Every BQN function can be called with one or two arguments, possibly doing completely different things in each case. The Valences (โ) 2-modifier grafts together a one-argument function ๐ฝ and a two-argument function ๐พ, with the resulting function calling one or the other as appropriate. It's the tacit equivalent of a block function with two bodies. So the function {รท๐ฉ ; ๐ฉ-๐จ} can also be written รทโ(-ห). A full definition of Valences as a block is {๐ฝ๐ฉ;๐จ๐พ๐ฉ}.
-โ+ 6 # - side ยฏ6 3 -โ+ 2 # + side 5
Valences provides one way to check whether ๐จ is present in a block function. The expression ๐จ0โ1๐ฉ always ignores the values of the arguments, resulting in 0 if ๐จ isn't given and 1 if it is (if you want 1 or 2, then โ ๐จโ๐ฉ is shorter, but I'm not sure if I like it).
{๐จ0โ1๐ฉ} 'x' 0 'w' {๐จ0โ1๐ฉ} 'x' 1