Should Java String method (local) variables be initialized to null or “”?

Question

What is the best practice for initializing a String method (local) variable to avoid the \"Variable might not have been initialized\" error in Java?

String s=null; or St

Answer 1

It all depends on what you want your program to do. Sometimes it can be useful to see whether a string has been set already or not at which null would be best. Other times you want to prevent NullPointers which makes "" better.