OptionalChainingOverNilCheck [rule] v0.1.0

When the goal is 'do this only if the value is present, otherwise produce nothing or a default', Swift gives three short-circuiting forms that are clearer than an if x != nil check followed by a body that uses x!. Optional chaining (a?.b?.c()) propagates nil. Nil-coalescing (x ?? default) supplies a fallback. Pattern matching (if case let .some(value) = x) reads the cases explicitly. Each removes a force-unwrap and makes the absence-handling part of the expression.

Checks

• if x != nil { use(x!) } is rewritten using optional chaining, if let, or guard let — never paired with a force-unwrap on the same value.
• Cascading optional access goes through ?. chains; intermediate if let ladders are flattened where the result type tolerates nil.
• Defaulting an optional to a concrete value uses ?? (name ?? "Anonymous"), not a ternary on != nil.
• Comparing an optional to a non-nil value uses direct equality (if x == 5); the compiler wraps the literal in .some(5) and the comparison reads naturally.

Label

Prefer ?., ??, and pattern-matching to manual != nil checks

OptionalChainingOverNilCheck [rule] v0.1.0

When the goal is 'do this only if the value is present, otherwise produce nothing or a default', Swift gives three short-circuiting forms that are clearer than an if x != nil check followed by a body that uses x!. Optional chaining (a?.b?.c()) propagates nil. Nil-coalescing (x ?? default) supplies a fallback. Pattern matching (if case let .some(value) = x) reads the cases explicitly. Each removes a force-unwrap and makes the absence-handling part of the expression.

Checks

• if x != nil { use(x!) } is rewritten using optional chaining, if let, or guard let — never paired with a force-unwrap on the same value.
• Cascading optional access goes through ?. chains; intermediate if let ladders are flattened where the result type tolerates nil.
• Defaulting an optional to a concrete value uses ?? (name ?? "Anonymous"), not a ternary on != nil.
• Comparing an optional to a non-nil value uses direct equality (if x == 5); the compiler wraps the literal in .some(5) and the comparison reads naturally.

Label

Prefer ?., ??, and pattern-matching to manual != nil checks

Label

Prefer ?., ??, and pattern-matching to manual != nil checks