@babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator

What is @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator?

The @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator package is a plugin for Babel, a JavaScript compiler, that allows developers to use the exponentiation operator (**) in their JavaScript code. This operator is used to raise the first operand to the power of the second operand. The plugin transforms this syntax into a format that is compatible with environments that do not support the exponentiation operator natively.

What are @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator's main functionalities?

Exponentiation Operator Transformation

This feature allows developers to write code using the exponentiation operator (**) for performing exponentiation operations. The plugin then transforms this syntax into a call to Math.pow, ensuring compatibility with older JavaScript environments.

"use strict";\n\nvar _Mathpow = Math.pow;\n\nvar a = 2;\nvar b = 3;\nvar c = _Mathpow(a, b); // Transforms a ** b into Math.pow(a, b)

Other packages similar to @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator

@babel/plugin-transform-arrow-functions

Similar to @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator, this package transforms modern JavaScript syntax (arrow functions in this case) into a form that is compatible with older JavaScript environments. While it focuses on arrow functions instead of the exponentiation operator, the goal of ensuring code compatibility across different environments is shared.

@babel/plugin-transform-template-literals

This package transforms template literals into a string concatenation format, ensuring compatibility with environments that do not support template literals. Like @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator, it aims to make modern JavaScript syntax accessible in older environments, though it focuses on template literals instead of exponentiation.

README

@babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator

Compile exponentiation operator to ES5

Example

// x ** y

let squared = 2 ** 2;
// same as: 2 * 2

let cubed = 2 ** 3;
// same as: 2 * 2 * 2


// x **= y

let a = 2;
a **= 2;
// same as: a = a * a;

let b = 3;
b **= 3;
// same as: b = b * b * b;

Installation

npm install --save-dev @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator

Usage

Via .babelrc (Recommended)

.babelrc

{
  "plugins": ["@babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator"]
}

Via CLI

babel --plugins @babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator script.js

Via Node API

require("@babel/core").transform("code", {
  plugins: ["@babel/plugin-transform-exponentiation-operator"]
});

References

• Proposal: Exponentiation Operator
• Spec: Exponential Operator