Java scoping construct cannot be annotated with type-use

Question

I want to annotate a fully qualified class name with `@Nullable`-annotation (from the Java Checker Framework), e.g.: ``` class Demo { private transient @Nullable org.apache.lucene.search.Query cached_results; // ... } ``` However this results in the error: ``` scoping construct cannot be annotated with type-use annotation: @checkers.nullness.quals.Nullable ``` How can I annotate fully qualified class names?

Accepted Answer

The Java language specification (draft for version 8) §8.3 specifies a "UnannClassType" as

UnannClassType: Identifier [TypeArguments] UnannClassOrInterfaceType . {Annotation} Identifier [TypeArguments]

Thus, you need the declaration:

```
private transient org.apache.lucene.search.@Nullable Query cached_results;
```

Or in the augmented java 7 compiler of the checker framework:

```
private transient org.apache.lucene.search./*@Nullable*/ Query cached_results;
```

NOTE: normal Java compilers ignore `/*@Nullable*/`.

Java scoping construct cannot be annotated with type-use

Solution

Problem