How do you return multiple function values to multiple global variables?

Question

I'm trying to create a program where there are two variables x and y where they continually increment every 2 seconds. 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. I also want a reset button where once pressed, x and y become 0 and 1 respectively.

However the logic problem I'm having is how to get the function return values to be constantly assigned in a changing status to the global variables. I used an array with the name z to hold the x and y values and had x=z[0] and y=z[1], to transfer the multiple return values from the function. Like [a,b].

How do I continually tell the program that each time I increment x and y in my increase() function, that I want x and y to equal the new value? Because the current logic I'm trying to figure out should work once, but instead it doesn't work at all. Instead the values don't continually increase and x and y only increase once from 1 and 2 to 2 and 3 and never more. The reset button doesn't work. I don't know how to transfer the function return values to global values without the values being encapsulated in the function.

var x = 1;
var y = 2;
var z = [x, y];
x = z[0];
y = z[1];


function reset() {
  a = 0;
  b = 1;
  return [a, b];
}


function increase(a, b) {
  a++;
  b++;
  return [a, b];
}

function consoles(a, b) {
  console.log(a);
  console.log(b);
}

var clockTimer;
clockTimer = setInterval(function() {
  z = increase(x, y);
}, 2000);
x = z[0];
y = z[1];

var consoleTimer;
consoleTimer = setInterval(function() {
  consoles(z[0], z[1]);
}, 2000);

<input type="button" id="button" value="Reset" onclick="z=reset()"></input>

CertainPerformance · Accepted Answer · 2020-12-26 02:25:02Z

1

The problem is that when you do z = increase(x, y);, you're passing the current value of x and y - but x and y only get assigned to once (well, twice, but the same thing is assigned both times):

x = z[0];
y = z[1];

If the z array changes, the values that x and y point to do not get changed accordingly.

If I were you, I'd choose one data structure, and ditch the other - either use an array, or use separate variables for each number, but not both, to avoid confusion like this:

var x = 1;
var y = 2;

function reset() {
  x = 0;
  y = 1;
}


function increase() {
  x++;
  y++;
}

setInterval(function() {
  z = increase(x, y);
}, 2000);

var consoleTimer;
consoleTimer = setInterval(function() {
  console.log(x, y);
}, 2000);

<input type="button" id="button" value="Reset" onclick="z=reset()"></input>

answered Dec 26, 2020 at 2:25

CertainPerformance

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