JSON deserialize initialize all null objects

Question

Is there a way or any method (other than write a long helper for each object) that could initialize all objects within an object even if the JSON was not received aka:

@AuraEnabled
public SomeObject objectHere;

I would want this to be automatically substantiated with an empty version of that object so when I go objectHere.id I don't have to null check the object then the field.

Answer 1

You can use the Safe Navigation Operator (?.) to avoid null checks:

String someValue = inputParam?.objectHere?.someProperty;

This is likely the best choice in many cases, unless you need to actually use the object for output, then you might want to go with Derek's answer.

Answer 2

I don't believe there is a way to initialize class variables without writing code to explicitly set those variables.

That's not just a JSON deserialization thing, though JSON deserialization makes things just a bit more difficult because it doesn't run any constructors for the type you're using.

You could turn your class variables into properties and take advantage of your ability to specify a getter to do lazy initialization.

Anonymous apex example:

public class LazyLoadVars{
    public Account myAcc {
        get{
            if(myAcc == null){ myAcc = new Account(); }
            return myAcc;
        }
        set;
    }
}

LazyLoadVars llv = new LazyLoadVars();
// Also works when deserializing from JSON
//LazyLoadVars llv = (LazyLoadVars)JSON.deserialize('{}', LazyLoadVars.class);

llv.myAcc.Name = 'Success!';

system.debug(llv);

I'm not sure if I would recommend such an approach, however. I get a dirty feeling when I read this that I can't quite put my finger on.

Answer 3

No, there is nothing out of the box for this requirement. You'll need to roll your own initializer.