java.lang.NullPointerException while referencing string variable in code

Question

I\'m trying to reference a few strings that I\'ve stored in an xml. I\'m getting this error:

Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException: Attempt to invoke virtual         


        

Answer 1

private String CLIENT_ID = getString(R.string.MY_CLIENT_ID);

If you initialize the field on class initialization, you are calling getString() before onCreate(), and thus the Context has not initialized. Better use it like this

public void onCreate(final Bundle bundle) {
    // Other code    
    CLIENT_ID = getString(R.string.MY_CLIENT_ID);
}

Also I strongly advise against caching the strings, because you can get wrong translations if the language has changed (this problem already happened to me so I say this from experience). Instead, use getString() whenever you need it.