This question already has answers here:
+!! operator in an if statement
(6 answers)
Closed 7 years ago.
Consider the following codes
var value = 0;
for (var i=0; i < arguments.length; i++) {
value += +!!arguments[i];
}
What does +!! really do here? Is it one good programming style in JavaScript?
!!arguments[i] is a common idiom, which applies the logical negation twice, to convert the expression arguments[i] to a real boolean value.
For example,
console.log(!!{});
// true
Why we need two logical negations here? Because, it doesn't change the parity of the data. For example,
if the data was originally Truthy, then !Truthy will become false and then inverting it again !false, you will get true.
if the data was originally Falsy, then !Falsy will become true and then inverting it again !true, you will get false.
The + operator at the beginning of +!!arguments[i] is to make sure to get a Number value out of the boolean, (as !!arguments[i] is guaranteed to give a boolean).
In JavaScript, when true is converted to a number you will get 1, and 0 for false.
console.log(+true);
// 1
console.log(+false);
// 0
It's not one operator, it's three: + and then ! twice.
What that does is apply ! to arguments[i], which turns truthy values false or falsy values to true, and then applies ! to make false => true and vice-versa, and then applies the unary + to convert the result to a number (true => 1, false => 0).
A falsy value is any value that coerces to false. The falsy values are 0, "", NaN, null, undefined, and of course, false. A truthy value is any other value.
So the net result is to add the count of truthy values in arguments to value.
Is it one good programming style in JavaScript?
Using !! to turn something truthy into true and something falsy into false is completely normal practice. Using the unary + to convert something to a number is also completely normal practice.
Often !! is used to convert variable to boolean type, and + to number.
In this example it is first converted to boolean then to number in this case to 1 or 0.
Variable value contains number of truthy parameters passed to function.
Related
I just learned there are truthy and falsy values in python which are different from the normal True and False.
Can someone please explain in depth what truthy and falsy values are? Where should I use them? What is the difference between truthy and True values and falsy and False values?
We use "truthy" and "falsy" to differentiate from the bool values True and False. A "truthy" value will satisfy the check performed by if or while statements. As explained in the documentation, all values are considered "truthy" except for the following, which are "falsy":
None
False
Numbers that are numerically equal to zero, including:
0
0.0
0j
decimal.Decimal(0)
fraction.Fraction(0, 1)
Empty sequences and collections, including:
[] - an empty list
{} - an empty dict
() - an empty tuple
set() - an empty set
'' - an empty str
b'' - an empty bytes
bytearray(b'') - an empty bytearray
memoryview(b'') - an empty memoryview
an empty range, like range(0)
objects for which
obj.__bool__() returns False
obj.__len__() returns 0, given that obj.__bool__ is undefined
As the comments described, it just refers to values which are evaluated to True or False.
For instance, to see if a list is not empty, instead of checking like this:
if len(my_list) != 0:
print("Not empty!")
You can simply do this:
if my_list:
print("Not empty!")
This is because some values, such as empty lists, are considered False when evaluated for a boolean value. Non-empty lists are True.
Similarly for the integer 0, the empty string "", and so on, for False, and non-zero integers, non-empty strings, and so on, for True.
The idea of terms like "truthy" and "falsy" simply refer to those values which are considered True in cases like those described above, and those which are considered False.
For example, an empty list ([]) is considered "falsy", and a non-empty list (for example, [1]) is considered "truthy".
See also this section of the documentation.
Python determines the truthiness by applying bool() to the type, which returns True or False which is used in an expression like if or while.
Here is an example for a custom class Vector2dand it's instance returning False when the magnitude (lenght of a vector) is 0, otherwise True.
import math
class Vector2d(object):
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = float(x)
self.y = float(y)
def __abs__(self):
return math.hypot(self.x, self.y)
def __bool__(self):
return bool(abs(self))
a = Vector2d(0,0)
print(bool(a)) #False
b = Vector2d(10,0)
print(bool(b)) #True
Note: If we wouldn't have defined __bool__ it would always return True, as instances of a user-defined class are considered truthy by default.
Example from the book: "Fluent in Python, clear, concise and effective programming"
Truthy values refer to the objects used in a boolean context and not so much the boolean value that returns true or false.Take these as an example:
>>> bool([])
False
>>> bool([1])
True
>>> bool('')
False
>>> bool('hello')
True
Where should you use Truthy or Falsy values ?
These are syntactic sugar, so you can always avoid them, but using them can make your code more readable and make you more efficient.
Moreover, you will find them in many code examples, whether in python or not, because it is considered good practice.
As mentioned in the other answers, you can use them in if tests and while loops. Here are two other examples in python 3 with default values combined with or, s being a string variable. You will extend to similar situations as well.
Without truthy
if len(s) > 0:
print(s)
else:
print('Default value')
with truthy it is more concise:
print(s or 'Default value')
In python 3.8, we can take advantage of the assignment expression :=
without truthy
if len(s) == 0:
s = 'Default value'
do_something(s)
with truthy it is shorter too
s or (s := 'Default value')
do_something(s)
or even shorter,
do_something(s or (s := 'Default value'))
Without the assignment expression, one can do
s = s or 'Default value'
do_something(s)
but not shorter. Some people find the s =... line unsatisfactory because it corresponds to
if len(s)>0:
s = s # HERE is an extra useless assignment
else:
s = "Default value"
nevertheless you can adhere to this coding style if you feel comfortable with it.
Any object in Python can be tested for its truth value. It can be used in an if or while condition or as operand of the Boolean operations.
The following values are considered False:
None
False
zero of any numeric type, for example, 0, 0L, 0.0, 0j.
any empty sequence, for example, '', (), [].
any empty mapping, for example, {}.
instances of user-defined classes, if the class defines a __nonzero__() or __len__() method, when that method returns the integer zero or bool value False.
All other values are considered True -- thus objects of many types are always true.
Operations and built-in functions that have a Boolean result always return 0 or False for false and 1 or True for true, unless otherwise stated.
In case of if (!id) {}
!expr returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise, returns true.
If a value can be converted to true, the value is so-called truthy. If a value can be converted to false, the value is so-called falsy.
Examples of expressions that can be converted to false are:
null;
NaN;
0;
empty string ("" or '' or ``);
undefined.
Even though the ! operator can be used with operands that are not Boolean values, it can still be considered a boolean operator since its return value can always be converted to a boolean primitive. To explicitly convert its return value (or any expression in general) to the corresponding boolean value, use a double NOT operator or the Boolean constructor.
Example:
n1 = !null // !t returns true
n2 = !NaN // !f returns true
n3 = !'' // !f returns true
n4 = !'Cat' // !t returns false
While in case of if (id != null) {} it will only check if the value in id is not equal to null
reference https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Logical_NOT
Falsy means something empty like empty list,tuple, as any datatype having empty values or None.
Truthy means :
Except are Truthy
I'm just starting to learn Javascript, and am using this reference: https://www.discovermeteor.com/blog/javascript-for-meteor/
There's an interesting commentary that I can't get my head around. I quote below.
An interesting consequence of the ! operator is that it always returns a boolean value, even if what comes after is not a boolean:
a = 12;
!a; // false
This means that if you want to convert a variable to boolean you can just use the ! operator twice (once to force the variable to boolean, a second time to revert the value back):
a = 12;
!!a; // true
Or:
a = 0;
!!a; // false
Can anyone help me makes sense of the wording?
Is it simply trying to say that any integer other than 0 gets assigned a Boolean value of True, and that you can return a Boolean value of True/False by using "!" and "!!" respectively?
Yes, !!something is a way to convert something into a boolean (essentially finding out whether something is truthy). 0 and NaN are the only number values that would convert to false with the !! operator (or Boolean() call). All other numbers will be true.
Similarly, +something is a way to convert something into a number.
I usually prefer the more explicit approach: Boolean(something) and Number(something).
Let me start off by saying I understand the difference between =, ==, and
===. The first is used to assign the right-hand value to the left-hand variable, the second is used to compare the equivalency of the two values, and the third is used not just for equivalency but type comparison as well (ie true === 1 would return false).
So I know that almost any time you see if (... = ...), there's a pretty good chance the author meant to use ==.
That said, I don't entirely understand what's happening with these scripts:
var a = 5;
if (a = 6)
console.log("doop");
if (true == 2)
console.log('doop');
According to this Javascript type equivalency table, true is equivalent to 1 but not 0 or -1. Therefore it makes sense to me that that second script does not output anything (at least, it isn't in my Chrome v58.0.3029.110).
So why does the first script output to the console but the second doesn't? What is being evaluated by the first script's if statement?
I dug into my C# knowledge to help me understand, but in C# you cannot compile if (a = 5) Console.WriteLine("doop"); so I had to explicitly cast it to a bool by doing if (Convert.ToBoolean(a = 5)) but then that makes sense it would evaluate to true because according to MSDN's documentation, Convert.ToBool returns true if the value supplied is anything other than 0. So this didn't help me very much, because in JS only 1 and true are equal.
There's a difference between making an abstract equality comparison with == and performing a simple type cast to boolean from a number value. In a == comparison between a boolean and a number, the boolean value is converted to 0 or 1 before the comparison. Thus in
if (true == 2)
the value true is first converted to 1 and then compared to 2.
In a type cast situation like
if (x = 2)
the number is converted to boolean such that any non-zero value is true. That is, the value 2 is assigned to x and the value of the overall expression is 2. That is then tested as boolean as part of the evaluation of the if statement, and so is converted as true, since 2 is not 0.
The various values that evaluate to boolean false are 0, NaN, "", null, undefined, and of course false. Any other value is true when tested as a boolean (for example in an if expression).
Why does an assignment in an if statement equate to true?
It doesn't. An assignment is evaluated as whatever value is assigned.
This expression is a true value:
a = true
But this expression is a false value:
b = false
That's true whether or not you put it in an if statement or not.
This question already exists:
What does `!!~` mean in javascript? [duplicate]
Closed 8 years ago.
I was reading this blog post which mentioned using:
!!~
I have no idea what this does? at first I thought it would give an error, but the code below does run:
var _sessions = [
"_SID_1",
"_SID_2",
"_SID_3",
"_SID_4"
];
if(!!~_sessions.indexOf("_SID_5")) {
console.log('found');
} else {
console.log('!found');
}
output:
node test.js
!found
~ is the bitwise not operator. It inverts the bits of its operand. ! is the logical not operator. The bitwise not operator will return 0 when applied to -1, which is what indexOf returns when the value is not found in the array. Since 0 evaluates to false, doubly negating it will simply return false (a boolean value, rather than a numeric one):
var index = _sessions.indexOf("_SID_5");
console.log(~index); // 0
console.log(!~index); // true
console.log(!!~index); //false
The bitwise not operator will return a value less than 0 for any other possible value returned by indexOf. Since any other value will evaluate to true, it's just a shorthand method (kind of... they are both the same number of characters!) of checking whether an element exists in an array, rather than explicitly comparing with -1:
if (_sessions.indexOf("_SID_5") > -1) {
// This would work the same way
}
Update
With regards to the performance of this, it appears (in Chrome at least) to be marginally slower than the more common comparison with -1 (which itself is marginally slower than a comparison with 0).
Here's a test case and here's the results:
Update 2
In fact, the code in your question can be shortened, which may have been what the author was attempting to do. You can simply remove the !!, since the ~ will always result in 0 or below (and 0 is the only value that will evaluate to false):
if (~_sessions.indexOf("_SID_5")) {
// This works too
}
However, in a slightly different situation it could make sense to add in the ! operators. If you were to store the result of the bitwise operator in a variable, it would be a numeric value. By applying the logical not operator, you get a boolean value (and applying it again ensures you get the correct boolean value). If for some reason you require a boolean value over a numeric one, it makes a little bit more sense (but you can still just use the normal comparison with -1 or 0):
var inArray = !!~_sessions.indexOf("_SID_5");
console.log(typeof inArray); // boolean
Donald Knuth: "[...] premature optimization is the root of all evil"
For the sake of readability: please use
.indexOf !== -1
This explains it well:
The tilde operator in Javascript
Mixing the two NOT operators together can produce some interesting results:
!~(-2) = false
!~(-1) = true
!~(0) = false
!~(1) = false
!~(2) = false
So this just checks if the value equals -1 or not, and indexOf returns -1 if it does not find a match
This question already has answers here:
What is the !! (not not) operator in JavaScript?
(42 answers)
Closed 8 years ago.
I am by no means an expert at Javascript, but I have been reading Mark Pilgrim's "Dive into HTML5" webpage and he mentioned something that I would like a better understanding of.
He states:
Finally, you use the double-negative trick to force the result to a Boolean value (true or false).
function supports_canvas() {
return !!document.createElement('canvas').getContext;
}
If anyone can explain this a little better I would appreciate it!
A logical NOT operator ! converts a value to a boolean that is the opposite of its logical value.
The second ! converts the previous boolean result back to the boolean representation of its original logical value.
From these docs for the Logical NOT operator:
Returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise, returns true.
So if getContext gives you a "falsey" value, the !! will make it return the boolean value false. Otherwise it will return true.
The "falsey" values are:
false
NaN
undefined
null
"" (empty string)
0
Javascript has a confusing set of rules for what is considered "true" and "false" when placed in a context where a Boolean is expected. But the logical-NOT operator, !, always produces a proper Boolean value (one of the constants true and false). By chaining two of them, the idiom !!expression produces a proper Boolean with the same truthiness as the original expression.
Why would you bother? Because it makes functions like the one you show more predictable. If it didn't have the double negative in there, it might return undefined, a Function object, or something not entirely unlike a Function object. If the caller of this function does something weird with the return value, the overall code might misbehave ("weird" here means "anything but an operation that enforces Boolean context"). The double-negative idiom prevents this.
In javascript, using the "bang" operator (!) will return true if the given value is true, 1, not null, etc. It will return false if the value is undefined, null, 0, or an empty string.
So the bang operator will always return a boolean value, but it will represent the opposite value of what you began with. If you take the result of that operation and "bang" it again, you can reverse it again, but still end up with a boolean (and not undefined, null, etc).
Using the bang twice will take a value that could have been undefined, null, etc, and make it just plain false. It will take a value that could have been 1, "true", etc. and make it just plain true.
The code could have been written:
var context = document.createElement('canvas').getContext;
var contextDoesNotExist = !context;
var contextExists = !contextDoesNotExist;
return contextExists;
Using !!variable gives you a guarantee of typecast to boolean.
To give you a simple example:
"" == false (is true)
"" === false (is false)
!!"" == false (is true)
!!"" === false (is true)
But it doesn't make sense to use if you are doing something like:
var a = ""; // or a = null; or a = undefined ...
if(!!a){
...
The if will cast it to boolean so there is no need to make the implicit double negative cast.
! casts "something"/"anything" to a boolean.
!! gives the original boolean value back (and guarantees the expression is a boolean now, regardless to what is was before)
The first ! coerces the variable to a boolean type and inverts it. The second ! inverts it again (giving you the original (correct) boolean value for whatever you are checking).
For clarity you would be better off using
return Boolean(....);
document.createElement('canvas').getContext may evaluate to either undefined or an object reference. !undefined yields true, ![some_object] yields false. This is almost what we need, just inverted. So !! serves to convert undefined to false and an object reference to true.
It's to do with JavaScript's weak typing. document.createElement('canvas').getContext is a function object. By prepending a single ! it evaluates it as a boolean expression and flips the answer around. By prepending another !, it flips the answer back. The end result is that the function evaluates it as a boolean expression, but returns an actual boolean result rather than the function object itself. Prepending !! is a quick and dirty way to typecast an expression to a boolean type.
If document.createElement('canvas').getContext isn't undefined or null, it will return true. Otherwise it will return false.