Long lists of if/else statements or switch cases can get bloated quickly.

As an example, let’s say we have a function that takes a rhyming slang phrase and returns the meaning. Using if/else statements, it would look like this:

js
function getTranslation(rhyme) {
  if (rhyme.toLowerCase() === "apples and pears") {
    return "Stairs";
  } else if (rhyme.toLowerCase() === "hampstead heath") {
    return "Teeth";
  } else if (rhyme.toLowerCase() === "loaf of bread") {
    return "Head";
  } else if (rhyme.toLowerCase() === "pork pies") {
    return "Lies";
  } else if (rhyme.toLowerCase() === "whistle and flute") {
    return "Suit";
  }

  return "Rhyme not found";
}

OR

js
function getTranslation(rhyme) {
  switch (rhyme.toLowerCase()) {
    case "apples and pears":
      return "Stairs";
    case "hampstead heath":
      return "Teeth";
    case "loaf of bread":
      return "Head";
    case "pork pies":
      return "Lies";
    case "whistle and flute":
      return "Suit";
    default:
      return "Rhyme not found";
  }
}

An Alternative

You can use an object to achieve the same functionality as above in a much neater way. Let’s have a look at an example:

js
function getTranslationMap(rhyme) {
  const rhymes = {
    "apples and pears": "Stairs",
    "hampstead heath": "Teeth",
    "loaf of bread": "Head",
    "pork pies": "Lies",
    "whistle and flute": "Suit",
  };

  return rhymes[rhyme.toLowerCase()] ?? "Rhyme not found";
}

OR

js
function stringToBool(str) {
  const boolStrings = {
    true: true,
    false: false,
  };

  return boolStrings[str] ?? "String is not a boolean value";
}

OR

js
function calculate(num1, num2, action) {
  const actions = {
    add: (a, b) => a + b,
    subtract: (a, b) => a - b,
    multiply: (a, b) => a * b,
    divide: (a, b) => a / b,
  };

  return actions[action]?.(num1, num2) ?? "Calculation is not recognised";
}

Conclusion

. Don’t forget to clap 👏 in the comment section below if you learned something new.