Tutorials

Sass global-variable-exists() Function

Posted in Sass Tutorial

Updated on Sep 30, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 49 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

The global-variable-exists() function in Sass is used to determine whether a global variable with a given name exists. This function is particularly useful when working on large projects where variable management is crucial.

By using global-variable-exists(), you can avoid potential issues with variable overwriting or ensure that specific variables are defined before performing certain operations.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the global-variable-exists() function is simple. It requires only one argument:

Syntax

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global-variable-exists($name)

🔢 Parameters

$name: A string representing the name of the global variable you want to check.

↩️ Return Value

The function returns a boolean value:

true: if the global variable exists.
false: if the global variable does not exist.

📝 Example Usage

Let’s look at some examples to understand how global-variable-exists() can be used effectively in different scenarios.

📜 Example 1: Basic Usage

example.scss

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$primary-color: #3498db;

@if global-variable-exists("primary-color") {
  .button {
    background-color: $primary-color;
  }
} else {
  .button {
    background-color: #333;
  }
}

In this example, the function checks if the $primary-color variable exists. If it does, the button background is set to $primary-color. If not, the background is set to a default color.

📜 Example 2: Checking Before Assignment

example.scss

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@if global-variable-exists("font-size") {
  $font-size: $font-size;
} else {
  $font-size: 16px;
}

body {
  font-size: $font-size;
}

Here, the function checks if the $font-size variable exists globally. If it does, it uses the existing value. Otherwise, it assigns a default value of 16px.

📜 Example 3: Conditional Mixins

example.scss

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@mixin set-border($color) {
  @if global-variable-exists("border-thickness") {
    border: $border-thickness solid $color;
  } else {
    border: 2px solid $color;
  }
}

.box {
  @include set-border(#e74c3c);
}

This example demonstrates how global-variable-exists() can be used within a mixin to provide conditional styling based on the existence of a global variable.

🎉 Conclusion

The global-variable-exists() function in Sass is a valuable tool for checking the existence of global variables, ensuring robust and error-free code. It helps you write more flexible and maintainable Sass by allowing conditional logic based on variable existence. Whether you're working on a large project with numerous variables or just want to add a layer of safety to your code, global-variable-exists() is an essential function to know.

By incorporating global-variable-exists() into your workflow, you can enhance the reliability of your stylesheets, avoid common pitfalls related to variable management, and create more dynamic and adaptable Sass code.