Section 1.1: @SneakyThrows - Simplifying Exception Handling

Exception management is a crucial aspect of Java applications, often leading to excessive boilerplate code. The @SneakyThrows annotation offers a clever method to bypass checked exceptions without the necessity of catching or declaring them. This helps in making your code cleaner and easier to read.

Consider a typical implementation without Lombok:

public void readFile(String path) {

try {

String content = new String(Files.readAllBytes(Paths.get(path)));

System.out.println(content);

} catch (IOException e) {

e.printStackTrace();

}

}

Now, see how @SneakyThrows can streamline this:

import lombok.SneakyThrows;

import java.nio.file.Files;

import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class FileReader {

@SneakyThrows

public void readFile(String path) {

String content = new String(Files.readAllBytes(Paths.get(path)));

System.out.println(content);

}

}

With @SneakyThrows, you can focus on the core functionality of your method without getting bogged down by try-catch statements. However, use this feature wisely as it can obscure the visibility of checked exceptions.

Section 1.2: @ExtensionMethod - Adding Functionality Dynamically

Lombok's @ExtensionMethod allows developers to append custom methods to existing classes without altering their source code. This feature enables more expressive and fluent coding.

For instance, if you wish to augment the String class with a method to check for palindromes, you can achieve it using @ExtensionMethod as follows:

import lombok.experimental.ExtensionMethod;

@ExtensionMethod(StringExtensions.class)

public class StringEnhancer {

public void checkPalindrome(String input) {

if (input.isPalindrome()) {

System.out.println(input + " is a palindrome.");

} else {

System.out.println(input + " is not a palindrome.");

}

}

}

public class StringExtensions {

public static boolean isPalindrome(String str) {

return new StringBuilder(str).reverse().toString().equals(str);

}

}

Through this implementation, you have effectively "extended" the String class to include an isPalindrome method, offering a seamless way to enhance existing functionalities.

Section 1.3: @Tolerate - Navigating Method Conflicts

Lombok's shortcut annotations can sometimes lead to method signature conflicts, causing confusion. The @Tolerate annotation allows you to instruct Lombok to ignore certain methods, thus preventing method generation conflicts.

For example, when using Lombok's @Builder annotation, a builder method is automatically generated for your class. If you require a specific constructor that shares similar parameters, @Tolerate can help:

import lombok.Builder;

import lombok.Tolerate;

@Builder

public class Product {

private String name;

private int quantity;

@Tolerate

public Product(String name) {

this(name, 0); // invokes the main constructor with a default quantity

}

}

In this example, @Tolerate ensures that Lombok does not create a conflicting builder method, allowing you to maintain a clear and functional class structure.