StringUtils.isBlank() checks that each character of the string is a whitespace character (or that the string is empty or that it's null). This is totally different than just checking if the string is empty.
From the linked documentation:
Checks if a String is whitespace, empty ("") or null.
StringUtils.isBlank(null) = true StringUtils.isBlank("") = true StringUtils.isBlank(" ") = true StringUtils.isBlank("bob") = false StringUtils.isBlank(" bob ") = false
For comparison StringUtils.isEmpty:
StringUtils.isEmpty(null) = true
StringUtils.isEmpty("") = true
StringUtils.isEmpty(" ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty("bob") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty(" bob ") = false
Warning: In java.lang.String.isBlank() and java.lang.String.isEmpty() work the same except they don't return true for null.
java.lang.String.isBlank() (since Java 11)
java.lang.String.isEmpty()
StringUtils.isBlank() checks that each character of the string is a whitespace character (or that the string is empty or that it's null). This is totally different than just checking if the string is empty.
From the linked documentation:
Checks if a String is whitespace, empty ("") or null.
StringUtils.isBlank(null) = true StringUtils.isBlank("") = true StringUtils.isBlank(" ") = true StringUtils.isBlank("bob") = false StringUtils.isBlank(" bob ") = false
For comparison StringUtils.isEmpty:
StringUtils.isEmpty(null) = true
StringUtils.isEmpty("") = true
StringUtils.isEmpty(" ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty("bob") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty(" bob ") = false
Warning: In java.lang.String.isBlank() and java.lang.String.isEmpty() work the same except they don't return true for null.
java.lang.String.isBlank() (since Java 11)
java.lang.String.isEmpty()
The accepted answer from @arshajii is totally correct. However just being more explicit by saying below,
StringUtils.isBlank()
StringUtils.isBlank(null) = true
StringUtils.isBlank("") = true
StringUtils.isBlank(" ") = true
StringUtils.isBlank("bob") = false
StringUtils.isBlank(" bob ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty
StringUtils.isEmpty(null) = true
StringUtils.isEmpty("") = true
StringUtils.isEmpty(" ") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty("bob") = false
StringUtils.isEmpty(" bob ") = false
Of course not. Do you really think "" is not clear enough ?
Constants have essentially 3 use cases:
- Document the meaning of a value (with constant name + javadoc)
- Synchronize clients on a common value.
- Provide a shortcut to a special value to avoid some init costs
None apply here.
I use StringUtils.EMPTY, for hiding the literal and also to express that return StringUtils.EMPTY was fully expected and there should return an empty string, "" can lead to the assumption that "" can be easily changed into something else and that this was maybe only a mistake. I think the EMPTY is more expressive.