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JavaScript JavaScript Loops, Arrays and Objects Tracking Multiple Items with Arrays Build a Quiz Challenge, Part 2 Solution

Posted by Luca Di Pinto
Luca Di Pinto
8,051 Points

Why return listHTML??

Hi,

i was wondering why we have to return the variable listHTML in thi code '''function buildList(arr) { var listHTML = '<ol>'; for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i += 1) { listHTML += '<li>' + arr[i] + '</li>'; } listHTML += '</ol>'; return listHTML; }'''

if we don't use it anywhere. Does it make sense to return it?? I don't see the purpose of returning it! Can you explain me better? Thanks

1 Answer

andren
andren
28,558 Points
andren
andren
28,558 Points

If you didn't return anything what point would the function serve? It builds a list and stores it in a variable called listHTML, if it didn't return anything then it would essentially build a list and then immediately throw the list away, making it entirely pointless.

Also you do use the returned value twice, in these two lines:

html += buildList(correct); 
html += buildList(wrong);

In those two lines you call the function and add what it returns (the content of the listHTML variable) to the html variable.