{"record":{"id":"d35286d8284f3b46","repo":"apache/flink","slug":"the-target-object-may-not-be-null","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"The target object may not be null","messagePattern":"The target object may not be null","errorType":"validation","errorClass":"NullPointerException","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"flink-core/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/types/Record.java","lineNumber":272,"sourceCode":"    /**\n     * Gets the field at the given position. The method tries to deserialize the fields into the\n     * given target value. If the fields has been changed since the last (de)serialization, or is\n     * null, them the target value is left unchanged and the changed value (or null) is returned.\n     *\n     * <p>In all cases, the returned value contains the correct data (or is correctly null).\n     *\n     * @param fieldNum The position of the field.\n     * @param target The value to deserialize the field into.\n     * @return The value with the contents of the requested field, or null, if the field is null.\n     */\n    @SuppressWarnings(\"unchecked\")\n    public <T extends Value> T getField(int fieldNum, T target) {\n        // range check\n        if (fieldNum < 0 || fieldNum >= this.numFields) {\n            throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();\n        }\n        if (target == null) {\n            throw new NullPointerException(\"The target object may not be null\");\n        }\n\n        // get offset and check for null\n        final int offset = this.offsets[fieldNum];\n        if (offset == NULL_INDICATOR_OFFSET) {\n            return null;\n        } else if (offset == MODIFIED_INDICATOR_OFFSET) {\n            // value that has been set is new or modified\n            // bring the binary in sync so that the deserialization gives the correct result\n            return (T) this.writeFields[fieldNum];\n        }\n\n        final int limit = offset + this.lengths[fieldNum];\n        deserialize(target, offset, limit, fieldNum);\n        return target;\n    }\n\n    /**","sourceCodeStart":254,"sourceCodeEnd":290,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/apache/flink/blob/2f3c205e9266cb30240eb7f4fdab15cad629a70f/flink-core/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/types/Record.java#L254-L290","documentation":"Error \"The target object may not be null\" thrown in apache/flink.","triggerScenarios":"Triggered at runtime when the operation fails because: The target object may not be null.","commonSituations":"Commonly caused by misconfiguration, missing dependencies or files, unsupported types or operations, or invalid user input leading to: The target object may not be null.","solutions":["Address the cause reported by the error message: The target object may not be null","Verify the inputs, configuration values, and classpath/dependency setup related to this operation, then retry."],"exampleFix":"Correct the condition described (\"The target object may not be null\") and rerun the job or command.","handlingStrategy":null,"validationCode":null,"typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":null,"preventionTips":[],"tags":[],"backgroundTag":null,"analyzedSha":"2f3c205e9266cb30240eb7f4fdab15cad629a70f","analyzedAt":"2026-08-14T08:48:24.518Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-08-14T10:17:34.591Z"}