JavaScript check if variable exists (is defined/initialized)

Question

Which method of checking if a variable has been initialized is better/correct? (Assuming the variable could hold anything (string, int, object, function, etc.))

Answer 1

In the majority of cases you would use:

elem != null

Unlike a simple if (elem), it allows 0, false, NaN and '', but rejects null or undefined, making it a good, general test for the presence of an argument, or property of an object.

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The other checks are not incorrect either, they just have different uses:

• if (elem): can be used if elem is guaranteed to be an object, or if false, 0, etc. are considered "default" values (hence equivalent to undefined or null).

• typeof elem == 'undefined' can be used in cases where a specified null has a distinct meaning to an uninitialised variable or property.

  • This is the only check that won't throw an error if elem is not declared (i.e. no var statement, not a property of window, or not a function argument). This is, in my opinion, rather dangerous as it allows typos to slip by unnoticed. To avoid this, see the below method.

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Also useful is a strict comparison against undefined:

if (elem === undefined) ...

However, because the global undefined can be overridden with another value, it is best to declare the variable undefined in the current scope before using it:

var undefined; // really undefined
if (elem === undefined) ...

Or:

(function (undefined) {
    if (elem === undefined) ...
})();

A secondary advantage of this method is that JS minifiers can reduce the undefined variable to a single character, saving you a few bytes every time.