Checking if two objects are equal even if they could be null

Question

Sometimes, I see this:

if (a.equals(b)) do(something);

However, if a is null, a NullPointerException is thrown. Assuming when a==null and b==null or if just a==b that I would want to do(something). What's the simplest way to do this check without getting an exception?

Answer 1

Another way of writing it.

if (a == null ? b == null : a.equals(b))