6.5.1 Syntactic Classification of a Name According to Context

A name is syntactically classified as a PackageName in these contexts:

• In a package declaration (§7.4)
• In a type-import-on-demand declaration (§7.5.2)
• To the left of the "." in a qualified PackageName
• To the left of the "." in a qualified TypeName

A name is syntactically classified as a TypeName in these contexts:

• In a single-type-import declaration (§7.5.1)
• In an extends clause in a class declaration (§8.1.3)
• In an implements clause in a class declaration (§8.1.4)
• In an extends clause in an interface declaration (§9.1.3)
• As a Type (or the part of a Type that remains after all brackets are deleted) in any of the following contexts:
  • In a field declaration (§8.3, §9.3)
  • As the result type of a method (§8.4, §9.4)
  • As the type of a formal parameter of a method or constructor (§8.4.1, §8.6.1, §9.4)
  • As the type of an exception that can be thrown by a method or constructor (§8.4.4, §8.6.4, §9.4)
  • As the type of a local variable (§14.3)
  • As the type of an exception parameter in a catch clause of a try statement (§14.18)
  • As the class type of an instance that is to be created in a class instance creation expression (§15.8)
  • As the element type of an array to be created in an array creation expression (§15.9)
  • As the type mentioned in the cast operator of a cast expression (§15.15)
  • As the type that follows the instanceof relational operator (§15.19.2)

A name is syntactically classified as an ExpressionName in these contexts:

• As the array reference expression in an array access expression (§15.12)
• As a PostfixExpression (§15.13)
• As the left-hand operand of an assignment operator (§15.25)

A name is syntactically classified as a MethodName in this context:

· Before the "(" in a method invocation expression (§15.11)

A name is syntactically classified as an AmbiguousName in these contexts:

• To the left of the "." in a qualified ExpressionName
• To the left of the "." in a qualified MethodName
• To the left of the "." in a qualified AmbiguousName