Null check

January 11th, 2006

Java developers are trained time and again to assert that objects are not null. This can result in weird Pavlov-like reflexes. Witness this snippet from a high-profile OSS project:

if (defaultValue != null) {
    return defaultValue;
} else {
    return null;
}
Posted by tomklaasen Filed in Java

4 Responses to “Null check”

  1. Codepope Says:
    April 21st, 2008 at 10:18 PM It could be worse... return defaultValue!=null?defaultValue:null; :)
  2. jim Says:
    April 21st, 2008 at 10:18 PM why not? return defaultValue;
  3. Brian Says:
    April 21st, 2008 at 10:18 PM Why not name the offending project? I'd like to know where you saw this.
  4. Sergey Says:
    April 21st, 2008 at 10:18 PM This is MUCH better: try{ String str = defaultValue.toString(); } catch(NullPointerException ex){ return null; } return defaultValue;

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