yield
BaselineWidely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since September 2016.
Theyield
operator is used to pause and resume agenerator function.
Try it
function* foo(index) { while (index < 2) { yield index; index++; }}const iterator = foo(0);console.log(iterator.next().value);// Expected output: 0console.log(iterator.next().value);// Expected output: 1
Syntax
yieldyield expression
Parameters
expression
OptionalThe value to yield from the generator function viathe iterator protocol. If omitted,
undefined
is yielded.
Return value
Returns the optional value passed to the generator'snext()
method to resume its execution.
Note:This meansnext()
is asymmetric: it always sends a value to the currently suspendedyield
, but returns the operand of the nextyield
. The argument passed to the firstnext()
call cannot be retrieved because there's no currently suspendedyield
.
Description
Theyield
keyword pauses generator function execution and the value of the expression following theyield
keyword is returned to the generator's caller. It can be thought of as a generator-based version of thereturn
keyword.
yield
can only be used directly within the generator function that contains it. It cannot be used within nested functions.
Calling a generator function constructs aGenerator
object. Each time the generator'snext()
method is called, the generator resumes execution, and runs until it reaches one of the following:
- A
yield
expression. In this case, the generator pauses, and thenext()
method return aniterator result object with two properties:value
anddone
. Thevalue
property is the value of the expression after theyield
operator, anddone
isfalse
, indicating that the generator function has not fully completed. - The end of the generator function. In this case, execution of the generator ends, and the
next()
method returns an iterator result object where thevalue
isundefined
anddone
istrue
. - A
return
statement. In this case, execution of the generator ends, and thenext()
method returns an iterator result object where thevalue
is the specified return value anddone
istrue
. - A
throw
statement. In this case, execution of the generator halts entirely, and thenext()
method throws the specified exception.
Once paused on ayield
expression, the generator's code execution remains paused until the generator'snext()
method is called again. If an optional value is passed to the generator'snext()
method, that value becomes the value returned by the generator's currentyield
operation. The firstnext()
call does not have a corresponding suspendedyield
operation, so there's no way to get the argument passed to the firstnext()
call.
If the generator'sreturn()
orthrow()
method is called, it acts as if areturn
orthrow
statement was executed at the pausedyield
expression. You can usetry...catch...finally
within the generator function body to handle these early completions. If thereturn()
orthrow()
method is called but there's no suspendedyield
expression (becausenext()
has not been called yet, or because the generator has already completed), then the early completions cannot be handled and always terminate the generator.
Examples
Using yield
The following code is the declaration of an example generator function.
function* countAppleSales() { const saleList = [3, 7, 5]; for (const sale of saleList) { yield sale; }}
Once a generator function is defined, it can be used by constructing an iterator as shown.
const appleStore = countAppleSales(); // Generator { }console.log(appleStore.next()); // { value: 3, done: false }console.log(appleStore.next()); // { value: 7, done: false }console.log(appleStore.next()); // { value: 5, done: false }console.log(appleStore.next()); // { value: undefined, done: true }
You can also send a value withnext(value)
into the generator.step
evaluates as a return value of theyield
expression — although the value passed to the generator'snext()
method the first timenext()
is called is ignored.
function* counter(value) { while (true) { const step = yield value++; if (step) { value += step; } }}const generatorFunc = counter(0);console.log(generatorFunc.next().value); // 0console.log(generatorFunc.next().value); // 1console.log(generatorFunc.next().value); // 2console.log(generatorFunc.next().value); // 3console.log(generatorFunc.next(10).value); // 14console.log(generatorFunc.next().value); // 15console.log(generatorFunc.next(10).value); // 26
Specifications
Specification |
---|
ECMAScript® 2026 Language Specification # prod-YieldExpression |