In Python, None
is a built-in constant that implies absence of value (or a null value):
- It can be used to assign "null" value to variables, function arguments or function returns;
- It's a singleton object (i.e. it always references to the same object);
- It's the sole instance of the
NoneType
type; - It cannot be reassigned;
- It's considered falsy in a boolean context.
For example, you can assign None
to a variable in the following way:
foo = None
print(foo) # None
Similarly, you can assign None
to a function/method argument (to serve as a default value), like so:
def foo(param = None):
if param is None:
return 'empty'
print(foo()) # 'empty'
None
can also be returned from a function:
def foo():
return None
print(foo()) # None
When a function/method does not explicitly return a value, it is implicitly None
:
def foo():
pass
print(foo()) # None
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