Add Two Numbers in Javascript (Simple Examples)

Welcome to a tutorial on how to add two numbers in Javascript. Adding two numbers together should be a piece of cake now, right? Well, it’s not really straightforward.

That covers the basics, but let us walk through a few more examples in this guide. Read on!

ⓘ I have included a zip file with all the example code at the end of this tutorial, so you don’t have to copy-paste everything… Or if you just want to dive straight in.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

QUICK NOTES

If you spot a bug, feel free to comment below. I try to answer short questions too, but it is one person versus the entire world… If you need answers urgently, please check out my list of websites to get help with programming.

 

EXAMPLE CODE DOWNLOAD

Click here to download the source code, I have released it under the MIT license, so feel free to build on top of it or use it in your own project.

 

 

 

EXAMPLE 1) ADD NUMBERS IN TEXT BOXES

1A) THE HTML

<form onsubmit="return add();">
  VAR X = <input type="number" id="varX" required value="3">
  VAR Y = <input type="number" id="varY" required value="5">
  VAR RESULT = <input type="number" id="varResult" readonly>
  <input type="submit" value="Add Them!">
</form>

The HTML part is straightforward, this is just an HTML <form> with 3 number fields:

• varX and varY are the two number input fields.
• varResult to show the result.

 

1B) JAVASCRIPT – WRONG WAY TO ADD NUMBERS

function add () {
  // (A) GET THE VALUE FROM THE TEXT BOXES
  var x = document.getElementById("varX").value;
  var y = document.getElementById("varY").value;

  // (B) ADDITION - THE WRONG WAY
  // IMPORTANT NOTE: X AND Y ARE STRINGS
  // WHEN WE "ADD" THEM, THEY CONCATENATE INSTEAD
  console.log(typeof x); // string
  console.log(typeof y); // string
  var result = x + y;

  // (C) OUTPUT RESULT
  document.getElementById("varResult").value = result;
  return false; // stop form submit
}

Yep, that’s all to the Javascript.

1. Get the input values from the text boxes.
2. Add the numbers together.
3. Output the result.

But go ahead and see the result for yourself – 3 + 5 = 35. Just what is going on? Here comes the common newbie mistake – When we get the value from a text box, it is of the string data type. When we “add” strings together, they will concatenate instead.

 

 

1C) JAVASCRIPT – RIGHT WAY TO ADD NUMBERS

function add () {
  // (A) GET THE VALUE FROM THE TEXT BOXES
  // NOTE - WE PARSE THEM AS INTEGER
  var x = parseInt(document.getElementById("varX").value);
  var y = parseInt(document.getElementById("varY").value);

  // (B) ADDITION
  // NOW THEY ADD PROPLERLY, NOT CONCATENATE
  console.log(typeof x); // number
  console.log(typeof y); // number
  var result = x + y;

  // (C) OUPUT RESULT
  document.getElementById("varResult").value = result;
  return false; // stop form submit
}

To “fix” the above “error”, it is as simple as parsing the value as an integer before adding them – That’s all.

 

 

EXAMPLE 2) ADD NUMBERS USING PROMPT

<script>
function add () {
  // (A) THE PROMPTS
  var x = prompt("Please enter the first nunmber", "5");
  var y = prompt("Please enter the second nunmber", "3");

  // (B) CHECK AND PARSE STRING TO INTEGER
  if (isNaN(x) || isNaN(y)) {
    alert("Invalid Input");
  } else {
    x = parseInt(x);
    y = parseInt(y);
    console.log(typeof x); // number
    console.log(typeof y); // number

    // (C) THE RESULT
    var result = x + y;
    alert(result);
  }
}
</script>
<input type="button" value="Add Numbers!" onclick="add()">

Yep, this shouldn’t need more explanation. You expert code ninjas should already know what this does by now. But one tiny bit of advice here – We cannot set the prompt() function to have multiple fields at once, nor can we restrict the input to numbers… So stick with using HTML <form> and <input> where possible.

 

 

 

THE SUMMARY

Function/Property	Description	Reference Link
getElementById("ID")	Get the HTML element with the given ID.	Click Here
typeof VARIABLE	Returns the data type of the given variable.	Click Here
ELEMENT.value	Get or set the value property of the given HTML element.	Click Here
parseInt(VALUE)	Parse the given value into an integer (whole number).	Click Here
parseFloat(VALUE)	Parse the given value into a decimal number.	Click Here
isNaN(VALUE)	Checks if the given value is not a number.	Click Here

 

PARSE NUMBER SHORTHAND

I love to reward people who take the time to read. Instead of using parseInt(document.getElementById("ID").value), we can use a shorthand – +document.getElementById("ID").value.

 

THE CHEATSHEET