JavaScript Nullish Coalescing Operator

JavaScript Nullish Coalescing Operator

The Nullish Coalescing Operator (??) is a relatively new addition to JavaScript, introduced in ECMAScript 2020. It provides a shorthand way of checking whether a value is null or undefined, and providing a default value if it is.

The syntax of the Nullish Coalescing Operator is as follows:

The operator returns value1 if it is not null or undefined. If it is null or undefined, the operator returns value2.

Here's an example that demonstrates how the Nullish Coalescing Operator works:

In this example, foo is null, so the Nullish Coalescing Operator returns the value of bar.

Here's another example that shows how the operator can be used to check if a variable is null or undefined before assigning a default value:

In this example, x is undefined, so the Nullish Coalescing Operator returns the value of 'default value'.

One thing to note about the Nullish Coalescing Operator is that it only checks for null and undefined values. It does not check for falsy values like 0, '', false, etc.

Here's an example that demonstrates this:

In this example, foo is an empty string (''), which is a falsy value. However, the Nullish Coalescing Operator still returns the value of foo, since it is not null or undefined.

Overall, the Nullish Coalescing Operator is a useful addition to JavaScript that makes it easier to write code that handles null and undefined values.

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