Assertions

Introduction

• Assertions allow the testing of assumptions about a program.
• Using assertions allow easy detection of bugs during development without writing exception handlers etc.
• We "assert" that something will be true at some point in the code. If it is, code keeps running, if it is false, an AssertionError will be thrown.

Example:

//Without assertions

private static void processAge1(int age) {
		if(age > 0) {
			System.out.println("Processing age ...");
		} else {
			System.out.println("Age < 0 !");
		}
	}

//With assertions
	
private static void processAge2(int age) {
		assert age > 0;
		System.out.println("Processing age ...");
}

• Second version of assert takes a second expression which must return a value (primtive/object). The return value can be anything.
• This object's string value is added to the assertion error stack trace.

private static void processAge2(int age) {
	assert age > 0 : errorCode();
	System.out.println("Processing age ...");
}
	
private static List<String> errorCode() {
	return Arrays.asList("oops");
}

Compiling with assertions

• Assertions were introduced as a keyword in java 1.4.
• Using the source flag - 1.4 onwards trying to use assert as an identifier will result in a compile failure.
• Trying to use -source 1.3 with assert as an identifier will produce warnings and compilation will fail with assert as a keyword.

Running with assertions

• Assertions are disabled by default.
• To enable use the -ea flag.
• To disable use the -da flag. This is useful to disable assertions for specific classes/packages.

Examples:

• java -ea -da:net.suhrid.Foo //Enable for all exception of the net.suhrid.Foo class (NOTE THE ':')
• java -ea:net.suhrid.Bar //Enable only for the net.suhrid.Bar class
• java -ea -da:net.suhrid.util... //Disable assertions for the net.suhrid.util and all packages below it in the hierarchy.
• -esa enables assertions in system classes (java.lang). This has to be specifically used, with only -ea systemassertions will still be disabled.
• -dsa disables system assertions
• For packages the ... notation has to be used.

Correctly using Assertions

• Use assertions to validate arguments to a private method.
• But not to a public one! Use IllegalArgumentException instead. This is because assertions are optional, so it may or may not work.
• Similarly dont use assertions to validate command line arguments.
• Can use assertions in public methods to check for cases that are never supposed to happen. e.g. if we know a switch default must never be reached.
• Don't use asserts that causes values of variables to change - side effects!