Slides

Nil

nil is a magic object

There Is No Spoon

nil is the object that means "there is no object"

Q: What is the sound of one hand clapping?

A: nil

Experiment

fruit = "apple"
fruit = nil
fruit.reverse

Read the error!

Errors are good

They tell you

  • you made a mistake
  • what that mistake was
  • (sometimes) how to fix it

Interpret this error:

fruit.reverse
NoMethodError: undefined method `reverse' for nil:NilClass

null pointer errors

  • null pointer errors are very common
  • the trick is reading the error and figuring out
    1. where it happened (*which line*)
    2. which variable was null
  • often once you know which, knowing why is obvious
  • or at least tracing back the logic is possible

If You're Going To Fail...

Two philosophies:

  • fail hard, fail fast
  • keep calm and carry on

Which idea is better?

Why or why not?

Fail Fast, Fail Often

  • Ruby has a "fail fast" philosophy
  • Is this a good idea?
  • Why or why not?