# Using Spanish question mark \`¿\` for \`missing\` short syntax?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299>\
**Category:** Internals & Design\
**Created:** [May 31, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299 "2018-05-31T17:36:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ScottPJones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/scottpjones/32/146_2.png) [@ScottPJones](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ScottPJones)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/1 "2018-05-31T17:36:37Z")

</div>

I saw the debate on GitHub over `??` `T?` `?=` etc. being used for `nothing`, and I thought, maybe a Spanish upsidedown question mark could be used? It’s generally easy to type (a single keystroke on the Mac, even without a Spanish keyboard, simply “option ?”, and probably similar on Windows).  
It would be fairly easy to remember then, `?` always deals with `nothing`ness (programmer’s null), and `¿` deals with `missing`ness (SQL null, 3VL).

Just a thought!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mbaz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mbaz/32/17295_2.png) [@mbaz](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mbaz)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/2 "2018-05-31T17:46:35Z")

</div>

Or, even more cute, `¿?`, which is used in Spanish to indicate stupefaction (I wonder if that’s the best word?) A text bubble with “???” in a comic would be “¿?” translated to Spanish.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pdeffebach](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/pdeffebach/32/10320_2.png) [@pdeffebach](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pdeffebach)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/3 "2018-05-31T17:51:59Z")

</div>

I have no idea how to type that with windows, which is becoming an issue cause I do need to write in spanish… But i am a fan of smaller printing for missing and nothing!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jordan\_Cluts](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jordan_cluts/32/13753_2.png) [@Jordan\_Cluts](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Jordan_Cluts)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/4 "2018-05-31T17:54:26Z")

</div>

I was curious as well. In Windows it is Alt + 168  
Or ctrl+alt+shift+‘/’ in Word.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ScottPJones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/scottpjones/32/146_2.png) [@ScottPJones](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ScottPJones)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/5 "2018-05-31T18:00:13Z")

</div>

> [@Jordan\_Cluts](#):
>
> In Windows it is Alt + 168

I think (IIRC - been years since I’ve used Windows) it depends on what keyboard layout you select.  
For Julia, I think people would be using an international one (like I do on my Mac, the `US International PC` layout instead of the default `US`)

I was trying to think of any combination of 2 ASCII characters (one of them being `?`, or else a single Unicode character), so that it would be simple to remember.

One of these `?!` `?|` `?$` `?/` `?>` maybe?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jordan\_Cluts](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/jordan_cluts/32/13753_2.png) [@Jordan\_Cluts](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Jordan_Cluts)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/6 "2018-05-31T18:02:41Z")

</div>

> [@ScottPJones](#):
>
> I think (IIRC - been years since I’ve used Windows) it depends on what keyboard layout you select.  
> For Julia, I think people would be using an international one (like I do on my Mac, the `US International PC` layout instead of the default `US` )

Indeed on the US-International layout it is accessible via right-alt+‘/’ (according to wikipedia, I didn’t bother switching layouts just to confirm it).

Might I suggest `!?`  
since `?` is meant to denote nothing, and `!` generally is negation then `!?` says “not nothing” to me, which is similar to the idea of ‘missing’. It’s not nothing, it’s just missing.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ScottPJones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/scottpjones/32/146_2.png) [@ScottPJones](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ScottPJones)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/7 "2018-05-31T18:09:40Z")

</div>

> [@Jordan\_Cluts](#):
>
> Might I suggest `!?`

The only thing, that requires a space or some separator, because `!` can be part of a name (and frequently is, for methods that modify there arguments)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ScottPJones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/scottpjones/32/146_2.png) [@ScottPJones](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/ScottPJones)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/using-spanish-question-mark-for-missing-short-syntax/11299/9 "2018-06-01T01:30:36Z")

</div>

By the way, I like the idea of `!?`, I just wanted to point out that it would require a space between an identifier and `!?` (which is always a good idea to do anyway for readability).