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

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

No-setup databases for elixir?
Are there any databases that require no setup (can be shipped in a small zip together with the project)?
/elixir#database
6 1378 5
New
gagan7995
Backend>Questions

Please tell me how to write a query for this in nodejs
API 4 Path: /user/following/ Method: GET Description: Returns the list of all names of people whom the user follows Response [ { ...
/nodejs
7 3447 3
New
bsek43
Backend>Questions

Phoenix LiveView learning resources?
Hello everyone, I’ve started learning Elixir and Phoenix few months ago and while I mostly grasped Elixir’s functional concepts and Phoe...
/phoenix
10 1551 3
New
JimmyCarterSon
Backend>Questions

Troubleshooting Code: (KeyError) key :changeset not found
I am following this tutorial . I have followed carefully correcting errors as I go. The app allows you to create a blog post and add comm...
/elixir#debugging#troubleshooting
9 2553 3
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
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
Ora2pgnewbie
Backend>Questions

Is there a UI for Ora2Pg?
Wanted to check if there is a UI available to use Ora2pg tool.
#postgres/postgresql#ora2pg
2 1524 2
New
sona11
Backend>Questions

Next steps after learning the basics of php?
I studied very basic PHP (I believe). After that, I feel like I’ve gotten a handle on the language. My dream is to work as a web develope...
/php#web
9 1172 2
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

Devtalk
General Dev>Dev Chat

HELLO WORLD (Introductions thread!)
Hello Devtalk World! Please let us know a little about who you are and where you’re from :nerd_face:
#community
483 7885 117
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Game Dev>Learning Resources

The Ray Tracer Challenge
Brace yourself for a fun challenge: build a photorealistic 3D renderer from scratch! In just a couple of weeks, build a ray tracer that r...
pragprog.com
#pragprog#published-book/book-the-ray-tracer-challenge#algorithms
3 6115 0
New
Exadra37
Linux>Questions

AMD or Intel for Programming with Linux as the OS?
I am thinking in building or buy a desktop computer for programing, both professionally and on my free time, and my choice of OS is Linux...
#mobile#android#web-development#linux#desktop-computer#mobile-development
36 6006 10
New
AstonJ
General Dev>Hardware

Keyboard thock (sound)
I’ve been hearing quite a lot of comments relating to the sound of a keyboard, with one of the most desirable of these called ‘thock’, he...
/keyboards#mechanical-keyboards
14 11197 8
New
AstonJ
General Dev>Hardware

BIIP MT3 Extended 2048 Custom Keycap Set (Drop)
This looks like a stunning keycap set :orange_heart: A LEGENDARY KEYBOARD LIVES ON When you bought an Apple Macintosh computer in the e...
/keyboards#apple#keycaps#mechanical-keyboards
14 6713 7
New
DevotionGeo
General Dev>Dev Chat

The V Programming Language
The V Programming Language Simple language for building maintainable programs V is already mentioned couple of times in the forum, but I...
#programminguages/v
21 13874 7
New
Maartz
General Dev>Dev Chat

Roc Language - a new purely functional programming language built for speed and ergonomics
Hi folks, I don’t know if I saw this here but, here’s a new programming language, called Roc Reminds me a bit of Elm and thus Haskell. ...
#programminguages#functional-programming
49 5164 14
New
PragmaticBookshelf
Community>In The Spotlight

Spotlight: Erin Dees (Author) Interview and AMA!
Author Spotlight Erin Dees @undees Welcome to our new author spotlight! We had the pleasure of chatting with Erin Dees, co-author of ...
#author-spotlight/ruby/rails/book-effective-testing-with-rspec-3/book-seven-more-languages-in-seven-weeks/book-cucumber-recipes#rspec
24 4247 11
New
CommunityNews
General Dev>In The News

X can’t stop spread of explicit, fake AI Taylor Swift images
Will Swifties’ war on AI fakes spark a deepfake porn reckoning?
arstechnica.com
/swift
0 8379 0
New
RobertRichards
Game Dev>Chat

Hair Salon Games for Girls Fun
Hair Salon Games for Girls Fun Girls Hair Saloon game is mainly developed for kids. This game allows users to select virtual avatars to ...
#ios#android#unity#fun
2 3556 1
New
Back to top

Sponsor Spotlight

Erlang Solutions

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

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