How to get row count using ResultSet in Java?

Question

I\'m trying to create a simple method that receives a ResultSet as a parameter and returns an int that contains the row count of the ResultSet. Is this a valid way of doing

Answer 1

Others have already answered how to solve your problem, so I won't repeat what has already been said, but I will says this: you should probably figure out a way to solve your problems without knowing the result set count prior to reading through the results.

There are very few circumstances where the row count is actually needed prior to reading the result set, especially in a language like Java. The only case I think of where a row count would be necessary is when the row count is the only data you need(in which case a count query would be superior). Otherwise, you are better off using a wrapper object to represent your table data, and storing these objects in a dynamic container such as an ArrayList. Then, once the result set has been iterated over, you can get the array list count. For every solution that requires knowing the row count before reading the result set, you can probably think of a solution that does so without knowing the row count before reading without much effort. By thinking of solutions that bypass the need to know the row count before processing, you save the ResultSet the trouble of scrolling to the end of the result set, then back to the beginning (which can be a VERY expensive operation for large result sets).

Now of course I'm not saying there are never situations where you may need the row count before reading a result set. I'm just saying that in most circumstances, when people think they need the result set count prior to reading it, they probably don't, and it's worth taking 5 minutes to think about whether there is another way.

Just wanted to offer my 2 cents on the topic.