Type annotations on inner type that is an array components

[Werner Dietl]

Take this example:

import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
import java.lang.annotation.Retention;
import java.lang.annotation.RetentionPolicy;
import java.lang.annotation.Target;

@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Target({ElementType.TYPE_USE, ElementType.TYPE_PARAMETER})
@interface TA {
  int value();
}

class ArrayOfInner {
  class Inner {}

  @TA(1) ArrayOfInner. @TA(2) Inner oi;
  @TA(3) ArrayOfInner. @TA(4) Inner [] oia;
  @TA(5) Inner i;
  @TA(6) Inner [] ia;
}


Compile with javac 8 and according to javap -v field ia has the annotation:

  ArrayOfInner$Inner[] ia;
    descriptor: [LArrayOfInner$Inner;
    flags: (0x0000)
    RuntimeVisibleTypeAnnotations:
      0: #10(#11=I#21): FIELD, location=[ARRAY, INNER_TYPE]
        TA(
          value=6
        )

Compile with javac 9, 10, or a recent 11 build and ia has the annotation:

  ArrayOfInner$Inner[] ia;
    descriptor: [LArrayOfInner$Inner;
    flags: (0x0000)
    RuntimeVisibleTypeAnnotations:
      0: #10(#11=I#21): FIELD, location=[ARRAY]
        TA(
          value=6
        )

Note the missing INNER_TYPE location.
The annotations for fields oi, oia, and i are generated consistently
for all versions and are just included to illustrate all the relevant
annotation positions.

I would like to argue that the Java 8 behavior was correct.
I didn't find an existing issue that either motivated this change or
that would report this mismatch.

Thoughts?
cu, WMD.

-- 
http://www.google.com/profiles/wdietl