When should you prefer method references and when should you avoid it?

In Java, method references are a shorthand notation of a lambda expression to call a method. You should prefer method references when they improve the readability and conciseness of your code. They work best when the lambda expression is just passing the parameters to a method without altering them. Also, using method references can enhance the clarity of intent in your code.

However, you should avoid method references in the following cases:

  • When the logic inside the lambda expression is more complex than just calling a method.
  • When using method references would obscure the flow of the program or make the code less understandable.
  • When the method being referenced does not fit well with the expected functional interface.

Example of using a method reference:

// Using a method reference to convert a list of strings to uppercase List names = Arrays.asList("Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"); List uppercasedNames = names.stream() .map(String::toUpperCase) .collect(Collectors.toList());

method references java lambda expressions java streams

Related Questions

How do I avoid rehashing overhead with std::set in multithreaded code?

How do I find elements with custom comparators with std::set for embedded targets?

How do I erase elements while iterating with std::set for embedded targets?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

How do I reserve capacity ahead of time with std::unordered_map for large datasets?

How do I erase elements while iterating with std::unordered_map in multithreaded code?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::map for embedded targets?

How do I provide stable iteration order with std::map in multithreaded code?

How do I avoid rehashing overhead with std::map in performance-sensitive code?

How do I merge two containers efficiently with std::map for embedded targets?