What\'s the Purpose of \"options = options || {}\" in JavaScript?

Exploring the Meaning of "options = options || {}" in Javascript

In Javascript, the code "options = options || {}" is a concise syntax used to assign default values to function parameters. This snippet is commonly used to ensure that a parameter variable has a defined value, even if it's not explicitly passed during function invocation.

The "||" operator, known as the logical OR operator, evaluates to the value of its second operand if the first operand is "falsy." In Javascript, "falsy" values include null, undefined, empty strings (""), NaN, 0, and false.

In the code "options = options || {}," if the "options" variable is initialized and not falsy (i.e., not null, undefined, etc.), the assignment will simply reassign the value to "options." However, if "options" is falsy or has not been initialized, the assignment will create a new object literal with an empty set of properties and assign it to "options."

Prior to ES6, this technique was commonly used to provide default values for function parameters. For example:

function test (options) {
  options = options || {};
}

If "test" is called without any arguments, the "options" parameter will be assigned an empty object by default.

However, with the introduction of ES6, Javascript supports true default parameter values. Using the default parameter syntax, the code can be rewritten as:

function test (options = {}) {
  //...
}

In this case, if "options" is not explicitly passed or is undefined, it will be automatically set to an empty object. Falsy values, unlike the "||" operator example, will not trigger the use of the default value.

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