respond to reviewer feedback

meta-client/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/metaclient/impl/zk/ZkMetaClient.java

@@ -135,21 +135,20 @@ private void iterativeCreate(String key, T data, EntryMode mode, long ttl) {
         EntryMode.PERSISTENT : mode);
 
     // Iterate over paths, starting with full key then attempting each successive parent
-    // Try /a/b/c, if fails due to NoNode then try /a/b .. etc..
+    // Try /a/b/c, if parent /a/b, does not exist, then try to create parent, etc..
     while (i < nodePaths.size()) {
-      try {
+      // If parent exists then create and exit loop
+      if (i == nodePaths.size() -1 || _zkClient.exists(nodePaths.get(i+1))) {
         if (EntryMode.TTL.equals(mode)) {
           createWithTTL(nodePaths.get(i), data, ttl);
         } else {
           create(nodePaths.get(i), data, i == 0 ? mode : parentMode);
         }
         break;
-        // NoNodeException thrown when parent path does not exist. We allow this and re-attempt
-        // creation of these nodes below
-      } catch (MetaClientNoNodeException ignoredParentDoesntExistException) {
-        i++;
+      // Else try to create parent in next loop iteration
+      } else {
+       i++;
       }
-
     }
 
     // Reattempt creation of children that failed due to NoNodeException

meta-client/src/main/java/org/apache/helix/metaclient/impl/zk/util/ZkMetaClientUtil.java

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
  */
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.EnumMap;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -359,24 +360,27 @@ public static MetaClientException.ReturnCode translateZooKeeperCodeToMetaClientC
     }
   }
 
+  // Returns null if no parent path
   public static String getZkParentPath(String path) {
-    if (path.equals("/")) {
-      return null;
-    }
-
     int idx = path.lastIndexOf('/');
-    return idx == 0 ? "/" : path.substring(0, idx);
+    return idx == 0 ? null : path.substring(0, idx);
   }
 
   // Splits a path into the paths for each node along the way.
   // /a/b/c --> /a/b/c, /a/b, /a
   public static List<String> separateIntoUniqueNodePaths(String path) {
-    ArrayList<String> nodePaths = new ArrayList<>();
-    String tempStr = path;
-    while (tempStr.length() > 1) {
-      nodePaths.add(tempStr);
-      tempStr = getZkParentPath(tempStr);
+    if (path == null || "/".equals(path)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    String[] subPath = path.split("/");
+    String[] nodePaths = new String[subPath.length-1];
+    StringBuilder tempPath = new StringBuilder();
+    for (int i = 1; i < subPath.length; i++) {
+      tempPath.append( "/");
+      tempPath.append(subPath[i]);
+      nodePaths[subPath.length - 1 - i] = tempPath.toString();
     }
-    return nodePaths;
+    return Arrays.asList(nodePaths);
   }
 }