Convert boolean result into number/integer

Question

I have a variable that stores false or true, but I need 0 or 1 instead, respectively. How can I do this?

Answer 1

You could do this by simply extending the boolean prototype

Boolean.prototype.intval = function(){return ~~this}

It is not too easy to understand what is going on there so an alternate version would be

Boolean.prototype.intval = function(){return (this == true)?1:0}

having done which you can do stuff like

document.write(true.intval());

When I use booleans to store conditions I often convert them to bitfields in which case I end up using an extended version of the prototype function

Boolean.prototype.intval = function(places)
{
 places = ('undefined' == typeof(places))?0:places; 
 return (~~this) << places
}

with which you can do

document.write(true.intval(2))

which produces 4 as its output.

Answer 2

In my context, React Native where I am getting opacity value from boolean, the easiest way: Use unary + operator.

+ true; // 1
+ false; // 0

This converts the boolean into number;

style={ opacity: +!isFirstStep() }

Answer 3

I have tested all of this examples, I did a benchmark, and finally I recommend you choose the shorter one, it doesn't affect in performance.

Runned in Ubuntu server 14.04, nodejs v8.12.0 - 26/10/18

    let i = 0;
console.time("TRUE test1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true ? 1 : 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test1")


console.time("FALSE test2")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false ? 1 : 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test2")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test1.1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true === true ? 1 : 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test1.1")


console.time("FALSE test2.1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false === true ? 1 : 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test2.1")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test3")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true | 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test3")

console.time("FALSE test4")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false | 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test4")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test5")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true * 1;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test5")

console.time("FALSE test6")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false * 1;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test6")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test7")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true & 1;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test7")

console.time("FALSE test8")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false & 1;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test8")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test9")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        +true;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test9")

console.time("FALSE test10")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        +false;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test10")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test9.1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        0+true;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test9.1")

console.time("FALSE test10.1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        0+false;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test10.1")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test9.2")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        -true*-1;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test9.2")

console.time("FALSE test10.2")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        -false*-1;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test10.2")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test9.3")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true-0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test9.3")

console.time("FALSE test10.3")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false-0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test10.3")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test11")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        Number(true);
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test11")

console.time("FALSE test12")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        Number(false);
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test12")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test13")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true + 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test13")

console.time("FALSE test14")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false + 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test14")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test15")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true ^ 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test15")

console.time("FALSE test16")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false ^ 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test16")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test17")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true ^ 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test17")

console.time("FALSE test18")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false ^ 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test18")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test19")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true >> 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test19")

console.time("FALSE test20")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false >> 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test20")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test21")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true >>> 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test21")

console.time("FALSE test22")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false >>> 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test22")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test23")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true << 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test23")

console.time("FALSE test24")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false << 0;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test24")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test25")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        ~~true;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test25")

console.time("FALSE test26")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        ~~false;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test26")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test25.1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        ~true*-1-1;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test25.1")

console.time("FALSE test26.1")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        ~false*-1-1;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test26.1")

console.log("----------------------------")

console.time("TRUE test27")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        true/1;
    }
console.timeEnd("TRUE test27")

console.time("FALSE test28")
    i=0;
    for(;i<100000000;i=i+1){
        false/1;
    }
console.timeEnd("FALSE test28")

Result

TRUE test1: 93.301ms
FALSE test2: 102.854ms
----------------------------
TRUE test1.1: 118.979ms
FALSE test2.1: 119.061ms
----------------------------
TRUE test3: 97.265ms
FALSE test4: 108.389ms
----------------------------
TRUE test5: 85.854ms
FALSE test6: 87.449ms
----------------------------
TRUE test7: 83.126ms
FALSE test8: 84.992ms
----------------------------
TRUE test9: 99.683ms
FALSE test10: 87.080ms
----------------------------
TRUE test9.1: 85.587ms
FALSE test10.1: 86.050ms
----------------------------
TRUE test9.2: 85.883ms
FALSE test10.2: 89.066ms
----------------------------
TRUE test9.3: 86.722ms
FALSE test10.3: 85.187ms
----------------------------
TRUE test11: 86.245ms
FALSE test12: 85.808ms
----------------------------
TRUE test13: 84.192ms
FALSE test14: 84.173ms
----------------------------
TRUE test15: 81.575ms
FALSE test16: 81.699ms
----------------------------
TRUE test17: 81.979ms
FALSE test18: 81.599ms
----------------------------
TRUE test19: 81.578ms
FALSE test20: 81.452ms
----------------------------
TRUE test21: 115.886ms
FALSE test22: 88.935ms
----------------------------
TRUE test23: 82.077ms
FALSE test24: 81.822ms
----------------------------
TRUE test25: 81.904ms
FALSE test26: 82.371ms
----------------------------
TRUE test25.1: 82.319ms
FALSE test26.1: 96.648ms
----------------------------
TRUE test27: 89.943ms
FALSE test28: 83.646ms

Answer 4

You can also add 0, use shift operators or xor:

val + 0;
val ^ 0;
val >> 0;
val >>> 0;
val << 0;

These have similar speeds as those from the others answers.

Answer 5

try

val*1

let t=true;
let f=false;

console.log(t*1);
console.log(f*1)

Answer 6

+!! allows you to apply this on a variable even when it's undefined:

+!!undefined    // 0
+!!false        // 0
+!!true         // 1

+!!(<boolean expression>)  // 1 if it evaluates to true, 0 otherwise