On 8/31/05, Alex Karasulu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I was playing again with my very many split personalities when I
> realized one likes to throw NullPointerExceptions after checking if an
> argument is null while another likes to throw IllegalArgumentExceptions
> since null is value the argument can take. Yet another personality
> does not care and figures a NPE will result anyway when the null
> argument is referenced so why bother.
>
> Question: How best to respond to null arguments?
>
> Option #1: Ignore it and let a NPE result on its own
I would definitely avoid.
> Option #2: Test to see if arg is null early and throw a descriptive NPE
I usually go for that one and as you propose with a descriptive message.
> Option #3: Test to see if arg is null early and throw a descriptive IAE
I go for that one when the arg is not null but not well-formed. For
example a DN class :
public void DN(String dn) {
if (dn == null) throw new NullPointerException("A DN cannot be null");
if (! isValid(dn)) throw new IllegalArgumentException("The DN " + dn
+ " is not valid.");
//...
}
>
> Which sounds best?
>
> Alex
>
>
