What makes the comparison between "0" and "" evaluate to false in JavaScript?

The specifications in the ES5 document, specifically clauses 11.9.3.4-5, state:

If Type(x) is Number and Type(y) is String, the comparison x == ToNumber(y) should be returned.
For cases where Type(x) is String and Type(y) is Number, the comparison ToNumber(x) == y should be returned.

My interpretation of this is:
An empty string is coerced into a number, resulting in 0 -> "0"==0
Then, the string "0" is also coerced into a number, becoming 0 as well -> 0==0
Based on this, the output should be true.
However, it actually evaluates to false.
Can someone please explain why?

console.log("0"=="")

Answer №1

"0" is considered a string, as is "". There is no type coercion taking place.

A string made up of the character 0 (which has a character code of 48) is not the same as an empty string.

If the '0' were actually the number 0, then the comparison would happen as you explained:

console.log(0 == "")

The empty string is converted to a number - 0 - and therefore 0 === 0 results in true.

(However, I recommend always using strict equality to avoid any confusion or mistakes)

Answer №2

The initial clause found in the section on Abstract Equality Comparison states:

  1. If the type of x is the same as the type of y, then
    a. Perform a Strict Equality Comparison x === y.

The section on Strict Equality Comparison mentions:

  1. If the types of x and y are different, return false.
  2. If x and y are Numbers or BigInts, then
    a. Return the opposite of Type(x)::equal(x, y).
  3. Use SameValueNonNumeric(x, y) otherwise.

When comparing the strings "0" and "", since both are Strings, we refer to SameValueNonNumeric(x, y):

  1. Ensure that x is not a Number or BigInt.
  2. Both x and y should be of the same type.
  3. If x is Undefined, return true.
  4. If x is Null, return true.
  5. If x is a String,
    a. Check if they have the exact same sequence of code units; else, return false.
  6. If x is a Boolean,
    a. Return true for both being true or both being false; else, return false.
  7. If x is a Symbol,
    a. Return true if they are the same Symbol value; else, return false.
  8. If x and y are equal Object values, return true; else, return false.

In this case, it is evident that the fifth case applies:

  1. If x is a String,
    a. Check if they have the exact same sequence of code units; else, return false.

It is also clear that "0" and "" do not have the same sequence of code units at corresponding indices.

Hence, the result is false, following the second alternative in clause 5, subclause a of section 7.2.12.

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