const

Оголошення const створює посилання на значення, доступне лише для читання. Що не гарантує незмінність значення, на котре вказує посилання, а лише той факт, що не можна повторно присвоїти будь-яке значення змінній з відповідним ім'ям.

Синтаксис

const назваКонстантноїЗмінної1 = значення1 [, назваКонстантноїЗмінної2 = значення2 [, ... [, назваКонстантноїЗмінноїN = значенняN]]];

значенняN

Назва константи, будь-який прийнятний identifier (ідентифікатор).

значенняN

Значення константи; будь-яки дозволений вираз (expression).

Description

This declaration creates a constant that can be either global or local to the function in which it is declared. An initializer for a constant is required; that is, you must specify its value in the same statement in which it's declared (which makes sense, given that it can't be changed later).

Constants are block-scoped, much like variables defined using the let statement. The value of a constant cannot change through re-assignment, and it can't be redeclared.

All the considerations about the "temporal dead zone" that apply to let, also apply to const.

A constant cannot share its name with a function or a variable in the same scope.

Examples

The following example demonstrates how constants behave. Try this in your browser console.

// NOTE: Constants can be declared with uppercase or lowercase, but a common
// convention is to use all-uppercase letters.

// define MY_FAV as a constant and give it the value 7
const MY_FAV = 7;

// this will throw an error in Firefox and Chrome (but does not fail in Safari)
MY_FAV = 20;

// will print 7
console.log("my favorite number is: " + MY_FAV);

// trying to redeclare a constant throws an error
const MY_FAV = 20;

// the name MY_FAV is reserved for constant above, so this will also fail
var MY_FAV = 20;

// this throws an error also
let MY_FAV = 20;

// it's important to note the nature of block scoping
if (MY_FAV === 7) { 
    // this is fine and creates a block scoped MY_FAV variable 
    // (works equally well with let to declare a block scoped non const variable)
    const MY_FAV = 20;

    // MY_FAV is now 20
    console.log("my favorite number is " + MY_FAV);

    // this gets hoisted into the global context and throws an error
    var MY_FAV = 20;
}

// MY_FAV is still 7
console.log("my favorite number is " + MY_FAV);

// Assigning to A const variable is a syntax error
const A = 1; A = 2;

// throws an error, missing initializer in const declaration
const FOO; 

// const also works on objects
const MY_OBJECT = {"key": "value"};

// Overwriting the object behaves as above (throws an error in Firefox and Chrome but does not fail in Safari)
MY_OBJECT = {"OTHER_KEY": "value"};

// However, object keys are not protected,
// so the following statement is executed without problem
MY_OBJECT.key = "otherValue"; // Use Object.freeze() to make object immutable

Specifications

Browser compatibility

Compatibility notes

In earlier versions of Firefox & Chrome and as of Safari 5.1.7 and Opera 12.00, if you define a variable with const, you can still change its value later. It is not supported in Internet Explorer 6-10, but is included in Internet Explorer 11.

Firefox-specific notes

The const declaration was implemented in Firefox long before const appeared in the ECMAScript 2015 (ES6) specification. For const ES6 compliance see bug 950547 and bug 611388.

• Prior to SpiderMonkey 46 (Firefox 46 / Thunderbird 46 / SeaMonkey 2.43), a TypeError was thrown on redeclaration instead of a SyntaxError (bug 1198833).
• Starting with SpiderMonkey 36 (Firefox 36 / Thunderbird 36 / SeaMonkey 2.33):
  • {const a=1};a now throws a ReferenceError and does not return 1 anymore due to block-scoping.
  • const a; now throws a SyntaxError ("missing = in const declaration"): An initializer is required.
  • const a = 1; a = 2; now also throws a SyntaxError ("invalid assignment to const a").

See also

• var
• let
• Constants in the JavaScript Guide