✔||🤢 Commit or Vomit | Switch(true)

In my recent post I questioned the use of a switch instead of an if else statement. This gave me the idea of an recurring item for dev.to: Commit or Vomit! Would you commit this code or not.

It's going to be code snippets that are going to be evaluated here. Not posts because I don't want people to feel/be judged by this, only code!

So this first ✔||🤢 is from the post that started it all.

If (all) else is complicated, switch to switch?

🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager ・ Apr 1 '21

#webdev #programming #javascript #discuss

switch(true){
    case userMissedAppointment:
        return 'nope';
    case userHasAngularExperience:
    case userHasReactExperience:
    case userHasVueExperience && userCanStartInstantly:
        return 'hire';
    default:
        return 'maybe'
}

This is just an example but the question is about the switch(true). What do you think? ✔||🤢

❤: Commit
🏷: Vomit (we all know unicorns don't vomit)
🦄: Like your post please continue this series!

Looking forward to your reactions! 😎

Comments

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

This was a tough one for me, I like the style, but if/else is easier to read and comprehend. so for me it's a 🤢

[Siddharth]

This could easily have been an if/elseif/else.

You could have done:

if(someExpressionA) console.log('yes')
else if ((someExpressionB 
    && someExpressionC) || someExpressionD) console.log('nope');
else console.log('maybe');

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

true, this is a short example. Apart from this example would you never commit a switch(true)?

[Siddharth]

Nope 🤢

[Bas van Baalen]

I'm not sure it's because of the editor, but I would suggest to use more lines for more readability and easier comprehension.

if(someExpressionA) 
  console.log('yes')
else if ((someExpressionB && someExpressionC) || someExpressionD) 
  console.log('nope');
else 
  console.log('maybe');

For me this already reduces the cognitive load a lot quickly see what can happen.

[Siddharth]

Actually I typed my comment on mobile, so I didn't format it

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

Good point for a next Commit or Vomit! What do you think about switch(true) in general?

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

good to mention: the example was updated after this reply

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

and because this is the first:
Please leave comments if you see improvements for this item 😎

[Siddharth]

Looking forward to the next one.

[Siddharth]

I'm on mobile so I didn't really format anything

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

It was sufficient to make your point 😊 no worries.

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

I'd really like the discussion to be about the switch(true) and not about the code in comments. The code posted gives a good idea about why he voted vomit. It is not the code up for discussion.

[Siddharth]

You're right. Switching true just adds a few extra lines and makes us momentarily think "is it a typo? Why would you switch true". At least I did when I first saw a switch(true)

[Antonio Radovcic]

I'd say probably vomit, but I'm sure there are cases where this way is just easier to read than if/else/return early/etc. Hard to say with placeholder-var-names.

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

Yes I agree, something to take into account for the next one in the series!
Thanks for the feedback 😊

[Antonio Radovcic]

switch(true){
case userDoesntHaveWorkPermit:
console.log('nope');
break;
case userHasReactExperience:
console.log('Hire!');
break;
case userHasVueExperience
&& userCanStartInstantly:
console.log("Hire, if they can start instantly");
break;
default:
console.log('maybe');
}

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

More of an Angular fan myself so userHasAngularExperience is going to be added 😎 but much better example, thnx!

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

Snippet was updated!

[Hossen Eki]

no is not readable

[Siddharth]

I can't believe some people put hearts

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

That's the fun of this item 😊
It shows it's important to keep an open mind!

[Cooper Riehl]

I liked this post, not because I think switch (true) is a good paradigm (it isn't), but because the post itself is interesting.

The author isn't saying "you should use switch (true) in your code", they're saying "let's have a discussion about whether switch (true) is acceptable". IMO, that's a useful discussion!

[Milebroke]

I think the cleanest and most expressive is still this

const hasFrontendFrameworkExperience = userHasAngularExperience || userHasReactExperience || userHasVueExperience;

if(userMissedAppointment){
    return 'nope';
} else if(hasFrontendFrameworkExperience && userCanStartInstantly){
    return 'hire';
}
return 'maybe';

[🐤🥇 Jasper de Jager]

Your function behaves slightly different than the example, bit this just might prove your point of the switch not being readable enough 😅

The difference is that in the switch an angular experienced used doesn't have to start immediately.

[Milebroke]

You are definitely right :D Well in that case I wouldn't mind the right if else combo either