Skip to content

Force not null#

Having the freedom to return null is the root cause for most NullPointerExceptions. It also makes the client code for any API or method etc dirty by having a lot of null checks.

Solution#

  • If you feel the need for a null while using your own code (i.e. excluding external libraries). Rethink the implementation of that part to not return null
  • Force IDE/Compiler to not allow returning null. It will complain whenever you return or pass in a value that is null or can be null intellij-annotations-instrumenter-maven-plugin
  • It boosts developer's confidence by not worrying about NPE while coding.
  • For exceptional cases where you really need that null you can use the @Nullable annotation, it also makes it clear to other developers that there could be a null value which they should handle.