What causes "TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable"?

A function that modifies a list in-place (like .sort(), .append()) returns None A function that should return a value is missing a return statement An API or database query returned no results (None instead of a list) A variable was never assigned a value

Error2 Fixes Available

TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable

TypeError: 'NoneType' object is not subscriptable

What does this error mean?

You're trying to use [] indexing on a value that is None. This happens when a function returns None (either explicitly or by not having a return statement) and you try to index into the result.

Common Causes

A function that modifies a list in-place (like .sort(), .append()) returns None
A function that should return a value is missing a return statement
An API or database query returned no results (None instead of a list)
A variable was never assigned a value

How to Fix It (2 Solutions)

Don't assign in-place methods

Methods like .sort(), .reverse(), .append() modify the list in-place and return None.

Code

# ❌ sort() returns None
my_list = [3, 1, 2]
my_list = my_list.sort()  # my_list is now None!
print(my_list[0])  # 💥 TypeError

# ✅ Sort in -place without reassigning
my_list.sort()
print(my_list[0])  # ✅

# ✅ Or use sorted() which returns a new list
my_list = sorted([3, 1, 2])
print(my_list[0])  # ✅

Guard against None before indexing

Check that the value is not None before using it.

Code

result = get_data()
if result is not None:
print(result[0])
else:
print("No data returned")

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