Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: Random832 Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: "x == None" vs "x is None" Date: Sun, 17 Jan 2016 16:33:13 -0500 Lines: 16 Message-ID: References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de IgmdZuTgt+7reDYyNlU6TgvBj/KVt4CtaKM0wNZLk0LA== Cancel-Lock: sha1:1HZTw+yuzdTa7LkVuw3xUj0RW70= Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.000 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 1.00; '*S*': 0.00; 'operator': 0.03; 'expressions': 0.07; 'matches': 0.07; 'none)': 0.07; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'subject:None': 0.09; '"is': 0.16; 'distinct': 0.16; 'none).': 0.16; 'null.': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'received:166': 0.18; 'not,': 0.22; 'null)': 0.22; 'header:User- Agent:1': 0.26; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.26; 'compare': 0.27; 'operators': 0.29; 'compared': 0.30; 'null': 0.33; 'generic': 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'subject:" ': 0.36; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.36; 'two': 0.37; 'received:org': 0.37; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'some': 0.40; 'from"': 0.84 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: 166.175.187.150 User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.5 (darwin) X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+ Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:101860 writes: > I prefer (x is None) and (x is not None). > > This matches the SQL concept of NULL. > > (X = NULL) is not valid since NULL is not a value and cannot be compared > with anything. The suitably generic SQL operator is "is (not) distinct from", in some dialects of SQL [certainly if you're using NULL directly you can simply use is/is not, but the "distinct from" operators can be used to compare two expressions that may either or both be NULL. "X is not distinct from Y" == "X = Y or X is NULL and Y is NULL"