Age old thread, but there are new ways to run an equivalent isset().
ESNext (Stage 4 December 2019)
Two new syntax allow us to vastly simplify the use of isset() functionality:
Please read the docs and mind the browser compatibility.
Answer
See below for explanation. Note I use StandardJS syntax
Example Usage
// IMPORTANT pass a function to our isset() that returns the value we're
// trying to test(ES6 arrow function)
isset(() => some) // false
// Defining objects
let some = { nested: { value: 'hello' } }
// More tests that never throw an error
isset(() => some) // true
isset(() => some.nested) // true
isset(() => some.nested.value) // true
isset(() => some.nested.deeper.value) // false
// Less compact but still viable except when trying to use `this` context
isset(function () { return some.nested.deeper.value }) // false
Answer Function
/**
* Checks to see if a value is set.
*
* @param {Function} accessor Function that returns our value
* @returns {Boolean} Value is not undefined or null
*/
function isset (accessor) {
try {
// Note we're seeing if the returned value of our function is not
// undefined or null
return accessor() !== undefined && accessor() !== null
} catch (e) {
// And we're able to catch the Error it would normally throw for
// referencing a property of undefined
return false
}
}
NPM Package
This answer function is available as the isset-php package on NPM. The package contains a few improvements such as type checking and supporting multiple arguments.
npm install --save isset-php
The full documentation is available in the README.
const isset = require('isset-php')
let val = ''
// This will evaluate to true so the text will be printed.
if (isset(() => val)) {
console.log('This val is set so I will print.')
}
Explanation
PHP
Note that in PHP you can reference any variable at any depth - even trying to
access a non-array as an array will return a simple true or false:
// Referencing an undeclared variable
isset($some); // false
$some = 'hello';
// Declared but has no depth(not an array)
isset($some); // true
isset($some['nested']); // false
$some = ['nested' => 'hello'];
// Declared as an array but not with the depth we're testing for
isset($some['nested']); // true
isset($some['nested']['deeper']); // false
JavaScript
In JavaScript, we don't have that freedom; we'll always get an error if we do
the same because the engine is immediately attempting to access the value of deeper before we can wrap it in our isset() function so...
// Common pitfall answer(ES6 arrow function)
const isset = (ref) => typeof ref !== 'undefined'
// Same as above
function isset (ref) { return typeof ref !== 'undefined' }
// Referencing an undeclared variable will throw an error, so no luck here
isset(some) // Error: some is not defined
// Defining a simple object with no properties - so we aren't defining
// the property `nested`
let some = {}
// Simple checking if we have a declared variable
isset(some) // true
// Now trying to see if we have a top level property, still valid
isset(some.nested) // false
// But here is where things fall apart: trying to access a deep property
// of a complex object; it will throw an error
isset(some.nested.deeper) // Error: Cannot read property 'deeper' of undefined
// ^^^^^^ undefined
More failing alternatives:
// Any way we attempt to access the `deeper` property of `nested` will
// throw an error
some.nested.deeper.hasOwnProperty('value') // Error
// ^^^^^^ undefined
// Similar to the above but safe from objects overriding `hasOwnProperty`
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(some.nested.deeper, 'value') // Error
// ^^^^^^ undefined
// Same goes for typeof
typeof some.nested.deeper !== 'undefined' // Error
// ^^^^^^ undefined
And some working alternatives that can get redundant fast:
// Wrap everything in try...catch
try {
if (isset(some.nested.deeper)) {
// ...
}
} catch (e) {}
try {
if (some.nested.deeper !== undefined && some.nested.deeper !== null) {
// ...
}
} catch (e) {}
// Or by chaining all of the isset which can get long
isset(some) && isset(some.nested) && isset(some.nested.deeper) // false
// ^^^^^^ returns false so the next isset() is never run
Conclusion
All of the other answers - though most are viable...
- Assume you're only checking to see if the variable is not undefined which
is fine for some use cases but can still throw an Error
- Assume you're only trying to access a top level property, which again is
fine for some use cases
- Force you to use a less than ideal approach relative to PHP's
isset()
e.g. isset(some, 'nested.deeper.value')
- Use
eval() which works but I personally avoid
I think I covered a lot of it. There are some points I make in my answer that I
don't touch upon because they - although relevant - are not part of the
question(e.g. short circuiting). If need be, though, I can update my answer with links to some of the
more technical aspects based on demand.
I spent waaay to much time on this so hopefully it helps people out.
Thank-you for reading!
