What Is the “Double Tilde” (~~) Operator in Javascript?

JavaScript is a versatile programming language that offers a wide range of operators to manipulate and perform operations on data. One such operator is the “double tilde” (~~) operator. In this blog post, we will explore what the ~~ operator does and how it can be used in JavaScript.

Understanding the ~~ Operator

The ~~ operator is a bitwise operator in JavaScript. It is also known as the “double tilde” or “double bitwise NOT” operator. It performs a bitwise NOT operation on the given operand and then applies another bitwise NOT operation on the result.

When used with a numeric value, the ~~ operator effectively truncates the decimal part of the number and returns the integer value. It is similar to using the Math.floor() method, but with a more concise syntax.

Examples of ~~ Operator Usage

Let’s take a look at some examples to understand how the ~~ operator works:

Example 1:

Using the ~~ operator to truncate a decimal number:

const num = 3.14159;
const truncatedNum = ~~num;

console.log(truncatedNum); // Output: 3

In this example, the ~~ operator is applied to the variable num, which contains the value 3.14159. The ~~ operator truncates the decimal part of the number, resulting in the value 3.

Example 2:

Using the ~~ operator to convert a string to an integer:

const str = "42";
const num = ~~str;

console.log(num); // Output: 42

In this example, the ~~ operator is used to convert the string “42” to its corresponding integer value. The ~~ operator performs the truncation and returns the integer 42.

Alternative Solutions

While the ~~ operator provides a concise way to truncate decimal numbers and convert strings to integers, there are alternative solutions available in JavaScript.

Solution 1: Math.floor()

The Math.floor() method can be used to achieve the same result as the ~~ operator when truncating decimal numbers:

const num = 3.14159;
const truncatedNum = Math.floor(num);

console.log(truncatedNum); // Output: 3

Solution 2: parseInt()

The parseInt() function can be used to convert strings to integers:

const str = "42";
const num = parseInt(str);

console.log(num); // Output: 42

Both Math.floor() and parseInt() provide alternative solutions to achieve similar results as the ~~ operator.

Conclusion

The ~~ operator in JavaScript is a bitwise operator that can be used to truncate decimal numbers and convert strings to integers. It offers a concise syntax for these operations. However, alternative solutions such as Math.floor() and parseInt() can also be used to achieve similar results. It is important to choose the solution that best suits your specific use case.

Now that you understand the ~~ operator, you can leverage its power in your JavaScript code to perform efficient operations on numbers and strings.