# Report parameter isNull() parsing error, detecting if users input parameters

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/report-parameter-isnull-parsing-error-detecting-if-users-input-parameters/92839>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** reporting\
**Created:** [July 5, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/report-parameter-isnull-parsing-error-detecting-if-users-input-parameters/92839 "2024-07-05T13:54:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Zach\_Larson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/zach_larson/32/54388_2.png) [@Zach\_Larson](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Zach_Larson)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/report-parameter-isnull-parsing-error-detecting-if-users-input-parameters/92839/1 "2024-07-05T13:54:59Z")

</div>

This is working for me in a report parameter expression.

```python
 if( isNull(Null),3,0)

```

I created a parameter userSelectedShift.  
I wrote null in the expression, and the text changed color so I thought the keyword was accepted. Datatype is set to long.  
Then I tried this expression, but I get an expression parse fail.

```python
 if( isNull({userSelectedShift}),3,0)

```

I mainly want to either use values from user selected values or use values from calculated values in the report parameters.  
I need to be able to detect when a user has not entered a value.  
Maybe I will use a dummy value instead of null.

* * *

The dummy values worked.