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javaeclipseeclipse-plugineclipse-jdt

Finding a TypeDeclaration in an IProject with the JDT search engine by its name

How can I find a TypeDeclaration in an IProject with the JDT search engine? I want to use the package and the name (e.g. "my.package.ClassName") of a class to find its TypeDeclaration in a specific IProject.

I know I could use the Java AST and a AST visitor which compares the current package and the node name, but I would prefer to use a string search.

Solution

  • If you already hold the qualified name of the class and have a project, there's no need to employ the search engine.

    Step 1: get an instance of IJavaProject representing your project:

    IJavaProject jProj = JavaCore.create(proj);

    Step 2: find the IType representing your class:

    IType type = jProj.findType(fullyQualifiedname);

    Step 3: get the containing compilation unit:

    ICompilationUnit cu = type.getCompilationUnit();

    Step 4: pass this to the ASTParser that will create your TypeDeclaration (as part of a CompilationUnit):

    astParser.setSource(cu);

    (This assumes you already have an ASTParser, know how to invoke parsing and inspect the resulting AST).