Reflection is a powerful feature in the Java language that allows us to dynamically manipulate classes and objects at runtime. This article will delve into the principles and usage of Java reflection, and help readers understand the essence of reflection through specific source code examples.
What is reflection?
Reflection refers to the ability to inspect and modify program structures such as classes, methods, and attributes at runtime. It allows us to dynamically obtain and operate on this information when it is not available at compile time.
Reflection core classes
In Java, the core classes related to reflection are located java.lang.reflectunder packages. The most important classes include Class, Constructor, Fieldand Method.
ClassA class represents a class or interface that provides methods for obtaining and manipulating the class.ConstructorClass is used to describe the constructor of a class, through which we can create instances.FieldClasses are used to describe the member variables of a class, through which we can read or modify the values of member variables.MethodClasses are used to describe the methods of a class through which we can call methods.
Use reflection to obtain class information
We can use reflection to obtain various information about a class, such as class name, parent class, interface, constructor, member variables and methods, etc.
import java.lang.ref