Final strings in annotations applying to class members

[Alex Buckley]

I admit that the definition of "constant variable" in JLS 4.12.4 is 
always worth double-checking: "A variable of primitive type or type 
String, that is final and initialized with a compile-time constant 
expression (§15.28), is called a constant variable."

The point being that a compiler can statically determine the value of 
the constant variable CONST_STR for the purpose of emitting an 
annotation attribute in a class file - even though the variable 
declaration is not 'static'.

Alex

On 1/29/2014 9:07 AM, Jonathan Gibbons wrote:
> Just checking ...
>
> CONSTR_STR is declared "final String", not "static final String" ...
>
> -- Jon
>
>
> On 01/29/2014 05:34 AM, Joel Borggren-Franck wrote:
>> John, Alex,
>>
>> Thanks for the bug report. I filed:
>>
>> https://bugs.openjdk.java.net/browse/JDK-8033132
>>
>> cheers
>> /Joel
>>
>> On 2014-01-28, Alex Buckley wrote:
>>> Looks like a javac bug. The element value CONST_STR is indeed a
>>> constant expression (gives the simple name of a constant variable),
>>> and the type of CONST_STR is a String, so JLS 9.7.1 says all your
>>> annotations are legal.
>>>
>>> Alex
>>>
>>> On 1/28/2014 8:14 AM, John Spicer wrote:
>>>> Javac 8 accepts:
>>>>
>>>> @interface Annot {
>>>>      String str();
>>>> }
>>>>
>>>> class Test {
>>>>      final String CONST_STR="something";
>>>>
>>>>      @Annot( str = CONST_STR )
>>>>      class Foo {}
>>>>
>>>>      @Annot( str = CONST_STR )
>>>>      void f(){}
>>>> }
>>>>
>>>> It rejects only the second annotation use in the example below
>>>> (complaining that CONST_STR cannot be referenced from a static
>>>> context).
>>>>
>>>> Given that CONST_STR is a constant expression, I could see allowing
>>>> both uses.   Is there a rationale for allowing only the use on the
>>>> class?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> John.
>>>>
>>>> @interface Annot {
>>>>      String str();
>>>> }
>>>>
>>>> class Test {
>>>>      final String CONST_STR="something";
>>>>
>>>>      @Annot( str = CONST_STR )
>>>>      static class Foo {}
>>>>
>>>>      @Annot( str = CONST_STR )
>>>>      static void f(){}
>>>> }
>>>>
>>>>
>