CF2021 custom tags do not support null values

[MichaelAlanDawson]

x = null

if (x != null) {}

Both of these statments fail when used in a custom tag.  Both statements succeed when using in the requested template or a template that is included in another template.

This issue occurs when using tag or script syntax.

Can anyone else reproduce this issue?

Version: 2021,0,03,329779

Message: Variable NULL is undefined. 

Stack Trace: coldfusion.runtime.UndefinedVariableException: Variable NULL is undefined. at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._get(CfJspPage.java:462) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._get(CfJspPage.java:417) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._get(CfJspPage.java:396) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._autoscalarize(CfJspPage.java:2363) at cfrendercourse2ecfm589117369.runPage(C:\home\evansville.edu\custom-tags\course\rendercourse.cfm:2) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage.invoke(CfJspPage.java:257) at coldfusion.filter.CFVariablesScopeFilter.invoke(CFVariablesScopeFilter.java:56) at coldfusion.tagext.lang.ModuleTag.doStartTag(ModuleTag.java:330) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage._emptyTcfTag(CfJspPage.java:5201) at cfcourses2ecfm1575386829.runPage(C:\home\evansville.edu\wwwroot\majors\chemistry\courses.cfm:109) at coldfusion.runtime.CfJspPage.invoke(CfJspPage.java:257) at coldfusion.tagext.lang.IncludeTag.handlePageInvoke(IncludeTag.java:749) at coldfusion.tagext.lang.IncludeTag.doStartTag(IncludeTag.java:578) at coldfusion.filter.CfincludeFilter.invoke(CfincludeFilter.java:65) at coldfusion.filter.ApplicationFilter.invoke(ApplicationFilter.java:573) at coldfusion.filter.RequestMonitorFilter.invoke(RequestMonitorFilter.java:43) at coldfusion.filter.MonitoringFilter.invoke(MonitoringFilter.java:40) at coldfusion.filter.PathFilter.invoke(PathFilter.java:162) at coldfusion.filter.IpFilter.invoke(IpFilter.java:45) at coldfusion.filter.ExceptionFilter.invoke(ExceptionFilter.java:97) at coldfusion.filter.ClientScopePersistenceFilter.invoke(ClientScopePersistenceFilter.java:28) at coldfusion.filter.BrowserFilter.invoke(BrowserFilter.java:38) at coldfusion.filter.NoCacheFilter.invoke(NoCacheFilter.java:60) at coldfusion.filter.GlobalsFilter.invoke(GlobalsFilter.java:38) at coldfusion.filter.DatasourceFilter.invoke(DatasourceFilter.java:22) at coldfusion.filter.CachingFilter.invoke(CachingFilter.java:62) at coldfusion.CfmServlet.service(CfmServlet.java:231) at coldfusion.bootstrap.BootstrapServlet.service(BootstrapServlet.java:311) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:228) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:163) at coldfusion.monitor.event.MonitoringServletFilter.doFilter(MonitoringServletFilter.java:46) at coldfusion.bootstrap.BootstrapFilter.doFilter(BootstrapFilter.java:47) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:190) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:163) at org.apache.tomcat.websocket.server.WsFilter.doFilter(WsFilter.java:53) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:190) at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:163) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:202) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:97) at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:542) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:143) at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:92) at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:78) at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:373) at org.apache.coyote.ajp.AjpProcessor.service(AjpProcessor.java:462) at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProcessorLight.process(AbstractProcessorLight.java:65) at org.apache.coyote.AbstractProtocol$ConnectionHandler.process(AbstractProtocol.java:893) at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.NioEndpoint$SocketProcessor.doRun(NioEndpoint.java:1723) at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.SocketProcessorBase.run(SocketProcessorBase.java:49) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1128) at java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:628) at org.apache.tomcat.util.threads.TaskThread$WrappingRunnable.run(TaskThread.java:61) at java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:834) 

[BKBK]

I tested both statements

• in a requested CFMtemplate
• in a template that is included in another template.

The code failed in both situations. The error was "Variable NULL is undefined". I, too, am on Coldfusion 2021 Update 3.

Did you mistakenly test with a non-CFM page?

[MichaelAlanDawson · Accepted solution]

It was a .cfm file.

I was able to confirm the issue again today.  I reported it in Adobe's bug tracker.

Thanks!

[BKBK]

The bug ticket: https://tracker.adobe.com/#/view/CF-4212885 

[bennadel]

This may be a silly question, but I believe that null support is a setting you have to enable. Did you enable it? If so, is it enabled at the server level? Or, in the `Application.cfc`?

[MichaelAlanDawson]

Yes, null support is enabled in Application.cfc.

Null-related code works everywhere except within a custom tag.  This is a bummer because my custom tags are exactly where I want to use nulls.  For example, I need to check for a non-null value from a nullable column.

This code works in an "included" template:

<cfif articles.story != null>#articles.story#</cfif>

However, it does not work when that template is called as a custom tag.

Thanks for asking!

[BKBK]

You could, while this is being investigated, use

JavaCast("null","")

as null value.

[MichaelAlanDawson]

Yes, JavaCast() will work if you are setting a nullable value.

However, JavaCast() can't be used when expecting nullable columns from a database query.

Thanks for voting on this bug.

[BKBK]

I could reproduce the issue and have duly voted for your bug.