Code Review 6706251: api/java_net/NetworkInterface/index.html#misc: getDisplayName() returned non null but empty String

[Michael McMahon]

Looks good to me.

- Michael.

Christopher Hegarty - Sun Microsystems Ireland wrote:
> How about (thanks to Alan for the wording):
>
>       * A display name is a human readable String describing the network
>       * device.
>       *
> -     * @return the display name of this network interface,
> -     *         or null if no display name is available.
> +     * @return a non-empty string representing the display name of 
> this network
> +     *         interface, or null if no display name is available.
>       */
>      public String getDisplayName() {
> -        return displayName;
> +        /* strict TCK conformance */
> +        return "".equals(displayName) ? null : displayName;
>      }
>       * A display name is a human readable String describing the network
>       * device.
>       *
> -     * @return the display name of this network interface,
> -     *         or null if no display name is available.
> +     * @return a non-empty string representing the display name of 
> this network
> +     *         interface, or null if no display name is available.
>       */
>      public String getDisplayName() {
> -        return displayName;
> +        /* strict TCK conformance */
> +        return "".equals(displayName) ? null : displayName;
>      }
>
> Updated Webrev:
>   http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~chegar/6706251/webrev.00/webrev/
>
> -Chris.
>
> On 19/03/2010 15:33, Andrew John Hughes wrote:
>> On 19 March 2010 15:12, Alan Bateman<Alan.Bateman at sun.com>  wrote:
>>> Christopher Hegarty - Sun Microsystems Ireland wrote:
>>>>
>>>> :
>>>> I vaguely remember the history of this issue (Michael will know 
>>>> better),
>>>>   but the expectation from the API is that while empty string is not
>>>> disallowed if the display name cannot be retrieved then null should be
>>>> returned.
>>>>
>>>> I think such a clarification is unnecessary in the API, it is such a
>>>> corner case, and may be confusing.
>>>
>>> If the empty string is not allowed then changing the @return to make 
>>> this
>>> clear would be good.
>>>
>>> -Alan.
>>>
>>
>> The @return currently says 'the display name of this network
>> interface, or null if no display name is available.'
>>
>> 'null if the display name is either null or the empty string' may be
>> clearer.  It's these kind of corner cases that are a major pain for
>> users of the API.