Sentry Answers>Python>

Use the null object in Python

Use the null object in Python

David Y.

The ProblemJump To Solution

How can I use null values in Python?

The Solution

None is Python’s equivalent of null. It is a singleton object of the class NoneType. It is universally available and cannot be reassigned. To test whether a variable is None, we should use Python’s is identity operator, as below:

Click to Copy
my_object = None if my_object is None: print("It's null!")

Using is is preferable to using ==, as the latter can be overloaded, which may lead to unexpected behavior when used with certain objects.

None is falsy, which means that it will be considered equivalent to False when used in boolean expressions.

Click to Copy
if None: print("This line will never execute") else: print("This line will always execute")
  • Sentry BlogPython Performance Testing: A Comprehensive Guide
  • Sentry BlogLogging in Python: A Developer’s Guide
  • Syntax.fm logo
    Listen to the Syntax Podcast

    Tasty Treats for Web Developers brought to you by Sentry. Web development tips and tricks hosted by Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski

    Listen to Syntax

Loved by over 4 million developers and more than 90,000 organizations worldwide, Sentry provides code-level observability to many of the world’s best-known companies like Disney, Peloton, Cloudflare, Eventbrite, Slack, Supercell, and Rockstar Games. Each month we process billions of exceptions from the most popular products on the internet.

© 2024 • Sentry is a registered Trademark
of Functional Software, Inc.