Java has been one of the leading programming languages from the beginning itself. All the latest technologies that are changing the whole digital world are dependent upon the java programming language.
Many programming languages in demand have vanished, but java is still the popular language among all.
Java is a high-level programming language that is class-based and object-oriented constructed to operate some implementations if needed.
It is a general-purpose programming language that runs on the concept of Write Once Run Anywhere (WORA); it means that a compiled java code can run anywhere on any platform without the need for recompilation.
Because of these skills, java developers are coming forward to learn the java programming language. Java will never become an ancient language, and it will always top the list. Java is the most preferred language to start coding with.
There are many java developers in the market, so you need to be different and advanced to make your place in the market. One must hire a java developer who knows about all the best practices of java to make the coding more efficient.
Overview of java best practices
A viable, error-free code can be more than enough, but not in this case. The code must be written in the following pattern and set of rules and coding standards. Using and applying this best practice to your coding standards can improve your code’s quality and make it easy and understandable.
These java practices are also involved in the betterment of the java code performance. Hire java developers who know about these best practices.
Best practices
- Use proper name convention
- Class members must be accessed privately
- Must use underscores in long numeric literals
- Never leave catch blocks empty
- Use StringBuilder or StringBuffer for string concatenation
- Avoid redundant initializations
- Use enhanced for loops instead of for loops with counter
- Handling proper null pointer exceptions
- Float or double which is the right choice
- Use single and double quotes
- Avoiding memory leaks
- Return empty instead of returning null
- Efficient use of strings
Use proper name convention
Before you start writing the code, keep a proper name for your java project. Before you begin to write any code, decide all the terms of class, interface, methods, variables, etc., previously. If other developers are working with you on the same project, they also need to follow the same name and maintain consistency.
A meaningful name is essential to understand the different classes, methods, and variables. They can be identified uniquely with the help of code.
Don’t just add names for the compiler’s sake; use meaningful names that can explain themselves with their terms and be understood by you, your teammates, and the project owner.
Class members must be accessed privately
It is said to be the java best practice to keep the accessibility of the class fields that are inaccessible. This is done so to protect the class fields. To achieve the solution private access modifier is the best choice. This habit is recommended to maintain the encapsulation of the data, and encapsulation is the fundamental concept of OOPS.
Although it is the most basic object-oriented programming concept, many developers already know about these concepts. Still, they do not adequately assign access to the classes and keep them private.
Must use underscores in long numeric literals
This fantastic feature was introduced in Java 7 that will help in writing lengthy numeric literal in a much more precise way. So instead of writing in the old common method, you can write the code in a new and fantastic way.
Never leave catch blocks empty
It is another best practice of Java preferred by exclusive Java developers to write the message properly and readably in the catch block while handling the exception.
The new developers generally keep the catch block empty as originally they are the only ones who are working on that particular code, but when the exception is caught by the catch block that is empty when the program gets the exception, but it doesn’t show anything. This makes debugging hard and time-consuming.
Use StringBuilder or StringBuffer for string concatenation
It is a common practice to join the string using the “+” operator in programming languages that includes java.
Even though the process is common, it is not wrong. But you cannot use this “+” operator for longer strings as it can be proved inefficient as the java compiler creates multiple transitional string objects before it creates the final concatenated string.
Instead of using the “+” operator, the java best practices will use StringBuilder or StringBuffer to join or connect the long strings. These functions are built-in functions that modify a string without creating transitional string objects that can save process time and also avoid unnecessary memory usage.
Avoid redundant initializations
It is also a very common java practice; it is not inspired to initialize all the member variables with the values: 0 false and null. This is because all these values have already defaulted initialization values of member values in java.
Hence, it is the Java best method to stay conscious of the default initialization of values that are of member variables and also avoid initializing the variables specifically.
Use enhanced for loops instead of for loops with counter
“For” loops can be used with a counter variable. Still, java suggested a best practice that was suggested by every top java developer who is using the advanced for loop instead of using for loop with the counter that was simple.
Although it won’t make any difference to use any of the for loop in a few cases, the counter variable used can be filled with errors. The counter variable can accidentally get altered or changed; it can be used later in the code, or you will start from 1 instead of 0; this can result in disturbing the code in multiple ways. To avoid this, an advanced for loop is a better option.
Handling proper null pointer exception
Null pointer exceptions are a very common practice in java. This type of exception occurs as a result of an attempt at a call method on a Null Object reference. For example.
int noOfEmployees = office.listofEmployees().count;
The above-given line doesn’t have any kind of error, but if any of the objects “office” or method “listEmployees()” is null then the code will throw a null pointer exception.
Float or double which is the right choice
Developers who don’t have much knowledge about coding then they can get confused in float and double. They will know the basics of these, but when it comes to using any one of them, they get confused.
Java has the best practice to use float or double depending upon the requirement. These best practices don’t only improve the code readability and understanding but also improve the performance of the code.
Most of the processor takes equal time to load the float or double operations. But the double is way more precise than float. Therefore the best practice of java suggests you use double when it is important to get a precise decision or else you can choose float.
Use single and double quotes
We all must know that double quotes are used to represent strings, whereas single quotes are used to represent a character, but in unique cases, it may go wrong. When it is needed to concatenate strings it is Java’s best practice to use double quotes for characters that are to be concatenated.
The main reason behind using double quotes is the characters will be treated as the usual string, and there won’t be an issue. Still, instead, if you use single quotes, the integer values of the character will be considered due to a process known as widening primitive conversion.
Avoiding memory leaks
The java developers don’t have to manage the memory because it is automatically managed through the memory manager. There are some java best practices that can be used by top developers to prevent memory leaks.
As it can cause some essential performance deterioration, always release your database connections once your querying is done. Do use finally block as possible and release the instance stored in the static table; that is some of the best practices of java coding that you must use to prevent memory leaks.
Return empty instead of returning null
When null element exception handling occurs it needs some extra work to do, therefore if the method returns a collection that does not have any value, the most beneficial practice of java is to return an empty collection rather than sending null. This is because it skips the elements that are null this saves the efforts needed to test the null components.
Efficient use of strings
It is very easy to handle strings in java, but it should be used efficiently to prevent access memory usage. For example, if two strings are concatenated in a particular loop, there will be a creation of a new string object for every iteration.
When the number of loops is significant, it can cause a lot of memory wastage and can also increase the performance time. Another thing is to instantiate the String object, and the java best practice is to avoid their usage of constructors for the purpose of instantiation so that the instantiation should be done directly. It is also faster compared to constructors.
Read More: Trends in Java Technology
Conclusion
So here are the best practices of java that can be used while coding, and this practice can also affect the performance to improve. Before you hire a java developer, make sure that they have knowledge of these best practices. Ask the developers about this practice to check their knowledge.
I hope this blog will help you to find the best java developer who has knowledge of these practices. But, not just developers, you must also know of these so you can suggest the developers.
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