Use enum for typing NOTHING

changelog.d/983.change.rst

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+``attrs.NOTHING`` is now an enum value, making it possible to use with f.e. ``typing.Literal``.

docs/api.rst

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ Core
   Therefore if a class, method, or function claims that it has been added in an older version, it is only available in the ``attr`` namespace.
 
 .. autodata:: attrs.NOTHING
+   :no-value:
 
 .. autofunction:: attrs.define
 

src/attr/__init__.pyi

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import enum
 import sys
 
 from typing import (
@@ -70,7 +71,10 @@ class AttrsInstance(Protocol):
 
 # _make --
 
-NOTHING: object
+class _Nothing(enum.Enum):
+    NOTHING = enum.auto()
+
+NOTHING = _Nothing.NOTHING
 
 # NOTE: Factory lies about its return type to make this possible:
 # `x: List[int] # = Factory(list)`

src/attr/_make.py

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
 
 import copy
+import enum
 import linecache
 import sys
 import types
@@ -43,21 +44,18 @@
 _ng_default_on_setattr = setters.pipe(setters.convert, setters.validate)
 
 
-class _Nothing:
+class _Nothing(enum.Enum):
     """
-    Sentinel class to indicate the lack of a value when ``None`` is ambiguous.
+    Sentinel to indicate the lack of a value when ``None`` is ambiguous.
 
-    ``_Nothing`` is a singleton. There is only ever one of it.
+    If extending attrs, you can use ``typing.Literal[NOTHING]`` to show
+    that a value may be ``NOTHING``.
 
     .. versionchanged:: 21.1.0 ``bool(NOTHING)`` is now False.
+    .. versionchanged:: 22.2.0 ``NOTHING`` is now an ``enum.Enum`` variant.
     """
 
-    _singleton = None
-
-    def __new__(cls):
-        if _Nothing._singleton is None:
-            _Nothing._singleton = super().__new__(cls)
-        return _Nothing._singleton
+    NOTHING = enum.auto()
 
     def __repr__(self):
         return "NOTHING"
@@ -66,7 +64,7 @@ def __bool__(self):
         return False
 
 
-NOTHING = _Nothing()
+NOTHING = _Nothing.NOTHING
 """
 Sentinel to indicate the lack of a value when ``None`` is ambiguous.
 """

tests/test_dunders.py

@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
     _add_repr,
     _is_slot_cls,
     _make_init,
-    _Nothing,
     fields,
     make_class,
 )
@@ -903,30 +902,30 @@ class C:
 
 class TestNothing:
     """
-    Tests for `_Nothing`.
+    Tests for `NOTHING`.
     """
 
     def test_copy(self):
         """
         __copy__ returns the same object.
         """
-        n = _Nothing()
+        n = NOTHING
         assert n is copy.copy(n)
 
     def test_deepcopy(self):
         """
         __deepcopy__ returns the same object.
         """
-        n = _Nothing()
+        n = NOTHING
         assert n is copy.deepcopy(n)
 
     def test_eq(self):
         """
         All instances are equal.
         """
-        assert _Nothing() == _Nothing() == NOTHING
-        assert not (_Nothing() != _Nothing())
-        assert 1 != _Nothing()
+        assert NOTHING == NOTHING == NOTHING
+        assert not (NOTHING != NOTHING)
+        assert 1 != NOTHING
 
     def test_false(self):
         """