Nil Literal

The nil basic type has only a single value called nil. Nil literal uses the syntax () and null.

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import ballerina/io;

public function main() {

    () a = ();
    () b = null;

    io:println("a:", a);
    io:println("b:", b);
}

a:
b:

Ballerina 2201.6.0 (Swan Lake Update 6)

// Partial Code. Change View  to see full code.
public function main() {
    () a = ();
    () b = null;
}

// Highlights Only. Change View  to see full code.
() a = ();
() b = null;

Code Breakdown

• Line 5: nil literal () is assigned to the variable a.
• Line 6: nil literal null is assigned to the variable b.

💡 Note: Both () and null are equivalent to nil in Ballerina. However, () is the preferred way to assign nil value to a variable.