Making decisions and controlling the order in which your code runs makes your code reusable and robust. This section covers the syntax for controlling data flow in JavaScript and its significance when used with Boolean data types
Operators are used to evaluate conditions by making comparisons that will create a Boolean value. The following is a list of operators that are frequently used.
| `<` | **Greater than**: Compares two values and returns the `true` Boolean data type if the value on the right side is larger than the left | `5 < 6 // true` |
| `<=` | **Greater than or equal to**: Compares two values and returns the `true` Boolean data type if the value on the right side is larger than or equal to the left | `5 <= 6 // true` |
| `>` | **Less than**: Compares two values and returns the `true` Boolean data type if the value on the left side is larger than the right | `5 > 6 // false` |
| `>=` | **Less than or equal to**: Compares two values and returns the `true` Boolean data type if the value on the left side is larger than or equal to the right | `5 >= 6 // false` |
| `===` | **Strict equality**: Compares two values and returns the `true` Boolean data type if values on the right and left are equal AND are the same data type. | `5 === 6 // false` |
| `!==` | **Inequality**: Compares two values and returns the opposite Boolean value of what a strict equality operator would return | `5 !== 6 // true` |
✅ Check your knowledge by writing some comparisons in your browser's console. Does any returned data surprise you?
The `else` statement will run the code in between its blocks when the condition is false. It's optional with an `if` statement.
```javascript
let currentMoney;
let laptopPrice;
if (currentMoney >= laptopPrice){
//Condition was true. Code in this block will run.
console.log("Getting a new laptop!");
}
else{
//Condition was true. Code in this block will run.
console.log("Can't afford a new laptop, yet!");
}
```
✅ Test your understanding of this code and the following code by running it in a browser console. Change the values of the currentMoney and laptopPrice variables to change the returned `console.log()`.
| `&&` | **Logical AND**: Compares two Boolean expressions. Returns true **only** if both sides are true | `(5 > 6) && (5 < 6 ) //One side is false, other is true. Returns false` |
| `||` | **Logical OR**: Compares two Boolean expressions. Returns true if at least one side is true | `(5 > 6) || (5 < 6) //One side is false, other is true. Returns true` |
| `!` | **Logical NOT**: Returns the opposite value of a Boolean expression | `!(5 > 6) // 5 is not greater than 6, but "!" will return true` |
You've seen so far how if you can use an `if...else` statement to create conditional logic. Anything that goes into an `if` needs to evaluate to true/false. By using the `!` operator you can _negate_ the expression. It would look like so: