Is NULL a bad idea?

The fundamental problem of null is that it is trying to represent the fact that it is not a value while being assigned as a value. This fundamental flaw then snowballs and manifests into problems that we see in everyday production code.

Is null a good idea?

The short answer: NULL is a value that is not a value. And that's a problem.

Why is null a mistake?

Null is not polymorphic with any object so any function that invokes it will break the chain of subsequent calls. This has led to innumerable errors, vulnerabilities, and system crashes.

Why is null bad in C#?

Null is a special instruction in the language that can substitute any type. Put in another way; it means that null inherits from all reference types. Because of that, you cannot think of your code logically anymore.

What can I use instead of null?

Empty String

String data types are often initalized to null as well. However, for the exact same reasons, we prefer to use an empty string to replace null .

Null References The Billion Dollar Mistake

Can I use 0 instead of null?

You could use isnull function to show 0 Instead of Null mentioned by Viorel. In addition, you could also consider to use COALESCE which is an alternative approach of ISNULL.

Why optional is better than null?

In a nutshell, the Optional class includes methods to explicitly deal with the cases where a value is present or absent. However, the advantage compared to null references is that the Optional class forces you to think about the case when the value is not present.

Why is null useful?

A NULL value is a special marker used in SQL to indicate that a data value does not exist in the database. In other words, it is just a placeholder to denote values that are missing or that we do not know.

Should I use null C#?

You typically use a nullable value type when you need to represent the undefined value of an underlying value type. For example, a Boolean, or bool , variable can only be either true or false . However, in some applications a variable value can be undefined or missing.

Is it OK to return null C#?

Returning Null is Bad Practice

The FirstOrDefault method silently returns null if no order is found in the database. There are a couple of problems here: Callers of GetOrder method must implement null reference checking to avoid getting a NullReferenceException when accessing Order class members.

Who invented null?

Speaking at a software conference in 2009, Tony Hoare apologized for inventing the null reference: I call it my billion-dollar mistake. It was the invention of the null reference in 1965. At that time, I was designing the first comprehensive type system for references in an object oriented language (ALGOL W).

Is null always false?

Comparing any variable with NULL will always evaluate to FALSE, regardless if it's value, unless IS NULL or IS NOT NULL is used. Violating this rule will affect the functionality of the code. The severity is critical which means that the code will not function correctly.

Why is null not false?

The way you typically represent a “missing” or “invalid” value in C# is to use the “null” value of the type. Every reference type has a “null” value; that is, the reference that does not actually refer to anything.

Is null evil Minecraft?

The Null will stalk players and mess with their world when they're not looking or are away, similar to Herobrine. It is known to write signs that say "null," hence the name. This entity appears in update 1.7 and has a whole Minecraft myth community surrounding it.

Is null better than undefined?

Null in JavaScript means an empty value and is also a primitive type in JavaScript. The variable which has been assigned as null contains no value. Undefined, on the other hand, means the variable has been declared, but its value has not been assigned.

Which is better blank or null?

So, NULL is better. An empty string is useful when the data comes from multiple resources. NULL is used when some fields are optional, and the data is unknown.

Is it bad practice to use null in Java?

It may return NULL instead of an object—that's what is wrong. NULL is a terrible practice in an object-oriented paradigm and should be avoided at all costs.

Why is null used in coding?

In computer science, a null value represents a reference that points, generally intentionally, to a nonexistent or invalid object or address. The meaning of a null reference varies among language implementations. In JavaScript, null is marked as one of the primitive values, because its behavior is seemingly primitive.

What is null kink?

A nullo or smoothie is a member of a body modification subculture made up mostly of men who have had their genitals (and sometimes also their nipples) surgically removed. Nullos are not necessarily transgender; most identify as eunuchs. The term nullo is short for genital nullification.

Should I return null or Optional?

Using an Optional instead of using null to indicate failure/no result has some advantages: It clearly communicates that "failure" is an option. The user of your method does not have to guess whether null might be returned.

Why is null important in C?

In C programming language a Null pointer is a pointer which is a variable with the value assigned as zero or having an address pointing to nothing. So we use keyword NULL to assign a variable to be a null pointer in C it is predefined macro.

Is NULL the same as length == 0?

"A string of zero length ('') is not equivalent to a NULL value. According to the ANSI SQL 1992 Transitional standard, a zero-length or empty string is not the same as NULL.

Does null equal true?

undefined is a primitive type of a variable which evaluates falsy, has a typeof() of undefined, and represents a variable that is declared but missing an initial value. null == undefined evaluates as true because they are loosely equal. null === undefined evaluates as false because they are not, in fact, equal.

Why is null called null?

Null means having no value; in other words null is zero, like if you put so little sugar in your coffee that it's practically null. Null also means invalid, or having no binding force. From the Latin nullus, meaning "not any," poor, powerless null is not actually there at all.

Can a boolean be null?

BOOLEAN can have TRUE or FALSE values. BOOLEAN can also have an “unknown” value, which is represented by NULL.