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Task
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Resolution: Obsolete
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Major
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None
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9.2.1.Final
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None
When using collection fields in Protobuf annotated classes, empty collections are marshalled into the same value as null, because Protobuf only has repeated fields and no fields is represented as null.
This means that if you have an entity with an empty collection, when it's deserialized the collection will be null. This can be confusing for users and should be documented.
anistor had some ideas on how to improve this:
<anistor> I'm thinking of a way to make this easier for users that would prefer an empty collection being set instead of a null. would be possible by adding a new attribute for this in @ProtoField anotation > that'd be more predictable <anistor> would still not give you at deserializtion what was written during serialization. we do not have a null marker <anistor> it would just give you an empty collection if you prefer <anistor> instead of null > that option should be enabled by default