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This noncompliant code attempts to delete all the null names from the list in an assertion. However, the boolean Boolean expression is not evaluated when assertions are disabled.
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The possibility of side effects in assertions can be avoided by decoupling the boolean Boolean expression from the assertion:
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Side effects in assertions result in program behavior that depends on whether assertions are enabled or disabled.
Rule | Severity | Likelihood | Remediation Cost | Priority | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EXP06-J | Low | Unlikely | Low | P3 | L3 |
Automated Detection
Automated detection of assertion operands that contain locally visible side effects is straightforward. Some analyses could require programmer assistance to determine which method invocations lack side effects.
Related Guidelines
| Tool | Version | Checker | Description | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CodeSonar |
| JAVA.STRUCT.SE.ASSERT | Assertion Contains Side Effects (Java) | ||||||
| PVS-Studio |
| V6055 | |||||||
| SonarQube |
| S3346 | Expressions used in "assert" should not produce side effects |
Related Guidelines
Android Implementation Details
The assert statement is supported on the Dalvik VM but is ignored under the default configuration. Assertions may be enabled by setting the system property debug.assert via: adb shell setprop debug.assert 1 or by sending the command-line argument --enable-assert to the Dalvik VM.
Bibliography
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