This slide set covers some Java tidbits you might not encounter on your day-to-day java development. Perhaps some of them will improve your coding and save you some debugging!

1. Java Pitfalls and Good-to-Knows
Miquel Martin – contact@miquelmartin.org
Benjamin Hebgen – benjamin.hebgen@gmx.de

2. What’s this?
This slide set covers some Java tidbits you might not
encounter on your day-to-day java development.
Perhaps some of them will improve your coding and
save you some debugging!
Photo credits:
The splashing coffe cup at the title by 96dpi on flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/
Coffee beans on the watermark by wiedmaier on flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiedmaier/
Padlock on the ReadWriteLock slide by darwinbell on flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/
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Tree in the dune by suburbanbloke on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suburbanbloke/

3. PermGen and Strings
 The Java Garbage Collector works
on generations. The permanent
one hosts internalized Strings and
classes. Permanent Generation:
 When the compiler finds a literal Class objects, Strings. Won’t
String in your code, it allocates it be Garbage Collected
(if not yet there) in the string pool Tenured Generation:
at the PermGen heap. All instances Multi Garbage Collection
of the same String will point to the survivors
same PermGen instance.
Young Generation:
New objects
 Too many literal Strings (bad
design) or thinks like classloader
leaks (http://goo.gl/LIodj) can lead
to “Out of MemoryError: PermGen
space”.
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4. StringBuilders and StringBuffers
 Strings are immutable. String numberList = "";
for(int i = 0; i < 1000; i++){
 The example on the right will: numberList+= i + ", ";
1. Create the numberList String }
2. Create a newNumberList with the
numberList, I and a “, “
3. Assign newNumberList to numberList
4. Repeat 1000 times 2 & 3
 This is slow, fills up your heap and
therefore forces more costly garbage
collections
 Use instead a mutable StringBuilder. If StringBuilder builder= new
StringBuilder();
you have multiple threads accessing for(int i = 0; i < 1000; i++){
it, use the synchronized version, builder.append(i+", ");
}
StringBuffer. String numberList = builder.toString();
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5. From numbers to Strings
 How do you quickly convert a number to a String? int i = 42;
String str = i; //Error, i not a String
 Case 1: easy but slow, a new String is created that
concatenates the literal “” and i.
// Case1: All time favorite (and slowest)
 Case 2: a new String is directly created for the String str = "" + i;
number. This is 2x faster than Case 1 String str = i + "";
 Case 3: it internally calls Case 2, and has roughly
the same performance.
// Case2: the fastest one
String str = Integer.toString(myNumber);
 Exception: in “The number is “ + i, all three cases
are similar since String concatenation must happen
anyway, but Case 2 and 3 need to explicitly create // Case3: Also fast (calls Case 2)
an additional String. String str = String.valueOf(myNumber);
 This also works on: short, float, double, long, etc..
 Take home lesson: ignore this and do whatever’s
more readable, unless performance is really critical
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6. Comparing floating point numbers
 Floating point numbers are encoded float f = 25
In Hexadecimal:
using IEEE754-2008. Not all real
0100 0001 1100 1000 0000 0000 0000 00002
numbers can be represented (e.g. 0.2)
Significand: bit ?: 1x1/1 = 1x1 = 1
 Extra caution is needed when bit 9: 1x1/2 = 1x0.5 = 0.5
bit 10: 0x1/4 = 0x0.25 = 0
comparing floats (see examples) bit 11: 0x1/8 = 0x0.125 = 0
bit 11: 1x1/16 = 0x0.0625 = 0.0625
 Also, portability issues due to .
.
evolution:
Total = 1 + 0.5 + 0.0625 = 1.5625
 Java ≤ 1.2: intermediate Bits 1 to 8: Exponent: 1000 00112 is 13110
calculation steps done using and then: 131-127 = 4
single or double precision Bit 0: the sign, 0 is positive
Result: + 1.5625 x 24 = 25
 Java > 1.2: to decrease rounding
//This is true (uses floats)
errors the highest platform boolean floatResult =
supported precision is used for 0.1f + 0.1f + 0.1f == 0.3f;
//This is false (uses doubles)
intermediate results. boolean doubleResult =
0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 == 0.3;
 Note: the strictfp keyword forces Java //Also false (also doubles)
boolean doubleResult =
1.2 behavior 0.1d + 0.1d + 0.1d == 0.3d;
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7. Volatile variables
 Depending on the JVM, threads package operators;
may work on copies of variables class Test extends Thread {
boolean done = false;
and never re-check the original public void run() {
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reference. while (!done) {
 This does not happen if the }
variable is marked volatile, or the System.out.println("Thread terminated.");
variable access is synchronized. }
Both tell the JVM that multi-
thread access is likely and to check public static void main(String[] args) throws
InterruptedException {
the original reference. Test t = new Test();
 The code on the right will never t.start();
finish unless (1) is volatile. The Thread.sleep(1000);
behavior can change between t.done = true;
JVMs. Also, volatile does not solve System.out.println("done");
concurrent modification issues. }
}
Don’t rely on volatile unless you
know exactly what you’re doing.
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8. Breaking out of the right loop
 The break keyword takes a label as a mytag: for(int i =0; i < 10; i++){
parameter and breaks out of the for(j =0; j < 10; j++){
if(done) {
scope tagged for it break mytag;
}
}
}
 This works also on
switch, for, while and do-while
both for
continue and break
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9. Preventing inheritance, overriding and
instantiating
 Controlling how your class is used // A Utility class has only static methods
comes in handy: singletons, factories, public class UtilityClass {
utility classes, etc… // Private constructor prevents
// external class instantiation
private TestClass() {
 The final keyword applied to a: }
 Class: prevents extending public static int getInstance() {
 method: prevents overriding return new TestClass();
 primitive field: prevents changing }
}
the value
 Object field: prevents changing // Final class cannot be extended
the reference (you can still public final class FinalClass {
change the object) // Final primitive cannot be modified
final boolean something = false;
 A private default constructor will // Reference to final object cannot
additionally prevent external //be modified
final StringBuilder builder= new StringBuilder();
instantiation
 A final Class with only one private // Final method cannot be overriden
constructor cannot be extended or public final void someMethod() {
}
overridden: it will never be externally }
instantiated
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10. Static code blocks
 Static blocks let you execute public class StaticBlocks {
private static int number = 1;
static {
something at class loading time System.out.println(number);
}
(e.g. assign a value to a static static {
number = 2;
field) }
 Static blocks and static field
static {
System.out.println(number);
}
assignment is done once at static {
class loading }
number = increaseNumber(number);
 The execution order is the same static {
System.out.println(number);
as the order in the code }
public static int increaseNumber(int i) {
return i + 1;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println(number);
//Aggregatted output: 1, 2, 3, 3
}
}
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11. Finally we finalize the final.
 final is already covered try {
System.out.println("In try");
throw new Exception();
 finalize will be called on an instance } catch (Exception e) {
when (if!) it is garbage collected.
System.out.println("In catch");
 You have no real control of when } finally {
the GC will pass. Plus it’s bad System.out.println("In finally");
practice and often ignored by JVMs }
 Do not use it to free resources. // Outputs: In try, In catch, In finally
 It’s not the C++ destructor,
 finally goes after a try…catch block:
BufferedWriter writer = null;
 First, run the code in the try try {
 If an exception is thrown, run the writer = Files.newBufferedWriter(file,
appropriate code in catch charset);
 Then, no matter what, run the code writer.write(s, 0, s.length());
in finally. Even after a return in } catch (IOException x) {
catch or try. System.err.println("Error happened");
 It’s worth using finally even if no } finally {
exceptions are expected. They might be if (writer != null) writer.close();
thrown in a future code change. }
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12. Keywords you don’t see so often
• assert: evaluate a boolean expression and throw an AssertionException if false. Useful to
write your assumptions in the code, and get notified if you were wrong
• continue: skip to the next iteration of a loop
• strictfp: ensures consistent floating point operations on different platforms
• transient: keep the field from being serialized when using standard java serialization
mechanisms
• volatile: prevents threads from working with a thread local copy of a variable when not
using synchronized access
• native: denotes that the method is provided by an external non-java library using JNI
• goto: it’s a reserved keyword but a valid keyword. The compiler will throw a syntax error
• const: same as goto
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13. Protective copies
 In this code, some internal logic class Test {
occurs on adding/removing private List<String> internalStuff = new
ArrayList<String>();
stuff. public void addStuff(String stuff) {
//Do internal logic
 If getAllStuff returns internalStuff.add(stuff);
internalStuff, the caller can }
public void removeStuff(String stuff) {
add/remove items without //Do internal logic
going through removeStuff internalStuff.remove(stuff);
}
 If this is (or could be) an issue, public List<String> getAllStuff(){
//Dangerous: return internalStuff;
create a protective copy of //Better:
internalStuff first return new ArrayList<String>(internalStuff);
}
}
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14. Shallow comparison and Arrays
 Comparison types: String[] a1 = new String[] { "0", "1", "2" };
String[] a2 = new String[] { "0", "1", "2" };
 Shallow: uses == and System.out.println(a1 == a2); // false
compares object System.out.println(a1.equals(a2)); // false 1
System.out.println(Arrays.equals(a1, a2)); // true
references
 Deep: uses equals and is List<String> list1 = new ArrayList<String>(3);
List<String> list2 = new ArrayList<String>(3);
as good as your equals list1.add("0");
implementation list2.add("0");
list1.add("1");
list2.add("1");
list1.add("2");
list2.add("2");
 Notable exception: equals is
System.out.println(list1 == list2); // false
odd for arrays (1) and will System.out.println(list1.equals(list2));
perform a shallow // true if the elements in the list properly
implement equals
comparison. Use
Arrays.equals instead
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15. Checked VS Unchecked exceptions
 Unlike Unchecked exceptions, Throwable
Checked exceptions need to be
caught or declared
 Pros of unchecked exceptions: Exception Error
 Clearer code
 You can still treat them like ? extends
Runtime
? extends
Exception
checked exceptions if you Exception Error
want ? extends
Runtime
 Cons: Easy to miss Exception
Unchecked
Exceptions
 JsonParseException in Gson
 NumberFormatException from
new Integer(“3,4”) in some
locales
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16. Testing with Hamcrest Matchers
 In JUnit, assertTrue, public class RegexMatcher extends
BaseMatcher<String> {
assertEquals, etc… perform private final String regex;
specific assertions public RegexMatcher(String regex) {
this.regex = regex;
}
 For arbitrary assertions, you @Override
can use a Hamcrest Matcher public boolean matches(Object s) {
return ((String) s).matches(regex);
and run it with assertThat }
@Override
public void describeTo(Description description)
{
description.appendText("matches " + regex);
}
public static RegexMatcher matches(String regex)
{
return new RegexMatcher(regex);
}
}
//Allows you to do:
assertThat(actual, matches(regex));
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17. Type erasure
 The Java generics implementation public void doSomething(List<String>
does not change the compiler list) {}
much, instead, it pre-processes public void doSomething(List<Integer>
away the generics list) { }
 At compile time, type parameters // Compiler error: both methods can’t
are replaced with their bounds be in the same class, since they
have the same type erasure
 Types are “erased” in the compiled
bytecode
 Famous pitfall: after type erasure,
List<String> is the same as
List<Integer>
 There’s plenty more interesting
gotchas in generics, check:
http://goo.gl/0AeYW
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18. Read/Write Locks
 Case: you don’t care how many
threads read your object, as long as
no one is modifying it, and then, only
one at a time.
 Solution: replace your synchronized
methods with ReadWriteLocks
 Beware of the details:
 in balanced read/write scenarios,
the overhead of a ReadWriteLock
will likely degrade performance.
 Thread starvation and fairness
are an issue. Check
ReentrantLocks
 A good discussionL http://goo.gl/zRjvL
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19. Synchronized Collections
 You’ll still find online that: List<String> unsynchronizedList = new
 A Hashtable is like a HashMap but ArrayList<String>();
synchronized (there’s more to it, List<String> synchronizedList =
like null values) Collections.synchronizedList(unsynchro
 A Vector is like an ArrayList but nizedList);
synchronized (it isn’t)
 This hasn’t been true since Java Map<String, String> unsynchronizedMap =
1.3 introduced the Synchronized new LinkedHashMap<String, String>();
Collections
Map<String, String> synchronizedMap =
 Note that Read/Write locks are Collections.synchronizedMap(unsynchron
Java >=1.5 so there’s plenty room izedMap);
for optimizing if you need to.
 Notable exception:
ConcurrentHashMap is (probably)
your high-performance map for
multi-threaded access
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20. Legacy Classes
Legacy classes are not (yet) deprecated but their use is
discouraged. They still pop up in plenty of tutorials and
snippets.
 Vector and Dictionary/Hashtable should not be used
as synchronized List and Map. Use
Collections.synchronizedList and
Collections.synchronizedMap instead. Also consider
ConcurrentHashMap.
 Properties extends Hashtable with file writing
capabilities, but there’s no replacement.
 Stack is a revamp of Vector to work like a LinkedList.
Use that instead.
 StringTokenizer is better implemented by String.split
and also handles encoding better
 Enumeration is very close to an Iterator but does less
(e.g. remove)
 Most discouraged classes are parallel implementations
of existing classes with a minor (often mis-
implemented) delta.
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21. equals, hashCode and Comparable
// HashMap put
 Different collections use public V put(K key, V value) {
if (key == null)
different mechanisms to sort return putForNullKey(value);
int hash = hash(key.hashCode());
out objects, for example:
// Locate the bucket by hashCode
 HashMap uses hashCode int i = indexFor(hash, table.length);
for (Entry<K,V> e = table[i]; e != null; e =
 TreeSet uses Comparable e.next) {
Object k;
 If hashCode and Comparable // Check for equality only in the bucket
if (e.hash == hash && ((k = e.key) == key ||
are not consistent with equals, key.equals(k))) {
V oldValue = e.value;
expect inconsistencies! Check e.value = value;
e.recordAccess(this);
the contract. }
return oldValue;
}
modCount++;
addEntry(hash, key, value, i);
return null;
}
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22. Java 7’s NIO.2
Java 7’s new file I/O makes file system Files.copy(source, target,
StandardCopyOption.REPLACE_EXISTING);
interactions much easier
WatchService
 Implemented in java.nio.file.Files and watchService = new WatchService() {
...
java.nio.file.Path };
path.register(watchService, ENTRY_CREATE,
 It provides common file operations ENTRY_DELETE, ENTRY_MODIFY);
like copy or readAllLines
Files.getPosixFilePermissions(path,
 You can get notifications on Path LinkOption.NOFOLLOW_LINKS);
modifications Files.isExecutable(path);
Files.isReadable(path);
 Support for permission and owner Files.isWritable(path);
handling and links Files.readAllLines(path,
Charset.forName("utf-8"));
 Fine grained exception handling
Files.write(path, "mytext".getBytes(Charset.
forName("utf-8")),
StandardOpenOption.CREATE);
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23. Where to store resources
 Best practice for user specific String winPath = System.getProperty("
user.home") + File.separator +
configuration options per OS: "Application Data" +
File.separator + "myApp";
String linuxPath = System.getProperty
("user.home") + File.separator +
".myApp";
 Storing in your classpath (e.g. in your TestClass.class.getResourceAsStream("
myresource.xml")
jar) using Class.getResourceAsStream
 If you really really want, there is a way //This will find your class
to find the path to your class, allowing MyClass.class.getProtectionDomain().g
etCodeSource().getLocation().getP
for storage relative to the installation ath();
folder
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24. (Avoid) Reinventing the wheel
 There are a lot of 3rd party libraries for Java. Avoid reinventing
the wheel! Also beware of very alpha libraries!
 You will only use stuff you know exists. Consider browsing
through the documentation of libraries like:
 Apache Commons: for anything from logging to collections
and much more http://commons.apache.org/
 Google’s Guava: for a ton of convenience classes and very
interesting containers http://code.google.com/p/guava-libraries/
 OPS4J: for all sort of OSGi related helpers http://team.ops4j.org
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25. Thanks and Happy Coding!
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