maybe-else
Provides a Maybe class as a Python implementation of null-aware operators.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned (last commit 2021-03-10, no releases since 2019-11-14) and officially supports only Python 3.7. While the core idea is useful and the MIT license is permissive, the lack of maintenance and narrow version support make it risky for new projects. Modern Python offers better alternatives (e.g., `operator.attrgetter` with exception handling, or type-aware libraries like `pydantic`). Install only if you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Package is abandoned and only officially tested on Python 3.7; compatibility with newer Python versions is not guaranteed.
- Installation is frictionless with no runtime dependencies.
- However, the package is abandoned—last commit was 2021-03-10 and no releases since 2019-11-14.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you may use, modify, and distribute it freely with minimal restrictions.
last release 2019-11-14 (2465 days) · last repo commit 2021-03-10
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 608,745 downloads/mo, #5,777 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install maybe-else
from maybe_else import Maybe
result = Maybe(None).else_("fallback") # "fallback"
result = Maybe({"key": "value"})["key"].else_("default") # "value"- Whether the package works reliably on Python versions newer than 3.7 despite being abandoned.
- Whether the exception-catching behavior (IndexError, KeyError, AttributeError, TypeError) is comprehensive enough for real-world chaining scenarios.
- Current test coverage and whether the codebase has known edge cases or limitations beyond those documented.
What it is and what it does
maybe-else provides a `Maybe` wrapper class that lets you chain operations on values without repeatedly checking for None. Instead of writing `var if var is not None else handle_none(var)`, you wrap the value in `Maybe()`, chain attribute access, item access, or method calls, and call `.else_()` at the end with a fallback value. If the wrapped value is None or any operation raises `IndexError`, `KeyError`, `AttributeError`, or `TypeError`, the fallback is returned; otherwise the result of the chain is returned.
The package has no runtime dependencies and installs with low friction. However, it has been abandoned since late 2019 and is marked as Alpha. It was only tested against Python 3.7, so use on newer Python versions is unsupported and untested. The core idea is sound for reducing boilerplate in null-safe code, but the lack of maintenance means you should evaluate whether the behavior matches your needs before relying on it in production.
Use it for
- Safely access nested dictionary or object attributes without intermediate None checks: `Maybe(obj).attr.nested["key"].else_(default_value)`.
- Call methods on values that might be None without raising AttributeError: `Maybe(string_or_none).upper().else_("UNKNOWN")`.
- Chain arithmetic or bitwise operations and return a fallback if they fail: `(Maybe(value) / divisor).else_(0)`.
- Simplify conditional fallback logic in data transformation pipelines where intermediate steps may return None.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned (last commit 2021-03-10, no releases since 2019-11-14) and officially supports only Python 3.7. While the core idea is useful and the MIT license is permissive, the lack of maintenance and narrow version support make it risky for new projects. Modern Python offers better alternatives (e.g., `operator.attrgetter` with exception handling, or type-aware libraries like `pydantic`). Install only if you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.
Install
maybe-else on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is frictionless with no runtime dependencies. However, the package is abandoned—last commit was 2021-03-10 and no releases since 2019-11-14. It is marked as Alpha status and officially supports only Python 3.7.
Package is abandoned and only officially tested on Python 3.7; compatibility with newer Python versions is not guaranteed.
License in practice
Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you may use, modify, and distribute it freely with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install maybe-else
from maybe_else import Maybe
result = Maybe(None).else_("fallback") # "fallback"
result = Maybe({"key": "value"})["key"].else_("default") # "value"Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably on Python versions newer than 3.7 despite being abandoned.
- Whether the exception-catching behavior (IndexError, KeyError, AttributeError, TypeError) is comprehensive enough for real-world chaining scenarios.
- Current test coverage and whether the codebase has known edge cases or limitations beyond those documented.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,465 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 608,745 / month, #5,777 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 3 - AlphaIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.7 |
Evidence: maybe_else-0.2.1-py3-none-any.whl
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