Is there a null operator/command in java?

Question

In a lot of languages there is a null statement that does nothing such as NOP in assembler. It's useful if you want to test for something and only perform some action if that test is not true. i.e. it can be cleaner than testing for something to not be true. Is there such a statement in java? I don't see one in the book I'm learning from. Here is an example if I have't made myself clear:
IF(args[0].startsWith("$"))
NOP
else System.out.println("the first argument does not start with a $")

Answer 1

baftos wrote:
masijade. wrote:
baftos wrote:
The fact that you did not see it is a sign that it should not be used.And why is that?Because if we ever need this peculiar construct we should make it as obvious as possible. But not big deal:)I don't know. Theoretical situation.
A Class that has "business" aspects, but that is also, in itself, a LinkedList type construct where you can use getNext() to get the next item in the list (null means there are no more), and where certain methods return the current object (in the same manner as StringBuffer's append method), you can then, to iterate through the entire list performing a specific action, simply
TheoreticalClass c = firstTheoreticalClassInstance;
while ((c = c.doSomething().getNext()) != null);which is the same as
TheoreticalClass c = firstTheoreticalClassInstance;
while ((c = c.doSomething().getNext()) != null) {}Both just fancy nothings, but I don't see any clarity problem in either (except maybe for beginners who wouldn't understand that a semicolon at the end of a while/if/for loop/statement effectively ends that statement).
Looking at isolated lines, yes, it might not be clear, but, guaranteeed, there is more code all around that, and it should be perfectly clear that it is a stand alone statement in both cases.
But, yes, okay, I see your point.
In any case, in the OP's situation (and most others), a "not" should be used, rather than any kind of empty block (beside the fact that many IDE's complain about empty blocks, anyway, which would be just plain annoying to have to put up with, IMHO).