Tips for avoiding a crash when trying to access a non-existent key using an ordinal number

The output of the code snippet below is "Cat" and undefined. *When a key does not exist in an object, the result will be "undefined".

var animals = {"mammals": ["Cat", "Dog", "Cow"]};
var groupA = animals.mammals[0];
var groupB = animals.birds;
console.log(groupA);
console.log(groupB);

However, the following code results in an error instead of "undefined".

*Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading '0')

var animals = {
  "mammals": ["Cat", "Dog", "Cow"]
};
var groupA = animals.mammals[0];
var groupB = animals.birds[0];

console.log(groupA);
console.log(groupB);

If a key contains an index that does not exist, how can we return "undefined"?

Answer №1

You have the ability to utilize optional chaining

The optional chaining operator (?.) allows you to access the value of a property nested deep within a series of interconnected objects without needing to verify the validity of each link in the chain.

var animals = {
  "mammals": ["Cat", "Dog", "Cow"]
};
var groupA = animals.mammals?.[0];
var groupB = animals.birds?.[0];

console.log(groupA);
console.log(groupB);

Answer №2

Firstly, it is important to assess the attribute before proceeding, as shown below:

let pets = {"mammals":["Cat","Dog","Cow"]};
let groupX  = pets.mammals[0];
let groupY  = (pets.birds || [])[0];

Answer №3

If you want to ensure a property is present, you can use a ternary operator to set the value if it exists:

var animals = {
  "mammals": ["Cat", "Dog", "Cow"]
};
var groupA = animals.mammals ? animals.mammals[0] : undefined;
var groupB = animals.birds ? animals.birds[0] : undefined;

console.log(groupA);
console.log(groupB);

Answer №4

When looking at the second scenario: birds is actually undefined within the object animals. Trying to access a property of something that is undefined will result in an error being thrown.

It can be compared to performing undefined[0]. To avoid this issue, consider using optional chaining

var animals = {
  "mammals": ["Cat", "Dog", "Cow"]
};
var groupA = animals.mammals?.[0];
var groupB = animals.birds?.[0];

console.log(groupA);
console.log(groupB);

Answer №5

Implementing try...catch blocks is crucial to capturing exceptions and managing them appropriately (wrap around potential error-causing code):

const animals = {
  "mammals": ["Cat", "Dog", "Cow"]
};
let groupA, groupB, groupC;
groupA = animals.mammals[0];
groupB = animals.birds;
try {
  groupC = animals.birds[0];
} catch (error) {
  console.error(
    "'animals.birds' is undefined, so we cannot access property '0'."
  );
}
console.log(groupA);
console.log(groupB);
console.log(groupC);

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