Investigating the Limitations of Java Annotations for Input Validation

Recently Java annotations have received a lot of attention as a possible way to simplify the us- age of various frameworks, ranging from persistence and verification to security. In this paper we discuss the usage of annotations for input validation purposes. We investigate their advantages and more importantly their limitations in the design of validation tests. We report on our experience in the development of an annotation-based framework for input validation, discussing possible solutions and compromises that were necessary.