How to handle undefined properties in an object using javascript?

Lakin Mohapatra
2 min readDec 22, 2022

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In JavaScript, it is possible for object properties to be undefined, which can cause errors if the code tries to access them. To avoid these errors, you can use various methods to handle undefined properties in an object.

To handle undefined properties in an object in TypeScript, there are several approaches you can take. Here are three common methods:

  1. Use the optional chaining operator (?.): This operator was introduced in ECMAScript 2020 and allows you to safely access an undefined property without throwing an error. For example:
const obj = { a: 1 };
console.log(obj.b?.c); // Outputs "undefined"

2. Use the in operator: This operator checks if an object has a particular property, and then allows you to access the property only if it exists. For example:

const obj = { a: 1 };
if ('b' in obj) {
console.log(obj.b);
} else {
console.log('Property "b" is undefined');
}

3. Use the typeof operator: This operator checks the type of a property before accessing it. If the property is undefined, you can assign a default value to it. For example:

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const obj = { a: 1 };
const b = typeof obj.b !== 'undefined' ? obj.b : 0;
console.log(b); // Outputs "0"

No matter which method you choose, it is important to handle undefined properties in your code to avoid errors and ensure that your program runs smoothly.

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Lakin Mohapatra
Lakin Mohapatra

Written by Lakin Mohapatra

Software Engineer | Hungry coder | Proud Indian | Cyber Security Researcher | Blogger | Architect (web2 + web 3)

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