microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript

Declare local variable as optional

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#13,321 13 comments 231 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Description

Every time I type an undefinable variable, I think I typed something wrong:

let a: string | undefined;

Why do I think I did something wrong? It's because I never add undefined type to a union type as above except in variable declarations.

Don't you think it is time, introduce the optional operator to local variable declarations as well?

let a?: string;

The above syntax feel very natural and idiomatic typescript for me.

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Research direction

The issue proposes allowing ? on local variable declarations instead of writing string | undefined; no file, test, or entry point is named. First determine the compiler areas and tests covering variable declaration syntax and type checking. Done means the syntax is accepted with well-defined semantics and the relevant behavior is covered by tests.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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