OPTIONALS
Java 8+
What are Optionals?
Optional<T> is a generic class - belongs to java.util
package. It is a value-based class.
Instance of an Optional class is a container object which
may or may not contain a non-null value.
Empty Optional represents absence of value.
Optional class offer a way to handle situation in which
value may or may not be present.
Prior to Optionals, you would use value null to indicate that
no value is present. However, this can lead to
NullPointerException if an attempt is made to dereference
a null reference.
To avoid frequent null checks, Optional classes offer better
way of handling such situations.
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
1. Creating Optionals
Optional class has a private constructor.
It provides three factory methods (empty, of and
ofNullable) to create Optional class instance.
1.1 empty( ):
Empty Optional represents
absence of value.
empty() is static factory method that creates empty
Optional instance of given type.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
1.2 of( ):
of() is static factory method that creates an Optional
instance with the specified present non-null value.
Throws NullPointerException if value is null
Should be used only when you know that the value is non-
null; otherwise, use ofNullable() method described next.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
1.3 ofNullable( ):
ofNullable() is static factory method that returns an
Optional describing the specified value, if non-null,
otherwise returns an empty Optional.
Should be used over of() method if value may or may not be
null.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
2. Instance Methods - Unwrap Optionals
Most of the instance methods depend on the presence
or absence of a contained value are provided.
2.1 get( ):
If a value is present in this Optional, returns the value,
otherwise throws NoSuchElementException.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
2.2 isPresent( ):
Returns true if there is a value present
Returns false if a value is absent.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
2.3 ifPresent( ):
If a value is present, invoke the specified consumer with
the value, otherwise do nothing.
Consumer<T> -- Has method void accept(T t) that takes an
argument and returns nothing i.e. consumes the argument.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
2.4 orElse( ):
Return the value if present,
Return other if the value is absent.
In other words, return the value if present,
Return a default value if a value is absent
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
2.5 orElseGet( ):
Returns the value if present, otherwise invoke the supplier
to get result of that invocation.
Supplier<T> -- has method T get() that supplies (returns) a
value.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
2.6 orElseThrow( ):
Return the contained value, if present, otherwise throw an
exception to be created by the provided supplier.
Supplier<X> -- has method X get() that supplies (returns) an
exception to be thrown if value is absent.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
3. Instance Methods - Restrict / transform result
Most of the instance methods depend on the presence
or absence of a contained value are provided.
Consider below model classes:
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
3.1 filter( ):
If a value is present, and the value matches the given
predicate, return an Optional describing the value,
otherwise return an empty Optional.
Restricts the result by matching the given predicate.
Predicate<T> -- Has method boolean test(T t) that matches
given condition for value wrapped by Optional.
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
3.2 map( ):
If a value is present, apply the provided mapping function
to it, and if the result is non-null, return an Optional
describing the result. Otherwise return an empty Optional.
Transforms the result with given mapper function.
Function<T, R> -- Has method R apply(T t) that applies
function to given argument T and maps to result of type R.
Similar to filter method, returns Optional of some type and
hence allows method chaining.
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
3.3 flatMap( ):
If a value is present, apply the provided Optional-bearing
mapping function to it, return that result, otherwise return
an empty Optional.
Flattens and Transforms the result with given mapper
function.
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
Example:
Output
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OPTIONALS
Java 8+
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Examples in this presentation are covered in my YouTube Video -
🚀 Java 8 Optional Class | Say Goodbye to NullPointerExceptions |
“
Best Practices & Key Methods”
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