In the continuing saga of data types (we have covered text/string and numbers/integers), we continue with boolean. A funny sounding word, but a fundamental data type. With data types, we try to emulate ‘real world’ objects within our code. So words are strings and numbers are…well…numbers. Boolean is yes/no, true/false, on/off.
Think of it like a light switch (without a dimmer…that is just a wishy-washy light switch). You flip the switch one direction and it is on, and the other is off. Boolean values are used in various ways in programming. We can use it to set preferences on a program, check if the end user did something or not…basically aid in making decisions within our programs.
Here is a JavaScript example of setting a variable to a boolean type…
[code lang=”js”]
var x = true;
var y = false;
[/code]
Again, as I have stated before, JavaScript plays ‘fast and loose’ with typing. So if you are using a strictly typed language, you need to make the appropriate code adjustments. Additionally, in JavaScript, you have to watch that you are not changing your data types.
Happy Coding!
