@babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding

What is @babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding?

The @babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding package allows developers to use the optional catch binding syntax proposed for JavaScript. This syntax lets you use try/catch blocks without needing to specify a catch binding if you don't need it for the catch block.

What are @babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding's main functionalities?

Optional Catch Binding

This feature allows you to omit the catch binding (the error variable) when you don't need to use it within the catch block. It simplifies the syntax when the error object is unnecessary.

try {
  // some code that might throw
} catch {
  // handle the error without using the error object
}

Other packages similar to @babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding

@babel/plugin-syntax-optional-catch-binding

This package allows Babel to parse the optional catch binding syntax. However, it doesn't transform it. It's useful when you want your code to be parsed correctly but don't need to compile it down for older environments that don't support the feature.

babel-plugin-transform-optional-catch-binding

Similar to @babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding, this package provides the functionality to transform optional catch bindings for compatibility with environments that do not support the feature natively. It's an alternative that might be used in different Babel setups or before the official Babel plugin was available.

README

@babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding

Optional catch binding enables the catch block to execute whether or not an argument is passed to the catch statement (CatchClause).

Examples

try {
  throw 0;
} catch {
  doSomethingWhichDoesntCareAboutTheValueThrown();
}

try {
  throw 0;
} catch {
  doSomethingWhichDoesntCareAboutTheValueThrown();
} finally {
  doSomeCleanup();
}

Installation

npm install --save-dev @babel/plugin-proposal-optional-catch-binding

Usage

Via .babelrc (Recommended)

.babelrc

{
  "plugins": ["@babel/proposal-optional-catch-binding"]
}

Via CLI

babel --plugins @babel/proposal-optional-catch-binding script.js

Via Node API

require("@babel/core").transform("code", {
  plugins: ["@babel/proposal-optional-catch-binding"]
});

References

• Proposal: Optional Catch Binding for ECMAScript