Homegrown utility methods

Question

Static utility methods are generally frowned up by OO purists.

I was wondering however what people feel about utility methods that are used to avoid something simple like a null check throughout the application.

String.trim() throws a NPE when invoked on a null String. So I have to do:

if(str!=null) 
     setValue(str.trim());
else
     setValue("");

What if I create a utility method that checks for the null?

setValue(myTrim(str));

public static String myTrim(String str) {

  if(str==null) return "" 

  else return str.trim();
}

The one problem I have encountered with methods like these is that some developers on the team might not like/not know this utility and might be doing staight calls after doing a null comparison.

Is this something that you do your framework too? If yes, what are the other common utility general use methods that people have created and are using in their applications?

What do you feel are the pros and cons of either approach?

Answer 1

I'd be inclined to replace the homegrown uses when an existing library (like Apache Commons Blah Blah Blah) already has written it. Code you can offload to someone else lets you focus on the important parts of the software that truly differentiate your work from everyone else's. But yes, utility classes with static methods are great, if they need to be written by you at all.

FYI, take a look at StringUtils.trimToEmpty(). Good luck.