Difference between Field#getAnnotations() and Field#getDeclaredAnnotations()

Question

JavaDoc says the following:

AccessibleObject#getDeclaredAnnotations:

Returns all annotations that are directly present on this element. Unlike the other methods in this interface, this method ignores inherited annotations. (Returns an array of length zero if no annotations are directly present on this element.) The caller of this method is free to modify the returned array; it will have no effect on the arrays returned to other callers.

Field#getAnnotations:

Returns all annotations present on this element. (Returns an array of length zero if this element has no annotations.) The caller of this method is free to modify the returned array; it will have no effect on the arrays returned to other callers.

Since getAnnotations is inherited from class java.lang.reflect.AccessibleObject, have Field objects access to it.

As i understand it is the only difference between them that getDeclaredAnnotations ignores inherited annotations. I get that when dealing with Classes but as far as i know Fields can NOT inherit annotations.

Answer 1

Looking in the source-code gives the answer:

excerpt from java.lang.reflect.AccessibleObject:

/**  * @since 1.5  */ public Annotation[] getAnnotations() {      return getDeclaredAnnotations(); }  /**  * @since 1.5  */ public Annotation[] getDeclaredAnnotations()  {     throw new AssertionError("All subclasses should override this method"); } 

And since Field does not override getAnnotations(): getDeclaredAnnotations() is called.

So both methods do the same when called on a java.lang.reflect.Field object. (so the JavaDoc is wrong in my opinion)

the other case is java.lang.Class which overrides both methods (and does what it's JavaDoc says ;) ):

/**  * @since 1.5  */ public Annotation[] getAnnotations() {      initAnnotationsIfNecessary();     return AnnotationParser.toArray(annotations); }  /**  * @since 1.5  */ public Annotation[] getDeclaredAnnotations()  {     initAnnotationsIfNecessary();     return AnnotationParser.toArray(declaredAnnotations); } 

Answer 2

getDeclaredAnnotations() provides direct implemented annotations only where as getAnnotations() provide direct implemented as well as inheritable annotations(@Inherited) from its parent class.