microsoft / microsoft/TypeScript
Allow non-null assertion operator on destructuring
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Description
### 🔍 Search Terms
destructuring non null assertion operator
### ✅ Viability Checklist
- [x] This wouldn't be a breaking change in existing TypeScript/JavaScript code
- [x] This wouldn't change the runtime behavior of existing JavaScript code
- [x] This could be implemented without emitting different JS based on the types of the expressions
- [x] This isn't a runtime feature (e.g. library functionality, non-ECMAScript syntax with JavaScript output, new syntax sugar for JS, etc.)
- [x] This isn't a request to add a new utility type: https://github.com/microsoft/TypeScript/wiki/No-New-Utility-Types
- [x] This feature would agree with the rest of our Design Goals: https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript/wiki/TypeScript-Design-Goals
### ⭐ Suggestion
Allow the non-null assertion post-fix operator to be used in destructuring assignments
### 📃 Motivating Example
I was destructuring an object with a long name, but I couldn't do so because I also needed to assert it wasn't null, and this is not currently allowed
```ts
const { veryVeryVeryLongPropertyName! } = obj;
```
So I had to do this
```ts
const veryVeryVeryLongPropertyName = obj.veryVeryVeryLongPropertyName!;
```
### 💻 Use Cases
### What do you want to use this for?
To avoid having to specify the name twice
### What workarounds are you using in the meantime?
```ts
// Workaround: Short name
// Shortcoming: Not what I actually wanted to do
const temp = obj.veryVeryVeryLongPropertyName!;
// Workaround: Default `never` value
// Shortcoming: Verbose
const { veryVeryVeryLongPropertyName = undefined! } = obj;
```
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start with the issue's destructuring examples and the stated constraint that emitted JavaScript must not change. Review the compiler's handling of non-null assertions and destructuring assignments, then establish the required design and tests; done means the proposed syntax is accepted without changing runtime output.
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