Eval alternative

Question

This code works as a calculator, but the scratch pad at codeacademy tells me that eval is evil. Is there another way to do the same thing without using eval?

Answer 1

You can use eval safely for a simple arithmetic calculator by filtering the input- if you only accept digits, decimal points and operators (+,-,*,/) you won't get in much trouble. If you want advanced Math functions, you are better off with the parser suggestions.

function calculate(){
    "use strict";
    var s= prompt('Enter problem');
    if(/[^0-9()*+\/ .-]+/.test(s)) throw Error('bad input...');
    try{
        var ans= eval(s);
    }
    catch(er){
        alert(er.message);
    }
    alert(ans);
}

calculate()