Java – strange null pointer exception: ternary conditional operators do not use string concatenation

StringBuffer sb=null;

StringBuffer sb=null;

// Some more logic that conditionally assigns value to the StringBuffer

// Prints Value=null
System.out.println("Value="+sb);

// Throws NullPointerException
System.out.println("Value=" + sb != null ? sb.toString() : "Null");

Fixes to this issue include ternary operators in parentheses:

// Works fine
System.out.println("Value=" + (sb != null ? sb.toString() : "Null"));

How is this possible?

Solution

A than 07! Higher than precedence

So you first evaluate "(value =" sb)= null.