Date: 2012nov11 Update: 2025sep26 Language: Java Q. Java: Avoid clutter of many check for null when using HashMap<String,String>. Can I avoid this? A. Here's a class that does the same as HashMap<String,String> but never returns a null in a full example:

import java.util.HashMap; class Demo { static class GentleMap extends HashMap<String,String> { GentleMap() { super(); } GentleMap(GentleMap in) { super(in); } @Override public String get(Object key) { String val = super.get(key); if (val == null) { val = ""; } return val; } } // Example use. // BEFORE static void usingRegularHashMap() { HashMap<String,String> h = new HashMap<>(); h.put("1", "one"); h.put("2", "two"); String val; if ((val = h.get("mykey")) == null) { // Do something } } // AFTER static void usingGentleMap() { GentleMap h = new GentleMap(); h.put("1", "one"); h.put("2", "two"); String val = h.get("mykey"); } public static final void main(String []args) { usingRegularHashMap(); usingGentleMap(); } }