python learning

up vote 7 down vote

NoneType is simply the type of the None singleton: >>> type(None) <type 'NoneType'> From the latter link above: None The sole value of the type NoneType. None is frequently used to represent the absence of a value, as when default arguments are not passed to a function. Assignments to None are illegal and raise a SyntaxError.

任何类型的变量都可以使用None判断是否初始化

what about 

Python `if x is not None` or `if not x is None`?

There's no performance difference, as they compile to the same bytecode:

Python 2.6.2 (r262:71600, Apr 15 2009, 07:20:39)
>>> import dis
>>> def f(x):
...    return x is not None
...
>>> dis.dis(f)
  2           0 LOAD_FAST                0 (x)
              3 LOAD_CONST               0 (None)
              6 COMPARE_OP               9 (is not)
              9 RETURN_VALUE
>>> def g(x):
...   return not x is None
...
>>> dis.dis(g)
  2           0 LOAD_FAST                0 (x)
              3 LOAD_CONST               0 (None)
              6 COMPARE_OP               9 (is not)
              9 RETURN_VALUE

Stylistically, I try to avoid not x is y. Although the compiler will always treat it as not (x is y), a human reader might misunderstand the construct as (not x) is y. If I write x is not ythen there is no ambiguity.