Is there a direct implementation of the elvis operator Javascript?

General Discussions
1

Is there an elvis operator javascript equivalent for the null-coalescing operator or safe navigation operator?

I’ll explain with examples:

Elvis Operator (?:)

The “Elvis operator” is a shorthand version of Java’s ternary operator. It’s handy for returning a ‘sensible default’ value if an expression resolves to false or null. For example:


let gender = user.male ? "male" : "female";  // traditional ternary operator usage

let displayName = user.name || "Anonymous";  // more compact Elvis operator

Safe Navigation Operator (?.)

The Safe Navigation operator is used to avoid a NullPointerException. When you have a reference to an object, you typically need to verify that it is not null before accessing the methods or properties of the object.

The safe navigation operator will return null instead of throwing an exception, as shown below: let user = findUser("admin"); // this might be null if ‘admin’ does not exist

So, is there a direct implementation of the elvis operator javascript?

2

Hey

This is what I tried, and it worked for me.

Using Logical OR (||) for Default Values: In JavaScript, you can use the logical OR operator (||) to achieve a similar effect as the Elvis operator. This allows you to return a default value when an expression resolves to a false value (like null, undefined, or false). For instance:

let displayName = user.name || "Anonymous"; // Uses elvis operator javascript style for defaults

In this example, if user.name is falsy (e.g., null), the variable displayName will default to “Anonymous”.

3

Hi, you can also try this way to resolve your queir

Using Optional Chaining (?.): The optional chaining operator (?.) in JavaScript serves as a safe navigation operator. It allows you to access deeply nested properties without having to explicitly check if each reference in the chain is null or undefined. For example:

let streetName = user?.address?.street; //

Uses elvis operator javascript style to avoid errors In this case, if user or user.address is null, streetName will simply be undefined instead of throwing an error.

4

I just tried combining Logical OR with Optional Chaining and it worked for me: You can combine both approaches to achieve both default values and safe property access. For example:

let userStreetName = user?.address?.street || “No street available”;

// Combines elvis operator javascript with optional chaining

Here, if a user is null, or if the user.address does not exist, the userStreetName will be set to “No street available”, leveraging the Elvis operator javascript style for the concise handling of null values.