# Proper way to initiate an array with \`missing\`

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [January 30, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695 "2018-01-30T15:22:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![floswald](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/floswald/32/195_2.png) [@floswald](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/floswald)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/1 "2018-01-30T15:22:23Z")

</div>

pretty simple question with no documentation that I could find. is this the right way to get a 3x1 array of `missing`s that at some point I may want to fill with with `Int`?

```julia
julia> x = Union{Int64, Missings.Missing}[missing for i in 1:3]
3-element Array{Union{Int64, Missings.Missing},1}:
 missing
 missing
 missing

julia> x[2] = 1
1

```

the other way I could think is a bit contrived, given that I would like to initiate to `missing`

```julia
julia> x=Vector{Union{Int64, Missings.Missing}}(3)
3-element Array{Union{Int64, Missings.Missing},1}:
 #undef
 #undef
 #undef

julia> x[2] = 1
1

julia> x[1] = missing
missing

julia> x
3-element Array{Union{Int64, Missings.Missing},1}:
    missing
   1       
 #undef    

```

cheers

---

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**Author:** ![fredrikekre](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/fredrikekre/32/1688_2.png) [@fredrikekre](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/fredrikekre)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/2 "2018-01-30T15:28:38Z")

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```julia
julia> Vector{Union{Int,Missing}}(missing, 3)
3-element Array{Union{Missing, Int64},1}:
 missing
 missing
 missing

```

---

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/3 "2018-01-30T15:29:18Z")

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Perhaps

```julia
convert(Array{Union{Missing, Int}}, fill(missing, 3, 1))

```

or

```julia
fill!(Array{Union{Missing, Int}}(3, 1), missing)

```

but it is not much better. I wish `fill` would take a type argument.

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**Author:** ![piever](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/piever/32/1815_2.png) [@piever](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/piever)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/4 "2018-01-30T15:29:42Z")

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Either

```julia
using Missings
missings(Int64, 10)

```

or:

```julia
using DataArrays
DataArray(Int64, 10)

```

if you want a DataArray

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![js135005](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/js135005/32/8219_2.png) [@js135005](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/js135005)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/5 "2018-01-30T15:30:28Z")

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How about

```julia
missings(Int64, 3)

```

This should work for any type.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![floswald](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/floswald/32/195_2.png) [@floswald](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/floswald)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/6 "2018-01-30T15:31:41Z")

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i like that most, thanks! had no idea how to use the Missings.jl package.

---

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**Author:** ![brett\_knoss](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/brett_knoss/32/13050_2.png) [@brett\_knoss](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/brett_knoss)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/8 "2021-10-01T02:15:36Z")

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A related question, will Missing in a DataFrame, produce an empty box?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nilshg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/nilshg/32/2283_2.png) [@nilshg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/nilshg)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 7:53am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/9 "2021-10-01T07:53:29Z")

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What does “empty box” mean? Also I don’t really see how the question is connected, better to start a new thread than to post in a 4-year old one.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![brett\_knoss](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/brett_knoss/32/13050_2.png) [@brett\_knoss](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/brett_knoss)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 4:38am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/10 "2021-10-02T04:38:20Z")

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A box that contains no value. Maybe it should be it’s own topic.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rafael.guerra](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/rafael.guerra/32/216610_2.png) [@rafael.guerra](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/rafael.guerra)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2021, 1:09pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/11 "2021-10-03T13:09:19Z")

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> [@fredrikekre](#):
>
> `Vector{Union{Int,Missing}}(missing, 3)`

Leaving the “box” aside, why wasn’t the quoted answer accepted as the more Julian solution? Thank you.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![alex-s-gardner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/alex-s-gardner/32/30210_2.png) [@alex-s-gardner](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/alex-s-gardner)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/proper-way-to-initiate-an-array-with-missing/8695/12 "2022-03-26T23:23:21Z")

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It would be nice to see

```julia
missings([T=Float64,] dims::Tuple)

```

added to Base