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package com.sun.jdi;


The mirror for a type in the target VM.
This interface is the root of a type hierarchy encompassing primitive
types and reference types.


A Type may be used to represent a run-time type:

 Value.type() 

or a compile-time type:

 Field.type() 
 Method.returnType() 
 Method.argumentTypes() 
 LocalVariable.type() 
 ArrayType.componentType() 



The following table illustrates which subinterfaces of Type
are used to mirror types in the target VM --




  Subinterfaces of PrimitiveType


  Type declared in target as
  Is mirrored as an instance of


  boolean
   BooleanType


  byte
  ByteType


  char
  CharType


  double
  DoubleType


  float
  FloatType


  int
  IntegerType


  long
  LongType


  short
  ShortType


  void
  VoidType


  Subinterfaces of ReferenceType


  Type declared in target as
  For example
  Is mirrored as an instance of


  a class
  Date
  ClassType


  an interface
  Runnable
  InterfaceType


  an array
   
  ArrayType


  an array
  int[]
  ArrayType whose componentType() is IntegerType


  an array
  Date[]
  ArrayType whose componentType() is ClassType


  an array
  Runnable[]
  ArrayType whose componentType() is InterfaceType



Author:Robert Field, Gordon Hirsch, James McIlree
See Also:
Since: 1.3
/**
 * The mirror for a type in the target VM.
 * This interface is the root of a type hierarchy encompassing primitive
 * types and reference types.
 * <P>
 * A Type may be used to represent a run-time type:
 * <BLOCKQUOTE>
 *   {@link Value}.type()
 * </BLOCKQUOTE>
 * or a compile-time type:
 * <BLOCKQUOTE>
 *  {@link Field#type()} <BR>
 *  {@link Method#returnType()} <BR>
 *  {@link Method#argumentTypes()} <BR>
 *  {@link LocalVariable#type()} <BR>
 *  {@link ArrayType#componentType()}
 * </BLOCKQUOTE>
 * <P>
 * The following table illustrates which subinterfaces of Type
 * are used to mirror types in the target VM --
 * <TABLE BORDER=1 SUMMARY="Maps each type declared in target to a mirrored
 *  instance of a subinterface of PrimitiveType or ReferenceType">
 * <TR BGCOLOR="#EEEEFF">
 *   <TH id="primtype" colspan=3>Subinterfaces of {@link PrimitiveType}</TH>
 * <TR BGCOLOR="#EEEEFF">
 *   <TH id="declared" align="left" colspan=2>Type declared in target as</TH>
 *   <TH id="mirrored" align="left">Is mirrored as an instance of</TH>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>boolean</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored"> {@link BooleanType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>byte</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link ByteType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>char</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link CharType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>double</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link DoubleType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>float</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link FloatType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>int</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link IntegerType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>long</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link LongType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>short</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link ShortType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="primtype declared" colspan=2><CODE>void</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="primtype mirrored">{@link VoidType}</TD>
 * <TR BGCOLOR="#EEEEFF">
 *   <TH id="reftype"  colspan=3>Subinterfaces of {@link ReferenceType}</TH>
 * <TR BGCOLOR="#EEEEFF">
 *   <TH id="declared2" align="left">Type declared in target as</TH>
 *   <TH id="example2"  align="left">For example</TH>
 *   <TH id="mirrored2" align="left">Is mirrored as an instance of</TH>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="reftype declared2"><I>a class</I></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype example2"><CODE>Date</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype mirrored2">{@link ClassType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="reftype declared2"><I>an interface</I></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype example2"><CODE>Runnable</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype mirrored2">{@link InterfaceType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="reftype declared2"><I>an array</I></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype example2">&nbsp;</TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype mirrored2">{@link ArrayType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="reftype declared2"><I>an array</I></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype example2"><CODE>int[]</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype mirrored2">{@link ArrayType} whose
 *         {@link ArrayType#componentType() componentType()} is
 *         {@link IntegerType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="reftype declared2"><I>an array</I></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype example2"><CODE>Date[]</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype mirrored2">{@link ArrayType} whose
 *         {@link ArrayType#componentType() componentType()} is
 *         {@link ClassType}</TD>
 * <TR>
 *   <TD headers="reftype declared2"><I>an array</I></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype example2"><CODE>Runnable[]</CODE></TD>
 *   <TD headers="reftype mirrored2">{@link ArrayType} whose
 *         {@link ArrayType#componentType() componentType()} is
 *         {@link InterfaceType}</TD>
 * </TABLE>
 *
 * @see PrimitiveType Subinterface PrimitiveType
 * @see ReferenceType Subinterface ReferenceType
 * @see Value Value - for relationship between Type and Value
 * @see Field#type() Field.type() - for usage examples
 *
 * @author Robert Field
 * @author Gordon Hirsch
 * @author James McIlree
 * @since  1.3
 */
public interface Type extends Mirror
{
    
Returns the JNI-style signature for this type.

 For primitive classes the returned signature is the signature of the corresponding primitive type; for example, "I" is returned as the signature of the class represented by Integer.TYPE. 
See Also:
Returns:the string containing the type signature.
/**
     * Returns the JNI-style signature for this type.
     * <p>
     * For primitive classes
     * the returned signature is the signature of the corresponding primitive
     * type; for example, "I" is returned as the signature of the class
     * represented by {@link java.lang.Integer#TYPE}.
     *
     * @see <a href="doc-files/signature.html">Type Signatures</a>
     * @return the string containing the type signature.
     */
    String signature();

    
Returns:a text representation of this type.
/**
     * @return a text representation of this type.
     */
    String name();
}