---
title: nil - Missing values
summary: nil represents an absent value. Assigning nil removes a table field. Returning nil and returning no values differ in result count.
section: reference
kind: guide
status: reference
updated: 2026-10-26
tags: ["API","X4"]
sources: ["https://wiki.egosoft.com/X4%20Foundations%20Wiki/Modding%20Support/","https://www.lua.org/manual/5.1/manual.html","https://luajit.org/ext_ffi_api.html"]
---
## Meaning

nil represents an absent value. Assigning nil removes a table field. Returning nil and returning no values differ in result count.

## Example

```lua
local function empty() end
local function one_nil() return nil end
local a = select("#", empty()) -- 0
local b = select("#", one_nil()) -- 1
```

**What happens:** a = 0, b = 1; no results and one nil have different result counts.

This fragment does not print or write a log message. The values shown are the expected results of the example.

## Methods and related calls

[API reference](wiki:api-index).