How to Fix the Null Reference Exception in the Google People API for Creating Contacts

Discover effective solutions to solve the Null Reference Exception in the Google People API when adding contacts, ensuring a smoother programming experience.
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Solving the Null Reference Exception in Google People API

When working with the Google People API, developers sometimes face frustrating issues. One common problem is encountering a Null Reference Exception when attempting to add contact details, such as names and email addresses, to a Person object. In this guide, we will explore this issue and provide a clear solution to help you avoid this pitfall.

Understanding the Problem

In the provided code snippet, you are attempting to create a new contact and add some personal details to it. However, when you try to add names or email addresses to the person object, you receive a null reference exception. Essentially, this error indicates that you are trying to access or modify an object that hasn’t been initialized.

Here's a simplified breakdown of the code that leads to the issue:

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The expressions person.EmailAddresses and person.Names are null by default, meaning your attempts to call Add on them will lead to a Null Reference Exception.

The Solution: Initialize the Lists

To effectively prevent the null reference exception, you need to initialize the lists for EmailAddresses and Names before adding any items. Here’s how to do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Initialize the Objects

Before you start adding details to your person object, ensure that the EmailAddresses and Names properties are initialized with new List instances.

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Step 2: Create and Add Your Data

Once your lists are initialized, you can now safely add your EmailAddress and Name objects to the respective properties.

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Step 3: Prepare the Contact Object

After you populate the person object with the necessary information, you will continue with creating the ContactToCreate object and the BatchCreateContactsRequest as usual.

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Step 4: Execute the Request

You can now execute the request without encountering a null reference exception:

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Conclusion

By following these steps to initialize your lists in the person object before attempting to add any names or email addresses, you will effectively avoid the null reference exception. This simple yet vital adjustment not only ensures smoother functionality within your code but also enhances the reliability of your applications using the Google People API.

Happy coding, and remember to always initialize your lists!