[Chapter 13] Field
Author: Mark Grand and Jonathan Knudsen
Date: Fri Aug 8 17:12:54 1997

#

| Chapter 13 The java.lang.reflect Package |

# Field

## Name

Field

## Synopsis

Class Name:

  `java.lang.reflect.Field`

Superclass:

  `java.lang.Object`

Immediate Subclasses:

  None

Interfaces Implemented:

  `java.lang.reflect.Member`

Availability:

  New as of JDK 1.1

## Description

The `Field` class represents a variable or constant in a class. A `Field` object can be obtained by calling the `getField()` method of a `Class` object. `Field` includes methods for getting the name, modifiers, type, and declaring class of a field. The class also provides methods that can set and retrieve the value of a field for a particular object.

## Class Summary

    public final class java.lang.reflect.Field extends java.lang.Object
                       implements java.lang.reflect.Member {
      // Instance Methods
      public boolean equals(Object obj);
      public native Object get(Object obj);
      public native boolean getBoolean(Object obj);
      public native byte getByte(Object obj);
      public native char getChar(Object obj);
      public Class getDeclaringClass();
      public native double getDouble(Object obj);
      public native float getFloat(Object obj);
      public native int getInt(Object obj);
      public native long getLong(Object obj);
      public native int getModifiers();
      public String getName();
      public native short getShort(Object obj);
      public Class getType();
      public int hashCode();
      public native void set(Object obj, Object value);
      public native void setBoolean(Object obj, boolean z);
      public native void setByte(Object obj, byte b);
      public native void setChar(Object obj, char c);
      public native void setDouble(Object obj, double d);
      public native void setFloat(Object obj, float f);
      public native void setInt(Object obj, int i);
      public native void setLong(Object obj, long l);
      public native void setShort(Object obj, short s);
      public String toString();
    }

## Instance Methods

### equals

#### public boolean equals(Object obj)

Parameters

  `obj`

    The object to be compared with this object.

Returns

  `true` if the objects are equal; `false` if they are not.

Overrides

  `Object.equals()`

Description

  This method returns `true` if `obj` is an instance of `Field`, and it is equivalent to this `Field`.

### get

####

     public native Object get(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field. If the field contains a value of a primitive type, the value is wrapped in an appropriate object, and the object is returned.

### getBoolean

####

     public native boolean getBoolean(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `boolean` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `boolean`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `boolean`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getByte

####

     public native byte getByte(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `byte` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `byte`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `byte`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getChar

####

     public native char getChar(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `char` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `char`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `char`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getDeclaringClass

#### public Class getDeclaringClass()

Returns

  `The Class` object that represents the class that declared this field.

Implements

  `Member.getDeclaringClass()`

Description

  This method returns the `Class` object for the class in which this field is declared.

### getDouble

####

     public native double getDouble(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `double` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `double`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `double`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getFloat

####

     public native float getFloat(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `float` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `float`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `float`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getInt

####

     public native int getInt(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `int` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `int`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as an `int`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getLong

####

     public native long getLong(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `long` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `long`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `long`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getModifiers

#### public native int getModifiers()

Returns

  An integer that represents the modifier keywords used to declare this field.

Implements

  `Member.getModifiers()`

Description

  This method returns an integer value that represents the modifiers of this field. The `Modifier` class should decode the returned value.

### getName

#### public String getName()

Returns

  The name of this field as a `String`.

Implements

  `Member.getName()`

Description

  This method returns the name of this field.

### getShort

####

     public native short getShort(Object obj) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be retrieved.

Returns

  The `short` value of this field in the given object.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not the correct type, or the field cannot be converted to a `short`.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method returns the value of this field in the given object as a `short`. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### getType

#### public Class getType()

Returns

  `The Class` object that represents the type of this field.

Description

  This method returns the `Class` object for the type of this field.

### hashCode

#### public int hashCode()

Returns

  A hashcode for this object.

Overrides

  `Object.hashCode()`

Description

  This method returns a hashcode for this `Field`.

### set

####

     public native void set(Object obj, Object value) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `value`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `value` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field. If the field contains a value of a primitive type, the given value is automatically unwrapped before it is used to set the value of the field.

### setBoolean

####

     public native void setBoolean(Object obj, boolean z) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `z`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `z` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `boolean` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setByte

####

     public native void setByte(Object obj, byte b) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `b`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `b` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `byte` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setChar

####

     public native void setChar(Object obj, char c) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `c`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `c` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `char` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setDouble

####

     public native void setDouble(Object obj, double d) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `d`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `d` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `double` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setFloat

####

     public native void setFloat(Object obj, float f) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `f`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `f` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `float` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setInt

####

     public native void setInt(Object obj, int i) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `i`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `i` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `int` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setLong

####

     public native void setLong(Object obj, long l) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `l`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `l` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `long` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### setShort

####

     public native void setShort(Object obj, short s) throws IllegalArgumentException, IllegalAccessException

Parameters

  `obj`

    The instance whose field value is to be set.

  `s`

    The new value.

Throws

  `IllegalArgumentException`

    If `obj` is not an instance of the correct class, or `s` cannot be converted to the correct type.

  `IllegalAccessException`

    If the field is not accessible or declared `final`.

  `NullPointerException`

    If `obj` is `null`.

Description

  This method sets the value of this field in the given object to the given `short` value. If the field is declared `static`, the `obj` parameter is ignored. Otherwise, the object supplied must be an instance of the class that declares this field.

### toString

#### public String toString()

Returns

  A string representation of this object.

Overrides

  `Object.toString()`

Description

  This method returns a string representation of this `Field`. This string contains the access modifiers of the field, if any, followed by the type, the fully qualified name of the declaring class, a period, and the name of the field.

## Inherited Methods

Method | Inherited From | Method | Inherited From
--- | --- | --- | ---
`clone()` | `Object` | `finalize()` | `Object`
`getClass()` | `Object` | `notify()` | `Object`
`notifyAll()` | `Object` | `wait()` | `Object`
`wait(long)` | `Object` | `wait(long, int)` | `Object`

## See Also

`Class`, `Constructor`, `IllegalAccessException`, `IllegalArgumentException`, `Member`, `Method`, `Modifier`, `NullPointerException`, `Object`

Constructor |  | InvocationTargetException