Why patterns matter for safety in Typescript - Test Your Understanding

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to declare a variable with a safe type.

Typescript

let userName: [1] = "Alice";

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Astring

Bany

Cnumber

Dboolean

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'any' type which disables safety checks.

Using string ensures the variable only holds text, which is safer than any.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to define a function parameter with a safe type.

Typescript

function greet(name: [1]) { console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`); }

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Anumber

Bboolean

Cstring

Dany

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'any' which can cause unexpected errors.

Defining the parameter as string ensures only text is accepted, preventing errors.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error by choosing the correct type for the variable.

Typescript

let age: [1] = "30";

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aboolean

Bnumber

Cany

Dstring

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'number' type with a string value causes errors.

The value is a string, so the type must be string to avoid type errors.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a safe object type and assign it.

Typescript

type User = { name: [1]; age: [2]; };
const user: User = { name: "Bob", age: 25 };

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Astring

Bnumber

Cboolean

Dany

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing types or using 'any' reduces safety.

The name should be string and age should be number for type safety.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to safely check a variable's type before using it.

Typescript

function printAge(age: [1] | [2]) {
  if (typeof age === [3]) {
    console.log(`Age is ${age}`);
  } else {
    console.log("Invalid age");
  }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Anumber

Bstring

C"number"

D"string"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using type names instead of string literals in typeof check.

The function accepts number or string. The typeof check must compare to the string "string" to be correct.

Practice

1. Why is it important to use patterns in TypeScript for safety?

easy

A. They allow skipping type checks

B. They make the code run faster

C. They reduce the file size of the program

D. They help catch errors before running the code

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of patterns in TypeScript

   Patterns guide how to write code that avoids common mistakes and bugs.

2. Step 2: Identify the benefit of safety patterns

   They help detect errors early, before the program runs, improving reliability.

3. Final Answer:

   They help catch errors before running the code -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Patterns catch errors early = A [OK]

Hint: Patterns catch bugs early, before runtime [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking patterns only improve speed
• Believing patterns reduce file size
• Assuming patterns skip type checks

2. Which of the following is the correct TypeScript syntax to safely check if a variable value is a string before using it?

easy

A. if (typeof value === 'string') { /* use value */ }

B. if (value.type === 'string') { /* use value */ }

C. if (value instanceof 'string') { /* use value */ }

D. if (value === string) { /* use value */ }

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall correct type checking syntax in TypeScript

   Use typeof variable === 'string' to check if a variable is a string.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   Only if (typeof value === 'string') { /* use value */ } uses the correct typeof operator and string comparison.

3. Final Answer:

   if (typeof value === 'string') { /* use value */ } -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use typeof for type checks = D [OK]

Hint: Use typeof to check primitive types safely [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using .type property which doesn't exist
• Using instanceof with string literal
• Comparing variable directly to string keyword

3. What will be the output of this TypeScript code?

function safeDivide(a: number, b: number): number | null {
  if (b === 0) return null;
  return a / b;
}

console.log(safeDivide(10, 2));
console.log(safeDivide(10, 0));

medium

A. 5 and null

B. 5 and Infinity

C. 5 and 0

D. Error at runtime

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the function safeDivide

   If divisor b is zero, function returns null, else returns division result.

2. Step 2: Evaluate console.log outputs

   First call: 10 / 2 = 5; second call: divisor is 0, returns null.

3. Final Answer:

   5 and null -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Division by zero returns null = C [OK]

Hint: Check for zero divisor to avoid runtime errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting division by zero to return 0
• Assuming runtime error instead of null
• Confusing null with Infinity

4. Identify the error in this TypeScript code that tries to safely access a property:

interface User {
  name: string;
  age?: number;
}

function getUserAge(user: User): number {
  return user.age;
}

medium

A. Incorrect interface declaration syntax

B. Missing check for optional property before returning

C. Function should return string instead of number

D. No error, code is correct

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand optional property in interface

   Property age is optional, so it may be undefined.

2. Step 2: Check function return type vs possible undefined

   Function returns number but user.age can be undefined, causing a type error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing check for optional property before returning -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Optional properties need checks = A [OK]

Hint: Check optional properties before use to avoid errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring optional property may be undefined
• Thinking interface syntax is wrong
• Confusing return type with property type

5. You want to create a safe pattern to transform an array of mixed values into an object mapping only string keys to their lengths. Which TypeScript pattern ensures safety and correctness?

const items = ["apple", 42, "banana", null, "cherry"];

// Which pattern is safest to create { [key: string]: number } mapping?

hard

A. Map all items to their length without checks

B. Use a for loop without type checks

C. Use a filter to keep only strings, then map to lengths

D. Assign items directly to object keys

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the need to filter only strings

   Since array has mixed types, filter out non-string values to avoid errors.

2. Step 2: Map filtered strings to their lengths safely

   After filtering, create object entries mapping strings to their length, ensuring type safety.

3. Final Answer:

   Use a filter to keep only strings, then map to lengths -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Filter then map for safe transformation = B [OK]

Hint: Filter first, then map to avoid unsafe types [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mapping without filtering causes runtime errors
• Using loops without type checks
• Assigning mixed types directly to object keys