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25 
26 package java.lang.reflect;
27 
28 /**
29  * TypeVariable is the common superinterface for type variables of kinds.
30  * A type variable is created the first time it is needed by a reflective
31  * method, as specified in this package.  If a type variable t is referenced
32  * by a type (i.e, class, interface or annotation type) T, and T is declared
33  * by the nth enclosing class of T (see JLS 8.1.2), then the creation of t
34  * requires the resolution (see JVMS 5) of the ith enclosing class of T,
35  * for i = 0 to n, inclusive. Creating a type variable must not cause the
36  * creation of its bounds. Repeated creation of a type variable has no effect.
37  *
38  * <p>Multiple objects may be instantiated at run-time to
39  * represent a given type variable. Even though a type variable is
40  * created only once, this does not imply any requirement to cache
41  * instances representing the type variable. However, all instances
42  * representing a type variable must be equal() to each other.
43  * As a consequence, users of type variables must not rely on the identity
44  * of instances of classes implementing this interface.
45  *
46  * @param <D> the type of generic declaration that declared the
47  * underlying type variable.
48  *
49  * @since 1.5
50  */
51 // Android-changed: Removed AnnotatedElement super-class due to excluded support
52 // for runtime type annotations
53 public interface TypeVariable<D extends GenericDeclaration> extends Type {
54     /**
55      * Returns an array of {@code Type} objects representing the
56      * upper bound(s) of this type variable.  Note that if no upper bound is
57      * explicitly declared, the upper bound is {@code Object}.
58      *
59      * <p>For each upper bound B: <ul> <li>if B is a parameterized
60      * type or a type variable, it is created, (see {@link
61      * java.lang.reflect.ParameterizedType ParameterizedType} for the
62      * details of the creation process for parameterized types).
63      * <li>Otherwise, B is resolved.  </ul>
64      *
65      * @throws TypeNotPresentException  if any of the
66      *     bounds refers to a non-existent type declaration
67      * @throws MalformedParameterizedTypeException if any of the
68      *     bounds refer to a parameterized type that cannot be instantiated
69      *     for any reason
70      * @return an array of {@code Type}s representing the upper
71      *     bound(s) of this type variable
72     */
getBounds()73     Type[] getBounds();
74 
75     /**
76      * Returns the {@code GenericDeclaration} object representing the
77      * generic declaration declared this type variable.
78      *
79      * @return the generic declaration declared for this type variable.
80      *
81      * @since 1.5
82      */
getGenericDeclaration()83     D getGenericDeclaration();
84 
85     /**
86      * Returns the name of this type variable, as it occurs in the source code.
87      *
88      * @return the name of this type variable, as it appears in the source code
89      */
getName()90     String getName();
91 
92     /**
93      * Returns an array of AnnotatedType objects that represent the use of
94      * types to denote the upper bounds of the type parameter represented by
95      * this TypeVariable. The order of the objects in the array corresponds to
96      * the order of the bounds in the declaration of the type parameter.
97      *
98      * Returns an array of length 0 if the type parameter declares no bounds.
99      *
100      * @return an array of objects representing the upper bounds of the type variable
101      * @since 1.8
102      */
103     // Android-changed: Excluded support for runtime type annotations
104     // AnnotatedType[] getAnnotatedBounds();
105 }
106