require return statements to either always or never specify values (consistent-return)

Unlike statically-typed languages which enforce that a function returns a specified type of value, JavaScript allows different code paths in a function to return different types of values.

A confusing aspect of JavaScript is that a function returns undefined if any of the following are true:

• it does not execute a return statement before it exits
• it executes return which does not specify a value explicitly
• it executes return undefined
• it executes return void followed by an expression (for example, a function call)
• it executes return followed by any other expression which evaluates to undefined

If any code paths in a function return a value explicitly but some code path do not return a value explicitly, it might be a typing mistake, especially in a large function. In the following example:

• a code path through the function returns a Boolean value true
• another code path does not return a value explicitly, therefore returns undefined implicitly

function doSomething(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return true;
    } else {
        return;
    }
}

Rule Details

This rule requires return statements to either always or never specify values. This rule ignores function definitions where the name begins with an uppercase letter, because constructors (when invoked with the new operator) return the instantiated object implicitly if they do not return another object explicitly.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

/*eslint consistent-return: "error"*/

function doSomething(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return true;
    } else {
        return;
    }
}

function doSomething(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return true;
    }
}

Examples of correct code for this rule:

/*eslint consistent-return: "error"*/

function doSomething(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return true;
    } else {
        return false;
    }
}

function Foo() {
    if (!(this instanceof Foo)) {
        return new Foo();
    }

    this.a = 0;
}

Options

This rule has an object option:

• "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": false (default) always either specify values or return undefined implicitly only.
• "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": true always either specify values or return undefined explicitly or implicitly.

treatUndefinedAsUnspecified

Examples of incorrect code for this rule with the default { "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": false } option:

/*eslint consistent-return: ["error", { "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": false }]*/

function foo(callback) {
    if (callback) {
        return void callback();
    }
    // no return statement
}

function bar(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return undefined;
    }
    // no return statement
}

Examples of incorrect code for this rule with the { "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": true } option:

/*eslint consistent-return: ["error", { "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": true }]*/

function foo(callback) {
    if (callback) {
        return void callback();
    }
    return true;
}

function bar(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return undefined;
    }
    return true;
}

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": true } option:

/*eslint consistent-return: ["error", { "treatUndefinedAsUnspecified": true }]*/

function foo(callback) {
    if (callback) {
        return void callback();
    }
    // no return statement
}

function bar(condition) {
    if (condition) {
        return undefined;
    }
    // no return statement
}

When Not To Use It

If you want to allow functions to have different return behavior depending on code branching, then it is safe to disable this rule. Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

Enforce require() on the top-level module scope (global-require)

In Node.js, module dependencies are included using the require() function, such as:

var fs = require("fs");

While require() may be called anywhere in code, some style guides prescribe that it should be called only in the top level of a module to make it easier to identify dependencies. For instance, it's arguably harder to identify dependencies when they are deeply nested inside of functions and other statements:

function foo() {

    if (condition) {
        var fs = require("fs");
    }
}

Since require() does a synchronous load, it can cause performance problems when used in other locations.

Further, ES6 modules mandate that import and export statements can only occur in the top level of the module's body.

Rule Details

This rule requires all calls to require() to be at the top level of the module, similar to ES6 import and export statements, which also can occur only at the top level.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

/*eslint global-require: "error"*/
/*eslint-env es6*/

// calling require() inside of a function is not allowed
function readFile(filename, callback) {
    var fs = require('fs');
    fs.readFile(filename, callback)
}

// conditional requires like this are also not allowed
if (DEBUG) { require('debug'); }

// a require() in a switch statement is also flagged
switch(x) { case '1': require('1'); break; }

// you may not require() inside an arrow function body
var getModule = (name) => require(name);

// you may not require() inside of a function body as well
function getModule(name) { return require(name); }

// you may not require() inside of a try/catch block
try {
    require(unsafeModule);
} catch(e) {
    console.log(e);
}

Examples of correct code for this rule:

/*eslint global-require: "error"*/

// all these variations of require() are ok
require('x');
var y = require('y');
var z;
z = require('z').initialize();

// requiring a module and using it in a function is ok
var fs = require('fs');
function readFile(filename, callback) {
    fs.readFile(filename, callback)
}

// you can use a ternary to determine which module to require
var logger = DEBUG ? require('dev-logger') : require('logger');

// if you want you can require() at the end of your module
function doSomethingA() {}
function doSomethingB() {}
var x = require("x"),
    z = require("z");

When Not To Use It

If you have a module that must be initialized with information that comes from the file-system or if a module is only used in very rare situations and will cause significant overhead to load it may make sense to disable the rule. If you need to require() an optional dependency inside of a try/catch, you can disable this rule for just that dependency using the // eslint-disable-line global-require comment. Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

Suggest using arrow functions as callbacks. (prefer-arrow-callback)

Arrow functions are suited to callbacks, because:

• this keywords in arrow functions bind to the upper scope's.
• The notation of the arrow function is shorter than function expression's.

Rule Details

This rule is aimed to flag usage of function expressions in an argument list.

The following patterns are considered problems:

/*eslint prefer-arrow-callback: "error"*/

foo(function(a) { return a; });
foo(function() { return this.a; }.bind(this));

The following patterns are not considered problems:

/*eslint prefer-arrow-callback: "error"*/
/*eslint-env es6*/

foo(a => a);
foo(function*() { yield; });

// this is not a callback.
var foo = function foo(a) { return a; };

// using `this` without `.bind(this)`.
foo(function() { return this.a; });

// recursively.
foo(function bar(n) { return n && n + bar(n - 1); });

Options

This rule takes one optional argument, an object which is an options object.

allowNamedFunctions

This is a boolean option and it is false by default. When set to true, the rule doesn't warn on named functions used as callbacks.

Examples of correct code for the { "allowNamedFunctions": true } option:

/*eslint prefer-arrow-callback: ["error", { "allowNamedFunctions": true }]*/

foo(function bar() {});

allowUnboundThis

This is a boolean option and it is true by default. When set to false, this option allows the use of this without restriction and checks for dynamically assigned this values such as when using Array.prototype.map with a context argument. Normally, the rule will flag the use of this whenever a function does not use bind() to specify the value of this constantly.

Examples of incorrect code for the { "allowUnboundThis": false } option:

/*eslint prefer-arrow-callback: ["error", { "allowUnboundThis": false }]*/
/*eslint-env es6*/

foo(function() { this.a; });

foo(function() { (() => this); });

someArray.map(function (itm) { return this.doSomething(itm); }, someObject);

When Not To Use It

This rule should not be used in ES3/5 environments.

In ES2015 (ES6) or later, if you don't want to be notified about function expressions in an argument list, you can safely disable this rule. Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

For more information visit Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/