Comparing Java Enum Members: == or Equals()?

Question

I know that Java enums are compiled to classes with private constructors and a bunch of public static members. When comparing two members of a given enum, I've always used .equals(), e.g.

public useEnums(SomeEnum a)
{
    if(a.equals(SomeEnum.SOME_ENUM_VALUE))
    {
        ...
    }
    ...
}

However, I just came across some code that uses the equals operator == instead of .equals():

public useEnums2(SomeEnum a)
{
    if(a == SomeEnum.SOME_ENUM_VALUE)
    {
        ...
    }
    ...
}

Which operator is the one I should be using?

Accepted Answer

Both are technically correct. If you look at the source code for .equals(), it simply defers to ==.

I use ==, however, as that will be null safe.

Answer 2

Must Read

Can `==` be used on `enum`?

Yes: enums have tight instance controls that allows you to use == to compare instances. Here's the guarantee provided by the language specification (emphasis by me):

JLS 8.9 Enums

An enum type has no instances other than those defined by its enum constants.

It is a compile-time error to attempt to explicitly instantiate an enum type. The final clone method in Enum ensures that enum constants can never be cloned, and the special treatment by the serialization mechanism ensures that duplicate instances are never created as a result of deserialization. Reflective instantiation of enum types is prohibited. Together, these four things ensure that no instances of an enum type exist beyond those defined by the enum constants.

Because there is only one instance of each enum constant, it is permissible to use the == operator in place of the equals method when comparing two object references if it is known that at least one of them refers to an enum constant. (The equals method in Enum is a final method that merely invokes super.equals on its argument and returns the result, thus performing an identity comparison.)

This guarantee is strong enough that Josh Bloch recommends, that if you insist on using the singleton pattern, the best way to implement it is to use a single-element enum (see: Effective Java 2nd Edition, Item 3: Enforce the singleton property with a private constructor or an enum type; also Thread safety in Singleton)

Comparing Java Enum Members: == or Equals()?

15 Answers

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Can `==` be used on `enum`?

JLS 8.9 Enums

David Miller

Comparing Java Enum Members: == or Equals()?

15 Answers

Must Read

Can == be used on enum?

JLS 8.9 Enums

David Miller

Can `==` be used on `enum`?