# juce::Optional\<\> -\>get();

**URL:** <https://forum.juce.com/t/juce-optional-get/51982>\
**Category:** General JUCE discussion\
**Created:** [June 28, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/juce-optional-get/51982 "2022-06-28T14:49:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jakemumu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/jakemumu/32/13038_2.png) [@jakemumu](https://forum.juce.com/u/jakemumu)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/juce-optional-get/51982/1 "2022-06-28T14:49:59Z")

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Would is be possible to add a `get()` method to JUCE’s optional class similar to std::optional?

In our case it could return a sensible default & throw an assert in debug?

In my code all classes pull from a single optional which is processed once per block but available across a wide range of nodes & processors across many different files. – In the base I handled the cases of a certain type not being set – and if it doesn’t exist I set it in the optional.

This means that I am sure the value is set in the optional – yet I still need to use the funky `*info->getBpm()` syntax or `info->getBpm().orFallback(x)` – I prefer the latter as the first is confusing – but it’s annoying to have so many `.orFallback()` all over the place.

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**Author:** ![reuk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/reuk/32/21494_2.png) [@reuk](https://forum.juce.com/u/reuk)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 10:27am UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/juce-optional-get/51982/2 "2022-07-11T10:27:52Z")

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I’d prefer not to add this feature.

The stdlib implementation of `optional::value` returns a reference to the contained object, so there’s no way to return a sensible default if the optional is not engaged. Changing the signature to return by value would be a departure from the stdlib API which could complicate migration from `juce::Optional` to `std::optional` in the future. Adding a completely new/separate member function would similarly complicate such a migration.

We could take the same approach as the `std` version, and throw an exception on failure (perhaps we could add an assertion before the throw, too), but I don’t really want to encourage throwing exceptions in JUCE. Exceptions aren’t appropriate in realtime contexts, and they’re difficult to use/test correctly even in non-performance-critical contexts.

I’d suggest implementing the functionality that you’re after as a non-member function. This approach can easily be tweaked to work with std::optional too:

```auto
template <typename Value>
Value get (juce::Optional<Value> opt, Value fallback = {})
{
    if (opt.hasValue())
        return *opt;

    jassertfalse;
    return fallback;
}

```

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**Author:** ![jakemumu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.juce.com/jakemumu/32/13038_2.png) [@jakemumu](https://forum.juce.com/u/jakemumu)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://forum.juce.com/t/juce-optional-get/51982/3 "2022-07-11T15:44:14Z")

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Love it! Thanks for the suggestion @reuk