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JavaScript JavaScript Foundations Variables Shadowing

Posted by Gary Christie
Gary Christie
5,151 Points

I don't know why this is right?

He challenge question is: What will console log out in the following code?

var person = "Jim";

function whosGotTheFunc() { person = "Andrew"; }

person = "Nick";

whosGotTheFunc();

console.log(person);

The Answer is Andrew. Why? I understnad that neither Nick or Andrew are Vars, but being that Nick is being assigned the Value of "person" after Andrew, I would think the answer would be Nick.

2 Answers

notf0und
notf0und
11,940 Points

In the order of assigning values to the variable "person", the value "Andrew" was assigned last, in the whosGotTheFunc() function.

So to break it down more, this is the order of the program:

  1. person = "Jim"
  2. person = "Nick"
  3. the function "whosGotTheFunc()" is called, which executes all the code inside, therefore making person = "Andrew"

And that's why that works.

Edited for a bit more clarity.

David Tonge
PLUS
David Tonge
Courses Plus Student 45,640 Points
David Tonge
David Tonge
Courses Plus Student 45,640 Points

It works that way because without explicitly assigning a variable in a function without the "var" keyword it remains global