API Check tool behaves much the same as Signature Test tool and uses the same options and signature files. See Chapter 3 for a description of the options. The input signature file is generated by the Signature Test tool
Setup command using the
-NonClosedFile option. Neither the CLASSPATH variable used for reflection mode, nor classes listed with
-classpath option for static mode can contain base classes. See Section 3.1.4, "
-classpath Settings" for more information.
API Check tool verifies classes in signature files that are also covered by packages defined using the
-package option. If the specified signature file is generated using the
-NonClosedFile option, all superclasses and superinterfaces outside this scope are not checked.
As an example, consider a signature file that contains
java.util classes. Use the following command to create the signature file:
java -jar sigtestdev.jar setup -classpath $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/rt.jar -filename java-util.sig -nonclosedfile -package java.util
Use the following command to verify the
java.util.ArrayList class using the signature file created in the previous command:
java -jar apicheck.jar -static -classpath $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/rt.jar -filename java-util.sig -package java.util.ArrayList
java.util.ArrayList is specified as the scope for checking, it is he only class verified.
ArrayList has a branching class and interface hierarchy that belongs to the
java.io packages as shown in Figure 7-1. Because the input signature file only contains classes from the
java.util package, only the
ArrayList class superclasses and superinterfaces from
java.util are analyzed and their members are checked as
ArrayList class inherited members.
Consider a similar signature file that contains
java.lang classes. In a similar check for the
RuntimePermission class, the
RuntimePermission hierarchy starts in the
java.lang.Object class, departs the
java.lang package to
java.security and finally returns to the
java.lang.Object extended by java.security.Permission extended by java.security.BasicPermission extended by java.lang.RuntimePermission
API Check tool cannot verify any of the
RuntimePermission class hierarchy because its direct superclass is outside the scope. In this case, even though
java.lang.Object is in scope no inherited members are taken into account, and only members declared in
RuntimePermission itself are analyzed.
API Check tool command synopsis:
% java -jar apicheck.jar [options] or % java com.sun.tdk.apicheck.Main [options]
The rules described in Section 3.3.2, "Case Sensitivity of Option Arguments" apply.
The command options are the same as those for Signature Test Tool and are listed in Table 3-5.
The settings for the CLASSPATH environment variable and the
-classpath option are the same as those for Signature Test Tool and are listed in Table 3-1.