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So I guess now every single new library will include Annotations as part of the solution. Let me ask you think it's smart to include your metadata right into your classes for parsing. Think about that for a minute. You add @DelimitedRecord("|") to your class. Now you want to use the same class but it uses a comma to parse.... hmmmm don't think so.

killerweb, you are probably right. That's why we are adding support for XML descriptors as well. Instead of being so negative about the library, which I think have it's merits, why don't you enter the forum: http://forum.jfilehelpers.com and make your suggestions? We need and embrace criticism as part of the precess to achieve a better library. Thanks!

Well that's what the comment system is for. If i said it in http://forum.jfilehelpers.com, no one here would have seen it. It's not about being negative it's about critiquing and you should use critiques where ever you might find them. My critique was more about Annotations then just your library, but your library made for a good example of why Annotation as a solution can be over used.

I have created a smaller but in some case similar framework - http://fixedformat4j.ancientprogramming.com - where most of the ideas originate from a project I currently work on. This framework uses annotations as well.
The reason why we use flatfiles in the first place is because we have to integrate with some legacy application. The flatfile format will not change as the entire application is build around the data to be formatted exactly as it is.
In this case I think of the length/offset etc. as part of my domain and I prefer to have this data close to the code and not in a configuration file.
Hence I believe annotations earned its right somewhere here.

But if you have to be able to switch ex. delimiter as your example demonstrates a configuration file would probably be the right thing.