NULLIFab

NULLIFab is a small, open-source software library that implements null-handling semantics inspired by the SQL NULLIF function. It provides a function that compares two values and returns null if they are equal, otherwise returns the first value. The goal is to standardize null propagation across data processing steps.

The project originated in 2022 as an experimental extension by a community of developers seeking a portable, language-agnostic approach to null-safe value transformations. It is designed to be lightweight and dependency-free, suitable for inclusion in data pipelines, database interfaces, and data-frame operations.

Key features include a primary nullIf operation, multi-language bindings in Python, JavaScript, and Java, and integrations with common data processing environments. The library supports basic types such as numbers, strings, booleans, and dates, with clear rules for type promotion and equality comparison.

Architecture emphasizes a pure functional API, predictable null propagation, and pluggable adapters for SQL, streaming, and in-memory datasets. It implements error handling strategies for type mismatches and uses unit tests to ensure deterministic behavior.

Reception has been limited to hobbyist and educational projects; the language bindings and documentation are ongoing. While useful for teaching null semantics, NULLIFab is not a general-purpose database engine or a replacement for built-in null handling in production systems, and it may incur performance overhead in tight loops.

Related concepts include the SQL NULL and the NULLIF function, which inspired the project.