1 /* 2 * Copyright (c) 2003, 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 3 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER. 4 * 5 * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it 6 * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as 7 * published by the Free Software Foundation. Oracle designates this 8 * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided 9 * by Oracle in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code. 10 * 11 * This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT 12 * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or 13 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License 14 * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that 15 * accompanied this code). 16 * 17 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version 18 * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, 19 * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA. 20 * 21 * Please contact Oracle, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USA 22 * or visit www.oracle.com if you need additional information or have any 23 * questions. 24 */ 25 26 package java.lang.annotation; 27 28 /** 29 * Indicates that an annotation type is automatically inherited. If 30 * an Inherited meta-annotation is present on an annotation type 31 * declaration, and the user queries the annotation type on a class 32 * declaration, and the class declaration has no annotation for this type, 33 * then the class's superclass will automatically be queried for the 34 * annotation type. This process will be repeated until an annotation for this 35 * type is found, or the top of the class hierarchy (Object) 36 * is reached. If no superclass has an annotation for this type, then 37 * the query will indicate that the class in question has no such annotation. 38 * 39 * <p>Note that this meta-annotation type has no effect if the annotated 40 * type is used to annotate anything other than a class. Note also 41 * that this meta-annotation only causes annotations to be inherited 42 * from superclasses; annotations on implemented interfaces have no 43 * effect. 44 * 45 * @author Joshua Bloch 46 * @since 1.5 47 * @jls 9.6.3.3 @Inherited 48 */ 49 @Documented 50 @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME) 51 @Target(ElementType.ANNOTATION_TYPE) 52 public @interface Inherited { 53 } 54