Why Should You Avoid Increment ( ) and Decrement (--) Operators in JavaScript?

Why Avoid Increment (" ") and Decrement ("--") Operators in JavaScript?

While searching for ways to enhance JavaScript code, one may encounter suggestions to avoid the and -- operators. Like PHP's $foo[$bar ], these operators can lead to subtle off-by-one errors.

Alternative Control Flow

Consider the following loop constructs:

while( a < 10 ) do { /* foo */ a++; }

Or:

for (var i=0; i<10; i++) { /* foo */ }

Reasoning Behind Avoidance

The reason behind JSLint discouraging and -- boils down to two main rationales:

• Potential Confusion: The and -- operators can be used in various ambiguous ways, making them susceptible to misunderstandings.
• Increased Complexity: Complex code can result from excessive use of these operators, especially in codebases with multiple contributors.

Recommended Usage

For optimal clarity, use and -- on separate lines, as exemplified below:

i++;
array[i] = foo;

Instead of:

array[++i] = foo;

Exceptional Case: For Loops

For loops provide an exception to this rule. The and -- operators are commonly used in for loops, such as:

for (var j=0; j<10; j++) {
  console.log(j);
}

In this context, the increment operator is considered idiomatic and serves a clear purpose.

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