Migrate deprecated javax.annotation.Generated to jakarta.annotation.Generated

[jimmyhyc]

With the latest version 2.56.1, we don't have dependency to javax.inject anymore. However, the code generated by Dagger is still using Generated annotation from javax.
When can we replace with jakarta? Or there is some way that I miss?

import javax.annotation.processing.Generated;

@DaggerGenerated
@Generated(
    value = "dagger.internal.codegen.ComponentProcessor",
    comments = "https://dagger.dev"
)
public final class DaggerAbcComponent {
...
}

[bcorso]

I think we just missed this.

However, note that we currently do this:

1. if javax.inject is in your classpath use that
2. Otherwise, skip the Generated annotation altogether.

Thus, if you remove javax.inject from your classpath Dagger just wouldn't generate it. I know you said you don't have a dependency on javax.inject anymore, but my guess is that it's being pulled in by dagger itself (see pom file). So you would need to use exclude the dependency. Gradle also has a command to list all transitive dependencies so you can find all of the places where you're pulling in javax.inject.

Either way, I think you would need to remove the javax.inject dependency to get this to work since we would likely implement it like this:

1. if javax.inject is in your classpath we use that
2. if jakarta.inject is in your classpath we use that
3. Otherwise, skip the Generated annotation altogether.

[bcorso]

Actually, scratch all that.

@Generated is from javax.annotation package so there is no Jakarta replacement AFAIK.

I'm going to close this since I don't think there's anything we can do for this.

[jimmyhyc]

@bcorso, "@generated is from javax.annotation package so there is no Jakarta replacement AFAIK."
not sure I follow your statement. There is equivalent in jakarta for this. see https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/jakarta.annotation/jakarta.annotation-api

I think it is simply a rename of package from javax.annotation.Generated (javax.annotation.processing.Generated) to jakarta.annotation.Generated.

[jimmyhyc]

Also for the "exclude the dependency", I tried with below in my gradle.

  implementation(group: 'jakarta.annotation',  name: 'jakarta.annotation-api', version: '3.0.0')
  implementation(group: 'jakarta.inject',  name: 'jakarta.inject-api', version: '2.0.1')
  
  implementation(group: 'com.google.dagger', name: 'dagger', version: '2.56.1')  {
    exclude group: 'javax.annotation', module: 'javax.annotation-api'
    exclude group: 'javax.inject', module: 'javax.inject'
  }
  
  annotationProcessor(group: 'com.google.dagger', name: 'dagger-compiler', version: '2.56.1') {
    exclude group: 'javax.annotation', module: 'javax.annotation-api'
    exclude group: 'javax.inject', module: 'javax.inject'
  }  

The dagger compiler coulddn't generate the component class. Removing the exclude works again.

$ ./gradlew dependencies | grep "javax\|jakarta"
|    |    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    |    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    |    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0 (n)
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1 (n)
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
|    +--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1
+--- jakarta.annotation:jakarta.annotation-api:3.0.0
+--- jakarta.inject:jakarta.inject-api:2.0.1

[tbroyer]

There's javax.annotation.Generated that has a jakarta.annotation.Generated equivalent, and then there's javax.annotation.processing.Generated that comes right from the JDK.
https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.compiler/javax/annotation/processing/Generated.html

[bcorso]

There's javax.annotation.Generated that has a jakarta.annotation.Generated equivalent, and then there's javax.annotation.processing.Generated that comes right from the JDK.
https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/api/java.compiler/javax/annotation/processing/Generated.html

Hmm, I thought both were from the JDK where javax.annotation.Generated was used pre JDK11 and javax.annotation.processing.Generated was used JDK11+?

I think it is simply a rename of package from javax.annotation.Generated (javax.annotation.processing.Generated) to jakarta.annotation.Generated.

Since there is a Jakarta version, we can try to use that, however I'm thinking we would check in the following order:

1. javax.annotation.processing.Generated
2. javax.annotation.Generated
3. jakarta.annotation.Generated
4. Otherwise, skip the Generated annotation altogether.

Which means you would still get javax.annotation.processing.Generated in your case since it's on your classpath (likely through the JDK as mentioned in #4682 (comment)).

We could swap the order to make jakarta take precedent, but I first want to make sure I understand the issue.

In your case, since javax.annotation.processing.Generated is on your classpath I'm guessing nothing is actually breaking your build, right? Is there a particular reason you need the jakarta.annotation.Generated to take precedent over javax.annotation.processing.Generated (in the case where both are available)?

[jimmyhyc]

Thanks @bcorso to relook the issue.

My goal is to migrate javax.* to jakarta.* annotions because java EE has been rebranded. We have removed the dependency to javax.inject and javax.annotation package in our code, however Dagger brings in the dependency of javax.* again.
There are 2 issues in our build right now:

1. javax.*.Generated is still being used in generated dagger classes
2. " exclude javax.inject " in gradle dependencies fail the dagger compile

For 1), your solution above may address the issue.
For 2), not sure about this. we don't have explicit dependeny to javax.inject in our code. I don't know yet why dagger compile fails to generate dagger component classes.

Back to your questions:

• "I'm guessing nothing is actually breaking your build, right?"
  The build is all right if I don't exlude javax.*. The javax "Generated" annotation doesn't seem causing issue even we don't have the dependency (guessing it is because dagger brings it in?). But it is better we replace with jakarta to be clean.

• "Is there a particular reason you need the jakarta.annotation.Generated to take precedent over javax.annotation.processing.Generated"
  I think it is a need for everyone since javax.annotation is being deprecated. For those already have jakarta included, it is nice to switch gracefully in dagger.

[jimmyhyc]

@bcorso further question on this. The dagger Provider interface extends both javax and jakarta inject. Does it imply we can never exclude javax.inject? Note my comment above, I have tried to exclude javax.inject dependency, dagger compiler seems unable to compile. Not sure whether it is related to the dual dependency of javax and jakarta on Provider interface.

package dagger.internal;
public interface Provider<T> extends javax.inject.Provider<T>, jakarta.inject.Provider<T> {
}

[Chang-Eric]

Does it imply we can never exclude javax.inject?

The plan here (that I need to pick back up and work on) is to release a separate artifact makes that Provider only extend the jakarta Provider. #2058 (comment)