Using Spoon as a Better Runtime Reflection API

Spoon can be used as an alternative to the standard Java reflection API. Instead of manipulating a java.lang.Class object, you manipulate CtClass objects (also “shadow classes” of the normal binary classes). The advantage is that you can share code for analyzing both binary and source code.

To do this, use TypeFactory as follows:

CtType s = new TypeFactory().get(String.class);
System.out.println(s.getSimpleName());

Spoon also provides you with reflection over the Spoon metamodel itself, in class spoon.Metamodel:

Set<CtType> list = Metamodel.getAllMetamodelInterfaces();
for(CtType t : l) {
    System.out.println(t.getMethods());
}

If you need to analyze the method bodies of binary code, have a look at spoon-decompiler.