Java Optional Util Class Examples

The Optional class was introduced in Java 8 in java.util package to handle situations where a value might be absent.

This class helps to reduce the risk of NullPointerException.

import java.util.Optional;

public class OptionalExampleJava {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Optional<String> optionalName = Optional.of("Mike");
        printName(optionalName);

        String nullableName = null;
        Optional<String> optionalNullableName = Optional.ofNullable(nullableName);
        printName(optionalNullableName);
    }

    public static void printName(Optional<String> optional) {
        if (optional.isPresent()) {
            System.out.println("Name: " + optional.get());
        } else {
            System.out.println("No Name Provided...");
        }
    }
}

You can also make use of Optional to set a default value when the value is null.

String name = null;
Optional<String> optionalName = Optional.ofNullable(name);
String val = optionalName.orElse("None");
System.out.println(val);