#optional

I wrote a series of posts about Optional that I recommend you read in the following order:

Intention Revealing Code With Optional#post#clean‑code #java‑8 #optional

Write intention revealing code with Java 8's new type Optional and prevent most NPEs. This is not optional!2014-10-07

The Design of Optional#post#java‑next #java‑8 #optional

A digest of how Optional was introduced in Java 8, summarizing the many discussions about it and their key points based on the mail archive of JSR-335.2014-10-18

Why Isn't Optional Serializable?#post#java‑next #java‑8 #optional #serialization #primitive‑classes

Discussing the reasons for not making Java 8's new type Optional serializable.2014-10-22

Serialize Optional#post#java‑8 #optional #serialization

A summary of why you can't serialize Optional and what can be done to deal with that limitation if necessary.2014-11-02

Then there are a few more posts on the topic that can be read in pretty much any order:

(Dirty?) Tricks in Java 22 - Inside Java Newscast #64#video#pattern‑matching #optional #clean‑code

Pattern matching Optional, expanding sealed type hierarchies, nesting switches, reverting instanceof, and more - so many (dirty) tricks to play around with in modern Java2024-02-29

More Opinions On Optional#post#optional

How much work is it to wrap Optional? Do you need to null-check Optional arguments? What about serializability and framework support? And why consider the type in the first place? Answers in here!2022-01-27

Where to use Optional - Inside Java Newscast #19#video#optional

Is it ok to use Optional as parameter type? Overloading is an alternative, but how well does it stack up? Thoughts on this question (and other Optional-related ones) can usually be put into one of three (and a half) categories.2022-01-27

Handling null and Upgrading Past Java 8 - Inside Java Newscast #7#video#migration #optional #switch #project‑valhalla

Dealing with null is never fun, so in this newscast, I explain how to best handle it, what tools can do, and how recent and upcoming language changes help dealing with it. I'll also look at a recent blog post about how Netflix upgraded from Java 8 to 16.2021-07-01

Why Don't They Just... ?! The Deliberations Behind Evolving Java#talk#streams #optional #records #collections

There are many nifty features that Java could have but doesn't. Somewhat surprisingly, there are reasons for that and in this talk I'll discuss those for a few concrete cases as well as the deliberations behind such decisions.2021-04-28

Java's Quirks and Wrong (?) Defaults with Brian Goetz#video#conversation #migration #optional #serialization

Mutability, nullability, serialization, primitives - Nicolai Parlog discusses with Java language architect Brian Goetz why Java is the way it is.2021-02-11

Code-First Java 9 Tutorial#post#java‑9 #migration #streams #optional #collections #j_ms

Showing code for the most important Java 9 features: private interface methods, stream and optional APIs, collection factories, reactive streams, stack walking, multi-release JARs, redirected platform logging, unified logging, the module system, and more. If you're new to Java 9, start here.2018-02-05

Expert Java 8#talk#java‑8 #lambda #streams #optional #default‑methods

With this talk, I help you get the most out of lambdas, Streams, Optionals, and default methods, helping you master Java 8's core features2017-02-07

Why Elvis Should Not Visit Java#post#clean‑code #optional #rant

The desire for the Elvis operator for easier null-handling echoes through the Java community. But due to Java's type system, it should never be introduced!2017-01-31

Java 9 Additions To Optional#post#java‑9 #optional

Java 9 is coming! One of the changes are new methods on Optional: stream(), or(), and ifPresentOrElse(), which considerably improve Optional's API.2016-06-26

Java 8 SE Optional, a strict approach#post#java‑8 #optional

Stephen Colebourne presented his pragmatic approach to using Optional. I argue for a stricter one that gets us further without considerable downsides.2015-08-27

Casting In Java 8 (And Beyond?)#post#java‑8 #optional #streams

Proposal to implement new casting methods on Java's Class. They aim to fulfill the need for improved ways to cast which was created by Java 8.2015-07-06

Roll Your Own Pirate-Elvis Operator#post#java‑8 #lambda #optional

Java has no Elvis operator (or null coalescing operator / null-safe member selection) but with lambda expressions / method references you can roll your own.2015-03-16