handCertain

handCertain is a software library designed to assist developers in handling optional values in programming languages. It provides a set of utilities and types that allow for more expressive and robust management of data that may or may not be present. The core concept behind handCertain is to reduce the incidence of null pointer exceptions or equivalent errors by enforcing a more explicit handling of potentially absent values.

The library typically offers a wrapper type, often named something akin to "Optional" or "Maybe," which can either contain a value or represent the absence of one. This wrapper prevents direct access to a non-existent value, forcing the programmer to consider both the present and absent cases. Common operations provided by handCertain include methods to check for the presence of a value, retrieve the value if present (often with a default fallback), and transform or chain operations on the contained value.

By encouraging developers to acknowledge and manage optional data explicitly, handCertain aims to improve code clarity and reduce runtime errors. This approach aligns with modern programming paradigms that emphasize immutability and functional programming principles. The library is generally available for use in various programming languages, with implementations tailored to their specific syntax and type systems. Its adoption can lead to more predictable and maintainable software.