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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>I am puzzled with the following behavior regarding null pointer validation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have the flowing rule:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>rule</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:green'>"Test"</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>when</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> $ee: ExecutableEvent($taskId: taskid, Type.SOAR == type)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> $tt: TaskTicket($id: id == $taskId)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>then</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> logger.info(</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:green'>"Rule:test !!!"</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>+$tt.toString());</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>if</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>($tt.getScheduledTime() != </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>null</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> logger.info(</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:green'>"Rule:test schedule is not null"</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>);</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>end</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>what I get when I execute the system are the two printouts indicated in the rule, hence the scheduleTime is not null.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Now I wish to move the null verification to the LHS by modifying the rule to (modification is marked in yellow):<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>rule</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:green'>"Test"</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>when</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> $ee: ExecutableEvent($taskId: taskid, Type.SOAR == type)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> $tt: TaskTicket($id: id == $taskId, <span style='background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>scheduledTime != </span></span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000;background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>null</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>then</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> logger.info(</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:green'>"Rule:test !!!"</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>+$tt.toString());</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>if</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>($tt.getScheduledTime() != </span><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>null</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>)</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> logger.info(</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:green'>"Rule:test schedule is not null"</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'>);</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:#960000'>end</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Courier New"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>at this point running the system results in no printouts, hence the rule is not true.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Any suggestion why this occurs and how to resolve this? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The origin of all of this is to add null pointer verification on fields that I wish to use us in the LHS (not shown in the above example)<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hezi<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>