/*
 * Copyright (c) 2004, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 * ORACLE PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
 *
 *
 *
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 */

package com.sun.mirror.apt;


import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Collection;


/**
 * An annotation processor, used to examine and process the
 * annotations of program elements.  An annotation processor may,
 * for example, create new source files and XML documents to be used
 * in conjunction with the original code.
 *
 * <p> An annotation processor is constructed by a
 * {@linkplain AnnotationProcessorFactory factory}, which provides it with an
 * {@linkplain AnnotationProcessorEnvironment environment} that
 * encapsulates the state it needs.
 * Messages regarding warnings and errors encountered during processing
 * should be directed to the environment's {@link Messager},
 * and new files may be created using the environment's {@link Filer}.
 *
 * <p> Each annotation processor is created to process annotations
 * of a particular annotation type or set of annotation types.
 * It may use its environment to find the program elements with
 * annotations of those types.  It may freely examine any other program
 * elements in the course of its processing.
 *
 * @deprecated All components of this API have been superseded by the
 * standardized annotation processing API.  The replacement for the
 * functionality of this interface is {@link
 * javax.annotation.processing.Processor}.
 *
 * @author Joseph D. Darcy
 * @author Scott Seligman
 * @since 1.5
 */
@Deprecated
@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
public interface AnnotationProcessor {

    /**
     * Process all program elements supported by this annotation processor.
     */
    void process();
}