Basic File Read Loop

Question

I have been coding Java for quite awhile now; however, I had to teach myself how to code in Java. So, when I started coding basic file reading loops, my loops look like the following (assuming I am reading a text file a line at a time, say):
String inputLine = null;
inFile = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(new File("in.txt")));
while (in.ready())
    inputLine = inFile.readLine();
    //Do stuff with input, etc.
}However, as I read through forums, books, and other resources to keep myself up-to-date, I find that everywhere there is some sort of file reading routine, their basic read loop looks as follows:
String inputLine = null;
inFile = new BufferedReader(new FileReader(new File("in.txt")));
while ((inputLine = inFile.readLine()) != null)
    //Do stuff with input, etc.
}At essence these two loops accomplish the same thing: read data a line at a time. Is there any real differences between these two loops? Is one better/preferred over the other? If so, why? Is the difference primarily seen in multithreaded applications (due to how the ready() method works)? Or am I just making a big deal out of nothing?
Thanks for your help,
-Dok

Answer 1

Well, I wouldn't use in.ready() although it probably does exactly what expected. Actually, I'd be wary about this idiom if I were reading from an interactive source (e.g. the tty). What is it that you're trying to check with "isReady()"? If someone stops typing for a moment, do you want to finish your read loop?
Just use the "readLine() != null" - it's a simple and standard idiom. Use "isReady()" for specialized tasks, like trying to determine if you want to do some background processing while the user is snoozing, or something like that..