Create constants in a fashion way

Posted on
Constants without going to interface or utility class(private constructor and so on)

Hey yo,
I’m not a big fan of constants.
It’s true in all project I’ve worked… they always comes in.
But it isn’t because I don’t like, I can’t bring new approaches to it, right?

Let’s say we’ve these fields to be shared as constants:

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  String provider = "SomeProvider";
  String schemaVersion = "0.0.1";
  String productVersion = "V3";

The more common ways to make it as constants are:

  1. Creating an Interface, e.g.:
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    interface Constant {
  String PROVIDER = "SomeProvider";
  String SCHEMA_VERSION = "0.0.1";
  String PRODUCT_VERSION = "V3";
}

    Personally I don’t like it ‘cause interfaces have another purpose to me.

  2. Creating a well known Utility Class: 
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    final class Constant {
 private Constant() {}
 public static final String PROVIDER = "SomeProvider";
 public static final String SCHEMA_VERSION = "0.0.1";
 public static final String PRODUCT_VERSION = "V3";
}

    A final class, private constructor, all public static… i don’t like it either.

  3. Creating Enum: 
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    enum Constant {
  PROVIDER("SomeProvider"), 
  SCHEMA_VERSION("0.0.1"), 
  PRODUCT_VERSION("V3");

 private final String value;

 Constant(String value) {
     this.value = value;
 }

 String value() {
     return value;
 }
}

    I like this one, but, create a new field, constructor, expose to a new method… nah, thanks.

I’ll bring my personal trick approach:

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enum Constant {;
  static final String PROVIDER = "SomeProvider";
  static final String SCHEMA_VERSION = "0.0.1";
  static final String PRODUCT_VERSION = "V3";
}

No Interface.
No Utility Class(final class, private constructor, static things).

Just Enum.
Simple, concise and objective.

Another post, another real life scenario.
See ya!

xoff.