Is there shorthand for returning a default value if None in Python?

In C#, I can say x ?? "", which will give me x if x is not null, and the empty string if x is null. I’ve found it useful for working with databases.

Is there a way to return a default value if Python finds None in a variable?

Answers:

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Method 1

You could use the or operator:

return x or "default"

Note that this also returns "default" if x is any falsy value, including an empty list, 0, empty string, or even datetime.time(0) (midnight).

Method 2

return "default" if x is None else x

try the above.

Method 3

You can use a conditional expression:

x if x is not None else some_value

Example:

In [22]: x = None

In [23]: print x if x is not None else "foo"
foo

In [24]: x = "bar"

In [25]: print x if x is not None else "foo"
bar

Method 4

You’ve got the ternary syntax x if x else '' – is that what you’re after?

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