[jira] [Commented] (PLUTO-609) PortletPreferencesImpl doesn't handle null preferences correctly

    [ https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/PLUTO-609?page=com.atlassian.jira.plugin.system.issuetabpanels:comment-tabpanel&focusedCommentId=13104831#comment-13104831 ]

Eric Dalquist commented on PLUTO-609:
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I disagree, there is an explicit: PortletPreferences.reset(String) method which is used to reset a preference to its default value, the API does not give any way to remove a preference, only to reset it to its default value.

Also setValue states that only null keys are NOT allowed and more importantly setValues states that "null values in the values parameter are allowed." which means that if I store "new String[] {null}" that should actually be stored for me by the portal and I should be able to retrieve that value. Further more since setValue(key, value) is simply short hand for setValues(key, new String[] { value }) calling setValue(key, null) should also store a String array length 1 that contains a single null value.

This is further confirmed by PLT.17.1 which states "Preferences attributes can be set to null." and if a value is set to null it is NOT the same as "no value being associated", a null entry in an array is still a value that has been associated with the key.

I can see reverting part of the change since getValue states that "A null value is treated as a non-existent value". While getValues has the same statement I'd assume that meant the array as a whole.

Taking the javadoc of getValue into account I believe the following behavior is what should be happening:

Calling either setValue(key, null) OR setValues(key, new String[] {null}) should result in:
getValue(key, "DEFAULT") == "DEFAULT"
getValues(key, new String[] { "DEFAULT" }) = [null]

I believe this is the case since setValue(key, value) is simply short hand for setValues(key, new String[] { value }) and since a String array of length 1 has been stored getValues must return that array even though its only value is null.

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