Nil

import ballerina/io;

// Here type `int?` indicates that the value of `v` can be an `int` or `()`.
int? v = ();

// Here the value of `n` cannot be `()`.
int? n = v == () ? 0 : v;

// Elvis operator `x ?: y` returns `x` if it is not `nil` and `y` otherwise.
int m = v ?: 0;

// Falling off the end of a function or `return` by itself is equivalent to `return ()`.
function foo() returns () {
    return ();
}

// Leaving off return type is equivalent to `returns ()`.
public function main() {

    io:println(v);
}

Nil

Ballerina’s version of null is called nil and written as (). Ballerina types do not implicitly allow nil. Type T? means T or nil. You can use == and != to test whether a value is nil: no implicit conversion to boolean.

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import ballerina/io;

int? v = ();

Here type int? indicates that the value of v can be an int or ().

int? n = v == () ? 0 : v;

Here the value of n cannot be ().

int m = v ?: 0;

Elvis operator x ?: y returns x if it is not nil and y otherwise.

function foo() returns () {
    return ();
}

Falling off the end of a function or return by itself is equivalent to return ().

public function main() {

Leaving off return type is equivalent to returns ().

    io:println(v);
}

bal run nil.bal