Take advantage of the NULL Object pattern to avoid writing too much boilerplate code in your application when checking for null values ...

Null and void A null value is a value that doesn't refer to any object. It's the default value of reference-type variables (e.g., class, interface, delegate).

We show you how to fix Object reference not set to an instance of an object error prompt which you may see in Microsoft Visual Studio.

If were actually returning a null reference you could use the ?? operator, but as PeterB has pointed out is it isn't. It's returning a handle which you want to test the value of against NULL ...

Reference objects aren't just useful when memory is at a premium; they can also be used to provide slick caching abilities to any application.