I’m having a bit of trouble understanding how to use a null statement in my programming code. I’ve been working on building a website where the user inputs some data and then the website performs some calculations and spits out ...Read more
I’m having a bit of trouble understanding how to use a null statement in my programming code. I’ve been working on building a website where the user inputs some data and then the website performs some calculations and spits out an answer. I’m using JavaScript as the language for this particular part of the site, and I’ve seen some code samples online that use the null statement.
Here’s an example of what I’m trying to do:
function calculateAnswer() {
var input1 = parseInt(document.getElementById("input1").value);
var input2 = parseInt(document.getElementById("input2").value);
var answer;
if (input1 < input2) {
answer = input2 - input1;
}
else if (input1 > input2) {
answer = input1 - input2;
}
// what goes here?
document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = answer;
}
In the code above, the if and else if statements work perfectly fine. The problem arises when both input1 and input2 are equal – I want the “answer” variable to be set to null in that case. But I’m not sure how to do that. I’ve seen some people use a single semicolon as the null statement, but I don’t understand why that works. Could someone explain how to use a null statement in JavaScript code, and perhaps give an example of when it might be necessary? Thank you in advance!
In programming, a null statement is a statement that has no effect on the program execution. This statement is used to keep track of the program flow and to add a placeholder for future instructions. An example of a null statement is the empty statement, which is written as a semicolon (;). This staRead more
In programming, a null statement is a statement that has no effect on the program execution. This statement is used to keep track of the program flow and to add a placeholder for future instructions. An example of a null statement is the empty statement, which is written as a semicolon (;). This statement can be used when a loop or an if statement does not need to execute any code after the condition is tested.
Imagine you are creating an if statement that checks if a user entered a valid input. If the input is invalid, you want to display an error message and prompt the user again until the input is valid. In this case, you can use a null statement to indicate that there is no code to execute when the input is valid. This will keep the program flow intact while waiting for valid input. Without the null statement, the program would terminate when the input is valid, which is not what you want.
Using null statements is a common practice in programming and helps you to write efficient and maintainable code. By using null statements, you can write code that is self-documenting and easy to understand for future developers who may need to work on your code. So, don’t be afraid to use null statements in your code where appropriate, as it can help to make your code more efficient and robust.
See less