Abbbas Roholamin

From PHP to JavaScript: Mastering Named Arguments for Cleaner Code

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Abbas Roholamin
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Named Arguments in PHP

Named arguments allow you to pass an argument to a function by specifying its name, rather than relying on the order of parameters. This feature became available in PHP 8.0 and is particularly useful when dealing with functions that have many optional parameters.

Example in PHP

Here’s a simple example to illustrate named arguments:

phpfunction createUser($name, $email, $age = 18, $isActive = true) {  
    return [  
        'name' => $name,  
        'email' => $email,  
        'age' => $age,  
        'isActive' => $isActive  
    ];  
}  

// Using named arguments  
$user = createUser(name: 'John Doe', email: 'john@example.com', isActive: false);  
print_r($user);

Output:

plaintextArray  
(  
    [name] => John Doe  
    [email] => john@example.com  
    [age] => 18  
    [isActive] =>   
)

In this example, we didn't specify the age parameter, so it defaults to 18. The isActive parameter has been passed by name, demonstrating how named arguments provide more clarity and flexibility.

Implementing Named Arguments in JavaScript

JavaScript doesn't have a built-in syntax for named arguments like PHP, but you can achieve similar functionality using objects as parameters. This approach allows you to pass an object containing only the parameters you want, mimicking named arguments.

Example in JavaScript

Here’s how you can implement a similar concept:

javascriptfunction createUser({ name, email, age = 18, isActive = true }) {  
    return {  
        name: name,  
        email: email,  
        age: age,  
        isActive: isActive  
    };  
}  

// Using named-like arguments  
const user = createUser({ name: 'John Doe', email: 'john@example.com', isActive: false });  
console.log(user);

Output:

plaintext{ name: 'John Doe', email: 'john@example.com', age: 18, isActive: false }

Key Takeaways

  • PHP Named Arguments: Pass parameters by name for better clarity and flexibility. Available since PHP 8.0.

  • JavaScript Named Arguments Simulation: Use an object to pass parameters, allowing you to specify only the arguments you want while setting defaults for optional ones.

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