Does this returnFalse method make any sense? [closed]

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On a new project, I found those lines of codes:

function disableLinkButton() {
    document.getElementById('<%= btnValid.ClientID %>').disabled = "disabled";
    document.getElementById('<%= btnValid.ClientID %>').onclick = returnFalse;
};

function returnFalse() {
    return false;
};

Does the returnFalse method make any sense?

Thanks

Partially. Most browsers interpret a return value of the constant false to mean that the default action for an event (a "click" in this case) should not be taken. Older browsers were not so consistent. — Pointy
– Pointy, Commented Oct 20 at 10:28
Looks like it's just someone's attempt at shorthand for .onclick = () => false; If the code is quite old, then pre ES6 this would have been .onclick = function() { return false; } - so you can see returnFalse is much shorter if used a lot. — fdomn-m
– fdomn-m, Commented Oct 20 at 16:38

Abdulla Nilam · Accepted Answer · 2025-10-20 11:32:09Z

1

No, that returnFalse() function doesn't really add value in this context. Setting onclick = returnFalse; means when the button is clicked, it just calls a function that returns false.

Since you already disabled the button with .disabled = "disabled", it won’t be clickable anyway. So the extra handler does nothing.

You can simplify using

function disableLinkButton() {
  document.getElementById('<%= btnValid.ClientID %>').disabled = true;
}

answered Oct 20 at 11:32

Abdulla Nilam

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