[BEANUTILS-53] BeanComparator should handle null property values (?)

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: Nightly Builds

Environment

Operating System: other
Platform: Other

• Bugzilla Id: 18791
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Tim O'Brien
• Created: 08/Apr/03 10:01
• Updated: 25/Mar/08 08:07
• Resolved: 25/Mar/08 08:07

Description

Assume a "Person" with 3 string properties age, name, hairColor. We've got
three people, Bob, Jane, and John - John happens to be bald, and his hairColor
property is "null". Trying to sort a collection of Person beans by hairColor
with a null entry throws a ClassCastException from ComparableComparator.

" java.lang.ClassCastException: There were nulls in the arguments for this
method: compare(hawkeye, null)' "

One should be able to sort a collection of beans on a property which contains
null values. The question that remains is whether the comparing with a null
should return a 1 or a -1 (do you want your nulls in the beginning or at the
end?). I'd assume at the end as the default behaviour - maybe add a property
to allow people to customize this.