rspec/rules/S4322/javascript/rule.adoc

A common idiom in JavaScript to differentiate between two possible types is to check for the presence in the object of a member of the desired type. Usually, to simplify the code, a boolean function is created to check the type.

Typescript provides user defined type guard functions. These are just functions with a return type of ``++argumentName is SomeType++``. Such functions return ``++true++`` if the argument is of the specified type. One of the advantages of using such a function is that in a conditional block where the condition is a type guard, the compiler automatically performs the appropriate casts, so explicit casting becomes unnecessary.


This rule raises an issue when a boolean function checking for the type of its only argument can be replaced with a user-defined type guard function.


== Noncompliant Code Example

----
function isSomething(x: BaseType) : boolean { // Noncompliant
  return (<Something>x).foo !== undefined;
}

if (isSomething(v)) {
  (<Something>v).foo();
}
----


== Compliant Solution

----
function isSomething(x: BaseType) : x is Something {
  return (<Something>x).foo !== undefined;
}

if (isSomething(v)) {
  v.foo();
}
----


== See

https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/advanced-types.html[TypeScript advanced types]


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