Skip to main content

No Assign Then Return

Return expressions directly instead of assigning to an intermediate variable that is immediately returned.

Summary

The no-assign-then-return rule reports a return statement that returns an identifier when the immediately preceding statement is a const declaration of that same identifier.

It is recommended to return the expression directly.

Why Use This Rule?

  1. Removes unnecessary intermediate variables that add visual noise.
  2. Makes the return value immediately visible without scanning back to the declaration.
  3. Keeps functions concise by eliminating a redundant line.

Examples

Configuration

Options

warning

ignoreFiles is an escape hatch for files where this rule genuinely does not apply. It is not intended for routine use.

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
ignoreFilesstring[][]File names to skip. Supports a leading-* suffix (*.test.ts), an exact path, or a trailing path segment; ** globs are not supported.

Autofix

This rule provides automatic fixes. Run ESLint with the --fix flag:

bash
npx eslint --fix . --rule '@cbnventures/nova/no-assign-then-return: error'

Troubleshooting

  • Warning fires but the variable name is descriptive — It is recommended to return the expression directly. If a descriptive name is important, consider adding a comment above the return statement instead.
  • Only const declarations are checked — Reassignable variables (let) are skipped because they might be modified between declaration and return.
  • Destructuring is not flagged — Declarations that destructure (e.g. const { active } = obj; return active; or const [first] = arr; return first;) are skipped; only a plain const name = expr; followed by return name; is reported.
  • Only single-declarator const statements are checked — A const declaring multiple variables (e.g. const a = x(), result = y(); return result;) is skipped, since removing it would drop the other declarations.