== Why is this an issue?

Returning ``++null++`` when something goes wrong instead of throwing an exception leaves callers with no understanding of what went wrong. Instead, an exception should be thrown.


=== Noncompliant code example

[source,java]
----
public MyClass readFile(String fileName) {
  MyClass mc;
  try {
    // read object from file
  } catch (IOException e) {
    // do cleanup
    return null;  // Noncompliant; why did this fail?
  }
  return mc;
}
----


=== Compliant solution

[source,java]
----
public MyClass readFile(String fileName) throws IOException{
  MyClass mc;
  try {
    // read object from file
  } catch (IOException e) {
    // do cleanup
    throw e;
  }
  return mc;
}
----


ifdef::env-github,rspecator-view[]

'''
== Implementation Specification
(visible only on this page)

=== Message

Throw an exception instead of returning null


=== Highlighting

primary: return statement


'''
== Comments And Links
(visible only on this page)

=== on 14 Dec 2015, 09:39:28 Nicolas Peru wrote:
LGTM but I lack a reference or source for this rule.

endif::env-github,rspecator-view[]