Java – I get a dead code warning when I try to write an if condition

I received a dead code warning:

Topic topic = findTopicByID(point.getIDTopic());

if (topic != null)
{
   ...
}
else if (topic == null)
{
    // I get Dead code warning for every thing I write here!
}

Sometimes when I get a warning but everything seems OK, I restart the IDE and I don't get a warning anymore! But this time

Edit:

public Topic findTopicByID(int IDTopic) {
    for (Topic topic : topics)
        if (topic.getID() == IDTopic)
            return topic;
    return null;
}

Edit: full code:

Topic topic = Res.getSchedule().getTopic@R_78_2419@().findTopicByID(point.getIDTopic());
            Section section =     topic.findSectionByID(point.getIDSection());

            if (topic != null)
            {
                View rowView = inflater.inflate(R.layout.daily_day_day_row,lLDoneWorks,false);

                TextView tVLabel = (TextView) rowView.findViewById(R.id.daily_day_day_row_label);
                TextView tVNum = (TextView) rowView.findViewById(R.id.daily_day_day_row_num);
                TextView tVTopic = (TextView) rowView.findViewById(R.id.daily_day_day_row_topic);
                TextView tVSection = (TextView) rowView.findViewById(R.id.daily_day_day_row_section);

                int color = topic.getColor();
                tVLabel.setBackgroundColor(color);
                tVNum.setTextColor(color);
                tVTopic.setTextColor(color);
                tVSection.setTextColor(color);

                tVLabel.setText(topic.getName().substring(0,1).toUpperCase(Locale.US));
                tVNum.setText(Integer.toString(point.getCount()));
                tVTopic.setText(topic.getName());
                if (point.getIDSection() != Point.DEFAULT_SECTION)
                    tVSection.setText(section.getName());

                lLDoneWorks.addView(rowView);
            }
            else if (topic == null)
            {
                TopicArchived archivedTopic = Res.getSchedule().getTopic@R_78_2419@()
                            .findArchivedTopicByID(point.getIDTopic());
                    if (archivedTopic == null)
                        removedTopicsPoint += point.getCount();
                    else
                        archivedTopicsPoint += point.getCount();
            }

resolvent

Solution

This is because this line:

Section section =     topic.findSectionByID(point.getIDSection());

If topic is null, it indicates that there is a NullPointerException and the rest of the code is not reached Therefore, every subsequent check for topic nulls is irrelevant: the compiler knows that the topic is not empty after the line

You should put this line in the first branch of the if statement