Are empty strings allowed as enum members in Java

Question

I'm having a bit of a problem with some legacy code. A ticket asks for me to write a script testing the validity of a process; however, I keep getting this exception when the script is run: ``` java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: No enum const class edu.cmu.s3.common.enums.RegistrationStatus.; ``` For the record, the database being used is an old Ingres legacy system, so null values are being represented as empty strings -- quite beautiful, I have to add. Anyway, it looks like whenever an empty string is encountered, it fails on enum creation. I checked the enum, though, and it contains this member: ``` BLANK("", "Blank") ``` This would make me think that an empty string is indeed a valid argument, but it looks like it's not. CAN enums use empty strings as arguments, or will I need to update more legacy code than I initially assumed? Thanks for the help

Accepted Answer

An empty string is a valid argument for an enum constructor - but it's not a valid enum name.

Every enum value name has to be a valid Java identifier.

Are empty strings allowed as enum members in Java

Solution

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