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JavaScript JavaScript Basics (Retired) Making Decisions with Conditional Statements Add a Final Else Clause

Luqman Shah
Luqman Shah
3,016 Points
Posted by Luqman Shah
Luqman Shah
3,016 Points

I know how to do it, but I do not understand it..

So this code challenge pretty much goes over the whole boolean values concept. I didn't have much trouble going through these past 3 code challenges, I knew what I was doing, I just didn't know why. Why do our isAdmin and isStudent variables need boolean values? And why are they both set to "false." So during the if statement when we put the isAdmin variable into the condition, obviously we are trying to say "If isAdmin is TRUE, run code: alert('Welcome admin');" And the else if clause is an alternative, to my understanding, so we are saying "If you are not an admin but isStudent, and if it is true, run code: alert('Welcome student');"

But what is the point of these boolean values? How does it benefit us? And why is it initially set to the false value. I watched the video on boolean values twice, I even watched a video on boolean values on youtube but I still don't get it. Wouldn't this also be sufficient: Why don't we write the code like this?:

var isAdmin

var password = prompt('admin password');

var isStudent

var password_two = prompt('student ID');

if ( parseInt(password) === isAdmin ) {

alert('Welcome Admin');

} else if ( parseInt(password_two) === isStudent ) {

alert('Welcome Student');

} else {

alert('Who are you?');

}

script.js 
var isAdmin = false;
var isStudent = false;

if ( isAdmin ) {
    alert('Welcome administrator');
} else if (isStudent) {
    alert('Welcome student');
} else {
  alert("Who are you?");
}
index.html 
<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
  <title>JavaScript Basics</title>
</head>
<body>
<script src="script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Luqman Shah
Luqman Shah
3,016 Points
Luqman Shah
Luqman Shah
3,016 Points

I looked over my notes again, I feel like I'm getting it, but would still love to get your help, thank you.

Dave StSomeWhere
Dave StSomeWhere
19,870 Points
Dave StSomeWhere
Dave StSomeWhere
19,870 Points

Agree with Steven's answer you might be over thinking the lesson, which is just understanding how conditional statements work. There are two main parts to a conditional - the expressions (which evaluates to either true or false) and the code block (of course, you have else and else if). Boolean's by definition are either true or false and using them in the expression makes for clean readable code. 

// Just a boolean
if (isAdmin) {// code block here}
// is a little prettier than
if (isAdmin === someValue) {// code block here}

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,275 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,275 Points

I think you're reading too much into the code challenge. It's just to give you practice working with program flow and boolean variables. It's not useful as a complete program in itself.

Your other code is a more practical example, but as you point out, it doesn't serve as an example of boolean variable use.

A practical example of both might be where many tests were made to determine administrator status, only if a certain combination passed would "isAdmin" be set to true. Then later in the program "isAdmin" would be used as part of input validation and output controls.

Luqman Shah
Luqman Shah
3,016 Points
Luqman Shah
Luqman Shah
3,016 Points

Ahh ok, thank you. That really clears it up for me