/*
 * Copyright (c) 2003, 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
 *
 * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
 * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as
 * published by the Free Software Foundation.  Oracle designates this
 * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided
 * by Oracle in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code.
 *
 * This code is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
 * ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
 * FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License
 * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that
 * accompanied this code).
 *
 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version
 * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
 * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
 *
 * Please contact Oracle, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USA
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 */

package java.lang.annotation;

/**
 * Indicates that an annotation type is automatically inherited. If an Inherited meta-annotation is
 * present on an annotation type declaration, and the user queries the annotation type on a class
 * declaration, and the class declaration has no annotation for this type, then the class's
 * superclass will automatically be queried for the annotation type. This process will be repeated
 * until an annotation for this type is found, or the top of the class hierarchy (Object) is
 * reached. If no superclass has an annotation for this type, then the query will indicate that the
 * class in question has no such annotation.
 *
 * <p>Note that this meta-annotation type has no effect if the annotated type is used to annotate
 * anything other than a class. Note also that this meta-annotation only causes annotations to be
 * inherited from superclasses; annotations on implemented interfaces have no effect.
 *
 * @author Joshua Bloch
 * @since 1.5
 * @jls 9.6.4.3 @Inherited
 */
@Documented
@Retention(RetentionPolicy.RUNTIME)
@Target(ElementType.ANNOTATION_TYPE)
public @interface Inherited {}
