Workshop › Text detective › Step 6 of 13

An empty box has no words

What we are doing

Clear the box and the detective still says "Words: 1": splitting an empty text gives one empty piece. We handle that case on its own.

```js
const text = box.value.trim()
const words = text === '' ? [] : text.split(/\s+/)
```

What it means

• text is the trimmed text, kept in a variable because we use it twice.
• condition ? a : b picks a when the condition is true, otherwise b: an empty array for an empty text.

Your turn

Replace the words line with the two lines.

Skills: Types and values

← The extra-space trap Count each word →

All steps

1. Read the text
2. Count the characters
3. Update as you type
4. Split into words
5. The extra-space trap
6. An empty box has no words
7. Count each word
8. Drop the punctuation
9. The most common word
10. Shift a letter
11. Encode a whole text
12. The secret line
13. Build it yourself: crack the code