org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual.Raw Maven / Gradle / Ivy
package org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.qual;
import java.lang.annotation.Documented;
import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
import java.lang.annotation.Target;
import org.checkerframework.framework.qual.DefaultFor;
import org.checkerframework.framework.qual.SubtypeOf;
import org.checkerframework.framework.qual.TypeUseLocation;
/**
* This type qualifier belongs to the rawness type-system for tracking initialization. This
* type-system is not used on its own, but in conjunction with some other type-system that wants to
* ensure safe initialization. For instance, {@link
* org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.NullnessRawnessChecker} uses rawness to track
* initialization of {@link NonNull} fields.
*
* This type qualifier indicates that the object might not have been fully initialized. An object
* is fully initialized when each of its fields contains a value that satisfies its type qualifier.
* What type qualifiers are considered depends on the checker; for instance, the {@link
* org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.NullnessRawnessChecker} considers {@link NonNull}.
*
*
Therefore, reading a field of an object of type {@link Raw} might yield a value that does not
* correspond to the declared type qualifier for that field. For instance, in the {@link
* org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.NullnessRawnessChecker}, a field might be {@code null} even
* if it has been annotated as {@link NonNull}.
*
*
More precisely, an expression of type {@code @Raw(T.class)} refers to an object that has all
* fields of {@code T} (and any super-classes) initialized (e.g., to a non-null value in the {@link
* org.checkerframework.checker.nullness.NullnessRawnessChecker}). Just {@code @Raw} is equivalent
* to {@code @Raw(Object.class)}.
*
*
At the beginning of a constructor, the fields of the object are not yet initialized and thus
* {@link Raw Raw(supertype)} is used as the type of the self-reference {@code this}.
* Consider a class {@code B} that is a subtype of {@code A}. At the beginning of the constructor of
* {@code B}, {@code this} has the type {@code @Raw(A.class)}, since all fields of {@code A} have
* been initialized by the super-constructor. If during the constructor also all fields of {@code B}
* are initialized, then the type of {@code this} changes to {@code @Raw(B.class)} (and otherwise,
* if not all fields are initialized, an error is issued).
*
*
At the end of the constructor, the type is not fully initialized. Rather, it is {@code
* Raw(supertype)}.
*
*
Note that it would not be sound to type {@code this} as {@link NonRaw} anywhere in a
* constructor (with the exception of final classes; but this is currently not implemented), because
* there might be subclasses with uninitialized fields. The following example shows why:
*
*
* class A {
* {@literal @}NonNull String a;
* public A() {
* a = "";
* // Now, all fields of A are initialized.
* // However, if this constructor is invoked as part of 'new B()', then
* // the fields of B are not yet initialized.
* // If we would type 'this' as @NonRaw, then the following call is valid:
* foo();
* }
* void foo() {}
* }
*
* class B extends A {
* {@literal @}NonNull String b;
* {@literal @}Override
* void foo() {
* // Dereferencing 'b' is ok, since 'this' is @NonRaw and 'b' @NonNull.
* // However, when executing 'new B()', this line throws a null-pointer exception.
* b.toString();
* }
* }
*
*
* @checker_framework.manual #nullness-checker Nullness Checker
*/
@SubtypeOf({})
@DefaultFor({TypeUseLocation.LOCAL_VARIABLE, TypeUseLocation.RESOURCE_VARIABLE})
@Documented
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Target({ElementType.TYPE_USE, ElementType.TYPE_PARAMETER})
public @interface Raw {
/**
* The type-frame down to which the expression (of this type) has been initialized at least
* (inclusive). That is, an expression of type {@code @Raw(T.class)} has all type-frames
* initialized starting at {@code Object} down to (and including) {@code T}.
*/
Class value() default Object.class;
}