Every language has its own quirks and JavaScript, the most used programming language, is no exception. This article will cover a plethora of JavaScript Shorthand Optimization tricks that can help you write better code, and also make sure this is NOT your reaction when you encounter them:

1. Multiple string checks

Often you might need to check if a string is equal to one of the multiple values, and can become tiring extremely quickly. Luckily, JavaScript has a built-in method to help you with this.

// Long-handconst isVowel = (letter) => {  if (    letter === "a" ||    letter === "e" ||    letter === "i" ||    letter === "o" ||    letter === "u"  ) {    return true;  }  return false;};// Short-handconst isVowel = (letter) =>  ["a", "e", "i", "o", "u"].includes(letter);

2. For-of and For-in loops

For-of and For-in loops are a great way to iterate over an array or object without having to manually keep track of the index of the keys of the object.

For-of

const arr = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];// Long-handfor (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {  const element = arr[i];  // ...}// Short-handfor (const element of arr) {  // ...}

For-in

const obj = {  a: 1,  b: 2,  c: 3,};// Long-handconst keys = Object.keys(obj);for (let i = 0; i < keys.length; i++) {  const key = keys[i];  const value = obj[key];  // ...}// Short-handfor (const key in obj) {  const value = obj[key];  // ...}

3. Falsey checks

If you want to check if a variable is null, undefined, 0, false, NaN, or an empty string, you can use the Logical Not (!) operator to check for all of them at once, without having to write multiple conditions. This makes it easy to check if a variable contains valid data.

// Long-handconst isFalsey = (value) => {  if (    value === null ||    value === undefined ||    value === 0 ||    value === false ||    value === NaN ||    value === ""  ) {    return true;  }  return false;};// Short-handconst isFalsey = (value) => !value;

4. Ternary operator

As a JavaScript developer, you must have encountered the ternary operator. It is a great way to write concise if-else statements. However, you can also use it to write concise code and even chain them to check for multiple conditions.

// Long-handlet info;if (value < minValue) {  info = "Value is too small";} else if (value > maxValue) {  info = "Value is too large";} else {  info = "Value is in range";}// Short-handconst info =  value < minValue    ? "Value is too small"    : value > maxValue ? "Value is too large" : "Value is in range";

5. Function calls

With the help of the ternary operator, you can also determine which function to call based on conditions.

IMPORTANT SIDE-NOTE: The call signature of the functions must be the same, else you risk running into an errors

function f1() {  // ...}function f2() {  // ...}// Long-handif (condition) {  f1();} else {  f2();}// Short-hand(condition ? f1 : f2)();

6. Switch shorthand

Long switch cases can often be optimized by using an object with the keys as the switches and the values as the return values.

const dayNumber = new Date().getDay();// Long-handlet day;switch (dayNumber) {  case 0:    day = "Sunday";    break;  case 1:    day = "Monday";    break;  case 2:    day = "Tuesday";    break;  case 3:    day = "Wednesday";    break;  case 4:    day = "Thursday";    break;  case 5:    day = "Friday";    break;  case 6:    day = "Saturday";}// Short-handconst days = {  0: "Sunday",  1: "Monday",  2: "Tuesday",  3: "Wednesday",  4: "Thursday",  5: "Friday",  6: "Saturday",};const day = days[dayNumber];

7. Fallback values

The || operator can set a fallback value for a variable.

// Long-handlet name;if (user?.name) {  name = user.name;} else {  name = "Anonymous";}// Short-handconst name = user?.name || "Anonymous";

That's all folks!

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FAQ

These are a few commonly asked questions I get. So, I hope this FAQ section solves your issues.

1. I am a beginner, how should I learn Front-End Web Dev?
   Look into the following articles:

   1. Front End Development Roadmap
   2. Front End Project Ideas

2. Would you mentor me?
   
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