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JavaScript JavaScript Basics (Retired) Creating Reusable Code with Functions Review: Scope

nishnash
nishnash
6,267 Points
Posted by nishnash
nishnash
6,267 Points

Function Scope

Can somebody please help clarify the below??. Why is Trish the answer?? when we type setName(), are we not calling that function, thus replacing the var name to sarah ?

Quiz Question 3 of 5 Given the code below, what appears in the alert dialogue when this program runs?

var name = "Trish"; function setName() { var name = "Sarah"; } setName(); alert(name);

Lee Cockcroft
Lee Cockcroft
5,147 Points
Lee Cockcroft
Lee Cockcroft
5,147 Points

Because you haven't returned anything in the function.

The code below will alert "sarah" because you're returning the name variable.

if you just alert "name" this will go to the global variable and return trish!

To access the name variable in the function you must use the "setName" variable

Hope it makes sense

var name = "Trish";

function setName() { var name = "Sarah"; return name; } alert(setName());

2 Answers

nishnash
nishnash
6,267 Points
nishnash
nishnash
6,267 Points

Thanks Lee,

Think i got it now..

andren
andren
28,558 Points
andren
andren
28,558 Points

Yes you are calling that function, but all that function does is create (that part is important) a variable called name and set it equal to "Sarah". This new variable is not the same name variable that was declared outside the function. It is an entirely new, entirely separate variable that just happens to share the same name as the other variable.

The reason why the name variable in the function is treated as a new variable rather than a reference to the existing variable is because the "var" keyword precedes it, var is used to declare a new variable that should exist within the current function. So in the end there are two "name" variables, one that exist outside the function (in the global scope) and one that exists within the setName function. And as mentioned before, those variables are the same in name only. As far as JavaScript is concerned they are entirely different things and do not affect each other in any way.