Can you set a variable equal to multiple values without creating an array?

Question

https://code.sololearn.com/WYPQFFs2T0Qo/?ref=app
I found code on Stack Overflow that had a lot of upvotes that contained a variable that was set equal to multiple values.
This was puzzling because I thought this wasn’t valid syntax and that an array would work better. In the code above is that line of code which is:
var frag = document.createDocumentFragment, node, childNode;
I ran the variable and a similar one in Sololearn above and it only returns the 1st value. What is the use in this?

Answer 1

In js and many other language you can declare more than 1 variable in one line, like this
var frag = document.createDocumentFragment, node, childNodes;

That is means create variable frag then put the value in, then create the other vars without initial value.

Read them like this
var (frag = document.createDocumentFragment), (node), (childNodes);
Each parenthesis is a new variable. not a single variable with multiple value like this
var frag = (document.createDocumentFragment, node, childNodes);

Answer 2

One Statement, Many Variables
You can declare many variables in one statement.

Start the statement with var and separate the variables by comma:
var frag = document.createDocumentFragment, node, childNode;

https://www.w3schools.com/js/js_variables.asp

Answer 3

Lets do this

var firstName = "Timmy", lastName, age;

There are three separate declared variables firstName, lastName, and age. The variable firstName has the value "Timmy" assigned to it, the other two variables, lastName and age are undefined because they were not assigned any value when they were initially declared.

Answer 4

In addition to the other good answers here, try this...

Replace the var keyword with the let keyword.

When you attempt to run this again, you'll see an error explaining you can't declare the y variable multiple times or something to that effect.

Answer 5

Yes, but how would you call the 2nd value of the variable?