TYPE_USE annotations on generic type not being compiled into class file

Question

I want to define a generic class for a payload with multiple @Valid elements to be @Validated by my spring boot app. The class is going into a library.

If I define a generic class that looks like:

class GroupPayload<T> {
    @Size(min = 1) List<@Valid T> data;
}

When this is compiled, the class file looks like:

class GroupPayload<T> {
    @Size(
        min = 1
    )
    private List<T> data; // T is not @Valid !?
}

Even though @Size made it to the class file, the @Valid annnotation (both anotations have @Retention(RUNTIME)), T is not typed with @Valid in the compiled class.

If I use MyGroupPayload extends GroupPayload<MyType>, validation does not fire on the elements, but if I use a hard-coded (non-generic) class with List<@Valid MyType> data validation works.

How do I get TYPE_USE annotations on a generic type into the compiled class so I can use it as a library class outside the immediate project.

Answer 1

The annotations are compiled into the class file. I suspect that whatever tool you used to inspect the class file is faulty.

Here is a MWE:

import java.util.List;
import java.lang.annotation.ElementType;
import java.lang.annotation.Target;

@Target(ElementType.TYPE_USE)
@interface Valid{}

public class GroupPayload<T> {
    List<@Valid T> data;
}

The output of

javac GroupPayload.java
javap -v GroupPayload.class

appears below. You can see from these snippets:

...
   #9 = Utf8               LValid;
...
  java.util.List<T> data;
...
    RuntimeInvisibleTypeAnnotations:
      0: #9(): FIELD, location=[TYPE_ARGUMENT(0)]

that the @Valid annotation is in the .class file.

Here is the full output of javap -v GroupPayload.class:

Classfile /home/mernst/GroupPayload.class
  Last modified Jan 16, 2020; size 515 bytes
  MD5 checksum 3db07417a8da20b35032650b64e9ffce
  Compiled from "GroupPayload.java"
public class GroupPayload<T extends java.lang.Object> extends java.lang.Object
  minor version: 0
  major version: 52
  flags: ACC_PUBLIC, ACC_SUPER
Constant pool:
   #1 = Methodref          #3.#22         // java/lang/Object."<init>":()V
   #2 = Class              #23            // GroupPayload
   #3 = Class              #24            // java/lang/Object
   #4 = Utf8               data
   #5 = Utf8               Ljava/util/List;
   #6 = Utf8               Signature
   #7 = Utf8               Ljava/util/List<TT;>;
   #8 = Utf8               RuntimeInvisibleTypeAnnotations
   #9 = Utf8               LValid;
  #10 = Utf8               <init>
  #11 = Utf8               ()V
  #12 = Utf8               Code
  #13 = Utf8               LineNumberTable
  #14 = Utf8               LocalVariableTable
  #15 = Utf8               this
  #16 = Utf8               LGroupPayload;
  #17 = Utf8               LocalVariableTypeTable
  #18 = Utf8               LGroupPayload<TT;>;
  #19 = Utf8               <T:Ljava/lang/Object;>Ljava/lang/Object;
  #20 = Utf8               SourceFile
  #21 = Utf8               GroupPayload.java
  #22 = NameAndType        #10:#11        // "<init>":()V
  #23 = Utf8               GroupPayload
  #24 = Utf8               java/lang/Object
{
  java.util.List<T> data;
    descriptor: Ljava/util/List;
    flags:
    Signature: #7                           // Ljava/util/List<TT;>;
    RuntimeInvisibleTypeAnnotations:
      0: #9(): FIELD, location=[TYPE_ARGUMENT(0)]

  public GroupPayload();
    descriptor: ()V
    flags: ACC_PUBLIC
    Code:
      stack=1, locals=1, args_size=1
         0: aload_0
         1: invokespecial #1                  // Method java/lang/Object."<init>":()V
         4: return
      LineNumberTable:
        line 8: 0
      LocalVariableTable:
        Start  Length  Slot  Name   Signature
            0       5     0  this   LGroupPayload;
      LocalVariableTypeTable:
        Start  Length  Slot  Name   Signature
            0       5     0  this   LGroupPayload<TT;>;
}
Signature: #19                          // <T:Ljava/lang/Object;>Ljava/lang/Object;
SourceFile: "GroupPayload.java"