JavaScript specials

This chapter briefly recaps the features of JavaScript that we’ve learned by now, paying special attention to subtle moments.

Code structure

Statements are delimited with a semicolon:

alert('Hello'); alert('World');

Usually, a line-break is also treated as a delimiter, so that would also work:

alert('Hello')
alert('World')

That’s called “automatic semicolon insertion”. Sometimes it doesn’t work, for instance:

alert("There will be an error after this message")

[1, 2].forEach(alert)

Most codestyle guides agree that we should put a semicolon after each statement.

Semicolons are not required after code blocks {...} and syntax constructs with them like loops:

function f() {
  // no semicolon needed after function declaration
}

for(;;) {
  // no semicolon needed after the loop
}

…But even if we can put an “extra” semicolon somewhere, that’s not an error. It will be ignored.

More in: Code structure.

Strict mode

To fully enable all features of modern JavaScript, we should start scripts with "use strict".

'use strict';

...

The directive must be at the top of a script or at the beginning of a function body.

Without "use strict", everything still works, but some features behave in the old-fashioned, “compatible” way. We’d generally prefer the modern behavior.

Some modern features of the language (like classes that we’ll study in the future) enable strict mode implicitly.

More in: The modern mode, "use strict".

Variables

Can be declared using:

• let
• const (constant, can’t be changed)
• var (old-style, will see later)

A variable name can include:

• Letters and digits, but the first character may not be a digit.
• Characters $ and _ are normal, on par with letters.
• Non-Latin alphabets and hieroglyphs are also allowed, but commonly not used.

Variables are dynamically typed. They can store any value:

let x = 5;
x = "John";

There are 8 data types:

• number for both floating-point and integer numbers,
• bigint for integer numbers of arbitrary length,
• string for strings,
• boolean for logical values: true/false,
• null – a type with a single value null, meaning “empty” or “does not exist”,
• undefined – a type with a single value undefined, meaning “not assigned”,
• object and symbol – for complex data structures and unique identifiers, we haven’t learnt them yet.

The typeof operator returns the type for a value, with two exceptions:

typeof null == "object" // error in the language
typeof function(){} == "function" // functions are treated specially

More in: Variables and Data types.

Interaction

We’re using a browser as a working environment, so basic UI functions will be:

prompt(question, [default])Ask a question, and return either what the visitor entered or null if they clicked “cancel”.confirm(question)Ask a question and suggest to choose between Ok and Cancel. The choice is returned as true/false.alert(message)Output a message.

All these functions are modal, they pause the code execution and prevent the visitor from interacting with the page until they answer.

For instance:

let userName = prompt("Your name?", "Alice");
let isTeaWanted = confirm("Do you want some tea?");

alert( "Visitor: " + userName ); // Alice
alert( "Tea wanted: " + isTeaWanted ); // true

More in: Interaction: alert, prompt, confirm.

Operators

JavaScript supports the following operators:

Arithmetical

Regular: * + - /, also % for the remainder and ** for power of a number.

The binary plus + concatenates strings. And if any of the operands is a string, the other one is converted to string too:

alert( '1' + 2 ); // '12', string
alert( 1 + '2' ); // '12', string

Assignments

There is a simple assignment: a = b and combined ones like a *= 2.

Bitwise

Bitwise operators work with 32-bit integers at the lowest, bit-level: see the docs when they are needed.

Conditional

The only operator with three parameters: cond ? resultA : resultB. If cond is truthy, returns resultA, otherwise resultB.

Logical operators

Logical AND && and OR || perform short-circuit evaluation and then return the value where it stopped (not necessary true/false). Logical NOT ! converts the operand to boolean type and returns the inverse value.

Nullish coalescing operator

The ?? operator provides a way to choose a defined value from a list of variables. The result of a ?? b is a unless it’s null/undefined, then b.

Comparisons

Equality check == for values of different types converts them to a number (except null and undefined that equal each other and nothing else), so these are equal:

alert( 0 == false ); // true
alert( 0 == '' ); // true

Other comparisons convert to a number as well.

The strict equality operator === doesn’t do the conversion: different types always mean different values for it.

Values null and undefined are special: they equal == each other and don’t equal anything else.

Greater/less comparisons compare strings character-by-character, other types are converted to a number.

Other operators

There are few others, like a comma operator.

More in: Basic operators, maths, Comparisons, Logical operators, Nullish coalescing operator '??'.

Loops

• We covered 3 types of loops:

// 1
while (condition) {
  ...
}

// 2
do {
  ...
} while (condition);

// 3
for(let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  ...
}

• The variable declared in for(let...) loop is visible only inside the loop. But we can also omit let and reuse an existing variable.

• Directives break/continue allow to exit the whole loop/current iteration. Use labels to break nested loops.

Details in: Loops: while and for.

Later we’ll study more types of loops to deal with objects.

The “switch” construct

The “switch” construct can replace multiple if checks. It uses === (strict equality) for comparisons.

For instance:

let age = prompt('Your age?', 18);

switch (age) {
  case 18:
    alert("Won't work"); // the result of prompt is a string, not a number
    break;

  case "18":
    alert("This works!");
    break;

  default:
    alert("Any value not equal to one above");
}

Details in: The "switch" statement.

Functions

We covered three ways to create a function in JavaScript:

1. Function Declaration: the function in the main code flow

function sum(a, b) {
  let result = a + b;

  return result;
}

2. Function Expression: the function in the context of an expression

let sum = function(a, b) {
  let result = a + b;

  return result;
};

3. Arrow functions:

// expression on the right side
let sum = (a, b) => a + b;

// or multi-line syntax with { ... }, need return here:
let sum = (a, b) => {
  // ...
  return a + b;
}

// without arguments
let sayHi = () => alert("Hello");

// with a single argument
let double = n => n * 2;

• Functions may have local variables: those declared inside its body or its parameter list. Such variables are only visible inside the function.
• Parameters can have default values: function sum(a = 1, b = 2) {...}.
• Functions always return something. If there’s no return statement, then the result is undefined.

Details: see Functions, Arrow functions, the basics.

More to come

That was a brief list of JavaScript features. As of now we’ve studied only basics. Further in the tutorial you’ll find more specials and advanced features of JavaScript.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the small examples and then missing the exact rule that JavaScript specials depends on.
• Copying code without changing one value at a time to see which part controls the result.
• Treating similar-looking syntax or APIs as interchangeable before checking their edge cases.

Summary

• JavaScript specials gives you one more piece of the JavaScript mental model.
• The examples in this lesson are the quickest way to check whether the rule is clear.
• Revisit the key terms when you meet the same idea in later chapters.

Practice

• Rewrite one example from this lesson without looking at the original, then run it and compare the result.
• Change one input, operator, method call, or option in a code sample and predict what will happen before running it.
• Explain JavaScript specials in your own words as if you were reviewing it with another learner.

Keep learning

Continue with Debugging in the browser when you are ready for the next lesson.