What is Annotation # annotationType ()?

Question

Annotation interface indicates a method

Class<? extends Annotation> annotationType()

which has zero information ¹ javadoc . I wonder what it's good for. All that I could find was a question, but in fact it is not needed (as the two upper answers below are accepted).

---

This allows us to use

a.annotationType().equals(MyAnnotation.class)

but

a instanceof MyAnnotation

performs the same task ... except when it ais an instance of a class that implements several annotations, but has anyone seen such a beast?

If it ais an instance class A implements MyAnnotation, YourAnnotation, then the two above tests are not equivalent, but the question is which one is better ...

^{(*) It looks like getX () returns x.}

Answer 1

getClass(), , , getClass() .

annotationType() " " - , - .

Enum.getDeclaringClass(), " " , myEnumConstant.getClass() .

Answer 2

annotationType() , Proxy. Object.getClass() -, "" .

, .