Backend>Questions

Java equals() selection

sona11

sona11

Java equals() selection

In Java, if I try to do.equals() on a null string, a null pointer error is issued. I’m wondering whether I can perform the following if I’m attempting to compare if a string is equal to a constant string:
MY CONSTANT STRING.equals(aStringVariable)
I’m sure it’ll work, but is this simply extremely bad code?
This is a common Java idiom known colloquially as a Yoda condition. Personally, I prefer to handle the null situation directly, but the Yoda method is widely used, and any competent Java programmer should quickly grasp what is going on. How should I proceed?

3 comments
/java
4 1150 3

Most Liked

faust

faust

I think that it is important to discuss with your team how the majority feels about this kind of situation and create a guideline for the project.

Anyway, I personally prefer to use Enums instead of this kind of constant.

1
Post #3
finner

finner

Hi @sona11,
If you are using Java8 (or ablove) you can use Optional - for example:

boolean eq = Optional.ofNullable(aStringVariable)
            .map(s -> s.equals(MY_CONSTANT_STRING))
            .orElse(false);

And when the aStringValue is null there will no NullPointerException

I hope I understood the question correctly, does that help?

1
Post #4
sona11

sona11

Thanks you and yes it does help.

1
Post #5

Where Next?

View thread on forum
java
Home Backend>Questions
/java
4 1150 3
Last post

Popular Backend topics Top

GermaVinsmoke
Backend>Questions

Programming Elixir or Elixir in Action?
Reading Programming Elixir 1.6 book, I’ve completed part 1 of the book. Now I’m thinking of reading Elixir in Action. What do you all sug...
/elixir
34 2021 8
New
Fl4m3Ph03n1x
Backend>Questions

Option type compatible with comprehensions in Elixr?
Background I am trying to up my Functional Programming (FP) skills and one of the things that newcomers first learn in FP is the Option T...
/elixir#functional-programming
12 1677 4
New
conradwt
Backend>Questions

What's the recommended approach for securing GraphQL APIs?
Hi, I’m building an application that will have support for both the web and mobile. At this time, I’m using PhxGenAuth for authenticatio...
#community/phoenix/book-craft-graphql-apis-in-elixir-with-absinthe#graphql
6 1369 1
New
JimmyCarterSon
Backend>Questions

Seed Data with Elixir
Hello, I am working on a new application with Elixir, Dish_out. I want to see Data I follow this tutorial with Elixir Casts. However, I ...
/elixir/phoenix/seed#ecto#trouble-shooting
17 2340 6
New
MarkIden
Backend>Questions

What is better to start study GO ? Book or course?
Hi, Recommend pls your favorite learning resources in Go, with best books, podcasts etc.
/go
6 1476 5
New
Manish_bose
Backend>Questions

Convert long data to wide data in SQL?
Can anyone help me how to convert a long data to wide data in SQL without using hard coding? Regards Manish
#sql
7 987 2
New
Fl4m3Ph03n1x
Backend>Questions

How to typespec guards in a human friendly way?
Background I am a fan of dialyzer and friends (looking at Gradient) and I try to have sepcs in my code as much as I can. To this end, I a...
/elixir#types#dialyzer
3 1103 1
New
Fl4m3Ph03n1x
Backend>Questions

Cannot compile ssl_verify_fun in Windows 11 for Elixir
Background I have a phoenix application in Windows 11. Unfortunately for me, I cannot compile the application because of a dependency err...
/elixir/phoenix
4 1486 2
New
jaeyson
Backend>Questions

Clarifications with the terms regarding augmenting AI in your code
Hi! I have clarifications (please correct me, as I mostly mix/confuse this details) with the following: The term RAG here where it read...
#question
1 545 0
New
AstonJ
Backend>Questions

Psql: error: connection to server on socket "/tmp/.s.PGSQL.5432" failed: No such file or directory
If you’re getting errors like this: psql: error: connection to server on socket “/tmp/.s.PGSQL.5432” failed: No such file or directory ...
#macos/rails/postgresql
1 5553 1
New

Other popular topics Top

PragmaticBookshelf
General Dev>Learning Resources

Forge Your Future with Open Source
Free and open source software is the default choice for the technologies that run our world, and it’s built and maintained by people like...
pragprog.com
#pragprog#published-book/book-forge-your-future-with-open-source
3 5654 0
New
ohm
Science/Tech>Tech Chat

Games! Which do you play?
Which, if any, games do you play? On what platform? I just bought (and completed) Minecraft Dungeons for my Nintendo Switch. Other than ...
#games
246 6097 101
New
DevotionGeo
Backend>Chat

What is the reason behind Rust’s web framework, Rocket, not performing as well as expected in the Techempower benchmarks?
I know that these benchmarks might not be the exact picture of real-world scenario, but still I expect a Rust web framework performing a ...
#web-frameworks/rust
36 7463 11
New
AstonJ
General Dev>Hardware

Custom keyboard keycaps
There’s a whole world of custom keycaps out there that I didn’t know existed! Check out all of our Keycaps threads here: https://forum....
#hardware/keyboards#keycaps#mechanical-keyboards
15 11086 19
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Backend>Learning Resources

Programming Phoenix LiveView
Build highly interactive applications without ever leaving Elixir, the way the experts do. Let LiveView take care of performance, scalabi...
pragprog.com
#pragprog/elixir/phoenix#published-book/book-programming-phoenix-liveview
79 10732 24
New
rustkas
Backend>Chat

Using Regular Expressions in Erlang
Intensively researching Erlang books and additional resources on it, I have found that the topic of using Regular Expressions is either c...
/erlang#regular-expressions
91 5662 43
New
AstonJ
General Dev>Code Editors

Doom-Emacs: Can't find emacs in your PATH
If you get Can't find emacs in your PATH when trying to install Doom Emacs on your Mac you… just… need to install Emacs first! :lol: bre...
#macos/emacs#doom-emacs
4 5837 0
New
AnfaengerAlex
Android>Questions

Unresolved Reference to android in build.gradle.kts – Beginner Issue
Hello, I’m a beginner in Android development and I’m facing an issue with my project setup. In my build.gradle.kts file, I have the foll...
#binding
0 7460 2
New
Fl4m3Ph03n1x
AI>Questions

What are the best text-to-speech ai generation tools that you can run locally?
Background Lately I am in a quest to find a good quality TTS ai generation tool to run locally in order to create audio for some videos I...
#ai#text-to-speech
6 8411 3
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Backend>Learning Resources

Advanced Functional Programming with Elixir
Use advanced functional programming principles, practical Domain-Driven Design techniques, and production-ready Elixir code to build scal...
joekoski.com
#pragprog/elixir#published-book#functional-programming/book-advanced-functional-programming-with-elixir
43 4989 22
New
Back to top

Sponsor Spotlight

Manning

Develop your skills with books, videos, and courses.

Latest in Java

Java Portal ❯

Backend>Questions

Backend Questions ❯

Latest on Devtalk

Devtalk ❯

We ❤️ helpful members!

We reward our most helpful members via our MOTM scheme - by giving away a whopping 25 books per year!

Member of the Month

Devtalk Sponsors

Pragmatic Bookshelf

Practical resources that improve the lives of professional developers.

Erlang Solutions

We build trusted fault-tolerant systems that scale to billions of users.

Honeybadger

Real-time error tracking, performance insights, and observability for devs.

EEF

Supporting innovation across the BEAM ecosystem.

coders51

We build reliable cloud platforms for business-critical systems.

Manning Publications

Develop your skills with books, videos, and courses.

AppSignal

Catch errors, track performance, monitor hosts and more.

WyeWorks

Enabling companies to succeed by building software people love.

Pragmatic Studio

Courses that move you from confusion to "Aha, now I get it!"

Linux New Media

Publishing Linux Magazine, ADMIN, and MakerSpace for 25+ years.

View all our sponsors ❯

Categories:

Sub Categories:

Popular Portals

Devtalk Sponsors

Pragmatic Bookshelf

Practical resources that improve the lives of professional developers.

Erlang Solutions

We build trusted fault-tolerant systems that scale to billions of users.

Honeybadger

Real-time error tracking, performance insights, and observability for devs.

EEF

Supporting innovation across the BEAM ecosystem.

coders51

We build reliable cloud platforms for business-critical systems.

Manning Publications

Develop your skills with books, videos, and courses.

AppSignal

Catch errors, track performance, monitor hosts and more.

WyeWorks

Enabling companies to succeed by building software people love.

Pragmatic Studio

Courses that move you from confusion to "Aha, now I get it!"

Linux New Media

Publishing Linux Magazine, ADMIN, and MakerSpace for 25+ years.

View all our sponsors ❯

We're in Beta

About us Mission Statement See our Roadmap