Optional binding of nil literal vs. variable that is nil in Swift

Question

In Swift, why does

var x: Int? = nil
if let y: Int? = x { ... }

behave differently from

if let y: Int? = nil { ... }
         


        

Answer 1

if let is used to get rid of the optional. If you want to see when the variable is nil use

if let y: Int = x {
// This occurs if you are able to give a non-nil value to the variable
} else {
// This occurs if the optional x is nil
}

as far as I know you shouldn't try declare the type of a constant in the if let statement to be optional because that kind of defeats the purpose of the if let statement.