How to handle a static final field initializer that throws checked exception

by

If you don’t like static blocks (some people don’t) then an alternative is to use a static method. IIRC, Josh Bloch recommended this (apparently not in Effective Java on quick inspection).

public static final ObjectName OBJECT_NAME = createObjectName("foo:type=bar");

private static ObjectName createObjectName(final String name) {
    try {
        return new ObjectName(name);
    } catch (final SomeException exc) {
        throw new Error(exc);
    }  
}

Or:

public static final ObjectName OBJECT_NAME = createObjectName();

private static ObjectName createObjectName() {
    try {
        return new ObjectName("foo:type=bar");
    } catch (final SomeException exc) {
        throw new Error(exc);
    }  
}

(Edited: Corrected second example to return from method instead of assign the static.)

Leave a Comment