private boolean exists(Object obj){
  if (obj == null) {
    return false;
  }
  if (obj instanceof String && StringUtils.isEmpty((String)obj)) {
    return false;
  }
  return true;
}

private boolean exists ( Object obj ) { if ( obj == null ) { return false ; } if ( obj instanceof String && StringUtils . isEmpty ( ( String ) obj ) ) { return false ; } return true ; }
checks whether a given object is null . if the object is an instance of string , it checks if the string is an empty string . only if the object is not null , and not an empty string , will the method return true .
