not necessarily those produced by method handle
60  * combinators.)
61  * @jvms 4.4 The Constant Pool
62  * @jvms 4.4.10 The {@code CONSTANT_Dynamic_info} and {@code CONSTANT_InvokeDynamic_info} Structures
63  *
64  * @since 12
65  */
66 public interface Constable {
67     /**
68      * Returns an {@link Optional} containing the nominal descriptor for this
69      * instance, if one can be constructed, or an empty {@link Optional}
70      * if one cannot be constructed.
71      *
72      * @return An {@link Optional} containing the resulting nominal descriptor,
73      * or an empty {@link Optional} if one cannot be constructed.
74      */
describeConstable()75     Optional<? extends ConstantDesc> describeConstable();
76 }
77