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

Kurisu
Backend>Questions

Can I add Discourse as a forum feature to any website no matter its backend language?
Hello, Please, let’s say I have a website with user authentication made with Elixir/Phoenix, and now want to add a forum to it (using a ...
#forum#discourse
11 1075 3
New
Rainer
Backend>Questions

Any good learning resources for Rust for experienced programmers?
Is there somewhere a good introduction to rust for experienced programmers (with years of C++/C#/Java experience)? Wanted to give it a t...
/rust
26 1375 6
New
Jsdr3398
Backend>Questions

Raxx routing doesn't seem to work
I’m trying to create a router where everything is in a collection of routes (similar to how I do my routes in expressjs). But it doesn’t ...
#raxx
8 1342 6
New
sampu
Backend>Questions

Keep Alive data packets configuration with Spring Webflux endpoint
I have a use case where a client is invoking a Rest endpoint via a load balancer, which in turn invokes a third party endpoint which is r...
#keep-alive
5 2017 1
New
JimmyCarterSon
Backend>Questions

Assistance with Schema Mix
I am confused about the Schema setup, I am setting up a new application and I want to seed files in it as well. I tried to mix to create...
/elixir/phoenix#ecto#troubleshooting#mix
18 1476 7
New
GermaVinsmoke
Backend>Questions

Does anyone know beginner friendly Elixir/Phoenix Open source projects?
Does anyone know beginner friendly Elixir/Phoenix Open source projects? For learning purpose :slightly_smiling_face:
/elixir/phoenix
4 1073 2
New
AstonJ
Backend>Questions

Rails db:create error - PG::ConnectionBad: connection to server on socket "/tmp/.s.PGSQL.5432" failed: FATAL: database "_development" does not exist
If when trying to create (or recreate) your dev db with rails db:create you are getting: PG::ConnectionBad: connection to server on soc...
/rails#troubleshooting
3 2357 0
New
harwind
Backend>Questions

Declaring Strings In C
In C, how they are different? char str[] = "xyz"; // statement //and char str[4] = "xyz"; // statement The first, i...
/c
1 905 0
New
Fl4m3Ph03n1x
Backend>Questions

How to extract a tarball?
Background I have a release file inside a tarball. However I want the final release to have some additional files and to move things aro...
/elixir
2 816 1
New
yamuna
Backend>Questions

How to run Ollama deepseek-coder:6.7b-instruct-q4_K_M in Docker for CrewAI Agents?
Hi everyone, I’m trying to run deepseek-coder:6.7b-instruct-q4_K_M in Docker using Ollama to create an LLM that will be used by CrewAI a...
#docker/deepseek#ollama
0 2871 0
New

Other popular topics Top

Devtalk
General Dev>Dev Chat

What dev-related stuff have you been up to?
Reading something? Working on something? Planning something? Changing jobs even!? If you’re up for sharing, please let us know what you’...
#community
1052 22171 400
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Backend>Learning Resources

Testing Elixir
Write Elixir tests that you can be proud of. Dive into Elixir’s test philosophy and gain mastery over the terminology and concepts that u...
pragprog.com
#pragprog/elixir#published-book/book-testing-elixir
33 5004 8
New
AstonJ
General Dev>Dev Chat

Best chairs for developers?
What chair do you have while working… and why? Is there a ‘best’ type of chair or working position for developers?
#workspace#opinions
74 5463 41
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
PragmaticBookshelf
Backend>Learning Resources

Programming WebRTC
Use WebRTC to build web applications that stream media and data in real time directly from one user to another, all in the browser. ...
pragprog.com
#pragprog#published-book/js#webrtc/book-programming-webrtc
27 6969 6
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Backend>Learning Resources

Agile Web Development with Rails 7
Rails 7 completely redefines what it means to produce fantastic user experiences and provides a way to achieve all the benefits of single...
pragprog.com
#pragprog#web-development/ruby/rails#published-book/book-agile-web-development-with-rails-7
32 6600 9
New
First poster: CommunityNews
AI>In The News

How to fix the eyes in AI-generated images
aidemos.info
0 4508 0
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Backend>Learning Resources

Ash Framework
Explore the power of Ash Framework by modeling and building the domain for a real-world web application. Rebecca Le @sevenseacat and ...
pragprog.com
#pragprog/elixir#published-book/ash/book-ash-framework
15 7555 9
New
AstonJ
AI>Chat

How to: Run DeepSeek on Mac, Windows, and Linux!
This is a very quick guide, you just need to: Download LM Studio: https://lmstudio.ai/ Click on search Type DeepSeek, then select the o...
#macs/deepseek#guides#lm-studio
14 9328 10
New
mindriot
General Dev>Reviews

Keyboard Review: UHK60V2 vs Defy vs Voyager vs Glove80 vs Svalboard
Ok, well here are some thoughts and opinions on some of the ergonomic keyboards I have, I guess like mini review of each that I use enoug...
/keyboards#uhk60v2#defy#voyager#glove80#svalboard
5 5681 7
New
Back to top

Sponsor Spotlight

EEF

Supporting innovation across the BEAM ecosystem.

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