1. /*

  2.  * @(#)Inherited.java	1.4 04/02/03

  3.  *

  4.  * Copyright 2004 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.

  5.  * SUN PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.

  6.  */

  7. 

  8. package java.lang.annotation;

  9. 

  10. /**

  11.  * Indicates that an annotation type is automatically inherited.  If

  12.  * an Inherited meta-annotation is present on an annotation type

  13.  * declaration, and the user queries the annotation type on a class

  14.  * declaration, and the class declaration has no annotation for this type,

  15.  * then the class's superclass will automatically be queried for the

  16.  * annotation type.  This process will be repeated until an annotation for this

  17.  * type is found, or the top of the class hierarchy (Object)

  18.  * is reached.  If no superclass has an annotation for this type, then

  19.  * the query will indicate that the class in question has no such annotation.

  20.  *

  21.  * <p>Note that this meta-annotation type has no effect if the annotated

  22.  * type is used to annotate anything other than a class.  Note also

  23.  * that this meta-annotation only causes annotations to be inherited

  24.  * from superclasses; annotations on implemented interfaces have no

  25.  * effect.

  26.  *

  27.  * @author  Joshua Bloch

  28.  * @since 1.5

  29.  */

  30. @Documented

  31. @Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)

  32. @Target(ElementType.ANNOTATION_TYPE)

  33. public @interface Inherited {

  34. }