What is the preferred default value for a property awaiting assignment from a GET response: Undefined or Null?

Question

What is the preferred default value for a property awaiting assignment from a GET response: Undefined or Null?

Say I need to display information about a product, but first I must make a GET request to get the data and assign it to the product. I'm wondering, should the default value for product in the data() function be undefined or null, and is there a difference between the two?

<template>
    <div>
        {{ product }}
    <div>
</template>

<script>
import axios from "axios"

export default {
    data(){
        return{
            product: undefined,
            productId: this.$route.params.productId
        }
    },
    methods:{
        async getProduct(){
            let response = await axios.get("/product/" + this.productId)
            this.product = response.data.product
        },
    },
    mounted(){
        this.getProduct()
    }
}
</script>

javascript vue.js vuejs2

Answer 1

Answer №1

It is impossible to definitively answer the "should be" aspect of the query as it ultimately boils down to personal perspective. However, it could be enlightening to juxtapose the variances and similarities between the two entities.

`undetermined`

Undetermined represents a data classification within the realm of JavaScript denoted by a solitary value, undetermined, and is

Auto-generated as a default output when no alternative return statement is specified within a function,
Emerged when referencing a variable lacking initialization,
Determined when accessing a property of an object that remains unassigned (including elements in an array where the index is deemed a property of the Array object), and
Activated upon accessing a variable, property, or function output that has been distinctly defined as undetermined - a plausible occurrence given its nature as a data type.

Instances of undetermined values are typically interpreted as false in a comparison query or ternary ? operation, with the exception of explicit equivalence evaluations like null === false.

The classification of undetermined is incompatible with JSON formatting: when converting data objects into JSON text, undetermined is transformed into null.

`void`

Void represents another data type in JavaScript characterized by a singular value null. While bearing some resemblance to undetermined, notable distinctions are present:

null values do not arise spontaneously and necessitate explicit assignment to a variable, property, or output from a function.
null is a valid format for serializing data objects into JSON.
The concept of null historically signifies "absence of object" or a vacant object entity similar to the empty set phi in mathematical contexts.

In terms of application selection, initializing product with undetermined signals that the value remains indeterminate, yet risks misconstrual as an anomaly within a function that returns undetermined in lieu of product. Opting for null eradicates any ambiguity regarding intent and aligns with established conventions.

Answer 2

It is impossible to definitively answer the "should be" aspect of the query as it ultimately boils down to personal perspective. However, it could be enlightening to juxtapose the variances and similarities between the two entities.

`undetermined`

Undetermined represents a data classification within the realm of JavaScript denoted by a solitary value, undetermined, and is

Auto-generated as a default output when no alternative return statement is specified within a function,
Emerged when referencing a variable lacking initialization,
Determined when accessing a property of an object that remains unassigned (including elements in an array where the index is deemed a property of the Array object), and
Activated upon accessing a variable, property, or function output that has been distinctly defined as undetermined - a plausible occurrence given its nature as a data type.

Instances of undetermined values are typically interpreted as false in a comparison query or ternary ? operation, with the exception of explicit equivalence evaluations like null === false.

The classification of undetermined is incompatible with JSON formatting: when converting data objects into JSON text, undetermined is transformed into null.

`void`

Void represents another data type in JavaScript characterized by a singular value null. While bearing some resemblance to undetermined, notable distinctions are present:

null values do not arise spontaneously and necessitate explicit assignment to a variable, property, or output from a function.
null is a valid format for serializing data objects into JSON.
The concept of null historically signifies "absence of object" or a vacant object entity similar to the empty set phi in mathematical contexts.

In terms of application selection, initializing product with undetermined signals that the value remains indeterminate, yet risks misconstrual as an anomaly within a function that returns undetermined in lieu of product. Opting for null eradicates any ambiguity regarding intent and aligns with established conventions.

What is the preferred default value for a property awaiting assignment from a GET response: Undefined or Null?

Answer №1

`undetermined`

`void`

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