Which language elements can be annotated using attributes language feature of Delphi?

Interesting question! You can declare attributes on almost anything, the problem is retrieving them using RTTI. Here’s a quick console demo of declaring custom attributes for:

• Enums
• Function type
• Procedure type
• Method type (of object)
• Aliased type
• Record type
• Class type
• Record type that’s internal to a class
• Record field
• Record method
• Class instance field
• Class class field (class var)
• Class method
• Global variable
• Global function
• Local variable

Didn’t find a way to declare a custom attribute for a property of a class. But a custom attribute can be attached to the getter or setter methods.

Code, the story continues after the code:

program Project25;

{$APPTYPE CONSOLE}

uses
  Rtti;

type
  TestAttribute = class(TCustomAttribute);

  [TestAttribute] TEnum = (first, second, third);
  [TestAttribute] TFunc = function: Integer;
  [TestAttribute] TEvent = procedure of object;
  [TestAttribute] AliasInteger = Integer;

  [TestAttribute] ARecord = record
    x:Integer;
    [TestAttribute] RecordField: Integer;
    [TestAttribute] procedure DummyProc;
  end;

  [TestAttribute] AClass = class
  strict private
    type [TestAttribute] InnerType = record y:Integer; end;
  private
    [TestAttribute]
    function GetTest: Integer;
  public
    [TestAttribute] x: Integer;
    [TestAttribute] class var z: Integer;
    // Can't find a way to declare attribute for property!
    property Test:Integer read GetTest;
    [TestAttribute] class function ClassFuncTest:Integer;
  end;

var [TestAttribute] GlobalVar: Integer;

[TestAttribute]
procedure GlobalFunction;
var [TestAttribute] LocalVar: Integer;
begin
end;

{ ARecord }

procedure ARecord.DummyProc;
begin
end;

{ AClass }

class function AClass.ClassFuncTest: Integer;
begin
end;

function AClass.GetTest: Integer;
begin
end;

begin
end.

The trouble is retrieving those custom attributes. Looking at the rtti.pas unit, custom attributes can be retrieved for:

• Record type (TRttiRecordType)
• Instance type (TRttiInstanceType)
• Method type (TRttiMethodType)
• Pointer type (TRttiPointerType) – what’s that used for?
• Procedure type (TRttiProcedureType)

There’s no way of retrieving any sort of RTTI for “unit” level or local variables and procedures, hence no way of retrieving information about attributes.