Best way to check for null parameters (Guard Clauses)

Question

For example, you usually don\'t want parameters in a constructor to be null, so it\'s very normal to see some thing like

if (someArg == null)
{
    throw new Arg         


        

Answer 1

Null references are one sort of troubles you have to guard against. But, they are not the only one. The problem is wider than that, and it boils down to this: Method accepts instances of a certain type, but it cannot handle all instances.

In other words, domain of the method is larger than the set of values it handles. Guard clauses are then used to assert that actual parameter does not fall into that "gray zone" of the method's domain which cannot be handled.

Now, we have null references, as a value which is typically outside the acceptable set of values. On the other hand, it often happens that some non-null elements of the set are also unacceptable (e.g. empty string).

In that case, it may turn out that the method signature is too broad, which then indicates a design problem. That may lead to a redesign, e.g. defining a subtype, typically a derived interface, which restricts domain of the method and makes some of the guard clauses disappear. You can find an example in this article: Why do We Need Guard Clauses?