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JavaScript

Posted by Daniel Sousa
Daniel Sousa
2,272 Points

Why not use parseInt with the prompt?

Following the example on the last videos we have the following variable:

var guess = prompt('I am thinking of a number between 1 and 6. What is it?');

Then when we want to evaluate the number stored in the variable guess we need to use a parseInt as the prompt saves a String.

Why not do it like this then?

var guess = parseInt(prompt('I am thinking of a number between 1 and 6. What is it?'));

Is there any scenario where this is not a good idea? Thanks

That would be respecting DRY principle and one wouldn't need to use it multiple times, in every evaluation.

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
243,318 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
243,318 Points

:point_right: You may want to check for string responses first.

Before converting the input to a number, you may want to check for an empty string, or something like "quit" and/or "exit" for special handling. You might also want to respond to certain common errors with more explicit messages.

It's still DRY to separate the functions, as you will have only one prompt and one parseInt even if they are on separate lines.

Chyno Deluxe
Chyno Deluxe
16,936 Points

Great example use case Steven.

Daniel Sousa
Daniel Sousa
2,272 Points

Thanks for your time. That means I should perform a form validation prior to that. That's right.

What do you mean by "quit" and "exit"? Would that be the button on the prompt?