Save Async Await Response On A Variable

You might be familiar with using async/await in your code to handle asynchronous operations more effectively. But have you ever wondered how you can save the response of an async function on a variable? This can be super useful when you need to reuse the response or pass it around in your program. In this article, we will dive into how you can achieve this in your JavaScript code.

Let's start with understanding how async/await works. The `async` keyword is used to declare that a function will work asynchronously, returning a promise. This allows you to use the `await` keyword inside the function to pause the execution until the promise is settled. When the promise is resolved, the value is returned from the `await` expression.

To save the response of an async function on a variable, you simply need to assign the result of the async function to a variable using `await`. Here's an example to illustrate this:

async function fetchData() {
    return 'Async data fetched';
}

async function saveResponse() {
    const response = await fetchData();
    console.log(response); // Output: Async data fetched
}

saveResponse();

In this example, the `fetchData` function returns a promise with the value `'Async data fetched'`. When we call `saveResponse`, we use `await` to assign the value of `fetchData` to the variable `response`. Subsequently, we can use `response` just like any other variable in our code.

It's essential to remember that using `await` outside of an async function will result in a syntax error. So, always ensure that you are using `await` inside an async function to handle promises.

But what if you want to save the response of an async function on a variable in the global scope? You can achieve this by creating an async IIFE (Immediately Invoked Function Expression) like so:

(async () => {
    const response = await fetchData();
    console.log(response); // Output: Async data fetched
})();

In this snippet, we define an IIFE that is immediately invoked. Inside the IIFE, we use `await` to assign the response of `fetchData` to the variable `response`. This allows you to use the response globally in your code.

Additionally, you might encounter scenarios where you need to handle errors while awaiting an async operation. You can achieve this using a `try/catch` block like this:

async function saveResponse() {
    try {
        const response = await fetchData();
        console.log(response); // Output: Async data fetched
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('An error occurred: ', error);
    }
}

By wrapping the `await` call inside a `try` block, you can catch any errors that occur during the async operation and handle them gracefully.

In conclusion, saving the response of an async function on a variable is a powerful technique that can streamline your asynchronous code. By understanding how async/await works and leveraging it effectively, you can write more efficient and maintainable code. Remember to use `await` inside an async function and handle errors appropriately for a robust async workflow.