Annotating Unstable Classes/Methods for Javadoc

Question

When developing new classes/methods for a Java project, you sometimes want to let people try out your new code but don\'t want to guarantee it will be backwards-compatible i

Answer 1

No, there is no standard for such a feature in Java.

To add this information to the generated Javadoc you can use @Documented on your own annotation.

import java.lang.annotation.Documented;

@Documented
public @interface Unstable {
}

With this the annotation will appear in the Javadoc of the annotated type, field, method, etc.

public interface AlwaysChangingApi {
    @Unstable
    String process(String someParameter);
}