What sets apart the ? operator from incorporating undefined in the type declaration?

Can you explain the distinctions among these options?

type A = {a?: string}

type A = {a: string | undefined}

type A = {a?: string | undefined}

In what scenarios would one be preferred over the others?

For more information, visit: https://github.com/microsoft/TypeScript/issues/13195

Answer №1

When you use the symbol ?, it allows you to leave out a value, whereas using undefined requires that you provide either a string or specify undefined.

// Note: This code was tested using Typescript 4.2.1
type X = { x? : string }
type Y = { y: string | undefined }

const objX: X = {} // No issues here!
const objY: Y = {} // ERROR: property 'y' is missing in type Y

In my experience, utilizing ? is typically preferred since it defaults to undefined. It's rare for me to encounter situations where I specifically want users to input undefined as a value.

Answer №2

There is a subtle difference between having an object where a property is explicitly set to undefined, and having an object where that property is not present at all.

type A = {a: string | undefined} // Without the question mark, this requires key "a" to be included!

let varA: A = { a: undefined } // This is acceptable
let varB: A = {} // This is not acceptable as key "a" is missing

Answer №3

When utilizing the question mark symbol, it signifies that A may or may not be present, with A possibly being a string or undefined. Just because a type is undefined doesn't mean it's absent.

The concept of undefined in this context pertains to the contents of A, while the question mark refers to its existence. Both can be used simultaneously, but if you are confident that A will always be defined, just use undefined.

Answer №4

In TypeScript, using a question mark to indicate an optional property will result in an error when transpiled to JavaScript.

The use of | undefined in type definitions is redundant because all properties can inherently have undefined assigned as their value.

For example, defining a type like:

type A = {a?: string, b: string}

allows you to create a variable without specifying property a:

let x: A = { b: 'some value' };

Declaring type A = {a: string | undefined} serves no real purpose compared to type A = {a: string}, since the presence of property a is still required and strings can already be assigned undefined.

Attempting let x: A = {} will result in an error due to missing property a, while assigning a: undefined with let x: A = { a: undefined } is allowed with type A = {a: string}.

This renders the use of | undefined unnecessary, as any property can accept undefined values regardless.

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