[h1fra]

so like assert(process.env.MY_ENV_VAR) but in a less readable oneliner?

[t-writescode]

Since JS doesn’t have if statements return values, null chaining is a great way to keep both const variables and have some level of decidability.

Null chaining is also a common pattern across most languages and is generally seen as readable

[MobiusHorizons]

I get why we prefer final in languages with a need for thread safety, but I have never understood why people prefer const in typescript. I have seen people bend over backwards to avoid a `let` even if it results in higher complexity code. It just doesn’t seem to solve a problem I’ve ever actually encountered in typescript code.

[kbolino]

Assuming assert existed, it would almost certainly be judging its value for being falsy, while the ?? operator judges its LHS for being nullish, which is a narrower category. For strings, this affects whether the empty string is acceptable or not.

[xscott]

> Assuming assert existed

It's a function you could write for yourself and give it whatever semantics you feel is best. No changes to the language required for this one.

[fainpul]

  console.assert(maybeNull != null, 'variable not set')

[ameliaquining]

There isn't a built-in assert function that behaves that way; you would need to either write it or import it.

[xscott]

I'm not a web dev. Are people really that opposed to writing a function which would solve problems in their project? It's two lines long...

[jackblemming]

That doesn’t assign it to the shorthand local variable.

[zdragnar]

It could return the given value if it doesn't throw, though, which would make using it with assignment trivial.