Why Objects Are My Go-To for Handling Multiple Parameters in JavaScript Functions

I've found that using objects to handle multiple parameters in functions offers several advantages, making code more flexible, readable, and maintainable.

As an example:

function multipleParams(name, age, city, country, email) {
  // do something with the parameters
}

multipleParams("John", 30, "New York", "USA", "test@mail.com");

function objectParams({ name, age, city, country, email }) {
  // do something with the parameters
}

objectParams({
  name: "John",
  country: "USA",
  age: 30,
  email: "test@mail.com",
  city: "New York",
});

Here are the key reasons why I prefer this approach:

Enhanced Readability

Passing an object as a parameter with named properties makes function calls much more readable. Instead of remembering the order of parameters, you need to remember their names.

This approach is particularly beneficial when dealing with functions with many parameters or optional parameters. For example, a function call like createUser({name: 'John Doe', age: 30, isAdmin: false}) is much more readable than createUser('John Doe', 30, false).

Flexibility with Optional Parameters

One major benefit is that you don't need to remember the order of parameters. After two parameters, I usually start to mess things up.

Also, if you want to make some parameters optional, you often end up with calls that include multiple undefined values, or you need to provide all preceding optional parameters.

With objects, you can omit the properties you don't want to set. This makes the function calls cleaner and the implementation simpler, as you can easily merge the provided parameters with default values using object destructuring or the spread operator.

Here's some examples so you can see it in action:

// Define a function to create a user profile, expecting an object with user details
function createUserProfile({ name, age, profession = 'Not specified', hobbies = [] }) {
  // Log the user profile information
  console.log(`Name: ${name}`);
  console.log(`Age: ${age}`);
  console.log(`Profession: ${profession}`);
  console.log(`Hobbies: ${hobbies.join(', ') || 'None'}`);
}

// Example usage:
// Providing only the required parameters
createUserProfile({
  name: 'Alice',
  age: 28
});

// Providing all parameters, including optional ones
createUserProfile({
  name: 'Bob',
  age: 35,
  profession: 'Engineer',
  hobbies: ['Reading', 'Cycling']
});

Easier Refactoring and Extensibility

Adding, removing, or modifying parameters becomes a lot easier when using objects. If the function's signature changes, you don't need to worry about the parameter order or updating every call site.

As long as the function handles the parameters correctly internally, you can add new options or modify existing ones with minimal impact on the code that uses the function.