Rules to detect constructs that are either broken, extremely confusing or prone to runtime errors.
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AssignmentInOperand

Since: PMD 1.03

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid assignments in operands; this can make code more complicated and harder to read.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AssignmentInOperandRule

Example(s):

public void bar() {
    int x = 2;
    if ((x = getX()) == 3) {
      System.out.println("3!");
    }
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
allowIncrementDecrement false Allow increment or decrement operators within the conditional expression of an if, for, or while statement no
allowWhile false Allow assignment within the conditional expression of a while statement no
allowFor false Allow assignment within the conditional expression of a for statement no
allowIf false Allow assignment within the conditional expression of an if statement no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AssignmentInOperand" />

AssignmentToNonFinalStatic

Since: PMD 2.2

Priority: Medium (3)

Identifies a possible unsafe usage of a static field.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AssignmentToNonFinalStaticRule

Example(s):

public class StaticField {
   static int x;
   public FinalFields(int y) {
    x = y; // unsafe
   }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AssignmentToNonFinalStatic" />

AvoidAccessibilityAlteration

Since: PMD 4.1

Priority: Medium (3)

Methods such as getDeclaredConstructors(), getDeclaredConstructor(Class[]) and setAccessible(), as the interface PrivilegedAction, allow for the runtime alteration of variable, class, or method visibility, even if they are private. This violates the principle of encapsulation.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//PrimaryExpression[
(
(PrimarySuffix[
        ends-with(@Image,'getDeclaredConstructors')
                or
        ends-with(@Image,'getDeclaredConstructor')
                or
        ends-with(@Image,'setAccessible')
        ])
or
(PrimaryPrefix/Name[
        ends-with(@Image,'getDeclaredConstructor')
        or
        ends-with(@Image,'getDeclaredConstructors')
        or
        starts-with(@Image,'AccessibleObject.setAccessible')
        ])
)
and
(//ImportDeclaration/Name[
        contains(@Image,'java.security.PrivilegedAction')])
]

Example(s):

import java.lang.reflect.AccessibleObject;
import java.lang.reflect.Method;
import java.security.PrivilegedAction;

public class Violation {
  public void invalidCallsInMethod() throws SecurityException, NoSuchMethodException {
    // Possible call to forbidden getDeclaredConstructors
    Class[] arrayOfClass = new Class[1];
    this.getClass().getDeclaredConstructors();
    this.getClass().getDeclaredConstructor(arrayOfClass);
    Class clazz = this.getClass();
    clazz.getDeclaredConstructor(arrayOfClass);
    clazz.getDeclaredConstructors();
      // Possible call to forbidden setAccessible
    clazz.getMethod("", arrayOfClass).setAccessible(false);
    AccessibleObject.setAccessible(null, false);
    Method.setAccessible(null, false);
    Method[] methodsArray = clazz.getMethods();
    int nbMethod;
    for ( nbMethod = 0; nbMethod < methodsArray.length; nbMethod++ ) {
      methodsArray[nbMethod].setAccessible(false);
    }

      // Possible call to forbidden PrivilegedAction
    PrivilegedAction priv = (PrivilegedAction) new Object(); priv.run();
  }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidAccessibilityAlteration" />

AvoidAssertAsIdentifier

Since: PMD 3.4

Priority: Medium High (2)

Use of the term ‘assert’ will conflict with newer versions of Java since it is a reserved word.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//VariableDeclaratorId[@Image='assert']

Example(s):

public class A {
    public class Foo {
        String assert = "foo";
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidAssertAsIdentifier" />

AvoidBranchingStatementAsLastInLoop

Since: PMD 5.0

Priority: Medium High (2)

Using a branching statement as the last part of a loop may be a bug, and/or is confusing. Ensure that the usage is not a bug, or consider using another approach.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidBranchingStatementAsLastInLoopRule

Example(s):

// unusual use of branching statement in a loop
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    if (i*i <= 25) {
        continue;
    }
    break;
}

// this makes more sense...
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
    if (i*i > 25) {
        break;
    }
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
checkReturnLoopTypes for | do | while Check for return statements in loop types yes. Delimiter is ‘|’.
checkContinueLoopTypes for | do | while Check for continue statements in loop types yes. Delimiter is ‘|’.
checkBreakLoopTypes for | do | while Check for break statements in loop types yes. Delimiter is ‘|’.

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidBranchingStatementAsLastInLoop" />

AvoidCallingFinalize

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

The method Object.finalize() is called by the garbage collector on an object when garbage collection determines that there are no more references to the object. It should not be invoked by application logic.

Note that Oracle has declared Object.finalize() as deprecated since JDK 9.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidCallingFinalizeRule

Example(s):

void foo() {
    Bar b = new Bar();
    b.finalize();
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidCallingFinalize" />

AvoidCatchingNPE

Since: PMD 1.8

Priority: Medium (3)

Code should never throw NullPointerExceptions under normal circumstances. A catch block may hide the original error, causing other, more subtle problems later on.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//CatchStatement/FormalParameter/Type
 /ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='NullPointerException']

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    void bar() {
        try {
            // do something
        } catch (NullPointerException npe) {
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidCatchingNPE" />

AvoidCatchingThrowable

Since: PMD 1.2

Priority: Medium (3)

Catching Throwable errors is not recommended since its scope is very broad. It includes runtime issues such as OutOfMemoryError that should be exposed and managed separately.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidCatchingThrowableRule

Example(s):

public void bar() {
    try {
        // do something
    } catch (Throwable th) {  // should not catch Throwable
        th.printStackTrace();
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidCatchingThrowable" />

AvoidDecimalLiteralsInBigDecimalConstructor

Since: PMD 3.4

Priority: Medium (3)

One might assume that the result of “new BigDecimal(0.1)” is exactly equal to 0.1, but it is actually equal to .1000000000000000055511151231257827021181583404541015625. This is because 0.1 cannot be represented exactly as a double (or as a binary fraction of any finite length). Thus, the long value that is being passed in to the constructor is not exactly equal to 0.1, appearances notwithstanding.

The (String) constructor, on the other hand, is perfectly predictable: ‘new BigDecimal(“0.1”)’ is exactly equal to 0.1, as one would expect. Therefore, it is generally recommended that the (String) constructor be used in preference to this one.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//AllocationExpression
[ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image="BigDecimal"]]
[Arguments/ArgumentList/Expression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix
    [
        Literal[(not(ends-with(@Image,'"'))) and contains(@Image,".")]
        or
        Name[ancestor::Block/BlockStatement/LocalVariableDeclaration
                [Type[PrimitiveType[@Image='double' or @Image='float']
                      or ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='Double' or @Image='Float']]]
                /VariableDeclarator/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image = @Image
            ]
        or
        Name[ancestor::MethodDeclaration/MethodDeclarator/FormalParameters/FormalParameter
                [Type[PrimitiveType[@Image='double' or @Image='float']
                      or ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='Double' or @Image='Float']]]
                /VariableDeclaratorId/@Image = @Image
            ]
    ]
]

Example(s):

BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal(1.123);       // loss of precision, this would trigger the rule

BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal("1.123");     // preferred approach

BigDecimal bd = new BigDecimal(12);          // preferred approach, ok for integer values

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidDecimalLiteralsInBigDecimalConstructor" />

AvoidDuplicateLiterals

Since: PMD 1.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Code containing duplicate String literals can usually be improved by declaring the String as a constant field.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidDuplicateLiteralsRule

Example(s):

private void bar() {
     buz("Howdy");
     buz("Howdy");
     buz("Howdy");
     buz("Howdy");
}
private void buz(String x) {}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
exceptionfile   File containing strings to skip (one string per line), only used if ignore list is not set no
separator , Ignore list separator no
exceptionList   Strings to ignore no
maxDuplicateLiterals 4 Max duplicate literals no
minimumLength 3 Minimum string length to check no
skipAnnotations false Skip literals within annotations no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidDuplicateLiterals" />

AvoidEnumAsIdentifier

Since: PMD 3.4

Priority: Medium High (2)

Use of the term ‘enum’ will conflict with newer versions of Java since it is a reserved word.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//VariableDeclaratorId[@Image='enum']

Example(s):

public class A {
    public class Foo {
        String enum = "foo";
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidEnumAsIdentifier" />

AvoidFieldNameMatchingMethodName

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

It can be confusing to have a field name with the same name as a method. While this is permitted, having information (field) and actions (method) is not clear naming. Developers versed in Smalltalk often prefer this approach as the methods denote accessor methods.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidFieldNameMatchingMethodNameRule

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    Object bar;
    // bar is data or an action or both?
    void bar() {
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidFieldNameMatchingMethodName" />

AvoidFieldNameMatchingTypeName

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

It is somewhat confusing to have a field name matching the declaring class name. This probably means that type and/or field names should be chosen more carefully.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidFieldNameMatchingTypeNameRule

Example(s):

public class Foo extends Bar {
    int foo;    // There is probably a better name that can be used
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidFieldNameMatchingTypeName" />

AvoidInstanceofChecksInCatchClause

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Each caught exception type should be handled in its own catch clause.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//CatchStatement/FormalParameter
 /following-sibling::Block//InstanceOfExpression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix
  /Name[
   @Image = ./ancestor::Block/preceding-sibling::FormalParameter
    /VariableDeclaratorId/@Image
  ]

Example(s):

try { // Avoid this
    // do something
} catch (Exception ee) {
    if (ee instanceof IOException) {
        cleanup();
    }
}

try {  // Prefer this:
    // do something
} catch (IOException ee) {
    cleanup();
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidInstanceofChecksInCatchClause" />

AvoidLiteralsInIfCondition

Since: PMD 4.2.6

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid using hard-coded literals in conditional statements. By declaring them as static variables or private members with descriptive names maintainability is enhanced. By default, the literals “-1” and “0” are ignored. More exceptions can be defined with the property “ignoreMagicNumbers”.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//IfStatement/Expression/*/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal
[not(NullLiteral)]
[not(BooleanLiteral)]
[empty(index-of(tokenize($ignoreMagicNumbers, '\s*,\s*'), @Image))]

Example(s):

private static final int MAX_NUMBER_OF_REQUESTS = 10;

public void checkRequests() {

    if (i == 10) {                        // magic number, buried in a method
      doSomething();
    }

    if (i == MAX_NUMBER_OF_REQUESTS) {    // preferred approach
      doSomething();
    }

    if (aString.indexOf('.') != -1) {}     // magic number -1, by default ignored
    if (aString.indexOf('.') >= 0) { }     // alternative approach

    if (aDouble > 0.0) {}                  // magic number 0.0
    if (aDouble >= Double.MIN_VALUE) {}    // preferred approach
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
ignoreMagicNumbers -1,0 Comma-separated list of magic numbers, that should be ignored no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidLiteralsInIfCondition" />

AvoidLosingExceptionInformation

Since: PMD 4.2.6

Priority: Medium High (2)

Statements in a catch block that invoke accessors on the exception without using the information only add to code size. Either remove the invocation, or use the return result.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//CatchStatement/Block/BlockStatement/Statement/StatementExpression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name
[
   @Image = concat(../../../../../../../FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image, '.getMessage')
   or
   @Image = concat(../../../../../../../FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image, '.getLocalizedMessage')
   or
   @Image = concat(../../../../../../../FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image, '.getCause')
   or
   @Image = concat(../../../../../../../FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image, '.getStackTrace')
   or
   @Image = concat(../../../../../../../FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image, '.toString')
]

Example(s):

public void bar() {
    try {
        // do something
    } catch (SomeException se) {
        se.getMessage();
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidLosingExceptionInformation" />

AvoidMultipleUnaryOperators

Since: PMD 4.2

Priority: Medium High (2)

The use of multiple unary operators may be problematic, and/or confusing. Ensure that the intended usage is not a bug, or consider simplifying the expression.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidMultipleUnaryOperatorsRule

Example(s):

// These are typo bugs, or at best needlessly complex and confusing:
int i = - -1;
int j = + - +1;
int z = ~~2;
boolean b = !!true;
boolean c = !!!true;

// These are better:
int i = 1;
int j = -1;
int z = 2;
boolean b = true;
boolean c = false;

// And these just make your brain hurt:
int i = ~-2;
int j = -~7;

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidMultipleUnaryOperators" />

AvoidUsingOctalValues

Since: PMD 3.9

Priority: Medium (3)

Integer literals should not start with zero since this denotes that the rest of literal will be interpreted as an octal value.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.AvoidUsingOctalValuesRule

Example(s):

int i = 012;    // set i with 10 not 12
int j = 010;    // set j with 8 not 10
k = i * j;      // set k with 80 not 120

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
strict false Detect violations between 00 and 07 no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/AvoidUsingOctalValues" />

BadComparison

Since: PMD 1.8

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid equality comparisons with Double.NaN. Due to the implicit lack of representation precision when comparing floating point numbers these are likely to cause logic errors.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//EqualityExpression[@Image='==']
 /PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix
 /Name[@Image='Double.NaN' or @Image='Float.NaN']

Example(s):

boolean x = (y == Double.NaN);

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/BadComparison" />

BeanMembersShouldSerialize

Since: PMD 1.1

Priority: Medium (3)

If a class is a bean, or is referenced by a bean directly or indirectly it needs to be serializable. Member variables need to be marked as transient, static, or have accessor methods in the class. Marking variables as transient is the safest and easiest modification. Accessor methods should follow the Java naming conventions, i.e. for a variable named foo, getFoo() and setFoo() accessor methods should be provided.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.BeanMembersShouldSerializeRule

Example(s):

private transient int someFoo;  // good, it's transient
private static int otherFoo;    // also OK
private int moreFoo;            // OK, has proper accessors, see below
private int badFoo;             // bad, should be marked transient

private void setMoreFoo(int moreFoo){
      this.moreFoo = moreFoo;
}

private int getMoreFoo(){
      return this.moreFoo;
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
prefix   A variable prefix to skip, i.e., m_ no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/BeanMembersShouldSerialize" />

BrokenNullCheck

Since: PMD 3.8

Priority: Medium High (2)

The null check is broken since it will throw a NullPointerException itself. It is likely that you used || instead of && or vice versa.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.BrokenNullCheckRule

Example(s):

public String bar(String string) {
  // should be &&
    if (string!=null || !string.equals(""))
        return string;
  // should be ||
    if (string==null && string.equals(""))
        return string;
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/BrokenNullCheck" />

CallSuperFirst

Since: PMD 4.2.5

Priority: Medium (3)

Super should be called at the start of the method

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[MethodDeclarator[
  @Image='onCreate' or
  @Image='onConfigurationChanged' or
  @Image='onPostCreate' or
  @Image='onPostResume' or
  @Image='onRestart' or
  @Image='onRestoreInstanceState' or
  @Image='onResume' or
  @Image='onStart'
  ]]
    /Block[not(
      (BlockStatement[1]/Statement/StatementExpression/PrimaryExpression[./PrimaryPrefix[@SuperModifier='true']]/PrimarySuffix[@Image= ancestor::MethodDeclaration/MethodDeclarator/@Image]))]
[ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[ExtendsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[
  typeof(@Image, 'android.app.Activity', 'Activity') or
  typeof(@Image, 'android.app.Application', 'Application') or
  typeof(@Image, 'android.app.Service', 'Service')
]]]

Example(s):

public class DummyActivity extends Activity {
    public void onCreate(Bundle bundle) {
        // missing call to super.onCreate(bundle)
        foo();
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CallSuperFirst" />

CallSuperLast

Since: PMD 4.2.5

Priority: Medium (3)

Super should be called at the end of the method

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[MethodDeclarator[
  @Image='finish' or
  @Image='onDestroy' or
  @Image='onPause' or
  @Image='onSaveInstanceState' or
  @Image='onStop' or
  @Image='onTerminate'
  ]]
   /Block/BlockStatement[last()]
    [not(Statement/StatementExpression/PrimaryExpression[./PrimaryPrefix[@SuperModifier='true']]/PrimarySuffix[@Image= ancestor::MethodDeclaration/MethodDeclarator/@Image])]
[ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[ExtendsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[
  typeof(@Image, 'android.app.Activity', 'Activity') or
  typeof(@Image, 'android.app.Application', 'Application') or
  typeof(@Image, 'android.app.Service', 'Service')
]]]

Example(s):

public class DummyActivity extends Activity {
    public void onPause() {
        foo();
        // missing call to super.onPause()
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CallSuperLast" />

CheckSkipResult

Since: PMD 5.0

Priority: Medium (3)

The skip() method may skip a smaller number of bytes than requested. Check the returned value to find out if it was the case or not.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.CheckSkipResultRule

Example(s):

public class Foo {

   private FileInputStream _s = new FileInputStream("file");

   public void skip(int n) throws IOException {
      _s.skip(n); // You are not sure that exactly n bytes are skipped
   }

   public void skipExactly(int n) throws IOException {
      while (n != 0) {
         long skipped = _s.skip(n);
         if (skipped == 0)
            throw new EOFException();
         n -= skipped;
      }
   }

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CheckSkipResult" />

ClassCastExceptionWithToArray

Since: PMD 3.4

Priority: Medium (3)

When deriving an array of a specific class from your Collection, one should provide an array of the same class as the parameter of the toArray() method. Doing otherwise you will will result in a ClassCastException.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//CastExpression[Type/ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image !=
"Object"]]/PrimaryExpression
[
 PrimaryPrefix/Name[ends-with(@Image, '.toArray')]
 and
 PrimarySuffix/Arguments[count(*) = 0]
and
count(PrimarySuffix) = 1
]

Example(s):

Collection c = new ArrayList();
Integer obj = new Integer(1);
c.add(obj);

    // this would trigger the rule (and throw a ClassCastException if executed)
Integer[] a = (Integer [])c.toArray();

   // this is fine and will not trigger the rule
Integer[] b = (Integer [])c.toArray(new Integer[c.size()]);

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ClassCastExceptionWithToArray" />

CloneMethodMustBePublic

Since: PMD 5.4.0

Priority: Medium (3)

The java Manual says “By convention, classes that implement this interface should override Object.clone (which is protected) with a public method.”

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[@Public='false']
  [MethodDeclarator/@Image = 'clone']
  [MethodDeclarator/FormalParameters/@ParameterCount = 0]

Example(s):

public class Foo implements Cloneable {
    @Override
    protected Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException { // Violation, must be public
    }
}

public class Foo implements Cloneable {
    @Override
    protected Foo clone() { // Violation, must be public
    }
}

public class Foo implements Cloneable {
    @Override
    public Object clone() // Ok
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CloneMethodMustBePublic" />

CloneMethodMustImplementCloneable

Since: PMD 1.9

Priority: Medium (3)

The method clone() should only be implemented if the class implements the Cloneable interface with the exception of a final method that only throws CloneNotSupportedException.

The rule can also detect, if the class implements or extends a Cloneable class.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.CloneMethodMustImplementCloneableRule

Example(s):

public class MyClass {
 public Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException {
  return foo;
 }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CloneMethodMustImplementCloneable" />

CloneMethodReturnTypeMustMatchClassName

Since: PMD 5.4.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Minimum Language Version: Java 1.5

If a class implements cloneable the return type of the method clone() must be the class name. That way, the caller of the clone method doesn’t need to cast the returned clone to the correct type.

Note: This is only possible with Java 1.5 or higher.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration
[
MethodDeclarator/@Image = 'clone'
and MethodDeclarator/FormalParameters/@ParameterCount = 0
and not (ResultType//ClassOrInterfaceType/@Image = ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[1]/@Image)
]

Example(s):

public class Foo implements Cloneable {
    @Override
    protected Object clone() { // Violation, Object must be Foo
    }
}

public class Foo implements Cloneable {
    @Override
    public Foo clone() { //Ok
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CloneMethodReturnTypeMustMatchClassName" />

CloneThrowsCloneNotSupportedException

Since: PMD 1.9

Priority: Medium (3)

The method clone() should throw a CloneNotSupportedException.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration
[
MethodDeclarator/@Image = 'clone'
and count(MethodDeclarator/FormalParameters/*) = 0
and count(NameList/Name[contains
(@Image,'CloneNotSupportedException')]) = 0
]
[
../../../../ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[@Final = 'false']
]

Example(s):

public class MyClass implements Cloneable{
    public Object clone() { // will cause an error
         MyClass clone = (MyClass)super.clone();
         return clone;
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CloneThrowsCloneNotSupportedException" />

CloseResource

Since: PMD 1.2.2

Priority: Medium (3)

Ensure that resources (like Connection, Statement, and ResultSet objects) are always closed after use.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.CloseResourceRule

Example(s):

public class Bar {
  public void foo() {
    Connection c = pool.getConnection();
    try {
      // do stuff
    } catch (SQLException ex) {
     // handle exception
    } finally {
      // oops, should close the connection using 'close'!
      // c.close();
    }
  }
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
closeAsDefaultTarget true Consider ‘close’ as a target by default no
types java.sql.Connection , java.sql.Statement , java.sql.ResultSet Affected types yes. Delimiter is ‘,’.
closeTargets   Methods which may close this resource yes. Delimiter is ‘,’.

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CloseResource" />

CompareObjectsWithEquals

Since: PMD 3.2

Priority: Medium (3)

Use equals() to compare object references; avoid comparing them with ==.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.CompareObjectsWithEqualsRule

Example(s):

class Foo {
  boolean bar(String a, String b) {
    return a == b;
  }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/CompareObjectsWithEquals" />

ConstructorCallsOverridableMethod

Since: PMD 1.04

Priority: High (1)

Calling overridable methods during construction poses a risk of invoking methods on an incompletely constructed object and can be difficult to debug. It may leave the sub-class unable to construct its superclass or forced to replicate the construction process completely within itself, losing the ability to call super(). If the default constructor contains a call to an overridable method, the subclass may be completely uninstantiable. Note that this includes method calls throughout the control flow graph - i.e., if a constructor Foo() calls a private method bar() that calls a public method buz(), this denotes a problem.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.ConstructorCallsOverridableMethodRule

Example(s):

public class SeniorClass {
  public SeniorClass(){
      toString(); //may throw NullPointerException if overridden
  }
  public String toString(){
    return "IAmSeniorClass";
  }
}
public class JuniorClass extends SeniorClass {
  private String name;
  public JuniorClass(){
    super(); //Automatic call leads to NullPointerException
    name = "JuniorClass";
  }
  public String toString(){
    return name.toUpperCase();
  }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ConstructorCallsOverridableMethod" />

DataflowAnomalyAnalysis

Since: PMD 3.9

Priority: Low (5)

The dataflow analysis tracks local definitions, undefinitions and references to variables on different paths on the data flow. From those informations there can be found various problems.

  1. UR - Anomaly: There is a reference to a variable that was not defined before. This is a bug and leads to an error.
  2. DU - Anomaly: A recently defined variable is undefined. These anomalies may appear in normal source text.
  3. DD - Anomaly: A recently defined variable is redefined. This is ominous but don’t have to be a bug.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.DataflowAnomalyAnalysisRule

Example(s):

public void foo() {
  int buz = 5;
  buz = 6; // redefinition of buz -> dd-anomaly
  foo(buz);
  buz = 2;
} // buz is undefined when leaving scope -> du-anomaly

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
maxViolations 100 Maximum number of anomalies per class no
maxPaths 1000 Maximum number of checked paths per method. A lower value will increase the performance of the rule but may decrease anomalies found. no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DataflowAnomalyAnalysis" />

DoNotCallGarbageCollectionExplicitly

Since: PMD 4.2

Priority: Medium High (2)

Calls to System.gc(), Runtime.getRuntime().gc(), and System.runFinalization() are not advised. Code should have the same behavior whether the garbage collection is disabled using the option -Xdisableexplicitgc or not. Moreover, “modern” jvms do a very good job handling garbage collections. If memory usage issues unrelated to memory leaks develop within an application, it should be dealt with JVM options rather than within the code itself.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//Name[
(starts-with(@Image, 'System.') and
(starts-with(@Image, 'System.gc') or
starts-with(@Image, 'System.runFinalization'))) or
(
starts-with(@Image,'Runtime.getRuntime') and
../../PrimarySuffix[ends-with(@Image,'gc')]
)
]

Example(s):

public class GCCall {
    public GCCall() {
        // Explicit gc call !
        System.gc();
    }

    public void doSomething() {
        // Explicit gc call !
        Runtime.getRuntime().gc();
    }

    public explicitGCcall() {
        // Explicit gc call !
        System.gc();
    }

    public void doSomething() {
        // Explicit gc call !
        Runtime.getRuntime().gc();
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DoNotCallGarbageCollectionExplicitly" />

DoNotCallSystemExit

Since: PMD 4.1

Priority: Medium (3)

Web applications should not call System.exit(), since only the web container or the application server should stop the JVM. This rule also checks for the equivalent call Runtime.getRuntime().exit().

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//Name[
    starts-with(@Image,'System.exit')
    or
    (starts-with(@Image,'Runtime.getRuntime') and ../../PrimarySuffix[ends-with(@Image,'exit')])
]

Example(s):

public void bar() {
    System.exit(0);                 // never call this when running in an application server!
}
public void foo() {
    Runtime.getRuntime().exit(0);   // never stop the JVM manually, the container will do this.
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DoNotCallSystemExit" />

DoNotExtendJavaLangThrowable

Since: PMD 6.0.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Extend Exception or RuntimeException instead of Throwable.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration/ExtendsList/ClassOrInterfaceType
  [@Image="Throwable" or @Image="java.lang.Throwable"]

Example(s):

public class Foo extends Throwable { }

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DoNotExtendJavaLangThrowable" />

DoNotHardCodeSDCard

Since: PMD 4.2.6

Priority: Medium (3)

Use Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() instead of “/sdcard”

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//Literal[starts-with(@Image,'"/sdcard')]

Example(s):

public class MyActivity extends Activity {
    protected void foo() {
        String storageLocation = "/sdcard/mypackage";   // hard-coded, poor approach

       storageLocation = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory() + "/mypackage"; // preferred approach
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DoNotHardCodeSDCard" />

DoNotThrowExceptionInFinally

Since: PMD 4.2

Priority: Medium Low (4)

Throwing exceptions within a ‘finally’ block is confusing since they may mask other exceptions or code defects. Note: This is a PMD implementation of the Lint4j rule “A throw in a finally block”

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//FinallyStatement[descendant::ThrowStatement]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    public void bar() {
        try {
            // Here do some stuff
        } catch( Exception e) {
            // Handling the issue
        } finally {
            // is this really a good idea ?
            throw new Exception();
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DoNotThrowExceptionInFinally" />

DontImportSun

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium Low (4)

Avoid importing anything from the ‘sun.*’ packages. These packages are not portable and are likely to change.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.DontImportSunRule

Example(s):

import sun.misc.foo;
public class Foo {}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DontImportSun" />

DontUseFloatTypeForLoopIndices

Since: PMD 4.3

Priority: Medium (3)

Don’t use floating point for loop indices. If you must use floating point, use double unless you’re certain that float provides enough precision and you have a compelling performance need (space or time).

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ForStatement/ForInit/LocalVariableDeclaration
/Type/PrimitiveType[@Image="float"]

Example(s):

public class Count {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    final int START = 2000000000;
    int count = 0;
    for (float f = START; f < START + 50; f++)
      count++;
      //Prints 0 because (float) START == (float) (START + 50).
      System.out.println(count);
      //The termination test misbehaves due to floating point granularity.
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/DontUseFloatTypeForLoopIndices" />

EmptyCatchBlock

Since: PMD 0.1

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty Catch Block finds instances where an exception is caught, but nothing is done.
In most circumstances, this swallows an exception which should either be acted on or reported.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//CatchStatement
 [count(Block/BlockStatement) = 0 and ($allowCommentedBlocks != 'true' or Block/@containsComment = 'false')]
 [FormalParameter/Type/ReferenceType
   /ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image != 'InterruptedException' and @Image != 'CloneNotSupportedException']
 ]
 [FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId[not(matches(@Image, $allowExceptionNameRegex))]]

Example(s):

public void doSomething() {
    try {
        FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream("/tmp/bugger");
    } catch (IOException ioe) {
        // not good
    }
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
allowCommentedBlocks false Empty blocks containing comments will be skipped no
allowExceptionNameRegex ^(ignored|expected)$ Empty blocks catching exceptions with names matching this regular expression will be skipped no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyCatchBlock" />

EmptyFinalizer

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty finalize methods serve no purpose and should be removed. Note that Oracle has declared Object.finalize() as deprecated since JDK 9.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[MethodDeclarator[@Image='finalize'][not(FormalParameters/*)]]
  /Block[count(*)=0]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
   protected void finalize() {}
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyFinalizer" />

EmptyFinallyBlock

Since: PMD 0.4

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty finally blocks serve no purpose and should be removed.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//FinallyStatement[count(Block/BlockStatement) = 0]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    public void bar() {
        try {
            int x=2;
        } finally {
            // empty!
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyFinallyBlock" />

EmptyIfStmt

Since: PMD 0.1

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty If Statement finds instances where a condition is checked but nothing is done about it.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//IfStatement/Statement
 [EmptyStatement or Block[count(*) = 0]]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
 void bar(int x) {
  if (x == 0) {
   // empty!
  }
 }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyIfStmt" />

EmptyInitializer

Since: PMD 5.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty initializers serve no purpose and should be removed.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//Initializer/Block[count(*)=0]

Example(s):

public class Foo {

   static {} // Why ?

   {} // Again, why ?

}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyInitializer" />

EmptyStatementBlock

Since: PMD 5.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty block statements serve no purpose and should be removed.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//BlockStatement/Statement/Block[count(*) = 0]

Example(s):

public class Foo {

   private int _bar;

   public void setBar(int bar) {
      { _bar = bar; } // Why not?
      {} // But remove this.
   }

}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyStatementBlock" />

EmptyStatementNotInLoop

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

An empty statement (or a semicolon by itself) that is not used as the sole body of a ‘for’ or ‘while’ loop is probably a bug. It could also be a double semicolon, which has no purpose and should be removed.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//EmptyStatement
 [not(
       ../../../ForStatement
       or ../../../WhileStatement
       or ../../../BlockStatement/ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration
       or ../../../../../../ForStatement/Statement[1]
        /Block[1]/BlockStatement[1]/Statement/EmptyStatement
       or ../../../../../../WhileStatement/Statement[1]
        /Block[1]/BlockStatement[1]/Statement/EmptyStatement)
 ]

Example(s):

public void doit() {
      // this is probably not what you meant to do
      ;
      // the extra semicolon here this is not necessary
      System.out.println("look at the extra semicolon");;
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyStatementNotInLoop" />

EmptySwitchStatements

Since: PMD 1.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty switch statements serve no purpose and should be removed.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//SwitchStatement[count(*) = 1]

Example(s):

public void bar() {
    int x = 2;
    switch (x) {
        // once there was code here
        // but it's been commented out or something
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptySwitchStatements" />

EmptySynchronizedBlock

Since: PMD 1.3

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty synchronized blocks serve no purpose and should be removed.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//SynchronizedStatement/Block[1][count(*) = 0]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    public void bar() {
        synchronized (this) {
            // empty!
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptySynchronizedBlock" />

EmptyTryBlock

Since: PMD 0.4

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid empty try blocks - what’s the point?

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//TryStatement[not(ResourceSpecification)]/Block[1][count(*) = 0]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    public void bar() {
        try {
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyTryBlock" />

EmptyWhileStmt

Since: PMD 0.2

Priority: Medium (3)

Empty While Statement finds all instances where a while statement does nothing.
If it is a timing loop, then you should use Thread.sleep() for it; if it is a while loop that does a lot in the exit expression, rewrite it to make it clearer.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//WhileStatement/Statement[./Block[count(*) = 0]  or ./EmptyStatement]

Example(s):

void bar(int a, int b) {
    while (a == b) {
        // empty!
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EmptyWhileStmt" />

EqualsNull

Since: PMD 1.9

Priority: High (1)

Tests for null should not use the equals() method. The ‘==’ operator should be used instead.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//PrimaryExpression
  [
    PrimaryPrefix[Name[ends-with(@Image, 'equals')]]
      [following-sibling::node()/Arguments/ArgumentList[count(Expression)=1]
          /Expression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/NullLiteral]

    or

    PrimarySuffix[ends-with(@Image, 'equals')]
      [following-sibling::node()/Arguments/ArgumentList[count(Expression)=1]
          /Expression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/NullLiteral]

  ]

Example(s):

String x = "foo";

if (x.equals(null)) {   // bad form
    doSomething();
}

if (x == null) {        // preferred
    doSomething();
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/EqualsNull" />

FinalizeDoesNotCallSuperFinalize

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

If the finalize() is implemented, its last action should be to call super.finalize. Note that Oracle has declared Object.finalize() as deprecated since JDK 9.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[MethodDeclarator[@Image='finalize'][not(FormalParameters/*)]]
   /Block
      /BlockStatement[last()]
      [not(Statement/StatementExpression/PrimaryExpression
            [./PrimaryPrefix[@SuperModifier='true']]
            [./PrimarySuffix[@Image='finalize']]
          )
      ]
      [not(Statement/TryStatement/FinallyStatement
       /Block/BlockStatement/Statement/StatementExpression/PrimaryExpression
            [./PrimaryPrefix[@SuperModifier='true']]
            [./PrimarySuffix[@Image='finalize']]
          )
      ]

Example(s):

protected void finalize() {
    something();
    // neglected to call super.finalize()
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/FinalizeDoesNotCallSuperFinalize" />

FinalizeOnlyCallsSuperFinalize

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

If the finalize() is implemented, it should do something besides just calling super.finalize(). Note that Oracle has declared Object.finalize() as deprecated since JDK 9.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[MethodDeclarator[@Image="finalize"][not(FormalParameters/*)]]
   /Block[count(BlockStatement)=1]
     /BlockStatement[
       Statement/StatementExpression/PrimaryExpression
       [./PrimaryPrefix[@SuperModifier='true']]
       [./PrimarySuffix[@Image='finalize']]
     ]

Example(s):

protected void finalize() {
    super.finalize();
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/FinalizeOnlyCallsSuperFinalize" />

FinalizeOverloaded

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

Methods named finalize() should not have parameters. It is confusing and most likely an attempt to overload Object.finalize(). It will not be called by the VM.

Note that Oracle has declared Object.finalize() as deprecated since JDK 9.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration
 /MethodDeclarator[@Image='finalize'][FormalParameters[count(*)>0]]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    // this is confusing and probably a bug
    protected void finalize(int a) {
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/FinalizeOverloaded" />

FinalizeShouldBeProtected

Since: PMD 1.1

Priority: Medium (3)

When overriding the finalize(), the new method should be set as protected. If made public, other classes may invoke it at inappropriate times.

Note that Oracle has declared Object.finalize() as deprecated since JDK 9.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[@Protected="false"]
  /MethodDeclarator[@Image="finalize"]
  [not(FormalParameters/*)]

Example(s):

public void finalize() {
    // do something
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/FinalizeShouldBeProtected" />

IdempotentOperations

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid idempotent operations - they have no effect.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.IdempotentOperationsRule

Example(s):

public class Foo {
 public void bar() {
  int x = 2;
  x = x;
 }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/IdempotentOperations" />

ImportFromSamePackage

Since: PMD 1.02

Priority: Medium (3)

There is no need to import a type that lives in the same package.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.ImportFromSamePackageRule

Example(s):

package foo;

import foo.Buz;     // no need for this
import foo.*;       // or this

public class Bar{}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ImportFromSamePackage" />

InstantiationToGetClass

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium Low (4)

Avoid instantiating an object just to call getClass() on it; use the .class public member instead.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//PrimarySuffix
 [@Image='getClass']
 [parent::PrimaryExpression
  [PrimaryPrefix/AllocationExpression]
  [count(PrimarySuffix) = 2]
 ]

Example(s):

// replace this
Class c = new String().getClass();

// with this:
Class c = String.class;

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/InstantiationToGetClass" />

InvalidSlf4jMessageFormat

Since: PMD 5.5.0

Priority: Low (5)

Check for messages in slf4j loggers with non matching number of arguments and placeholders.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.InvalidSlf4jMessageFormatRule

Example(s):

LOGGER.error("forget the arg {}");
LOGGER.error("too many args {}", "arg1", "arg2");
LOGGER.error("param {}", "arg1", new IllegalStateException("arg")); //The exception is shown separately, so is correct.

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/InvalidSlf4jMessageFormat" />

JumbledIncrementer

Since: PMD 1.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid jumbled loop incrementers - its usually a mistake, and is confusing even if intentional.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ForStatement
  [
    ForUpdate/StatementExpressionList/StatementExpression/PostfixExpression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name/@Image
    =
    ancestor::ForStatement/ForInit//VariableDeclaratorId/@Image
  ]

Example(s):

public class JumbledIncrementerRule1 {
    public void foo() {
        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {          // only references 'i'
            for (int k = 0; k < 20; i++) {      // references both 'i' and 'k'
                System.out.println("Hello");
            }
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/JumbledIncrementer" />

JUnitSpelling

Since: PMD 1.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Some JUnit framework methods are easy to misspell.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclarator[(not(@Image = 'setUp')
 and translate(@Image, 'SETuP', 'setUp') = 'setUp')
 or (not(@Image = 'tearDown')
 and translate(@Image, 'TEARdOWN', 'tearDown') = 'tearDown')]
 [FormalParameters[count(*) = 0]]
[ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[//ClassOrInterfaceType[pmd-java:typeof(@Image, 'junit.framework.TestCase','TestCase')] or //MarkerAnnotation/Name[pmd-java:typeof(@Image, 'org.junit.Test', 'Test')]]]

Example(s):

import junit.framework.*;

public class Foo extends TestCase {
    public void setup() {}    // oops, should be setUp
    public void TearDown() {} // oops, should be tearDown
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/JUnitSpelling" />

JUnitStaticSuite

Since: PMD 1.0

Priority: Medium (3)

The suite() method in a JUnit test needs to be both public and static.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration[not(@Static='true') or not(@Public='true')]
[MethodDeclarator/@Image='suite']
[MethodDeclarator/FormalParameters/@ParameterCount=0]
[ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[//ClassOrInterfaceType[pmd-java:typeof(@Image, 'junit.framework.TestCase','TestCase')] or //MarkerAnnotation/Name[pmd-java:typeof(@Image, 'org.junit.Test', 'Test')]]]

Example(s):

import junit.framework.*;

public class Foo extends TestCase {
    public void suite() {}         // oops, should be static
    private static void suite() {} // oops, should be public
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/JUnitStaticSuite" />

LoggerIsNotStaticFinal

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium High (2)

In most cases, the Logger reference can be declared as static and final.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//VariableDeclarator
 [parent::FieldDeclaration]
 [../Type/ReferenceType
  /ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='Logger']
   and
  (..[@Final='false'] or ..[@Static = 'false'] ) ]

Example(s):

public class Foo{
    Logger log = Logger.getLogger(Foo.class.getName());                 // not recommended

    static final Logger log = Logger.getLogger(Foo.class.getName());    // preferred approach
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/LoggerIsNotStaticFinal" />

MethodWithSameNameAsEnclosingClass

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

Non-constructor methods should not have the same name as the enclosing class.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.MethodWithSameNameAsEnclosingClassRule

Example(s):

public class MyClass {

    public MyClass() {}         // this is OK because it is a constructor

    public void MyClass() {}    // this is bad because it is a method
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/MethodWithSameNameAsEnclosingClass" />

MisplacedNullCheck

Since: PMD 3.5

Priority: Medium (3)

The null check here is misplaced. If the variable is null a NullPointerException will be thrown. Either the check is useless (the variable will never be “null”) or it is incorrect.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//Expression
    /*[self::ConditionalOrExpression or self::ConditionalAndExpression]
    /descendant::PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix
    /Name[starts-with(@Image,
        concat(ancestor::PrimaryExpression/following-sibling::EqualityExpression
            [./PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/NullLiteral]
            /PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix
            /Name[count(../../PrimarySuffix)=0]/@Image,".")
        )
     ]
     [count(ancestor::ConditionalAndExpression/EqualityExpression
            [@Image='!=']
            [./PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/NullLiteral]
            [starts-with(following-sibling::*/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name/@Image,
                concat(./PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name/@Image, '.'))]
      ) = 0
     ]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    void bar() {
        if (a.equals(baz) && a != null) {}
        }
}

public class Foo {
    void bar() {
        if (a.equals(baz) || a == null) {}
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/MisplacedNullCheck" />

MissingBreakInSwitch

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Switch statements without break or return statements for each case option may indicate problematic behaviour. Empty cases are ignored as these indicate an intentional fall-through.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//SwitchStatement
[(count(.//BreakStatement)
 + count(BlockStatement//Statement/ReturnStatement)
 + count(BlockStatement//Statement/ContinueStatement)
 + count(BlockStatement//Statement/ThrowStatement)
 + count(BlockStatement//Statement/IfStatement[@Else='true' and Statement[2][ReturnStatement|ContinueStatement|ThrowStatement]]/Statement[1][ReturnStatement|ContinueStatement|ThrowStatement])
 + count(SwitchLabel[name(following-sibling::node()) = 'SwitchLabel'])
 + count(SwitchLabel[count(following-sibling::node()) = 0])
  < count (SwitchLabel))]

Example(s):

public void bar(int status) {
    switch(status) {
      case CANCELLED:
        doCancelled();
        // break; hm, should this be commented out?
      case NEW:
        doNew();
        // is this really a fall-through?
      case REMOVED:
        doRemoved();
        // what happens if you add another case after this one?
      case OTHER: // empty case - this is interpreted as an intentional fall-through
      case ERROR:
        doErrorHandling();
        break;
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/MissingBreakInSwitch" />

MissingSerialVersionUID

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Serializable classes should provide a serialVersionUID field.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration
 [
  count(ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration
   /FieldDeclaration/VariableDeclarator/VariableDeclaratorId[@Image='serialVersionUID']) = 0
and
  count(ImplementsList
   [ClassOrInterfaceType/@Image='Serializable'
   or ClassOrInterfaceType/@Image='java.io.Serializable']) =1
and
   @Abstract = 'false'
]

Example(s):

public class Foo implements java.io.Serializable {
    String name;
    // Define serialization id to avoid serialization related bugs
    // i.e., public static final long serialVersionUID = 4328743;
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/MissingSerialVersionUID" />

MissingStaticMethodInNonInstantiatableClass

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

A class that has private constructors and does not have any static methods or fields cannot be used.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[@Nested='false']
[
  (
    ./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/ConstructorDeclaration
    and
    count(./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/ConstructorDeclaration) = count(./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/ConstructorDeclaration[@Private='true'])
  )
  and
  not(.//MethodDeclaration[@Static='true'])
  and
  not(.//FieldDeclaration[@Private='false'][@Static='true'])
  and
  not(.//ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[@Nested='true']
           [@Public='true']
           [@Static='true']
           [not(./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/ConstructorDeclaration) or ./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/ConstructorDeclaration[@Public='true']]
           [./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/MethodDeclaration
                [@Public='true']
                [./ResultType/Type/ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType
                    [@Image = //ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[@Nested='false']/@Image]
                ]
            ]
        )
]

Example(s):

// This class is unusable, since it cannot be
// instantiated (private constructor),
// and no static method can be called.

public class Foo {
  private Foo() {}
  void foo() {}
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/MissingStaticMethodInNonInstantiatableClass" />

MoreThanOneLogger

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium High (2)

Normally only one logger is used in each class.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.MoreThanOneLoggerRule

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    Logger log = Logger.getLogger(Foo.class.getName());
    // It is very rare to see two loggers on a class, normally
    // log information is multiplexed by levels
    Logger log2= Logger.getLogger(Foo.class.getName());
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/MoreThanOneLogger" />

NonCaseLabelInSwitchStatement

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

A non-case label (e.g. a named break/continue label) was present in a switch statement. This legal, but confusing. It is easy to mix up the case labels and the non-case labels.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//SwitchStatement//BlockStatement/Statement/LabeledStatement

Example(s):

public class Foo {
  void bar(int a) {
   switch (a) {
     case 1:
       // do something
       break;
     mylabel: // this is legal, but confusing!
       break;
     default:
       break;
    }
  }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/NonCaseLabelInSwitchStatement" />

NonStaticInitializer

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

A non-static initializer block will be called any time a constructor is invoked (just prior to invoking the constructor). While this is a valid language construct, it is rarely used and is confusing.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//Initializer[@Static='false']

Example(s):

public class MyClass {
  // this block gets run before any call to a constructor
  {
    System.out.println("I am about to construct myself");
  }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/NonStaticInitializer" />

NullAssignment

Since: PMD 1.02

Priority: Medium (3)

Assigning a “null” to a variable (outside of its declaration) is usually bad form. Sometimes, this type of assignment is an indication that the programmer doesn’t completely understand what is going on in the code.

NOTE: This sort of assignment may used in some cases to dereference objects and encourage garbage collection.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.NullAssignmentRule

Example(s):

public void bar() {
  Object x = null; // this is OK
  x = new Object();
     // big, complex piece of code here
  x = null; // this is not required
     // big, complex piece of code here
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/NullAssignment" />

OverrideBothEqualsAndHashcode

Since: PMD 0.4

Priority: Medium (3)

Override both public boolean Object.equals(Object other), and public int Object.hashCode(), or override neither. Even if you are inheriting a hashCode() from a parent class, consider implementing hashCode and explicitly delegating to your superclass.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.OverrideBothEqualsAndHashcodeRule

Example(s):

public class Bar {        // poor, missing a hashcode() method
    public boolean equals(Object o) {
      // do some comparison
    }
}

public class Baz {        // poor, missing an equals() method
    public int hashCode() {
      // return some hash value
    }
}

public class Foo {        // perfect, both methods provided
    public boolean equals(Object other) {
      // do some comparison
    }
    public int hashCode() {
      // return some hash value
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/OverrideBothEqualsAndHashcode" />

ProperCloneImplementation

Since: PMD 1.4

Priority: Medium High (2)

Object clone() should be implemented with super.clone().

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclarator
[@Image = 'clone']
[count(FormalParameters/*) = 0]
[count(../Block//*[
    (self::AllocationExpression) and
    (./ClassOrInterfaceType/@Image = ancestor::
ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[1]/@Image)
  ])> 0
]

Example(s):

class Foo{
    public Object clone(){
        return new Foo(); // This is bad
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ProperCloneImplementation" />

ProperLogger

Since: PMD 3.3

Priority: Medium (3)

A logger should normally be defined private static final and be associated with the correct class. Private final Log log; is also allowed for rare cases where loggers need to be passed around, with the restriction that the logger needs to be passed into the constructor.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration[FieldDeclaration//ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='Log']
 and
 not(FieldDeclaration[@Final='true'][@Static='true'][@Private='true'][.//VariableDeclaratorId[@Image=$staticLoggerName]]
 and
 //ArgumentList//ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image = ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration/@Image or @Image = ancestor::EnumDeclaration/@Image])
 and
 not(FieldDeclaration[@Final='true'][@Private='true'][.//VariableDeclaratorId[@Image='log']]
 [count(.//VariableInitializer)=0]
 [ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceBody//StatementExpression[.//PrimaryExpression/descendant::*[@Image='log']][count(.//AllocationExpression)=0]]
 )]

Example(s):

public class Foo {

    private static final Log LOG = LogFactory.getLog(Foo.class);    // proper way

    protected Log LOG = LogFactory.getLog(Testclass.class);         // wrong approach
}

This rule has the following properties:

Name Default Value Description Multivalued
staticLoggerName LOG Name of the static Logger variable no

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ProperLogger" />

ReturnEmptyArrayRatherThanNull

Since: PMD 4.2

Priority: High (1)

For any method that returns an array, it is a better to return an empty array rather than a null reference. This removes the need for null checking all results and avoids inadvertent NullPointerExceptions.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclaration
[
(./ResultType/Type[@Array='true'])
and
(./Block/BlockStatement/Statement/ReturnStatement/Expression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/NullLiteral)
]

Example(s):

public class Example {
    // Not a good idea...
    public int[] badBehavior() {
        // ...
        return null;
    }

    // Good behavior
    public String[] bonnePratique() {
        //...
        return new String[0];
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ReturnEmptyArrayRatherThanNull" />

ReturnFromFinallyBlock

Since: PMD 1.05

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid returning from a finally block, this can discard exceptions.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//FinallyStatement//ReturnStatement

Example(s):

public class Bar {
    public String foo() {
        try {
            throw new Exception( "My Exception" );
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw e;
        } finally {
            return "A. O. K."; // return not recommended here
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/ReturnFromFinallyBlock" />

SimpleDateFormatNeedsLocale

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Be sure to specify a Locale when creating SimpleDateFormat instances to ensure that locale-appropriate formatting is used.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//AllocationExpression
 [ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='SimpleDateFormat']]
 [Arguments[@ArgumentCount=1]]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
  // Should specify Locale.US (or whatever)
  private SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat("pattern");
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/SimpleDateFormatNeedsLocale" />

SingleMethodSingleton

Since: PMD 5.4

Priority: Medium High (2)

Some classes contain overloaded getInstance. The problem with overloaded getInstance methods is that the instance created using the overloaded method is not cached and so, for each call and new objects will be created for every invocation.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.SingleMethodSingletonRule

Example(s):

public class Singleton {

    private static Singleton singleton = new Singleton( );

    private Singleton(){ }

    public static Singleton getInstance( ) {
        return singleton;
    }

    public static Singleton getInstance(Object obj){
        Singleton singleton = (Singleton) obj;
        return singleton;           //violation
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/SingleMethodSingleton" />

SingletonClassReturningNewInstance

Since: PMD 5.4

Priority: Medium High (2)

Some classes contain overloaded getInstance. The problem with overloaded getInstance methods is that the instance created using the overloaded method is not cached and so, for each call and new objects will be created for every invocation.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.SingletonClassReturningNewInstanceRule

Example(s):

class Singleton {
    private static Singleton instance = null;
    public static Singleton getInstance() {
        synchronized(Singleton.class) {
            return new Singleton();
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/SingletonClassReturningNewInstance" />

StaticEJBFieldShouldBeFinal

Since: PMD 4.1

Priority: Medium (3)

According to the J2EE specification, an EJB should not have any static fields with write access. However, static read-only fields are allowed. This ensures proper behavior especially when instances are distributed by the container on several JREs.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[
    (
    (./ImplementsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[ends-with(@Image,'SessionBean')])
    or
    (./ImplementsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[ends-with(@Image,'EJBHome')])
    or
    (./ImplementsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[ends-with(@Image,'EJBLocalObject')])
    or
    (./ImplementsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[ends-with(@Image,'EJBLocalHome')])
    or
    (./ExtendsList/ClassOrInterfaceType[ends-with(@Image,'EJBObject')])
    )
    and
    (./ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration[
         (./FieldDeclaration[@Static = 'true'])
         and
         (./FieldDeclaration[@Final = 'false'])
    ])
]

Example(s):

public class SomeEJB extends EJBObject implements EJBLocalHome {

    private static int CountA;          // poor, field can be edited

    private static final int CountB;    // preferred, read-only access
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/StaticEJBFieldShouldBeFinal" />

StringBufferInstantiationWithChar

Since: PMD 3.9

Priority: Medium Low (4)

Individual character values provided as initialization arguments will be converted into integers. This can lead to internal buffer sizes that are larger than expected. Some examples:

new StringBuffer()      //  16
new StringBuffer(6)     //  6
new StringBuffer("hello world")  // 11 + 16 = 27
new StringBuffer('A')   //  chr(A) = 65
new StringBuffer("A")   //  1 + 16 = 17 

new StringBuilder()     //  16
new StringBuilder(6)    //  6
new StringBuilder("hello world")  // 11 + 16 = 27
new StringBuilder('C')   //  chr(C) = 67
new StringBuilder("A")   //  1 + 16 = 17

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//AllocationExpression/ClassOrInterfaceType
[@Image='StringBuffer' or @Image='StringBuilder']
/../Arguments/ArgumentList/Expression/PrimaryExpression
/PrimaryPrefix/
Literal
  [starts-with(@Image, "'")]
  [ends-with(@Image, "'")]

Example(s):

// misleading instantiation, these buffers
// are actually sized to 99 characters long
StringBuffer  sb1 = new StringBuffer('c');
StringBuilder sb2 = new StringBuilder('c');

// in these forms, just single characters are allocated
StringBuffer  sb3 = new StringBuffer("c");
StringBuilder sb4 = new StringBuilder("c");

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/StringBufferInstantiationWithChar" />

SuspiciousEqualsMethodName

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium High (2)

The method name and parameter number are suspiciously close to equals(Object), which can denote an intention to override the equals(Object) method.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//MethodDeclarator[@Image = 'equals']
[   
    (count(FormalParameters/*) = 1
    and not (FormalParameters/FormalParameter/Type/ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType
        [@Image = 'Object' or @Image = 'java.lang.Object'])
    or not (../ResultType/Type/PrimitiveType[@Image = 'boolean'])
    )  or  (
    count(FormalParameters/*) = 2
    and ../ResultType/Type/PrimitiveType[@Image = 'boolean']
    and FormalParameters//ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image = 'Object' or @Image = 'java.lang.Object']
    and not(../../Annotation/MarkerAnnotation/Name[@Image='Override'])
    )
]
| //MethodDeclarator[@Image = 'equal']
[
    count(FormalParameters/*) = 1
    and FormalParameters/FormalParameter/Type/ReferenceType/ClassOrInterfaceType
        [@Image = 'Object' or @Image = 'java.lang.Object']
]

Example(s):

public class Foo {
   public int equals(Object o) {
     // oops, this probably was supposed to be boolean equals
   }
   public boolean equals(String s) {
     // oops, this probably was supposed to be equals(Object)
   }
   public boolean equals(Object o1, Object o2) {
     // oops, this probably was supposed to be equals(Object)
   }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/SuspiciousEqualsMethodName" />

SuspiciousHashcodeMethodName

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

The method name and return type are suspiciously close to hashCode(), which may denote an intention to override the hashCode() method.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.SuspiciousHashcodeMethodNameRule

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    public int hashcode() { // oops, this probably was supposed to be 'hashCode'
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/SuspiciousHashcodeMethodName" />

SuspiciousOctalEscape

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

A suspicious octal escape sequence was found inside a String literal. The Java language specification (section 3.10.6) says an octal escape sequence inside a literal String shall consist of a backslash followed by:

OctalDigit | OctalDigit OctalDigit | ZeroToThree OctalDigit OctalDigit

Any octal escape sequence followed by non-octal digits can be confusing, e.g. “\038” is interpreted as the octal escape sequence “\03” followed by the literal character “8”.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.SuspiciousOctalEscapeRule

Example(s):

public void foo() {
  // interpreted as octal 12, followed by character '8'
  System.out.println("suspicious: \128");
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/SuspiciousOctalEscape" />

TestClassWithoutTestCases

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

Test classes end with the suffix Test. Having a non-test class with that name is not a good practice, since most people will assume it is a test case. Test classes have test methods named testXXX.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.TestClassWithoutTestCasesRule

Example(s):

//Consider changing the name of the class if it is not a test
//Consider adding test methods if it is a test
public class CarTest {
   public static void main(String[] args) {
    // do something
   }
   // code
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/TestClassWithoutTestCases" />

UnconditionalIfStatement

Since: PMD 1.5

Priority: Medium (3)

Do not use “if” statements whose conditionals are always true or always false.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//IfStatement/Expression
 [count(PrimaryExpression)=1]
 /PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/BooleanLiteral

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    public void close() {
        if (true) {        // fixed conditional, not recommended
            // ...
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UnconditionalIfStatement" />

UnnecessaryBooleanAssertion

Since: PMD 3.0

Priority: Medium (3)

A JUnit test assertion with a boolean literal is unnecessary since it always will evaluate to the same thing. Consider using flow control (in case of assertTrue(false) or similar) or simply removing statements like assertTrue(true) and assertFalse(false). If you just want a test to halt after finding an error, use the fail() method and provide an indication message of why it did.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//StatementExpression
[
PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name[@Image='assertTrue' or  @Image='assertFalse']
and
PrimaryExpression/PrimarySuffix/Arguments/ArgumentList/Expression
[PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/BooleanLiteral
or
UnaryExpressionNotPlusMinus[@Image='!']
/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix[Literal/BooleanLiteral or Name[count(../../*)=1]]]
]
[ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration[//ClassOrInterfaceType[pmd-java:typeof(@Image, 'junit.framework.TestCase','TestCase')] or //MarkerAnnotation/Name[pmd-java:typeof(@Image, 'org.junit.Test', 'Test')]]]

Example(s):

public class SimpleTest extends TestCase {
    public void testX() {
        assertTrue(true);       // serves no real purpose
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UnnecessaryBooleanAssertion" />

UnnecessaryCaseChange

Since: PMD 3.3

Priority: Medium (3)

Using equalsIgnoreCase() is faster than using toUpperCase/toLowerCase().equals()

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.UnnecessaryCaseChangeRule

Example(s):

boolean answer1 = buz.toUpperCase().equals("baz");              // should be buz.equalsIgnoreCase("baz")

boolean answer2 = buz.toUpperCase().equalsIgnoreCase("baz");    // another unnecessary toUpperCase()

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UnnecessaryCaseChange" />

UnnecessaryConversionTemporary

Since: PMD 0.1

Priority: Medium (3)

Avoid the use temporary objects when converting primitives to Strings. Use the static conversion methods on the wrapper classes instead.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.UnnecessaryConversionTemporaryRule

Example(s):

public String convert(int x) {
    String foo = new Integer(x).toString(); // this wastes an object

    return Integer.toString(x);             // preferred approach
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UnnecessaryConversionTemporary" />

UnusedNullCheckInEquals

Since: PMD 3.5

Priority: Medium (3)

After checking an object reference for null, you should invoke equals() on that object rather than passing it to another object’s equals() method.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

(//PrimaryPrefix[ends-with(Name/@Image, '.equals') and Name/@Image != 'Arrays.equals'] | //PrimarySuffix[@Image='equals' and not(../PrimaryPrefix/Literal)])
 /following-sibling::PrimarySuffix/Arguments/ArgumentList/Expression
 /PrimaryExpression[count(PrimarySuffix)=0]/PrimaryPrefix
 /Name[@Image = ./../../../../../../../../../../Expression/ConditionalAndExpression
 /EqualityExpression[@Image="!=" and count(./preceding-sibling::*)=0 and
 ./PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Literal/NullLiteral]
  /PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name/@Image]

Example(s):

public class Test {

    public String method1() { return "ok";}
    public String method2() { return null;}

    public void method(String a) {
        String b;
        // I don't know it method1() can be "null"
        // but I know "a" is not null..
        // I'd better write a.equals(method1())

        if (a!=null && method1().equals(a)) { // will trigger the rule
            //whatever
        }

        if (method1().equals(a) && a != null) { // won't trigger the rule
            //whatever
        }

        if (a!=null && method1().equals(b)) { // won't trigger the rule
            //whatever
        }

        if (a!=null && "LITERAL".equals(a)) { // won't trigger the rule
            //whatever
        }

        if (a!=null && !a.equals("go")) { // won't trigger the rule
            a=method2();
            if (method1().equals(a)) {
                //whatever
            }
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UnusedNullCheckInEquals" />

UseCorrectExceptionLogging

Since: PMD 3.2

Priority: Medium (3)

To make sure the full stacktrace is printed out, use the logging statement with two arguments: a String and a Throwable.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//CatchStatement/Block/BlockStatement/Statement/StatementExpression
/PrimaryExpression[PrimaryPrefix/Name[starts-with(@Image,
concat(ancestor::ClassOrInterfaceDeclaration/ClassOrInterfaceBody/ClassOrInterfaceBodyDeclaration/FieldDeclaration
[Type//ClassOrInterfaceType[@Image='Log']]
/VariableDeclarator/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image, '.'))]]
[PrimarySuffix/Arguments[@ArgumentCount='1']]
[PrimarySuffix/Arguments//Name/@Image = ancestor::CatchStatement/FormalParameter/VariableDeclaratorId/@Image]

Example(s):

public class Main {
    private static final Log _LOG = LogFactory.getLog( Main.class );
    void bar() {
        try {
        } catch( Exception e ) {
            _LOG.error( e ); //Wrong!
        } catch( OtherException oe ) {
            _LOG.error( oe.getMessage(), oe ); //Correct
        }
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UseCorrectExceptionLogging" />

UseEqualsToCompareStrings

Since: PMD 4.1

Priority: Medium (3)

Using ‘==’ or ‘!=’ to compare strings only works if intern version is used on both sides. Use the equals() method instead.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//EqualityExpression/PrimaryExpression
[(PrimaryPrefix/Literal
   [starts-with(@Image, '"')]
   [ends-with(@Image, '"')]
and count(PrimarySuffix) = 0)]

Example(s):

public boolean test(String s) {
    if (s == "one") return true;        // unreliable
    if ("two".equals(s)) return true;   // better
    return false;
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UseEqualsToCompareStrings" />

UselessOperationOnImmutable

Since: PMD 3.5

Priority: Medium (3)

An operation on an Immutable object (String, BigDecimal or BigInteger) won’t change the object itself since the result of the operation is a new object. Therefore, ignoring the operation result is an error.

This rule is defined by the following Java class: net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.java.rule.errorprone.UselessOperationOnImmutableRule

Example(s):

import java.math.*;

class Test {
    void method1() {
        BigDecimal bd=new BigDecimal(10);
        bd.add(new BigDecimal(5));      // this will trigger the rule
    }
    void method2() {
        BigDecimal bd=new BigDecimal(10);
        bd = bd.add(new BigDecimal(5)); // this won't trigger the rule
    }
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UselessOperationOnImmutable" />

UseLocaleWithCaseConversions

Since: PMD 2.0

Priority: Medium (3)

When doing String.toLowerCase()/toUpperCase() conversions, use Locales to avoids problems with languages that have unusual conventions, i.e. Turkish.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//PrimaryExpression
[
PrimaryPrefix
[Name[ends-with(@Image, 'toLowerCase') or ends-with(@Image, 'toUpperCase')]]
[following-sibling::PrimarySuffix[position() = 1]/Arguments[@ArgumentCount=0]]

or

PrimarySuffix
[ends-with(@Image, 'toLowerCase') or ends-with(@Image, 'toUpperCase')]
[following-sibling::PrimarySuffix[position() = 1]/Arguments[@ArgumentCount=0]]
]
[not(PrimaryPrefix/Name[ends-with(@Image, 'toHexString')])]

Example(s):

class Foo {
    // BAD
    if (x.toLowerCase().equals("list")) { }

    /*
     * This will not match "LIST" when in Turkish locale
     * The above could be
     * if (x.toLowerCase(Locale.US).equals("list")) { }
     * or simply
     * if (x.equalsIgnoreCase("list")) { }
     */
    // GOOD
    String z = a.toLowerCase(Locale.EN);
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UseLocaleWithCaseConversions" />

UseProperClassLoader

Since: PMD 3.7

Priority: Medium (3)

In J2EE, the getClassLoader() method might not work as expected. Use Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader() instead.

This rule is defined by the following XPath expression:

//PrimarySuffix[@Image='getClassLoader']

Example(s):

public class Foo {
    ClassLoader cl = Bar.class.getClassLoader();
}

Use this rule by referencing it:

<rule ref="category/java/errorprone.xml/UseProperClassLoader" />