The Java Language Specification, Third Edition

EXPRESSIONS this 15.8.3
ing-point literal is double and its value must be an element of the double
value set.
• The type of a boolean literal is boolean.
• The type of a character literal is char.
• The type of a string literal is String.
• The type of the null literal null is the null type; its value is the null reference.
Evaluation of a lexical literal always completes normally.
15.8.2 Class Literals
A class literal is an expression consisting of the name of a class, interface, array,
or primitive type, or the pseudo-type void, followed by a ‘.’ and the token class.
The type of a class literal, C.Class, where C is the name of a class, interface or
array type, is Class. If p is the name of a primitive type, let B be the type of
an expression of type p after boxing conversion (§5.1.7). Then the type of
p.class is Class. The type of void.class is Class.
A class literal evaluates to the Class object for the named type (or for void) as
defined by the defining class loader of the class of the current instance.
It is a compile time error if any of the following occur:
• The named type is a type variable (§4.4) or a parameterized type (§4.5) or an
array whose element type is a type variable or parameterized type.
• The named type does not denote a type that is accessible (§6.6) and in scope
(§6.3) at the point where the class literal appears.
15.8.3 this
DRAFT
The keyword this may be used only in the body of an instance method, instance
initializer or constructor, or in the initializer of an instance variable of a class. If it
appears anywhere else, a compile-time error occurs.
When used as a primary expression, the keyword this denotes a value that is
a reference to the object for which the instance method was invoked (§15.12), or
to the object being constructed. The type of this is the class C within which the
keyword this occurs. At run time, the class of the actual object referred to may
be the class C or any subclass of C.
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