microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript

disallow comparing to null and undefined unless they are valid cases in strict null mode

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Description

the rationale is the same as for --noUnusedLocals which in this case would be --noUselessNullChecks (i am not proposing a new flag, the existing --strictNullChecks flag should be used, this is for illustration only)

declare const value: number;
if (value !== null) { // <-- somehow valid, expected to be invalid, since number doesn't have null as a possible value
}
if (value !== '') { // <-- invalid as expected 
}

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Research direction

Start by reproducing the TypeScript examples under --strictNullChecks and inspect the type-checking behavior for comparisons with null and undefined. Done means comparisons are rejected when the operand type cannot include the compared value, while valid nullable cases remain accepted.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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