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## javax.lang.model.element
Interface TypeElement

All Superinterfaces:
  Element

    public interface TypeElement

extends Element

Represents a class or interface program element. Provides access to information about the type and its members. Note that an enum type is a kind of class and an annotation type is a kind of interface.

While a `TypeElement` represents a class or interface element, a `DeclaredType` represents a class or interface type, the latter being a use (or invocation) of the former. The distinction is most apparent with generic types, for which a single element can define a whole family of types. For example, the element `java.util.Set` corresponds to the parameterized types `java.util.Set<String>` and `java.util.Set<Number>` (and many others), and to the raw type `java.util.Set`.

Each method of this interface that returns a list of elements will return them in the order that is natural for the underlying source of program information. For example, if the underlying source of information is Java source code, then the elements will be returned in source code order.

Since:
  1.6
See Also:
  `DeclaredType`

Method Summary
`List<? extends TypeMirror>` | `getInterfaces()` Returns the interface types directly implemented by this class or extended by this interface.
`NestingKind` | `getNestingKind()` Returns the nesting kind of this type element.
`Name` | `getQualifiedName()` Returns the fully qualified name of this type element.
`TypeMirror` | `getSuperclass()` Returns the direct superclass of this type element.
`List<? extends TypeParameterElement>` | `getTypeParameters()` Returns the formal type parameters of this type element in declaration order.

Methods inherited from interface javax.lang.model.element.Element
`accept, asType, equals, getAnnotation, getAnnotationMirrors, getEnclosedElements, getEnclosingElement, getKind, getModifiers, getSimpleName, hashCode`

Method Detail

### getNestingKind

    NestingKind getNestingKind()

  Returns the nesting kind of this type element.

  Returns:
    the nesting kind of this type element

### getQualifiedName

    Name getQualifiedName()

  Returns the fully qualified name of this type element. More precisely, it returns the canonical name. For local and anonymous classes, which do not have canonical names, an empty name is returned.

  The name of a generic type does not include any reference to its formal type parameters. For example, the fully qualified name of the interface `java.util.Set<E>` is "`java.util.Set`". Nested types use "`.`" as a separator, as in "`java.util.Map.Entry`".

  Returns:
    the fully qualified name of this class or interface, or an empty name if none
  See Also:
    `Elements.getBinaryName(javax.lang.model.element.TypeElement)`
  See The Java Language Specification, Third Edition:
    6.7 Fully Qualified Names and Canonical Names

### getSuperclass

    TypeMirror getSuperclass()

  Returns the direct superclass of this type element. If this type element represents an interface or the class `java.lang.Object`, then a `NoType` with kind `NONE` is returned.

  Returns:
    the direct superclass, or a `NoType` if there is none

### getInterfaces

    List<? extends TypeMirror> getInterfaces()

  Returns the interface types directly implemented by this class or extended by this interface.

  Returns:
    the interface types directly implemented by this class or extended by this interface, or an empty list if there are none

### getTypeParameters

    List<? extends TypeParameterElement> getTypeParameters()

  Returns the formal type parameters of this type element in declaration order.

  Returns:
    the formal type parameters, or an empty list if there are none

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