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JavaScript

Posted by Alexandra Wakefield
Alexandra Wakefield
1,866 Points

Is there a way to use a variable that is inside a function?

Yesterday I saw someone use 'function' and I've tried to replicate it's use in the Doing Math part of JavaScript Basics. However, I noticed while trying to use variable 'yearsAlive' in 'console.log' that it wouldn't work. Is there something I could do in order to use 'yearsAlive' outside of the function?

Here's the code:

var time = [
  secondsPerMin = 60,
  minsPerHour = 60,
  hoursPerDay = 24,
  daysPerWeek = 7,
  weeksPerYear = 52
];

var secondsPerDay = time[0] * time[1] * time[2];

function secondsAlive() {
  var yearsAlive = prompt("How old are you?");
  var secondsPerYear = time[0] * time[1] * time[2] * time[3] * time[4];
  var message = yearsAlive * secondsPerYear;
  return message;
}

document.write(
  "There are " + secondsPerDay + " seconds in a day."
  + "<br/><br/>" +
  "You have been on this Earth for about " + secondsAlive() + " seconds."
);

1 Answer

Ted Dunn
Ted Dunn
43,783 Points
Ted Dunn
Ted Dunn
43,783 Points

One way would be to declare the variable yearsAlive outside of the function. This would give the variable "global" scope which means it could be accessed throughout the program.

var yearsAlive;

function secondsAlive() {
   yearsAlive = prompt("How old are you?");
   (other statments in function)
}
Alexandra Wakefield
Alexandra Wakefield
1,866 Points

Oh, that makes sense. Thank you, Ted!