JavaScript null check

Question

I\'ve come across the following code:

function test(data) {
    if (data != null && data !== undefined) {
        // some code here
    }
}
         


        

Answer 1

In JavaScript, null is a special singleton object which is helpful for signaling "no value". You can test for it by comparison and, as usual in JavaScript, it's a good practice to use the === operator to avoid confusing type coercion:

var a = null;
alert(a === null); // true

As @rynah mentions, "undefined" is a bit confusing in JavaScript. However, it's always safe to test if the typeof(x) is the string "undefined", even if "x" is not a declared variable:

alert(typeof(x) === 'undefined'); // true

Also, variables can have the "undefined value" if they are not initialized:

var y;
alert(typeof(y) === 'undefined'); // true

Putting it all together, your check should look like this:

if ((typeof(data) !== 'undefined') && (data !== null)) {
  // ...

However, since the variable "data" is always defined since it is a formal function parameter, using the "typeof" operator is unnecessary and you can safely compare directly with the "undefined value".

function(data) {
  if ((data !== undefined) && (data !== null)) {
    // ...

This snippet amounts to saying "if the function was called with an argument which is defined and is not null..."