I get your point, but I wonder... and prepare yourself for YACFOOWA (yet another cf-oo work-around).
Why note just have a CFC called... null.cfc. If you need a standard, consistent value to test against perhaps expecting the language to provide it by default isn't always the answer.
If you had a null.cfc, you could actually USE type="null" or returntype="null" in your CFC code. I'm not sure I understand the need for making CF into something that it isn't, wasn't, and really probably never will be. I can see adding interfaces being as easy as adding an implements="" attribute to a CFC... but adding types to a loosely typed language strikes me as an odd fix to a non-problem.
Maybe I'm missing something... if so, please point it out. I just see many of these things that people are calling "deficits" as part-and-parcel to the strength and core values of the language: flexibility and a focus on runtime over compiletime.
Just my two cents since we're on the topic.
Laterz!
J
On 5/12/05, Barney Boisvert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> In many instances, allowing functions to return null values just shifts the
> problem or, at least, the responsibility. This is why we so many null
> pointer exceptions from Java and C#. They are proper OO languages returning
> null values that the consumer is unprepared to handle.
I HAVE to respond this statement. Having or not having null doesn't
affect this issue at all. If i have null, I return it. If I don't
have null, I return "something" (like the empty string). In either
case, the calling code needs to be able to handle both scenarios.
Having null makes this easier, because you have a specific value to
test against, and more importantly, it's a value that cannot be
confused with any other value.
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