int
is a primitive, null is not a value that it can take on. You could change the method return type to return java.lang.Integer
and then you can return null, and existing code that returns int will get autoboxed.
Nulls are assigned only to reference types, it means the reference doesn’t point to anything. Primitives are not reference types, they are values, so they are never set to null.
Using the object wrapper java.lang.Integer as the return value means you are passing back an Object and the object reference can be null.
Related Posts:
- What is null in Java?
- “Missing return statement” within if / for / while
- “Missing return statement” within if / for / while
- “Missing return statement” within if / for / while
- Understanding the difference between null and ‘\u000’ in Java
- Understanding the difference between null and ‘\u000’ in Java
- How to check if my string is equal to null?
- How to check if object is null or not except == null
- How to check if object is null or not except == null
- Return outside method error
- Sort an array in Java
- Java String Split by “|”
- Could not reserve enough space for object heap
- Possible causes of Java VM EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION?
- java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.mysql.jdbc.Driver in Eclipse
- “Char cannot be dereferenced” error
- Difference between Inheritance and Composition
- What is the reason behind “non-static method cannot be referenced from a static context”? [duplicate]
- Print ArrayList
- Unsupported major.minor version 52.0 [duplicate]
- What is a StringIndexOutOfBoundsException? How can I fix it?
- Non-static variable cannot be referenced from a static context
- How to get an enum value from a string value in Java
- Round a double to 2 decimal places [duplicate]
- Int division: Why is the result of 1/3 == 0?
- Given final block not properly padded
- What is Parse/parsing?
- What is IllegalStateException?
- Long vs Integer, long vs int, what to use and when?
- java.lang.ClassCastException
- org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanCreationException: Error creating bean with name ‘MyController’:
- Can I multiply strings in Java to repeat sequences?
- Why does cache use Most Recently Used (MRU) algorithm as evict policy?
- javac not working in windows command prompt
- Java returns error “Cannot instantiate the type”
- How does a Breadth-First Search work when looking for Shortest Path?
- Java: using switch statement with enum under subclass
- Java way to check if a string is palindrome
- No String-argument constructor/factory method to deserialize from String value (”)
- Java ArrayList replace at specific index
- Exception in thread “main” java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space
- What is the best math library to use with java?
- How to execute a https GET request from java
- How to use VisibleForTesting for pure JUnit tests
- What is the easiest/best/most correct way to iterate through the characters of a string in Java?
- Default keystore file does not exist?
- The declared package does not match the expected package “”
- Sort a Map
by values - Is not an enclosing class Java
- FtpClient storeFile always return False
- Variable is accessed within inner class. Needs to be declared final
- Using NotNull Annotation in method argument
- How to implement infinity in Java?
- Java Does Not Equal (!=) Not Working?
- How to represent empty char in Java Character class
- Definition of a Java Container
- ‘Source code does not match the bytecode’ when debugging on a device
- Determining Day of the week using Zeller’s Congruence in Java
- Java, Simplified check if int array contains int
- Converting a string to an integer on Android
- Error: Generic Array Creation
- How to center the text in a JLabel?
- What is the use of a private static variable in Java?
- Call a Class From another class
- Installing WindowBuilder on Eclipse Neon
- Java: how to initialize String[]?
- Regular Expressions on Punctuation
- How to make a countdown timer in Java
- What is method hiding in Java? Even the JavaDoc explanation is confusing
- Error: class X is public should be declared in a file named X.java
- How can I remove a substring from a given String?
- Java get String CompareTo as a comparator object
- What does super.paintComponent(g) do?
- Union or intersection of Java Sets
- Get an OutputStream into a String
- Difference between string object and string literal
- Best way to create enum of strings?
- Why use getters and setters/accessors?
- How to use a Do-while loop that continuously prompts a user?
- Parsing JSON string in Java
- java attempting to assign weaker access privilege error
- Getting a “no interface expected here” when I try to subclass ServiceConnection [duplicate]
- How to determine day of week by passing specific date?
- Python-like list comprehension in Java
- Can an int be null in Java?
- What’s the difference between HashSet and Set?
- Netbeans – Error: Could not find or load main class
- Eclipse IDE – Error: Build path specifies execution environment Java SE 1.7
- Why int[] a = new int[1] instead of just int a?
- ArithmeticException: “Non-terminating decimal expansion; no exact representable decimal result”
- When to use a Map instead of a List in Java?
- How do I replace a character in a string in Java?
- What’s so special about 0x7f?
- Append a single character to a string or char array in java?
- Preventing a Java class from being instantiated and inherited
- Collision Detection between two images in Java
- What does .pack() do?
- set background color: Android
- Class JavaLaunchHelper is implemented in two places
- No Main class found in NetBeans