@Retention(value=RUNTIME)
@Target(value={FIELD,METHOD})
public @interface XmlElementRef
Maps a JavaBean property to a XML element derived from property's type.
Usage
@XmlElementRef annotation can be used with a
JavaBean property or from within XmlElementRefs
This annotation dynamically associates an XML element name with the JavaBean
property. When a JavaBean property is annotated with XmlElement
, the XML element name is statically derived from the
JavaBean property name. However, when this annotation is used, the
XML element name is derived from the instance of the type of the
JavaBean property at runtime.
public void setTerm(JAXBElement extends Operator>); public JAXBElement extends Operator> getTerm();
An element factory method annotated with XmlElementDecl
is
used to create a JAXBElement instance, containing an XML
element name. The presence of @XmlElementRef annotation on an
element property indicates that the element name from JAXBElement
instance be used instead of deriving an XML element name from the
JavaBean property name.
The usage is subject to the following constraints:
JAXBElement
, then
@XmlElementRef}.name() and @XmlElementRef.namespace() must
point an element factory method with an @XmlElementDecl
annotation in a class annotated with @XmlRegistry (usually
ObjectFactory class generated by the schema compiler) :
JAXBElement
, then the type referenced by the
property or field must be annotated with XmlRootElement
. XmlElementWrapper
, XmlJavaTypeAdapter
.
See "Package Specification" in javax.xml.bind.package javadoc for additional common information.
Example 1: Ant Task Example
The following Java class hierarchy models an Ant build script. An Ant task corresponds to a class in the class hierarchy. The XML element name of an Ant task is indicated by the @XmlRootElement annotation on its corresponding class.@XmlRootElement(name="target") class Target { // The presence of @XmlElementRef indicates that the XML // element name will be derived from the @XmlRootElement // annotation on the type (for e.g. "jar" for JarTask). @XmlElementRef List<Task> tasks; } abstract class Task { } @XmlRootElement(name="jar") class JarTask extends Task { ... } @XmlRootElement(name="javac") class JavacTask extends Task { ... } <!-- XML Schema fragment --> <xs:element name="target" type="Target"> <xs:complexType name="Target"> <xs:sequence> <xs:choice maxOccurs="unbounded"> <xs:element ref="jar"> <xs:element ref="javac"> </xs:choice> </xs:sequence> </xs:complexType>
Thus the following code fragment:
Target target = new Target(); target.tasks.add(new JarTask()); target.tasks.add(new JavacTask()); marshal(target);will produce the following XML output:
.... ....
It is not an error to have a class that extends Task
that doesn't have XmlRootElement
. But they can't show up in an
XML instance (because they don't have XML element names).
Example 2: XML Schema Susbstitution group support
The following example shows the annotations for XML Schema substitution groups. The annotations and the ObjectFactory are derived from the schema.
@XmlElement class Math { // The value oftype()
is // JAXBElement.class , which indicates the XML // element name ObjectFactory - in general a class marked // with @XmlRegistry. (See ObjectFactory below) // // Thename()
is "operator", a pointer to a // factory method annotated with a //XmlElementDecl
with the name "operator". Since // "operator" is the head of a substitution group that // contains elements "add" and "sub" elements, "operator" // element can be substituted in an instance document by // elements "add" or "sub". At runtime, JAXBElement // instance contains the element name that has been // substituted in the XML document. // @XmlElementRef(type=JAXBElement.class,name="operator") JAXBElement<? extends Operator> term; } @XmlRegistry class ObjectFactory { @XmlElementDecl(name="operator") JAXBElement<Operator> createOperator(Operator o) {...} @XmlElementDecl(name="add",substitutionHeadName="operator") JAXBElement<Operator> createAdd(Operator o) {...} @XmlElementDecl(name="sub",substitutionHeadName="operator") JAXBElement<Operator> createSub(Operator o) {...} } class Operator { ... }
Thus, the following code fragment
Math m = new Math(); m.term = new ObjectFactory().createAdd(new Operator()); marshal(m);will produce the following XML output:
<math> <add>...</add> </math>
XmlElementRefs
Modifier and Type | Optional Element and Description |
---|---|
java.lang.String |
name |
java.lang.String |
namespace
This parameter and
name() are used to determine the
XML element for the JavaBean property. |
boolean |
required
Customize the element declaration to be required.
|
java.lang.Class |
type
The Java type being referenced.
|
public abstract java.lang.Class type
If the value is DEFAULT.class, the type is inferred from the the type of the JavaBean property.
public abstract java.lang.String namespace
name()
are used to determine the
XML element for the JavaBean property.
If type() is JAXBElement.class , then
namespace() and name()
point to a factory method with XmlElementDecl
. The XML
element name is the element name from the factory method's
XmlElementDecl
annotation or if an element from its
substitution group (of which it is a head element) has been
substituted in the XML document, then the element name is from the
XmlElementDecl
on the substituted element.
If type()
is not JAXBElement.class, then
the XML element name is the XML element name statically
associated with the type using the annotation XmlRootElement
on the type. If the type is not annotated with
an XmlElementDecl
, then it is an error.
If type() is not JAXBElement.class, then this value must be "".
public abstract java.lang.String name
namespace()
public abstract boolean required
If required() is true, then Javabean property is mapped to an XML schema element declaration with minOccurs="1". maxOccurs is "1" for a single valued property and "unbounded" for a multivalued property.
If required() is false, then the Javabean property is mapped to XML Schema element declaration with minOccurs="0". maxOccurs is "1" for a single valued property and "unbounded" for a multivalued property.
For compatibility with JAXB 2.1, this property defaults to true,
despite the fact that XmlElement.required()
defaults to false.