Scala: How to create a None with a specific data type

As I note in How to use fold on a Scala Option, if you’re using Scala and need to create a None of a specific data type, either of these two approaches will solve the problem:

val none = Option.empty[Int]    // Option[Int]
val none: Option[Int] = None    // Option[Int]

Both of those approaches create the None with the type Option[Int], as shown in the Scala REPL:

scala> val none = Option.empty[Int]
val none: Option[Int] = None

scala> val none: Option[Int] = None
val none: Option[Int] = None

I tweeted about this here on Twitter, and also wrote about it here on LinkedIn, where Rob Moore mentioned the second approach.

In summary, if you ever need to create a None of a specific data type in Scala, I hope this helps.