Develop Reference

How to resolve a promise with a parameter in setTimeout [duplicate]

I have some JavaScript code that looks like:
function statechangedPostQuestion()
{
//alert("statechangedPostQuestion");
if (xmlhttp.readyState==4)
{
var topicId = xmlhttp.responseText;
setTimeout("postinsql(topicId)",4000);
}
}
function postinsql(topicId)
{
//alert(topicId);
}
I get an error that topicId is not defined
Everything was working before I used the setTimeout() function.
I want my postinsql(topicId) function to be called after some time.
What should I do?

setTimeout(function() {
postinsql(topicId);
}, 4000)
You need to feed an anonymous function as a parameter instead of a string, the latter method shouldn't even work per the ECMAScript specification but browsers are just lenient. This is the proper solution, don't ever rely on passing a string as a 'function' when using setTimeout() or setInterval(), it's slower because it has to be evaluated and it just isn't right.
UPDATE:
As Hobblin said in his comments to the question, now you can pass arguments to the function inside setTimeout using Function.prototype.bind().
Example:
setTimeout(postinsql.bind(null, topicId), 4000);

In modern browsers (ie IE11 and beyond), the "setTimeout" receives a third parameter that is sent as parameter to the internal function at the end of the timer.
Example:
var hello = "Hello World";
setTimeout(alert, 1000, hello);
More details:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WindowTimers.setTimeout
http://arguments.callee.info/2008/11/10/passing-arguments-to-settimeout-and-setinterval/

After doing some research and testing, the only correct implementation is:
setTimeout(yourFunctionReference, 4000, param1, param2, paramN);
setTimeout will pass all extra parameters to your function so they can be processed there.
The anonymous function can work for very basic stuff, but within instance of a object where you have to use "this", there is no way to make it work.
Any anonymous function will change "this" to point to window, so you will lose your object reference.

This is a very old question with an already "correct" answer but I thought I'd mention another approach that nobody has mentioned here. This is copied and pasted from the excellent underscore library:
_.delay = function(func, wait) {
var args = slice.call(arguments, 2);
return setTimeout(function(){ return func.apply(null, args); }, wait);
};
You can pass as many arguments as you'd like to the function called by setTimeout and as an added bonus (well, usually a bonus) the value of the arguments passed to your function are frozen when you call setTimeout, so if they change value at some point between when setTimeout() is called and when it times out, well... that's not so hideously frustrating anymore :)
Here's a fiddle where you can see what I mean.

I recently came across the unique situation of needing to use a setTimeout in a loop. Understanding this can help you understand how to pass parameters to setTimeout.
Method 1
Use forEach and Object.keys, as per Sukima's suggestion:
var testObject = {
prop1: 'test1',
prop2: 'test2',
prop3: 'test3'
};
Object.keys(testObject).forEach(function(propertyName, i) {
setTimeout(function() {
console.log(testObject[propertyName]);
}, i * 1000);
});
I recommend this method.
Method 2
Use bind:
var i = 0;
for (var propertyName in testObject) {
setTimeout(function(propertyName) {
console.log(testObject[propertyName]);
}.bind(this, propertyName), i++ * 1000);
}
JSFiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/MsBkW/
Method 3
Or if you can't use forEach or bind, use an IIFE:
var i = 0;
for (var propertyName in testObject) {
setTimeout((function(propertyName) {
return function() {
console.log(testObject[propertyName]);
};
})(propertyName), i++ * 1000);
}
Method 4
But if you don't care about IE < 10, then you could use Fabio's suggestion:
var i = 0;
for (var propertyName in testObject) {
setTimeout(function(propertyName) {
console.log(testObject[propertyName]);
}, i++ * 1000, propertyName);
}
Method 5 (ES6)
Use a block scoped variable:
let i = 0;
for (let propertyName in testObject) {
setTimeout(() => console.log(testObject[propertyName]), i++ * 1000);
}
Though I would still recommend using Object.keys with forEach in ES6.

Hobblin already commented this on the question, but it should be an answer really!
Using Function.prototype.bind() is the cleanest and most flexible way to do this (with the added bonus of being able to set the this context):
setTimeout(postinsql.bind(null, topicId), 4000);
For more information see these MDN links:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/DOM/window.setTimeout#highlighter_547041
https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Function/bind#With_setTimeout

You can pass the parameter to the setTimeout callback function as:
setTimeout(function, milliseconds, param1, param2, ...)
eg.
function myFunction() {
setTimeout(alertMsg, 3000, "Hello");
}
function alertMsg(message) {
alert(message)
}

Some answers are correct but convoluted.
I am answering this again, 4 years later, because I still run into overly complex code to solve exactly this question. There IS an elegant solution.
First of all, do not pass in a string as the first parameter when calling setTimeout because it effectively invokes a call to the slow "eval" function.
So how do we pass in a parameter to a timeout function? By using closure:
settopic=function(topicid){
setTimeout(function(){
//thanks to closure, topicid is visible here
postinsql(topicid);
},4000);
}
...
if (xhr.readyState==4){
settopic(xhr.responseText);
}
Some have suggested using anonymous function when calling the timeout function:
if (xhr.readyState==4){
setTimeout(function(){
settopic(xhr.responseText);
},4000);
}
The syntax works out. But by the time settopic is called, i.e. 4 seconds later, the XHR object may not be the same. Therefore it's important to pre-bind the variables.

I know its been 10 yrs since this question was asked, but still, if you have scrolled till here, i assume you're still facing some issue. The solution by Meder Omuraliev is the simplest one and may help most of us but for those who don't want to have any binding, here it is:
Use Param for setTimeout
setTimeout(function(p){
//p == param1
},3000,param1);
Use Immediately Invoked Function Expression(IIFE)
let param1 = 'demon';
setTimeout(function(p){
// p == 'demon'
},2000,(function(){
return param1;
})()
);
Solution to the question
function statechangedPostQuestion()
{
//alert("statechangedPostQuestion");
if (xmlhttp.readyState==4)
{
setTimeout(postinsql,4000,(function(){
return xmlhttp.responseText;
})());
}
}
function postinsql(topicId)
{
//alert(topicId);
}

Replace
setTimeout("postinsql(topicId)", 4000);
with
setTimeout("postinsql(" + topicId + ")", 4000);
or better still, replace the string expression with an anonymous function
setTimeout(function () { postinsql(topicId); }, 4000);
EDIT:
Brownstone's comment is incorrect, this will work as intended, as demonstrated by running this in the Firebug console
(function() {
function postinsql(id) {
console.log(id);
}
var topicId = 3
window.setTimeout("postinsql(" + topicId + ")",4000); // outputs 3 after 4 seconds
})();
Note that I'm in agreeance with others that you should avoid passing a string to setTimeout as this will call eval() on the string and instead pass a function.

My answer:
setTimeout((function(topicId) {
return function() {
postinsql(topicId);
};
})(topicId), 4000);
Explanation:
The anonymous function created returns another anonymous function. This function has access to the originally passed topicId, so it will not make an error. The first anonymous function is immediately called, passing in topicId, so the registered function with a delay has access to topicId at the time of calling, through closures.
OR
This basically converts to:
setTimeout(function() {
postinsql(topicId); // topicId inside higher scope (passed to returning function)
}, 4000);
EDIT: I saw the same answer, so look at his. But I didn't steal his answer! I just forgot to look. Read the explanation and see if it helps to understand the code.

The easiest cross browser solution for supporting parameters in setTimeout:
setTimeout(function() {
postinsql(topicId);
}, 4000)
If you don't mind not supporting IE 9 and lower:
setTimeout(postinsql, 4000, topicId);
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WindowTimers/setTimeout

I know it's old but I wanted to add my (preferred) flavour to this.
I think a pretty readable way to achieve this is to pass the topicId to a function, which in turn uses the argument to reference the topic ID internally. This value won't change even if topicId in the outside will be changed shortly after.
var topicId = xmlhttp.responseText;
var fDelayed = function(tid) {
return function() {
postinsql(tid);
};
}
setTimeout(fDelayed(topicId),4000);
or short:
var topicId = xmlhttp.responseText;
setTimeout(function(tid) {
return function() { postinsql(tid); };
}(topicId), 4000);

The answer by David Meister seems to take care of parameters that may change immediately after the call to setTimeout() but before the anonymous function is called. But it's too cumbersome and not very obvious. I discovered an elegant way of doing pretty much the same thing using IIFE (immediately inviked function expression).
In the example below, the currentList variable is passed to the IIFE, which saves it in its closure, until the delayed function is invoked. Even if the variable currentList changes immediately after the code shown, the setInterval() will do the right thing.
Without this IIFE technique, the setTimeout() function will definitely get called for each h2 element in the DOM, but all those calls will see only the text value of the last h2 element.
<script>
// Wait for the document to load.
$(document).ready(function() {
$("h2").each(function (index) {
currentList = $(this).text();
(function (param1, param2) {
setTimeout(function() {
$("span").text(param1 + ' : ' + param2 );
}, param1 * 1000);
})(index, currentList);
});
</script>

In general, if you need to pass a function as a callback with specific parameters, you can use higher order functions. This is pretty elegant with ES6:
const someFunction = (params) => () => {
//do whatever
};
setTimeout(someFunction(params), 1000);
Or if someFunction is first order:
setTimeout(() => someFunction(params), 1000);

Note that the reason topicId was "not defined" per the error message is that it existed as a local variable when the setTimeout was executed, but not when the delayed call to postinsql happened. Variable lifetime is especially important to pay attention to, especially when trying something like passing "this" as an object reference.
I heard that you can pass topicId as a third parameter to the setTimeout function. Not much detail is given but I got enough information to get it to work, and it's successful in Safari. I don't know what they mean about the "millisecond error" though. Check it out here:
http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/tutorials/javascript/timers

How i resolved this stage ?
just like that :
setTimeout((function(_deepFunction ,_deepData){
var _deepResultFunction = function _deepResultFunction(){
_deepFunction(_deepData);
};
return _deepResultFunction;
})(fromOuterFunction, fromOuterData ) , 1000 );
setTimeout wait a reference to a function, so i created it in a closure, which interprete my data and return a function with a good instance of my data !
Maybe you can improve this part :
_deepFunction(_deepData);
// change to something like :
_deepFunction.apply(contextFromParams , args);
I tested it on chrome, firefox and IE and it execute well, i don't know about performance but i needed it to be working.
a sample test :
myDelay_function = function(fn , params , ctxt , _time){
setTimeout((function(_deepFunction ,_deepData, _deepCtxt){
var _deepResultFunction = function _deepResultFunction(){
//_deepFunction(_deepData);
_deepFunction.call( _deepCtxt , _deepData);
};
return _deepResultFunction;
})(fn , params , ctxt)
, _time)
};
// the function to be used :
myFunc = function(param){ console.log(param + this.name) }
// note that we call this.name
// a context object :
myObjet = {
id : "myId" ,
name : "myName"
}
// setting a parmeter
myParamter = "I am the outer parameter : ";
//and now let's make the call :
myDelay_function(myFunc , myParamter , myObjet , 1000)
// this will produce this result on the console line :
// I am the outer parameter : myName
Maybe you can change the signature to make it more complient :
myNass_setTimeOut = function (fn , _time , params , ctxt ){
return setTimeout((function(_deepFunction ,_deepData, _deepCtxt){
var _deepResultFunction = function _deepResultFunction(){
//_deepFunction(_deepData);
_deepFunction.apply( _deepCtxt , _deepData);
};
return _deepResultFunction;
})(fn , params , ctxt)
, _time)
};
// and try again :
for(var i=0; i<10; i++){
myNass_setTimeOut(console.log ,1000 , [i] , console)
}
And finaly to answer the original question :
myNass_setTimeOut( postinsql, 4000, topicId );
Hope it can help !
ps : sorry but english it's not my mother tongue !

this works in all browsers (IE is an oddball)
setTimeout( (function(x) {
return function() {
postinsql(x);
};
})(topicId) , 4000);

if you want to pass variable as param lets try this
if requirement is function and var as parmas then try this
setTimeout((param1,param2) => {
alert(param1 + param2);
postinsql(topicId);
},2000,'msg1', 'msg2')
if requirement is only variables as a params then try this
setTimeout((param1,param2) => { alert(param1 + param2) },2000,'msg1', 'msg2')
You can try this with ES5 and ES6

setTimeout is part of the DOM defined by WHAT WG.
https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/timers-and-user-prompts.html
The method you want is:—
handle = self.setTimeout( handler [, timeout [, arguments... ] ] )
Schedules a timeout to run handler after timeout milliseconds. Any
arguments are passed straight through to the handler.
setTimeout(postinsql, 4000, topicId);
Apparently, extra arguments are supported in IE10. Alternatively, you can use setTimeout(postinsql.bind(null, topicId), 4000);, however passing extra arguments is simpler, and that's preferable.
Historical factoid: In days of VBScript, in JScript, setTimeout's third parameter was the language, as a string, defaulting to "JScript" but with the option to use "VBScript". https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/internet-explorer/ie-developer/platform-apis/aa741500(v%3Dvs.85)

You can try default functionality of 'apply()' something like this, you can pass more number of arguments as your requirement in the array
function postinsql(topicId)
{
//alert(topicId);
}
setTimeout(
postinsql.apply(window,["mytopic"])
,500);

//Some function, with some arguments, that need to run with arguments
var a = function a(b, c, d, e){console.log(b, c, d, e);}
//Another function, where setTimeout using for function "a", this have the same arguments
var f = function f(b, c, d, e){ setTimeout(a.apply(this, arguments), 100);}
f(1,2,3,4); //run
//Another function, where setTimeout using for function "a", but some another arguments using, in different order
var g = function g(b, c, d, e){ setTimeout(function(d, c, b){a.apply(this, arguments);}, 100, d, c, b);}
g(1,2,3,4);

#Jiri Vetyska thanks for the post, but there is something wrong in your example.
I needed to pass the target which is hovered out (this) to a timed out function and I tried your approach. Tested in IE9 - does not work.
I also made some research and it appears that as pointed here the third parameter is the script language being used. No mention about additional parameters.
So, I followed #meder's answer and solved my issue with this code:
$('.targetItemClass').hover(ItemHoverIn, ItemHoverOut);
function ItemHoverIn() {
//some code here
}
function ItemHoverOut() {
var THIS = this;
setTimeout(
function () { ItemHoverOut_timeout(THIS); },
100
);
}
function ItemHoverOut_timeout(target) {
//do something with target which is hovered out
}
Hope, this is usefull for someone else.

As there is a problem with the third optonal parameter in IE and using closures prevents us from changing the variables (in a loop for example) and still achieving the desired result, I suggest the following solution.
We can try using recursion like this:
var i = 0;
var hellos = ["Hello World1!", "Hello World2!", "Hello World3!", "Hello World4!", "Hello World5!"];
if(hellos.length > 0) timeout();
function timeout() {
document.write('<p>' + hellos[i] + '<p>');
i++;
if (i < hellos.length)
setTimeout(timeout, 500);
}
We need to make sure that nothing else changes these variables and that we write a proper recursion condition to avoid infinite recursion.

// These are three very simple and concise answers:
function fun() {
console.log(this.prop1, this.prop2, this.prop3);
}
let obj = { prop1: 'one', prop2: 'two', prop3: 'three' };
let bound = fun.bind(obj);
setTimeout(bound, 3000);
// or
function funOut(par1, par2, par3) {
return function() {
console.log(par1, par2, par3);
}
};
setTimeout(funOut('one', 'two', 'three'), 5000);
// or
let funny = function(a, b, c) { console.log(a, b, c); };
setTimeout(funny, 2000, 'hello', 'worldly', 'people');

// These are three very simple and concise answers:
function fun() {
console.log(this.prop1, this.prop2, this.prop3);
}
let obj = { prop1: 'one', prop2: 'two', prop3: 'three' };
let bound = fun.bind(obj);
setTimeout(bound, 3000);
// or
function funOut(par1, par2, par3) {
return function() {
console.log(par1, par2, par3);
}
};
setTimeout(funOut('one', 'two', 'three'), 5000);
// or
let funny = function(a, b, c) { console.log(a, b, c); };
setTimeout(funny, 2000, 'hello', 'worldly', 'people');

I think you want:
setTimeout("postinsql(" + topicId + ")", 4000);

You have to remove quotes from your setTimeOut function call like this:
setTimeout(postinsql(topicId),4000);

Answering the question but by a simple addition function with 2 arguments.
var x = 3, y = 4;
setTimeout(function(arg1, arg2) {
return () => delayedSum(arg1, arg2);
}(x, y), 1000);
function delayedSum(param1, param2) {
alert(param1 + param2); // 7
}

Javascript invoke function without parentheses [duplicate]

How do I pass a function as a parameter without the function executing in the "parent" function or using eval()? (Since I've read that it's insecure.)
I have this:
addContact(entityId, refreshContactList());
It works, but the problem is that refreshContactList fires when the function is called, rather than when it's used in the function.
I could get around it using eval(), but it's not the best practice, according to what I've read. How can I pass a function as a parameter in JavaScript?

You just need to remove the parenthesis:
addContact(entityId, refreshContactList);
This then passes the function without executing it first.
Here is an example:
function addContact(id, refreshCallback) {
refreshCallback();
// You can also pass arguments if you need to
// refreshCallback(id);
}
function refreshContactList() {
alert('Hello World');
}
addContact(1, refreshContactList);

If you want to pass a function, just reference it by name without the parentheses:
function foo(x) {
alert(x);
}
function bar(func) {
func("Hello World!");
}
//alerts "Hello World!"
bar(foo);
But sometimes you might want to pass a function with arguments included, but not have it called until the callback is invoked. To do this, when calling it, just wrap it in an anonymous function, like this:
function foo(x) {
alert(x);
}
function bar(func) {
func();
}
//alerts "Hello World!" (from within bar AFTER being passed)
bar(function(){ foo("Hello World!") });
If you prefer, you could also use the apply function and have a third parameter that is an array of the arguments, like such:
function eat(food1, food2) {
alert("I like to eat " + food1 + " and " + food2 );
}
function myFunc(callback, args) {
//do stuff
//...
//execute callback when finished
callback.apply(this, args);
}
//alerts "I like to eat pickles and peanut butter"
myFunc(eat, ["pickles", "peanut butter"]);

Example 1:
funct("z", function (x) { return x; });
function funct(a, foo){
foo(a) // this will return a
}
Example 2:
function foodemo(value){
return 'hello '+value;
}
function funct(a, foo){
alert(foo(a));
}
//call funct
funct('world!',foodemo); //=> 'hello world!'
look at this

To pass the function as parameter, simply remove the brackets!
function ToBeCalled(){
alert("I was called");
}
function iNeedParameter( paramFunc) {
//it is a good idea to check if the parameter is actually not null
//and that it is a function
if (paramFunc && (typeof paramFunc == "function")) {
paramFunc();
}
}
//this calls iNeedParameter and sends the other function to it
iNeedParameter(ToBeCalled);
The idea behind this is that a function is quite similar to a variable. Instead of writing
function ToBeCalled() { /* something */ }
you might as well write
var ToBeCalledVariable = function () { /* something */ }
There are minor differences between the two, but anyway - both of them are valid ways to define a function.
Now, if you define a function and explicitly assign it to a variable, it seems quite logical, that you can pass it as parameter to another function, and you don't need brackets:
anotherFunction(ToBeCalledVariable);

There is a phrase amongst JavaScript programmers: "Eval is Evil" so try to avoid it at all costs!
In addition to Steve Fenton's answer, you can also pass functions directly.
function addContact(entity, refreshFn) {
refreshFn();
}
function callAddContact() {
addContact("entity", function() { DoThis(); });
}

I chopped all my hair off with that issue. I couldn't make the examples above working, so I ended like :
function foo(blabla){
var func = new Function(blabla);
func();
}
// to call it, I just pass the js function I wanted as a string in the new one...
foo("alert('test')");
And that's working like a charm ... for what I needed at least. Hope it might help some.

I suggest to put the parameters in an array, and then split them up using the .apply() function. So now we can easily pass a function with lots of parameters and execute it in a simple way.
function addContact(parameters, refreshCallback) {
refreshCallback.apply(this, parameters);
}
function refreshContactList(int, int, string) {
alert(int + int);
console.log(string);
}
addContact([1,2,"str"], refreshContactList); //parameters should be putted in an array

You can also use eval() to do the same thing.
//A function to call
function needToBeCalled(p1, p2)
{
alert(p1+"="+p2);
}
//A function where needToBeCalled passed as an argument with necessary params
//Here params is comma separated string
function callAnotherFunction(aFunction, params)
{
eval(aFunction + "("+params+")");
}
//A function Call
callAnotherFunction("needToBeCalled", "10,20");
That's it. I was also looking for this solution and tried solutions provided in other answers but finally got it work from above example.

Here it's another approach :
function a(first,second)
{
return (second)(first);
}
a('Hello',function(e){alert(e+ ' world!');}); //=> Hello world

In fact, seems like a bit complicated, is not.
get method as a parameter:
function JS_method(_callBack) {
_callBack("called");
}
You can give as a parameter method:
JS_method(function (d) {
//Finally this will work.
alert(d)
});

The other answers do an excellent job describing what's going on, but one important "gotcha" is to make sure that whatever you pass through is indeed a reference to a function.
For instance, if you pass through a string instead of a function you'll get an error:
function function1(my_function_parameter){
my_function_parameter();
}
function function2(){
alert('Hello world');
}
function1(function2); //This will work
function1("function2"); //This breaks!
See JsFiddle

Some time when you need to deal with event handler so need to pass event too as an argument , most of the modern library like react, angular might need this.
I need to override OnSubmit function(function from third party library) with some custom validation on reactjs and I passed the function and event both like below
ORIGINALLY
<button className="img-submit" type="button" onClick=
{onSubmit}>Upload Image</button>
MADE A NEW FUNCTION upload and called passed onSubmit and event as arguments
<button className="img-submit" type="button" onClick={this.upload.bind(this,event,onSubmit)}>Upload Image</button>
upload(event,fn){
//custom codes are done here
fn(event);
}

By using ES6:
const invoke = (callback) => {
callback()
}
invoke(()=>{
console.log("Hello World");
})

If you can pass your whole function as string, this code may help you.
convertToFunc( "runThis('Micheal')" )
function convertToFunc( str) {
new Function( str )()
}
function runThis( name ){
console.log("Hello", name) // prints Hello Micheal
}

You can use a JSON as well to store and send JS functions.
Check the following:
var myJSON =
{
"myFunc1" : function (){
alert("a");
},
"myFunc2" : function (functionParameter){
functionParameter();
}
}
function main(){
myJSON.myFunc2(myJSON.myFunc1);
}
This will print 'a'.
The following has the same effect with the above:
var myFunc1 = function (){
alert('a');
}
var myFunc2 = function (functionParameter){
functionParameter();
}
function main(){
myFunc2(myFunc1);
}
Which is also has the same effect with the following:
function myFunc1(){
alert('a');
}
function myFunc2 (functionParameter){
functionParameter();
}
function main(){
myFunc2(myFunc1);
}
And a object paradigm using Class as object prototype:
function Class(){
this.myFunc1 = function(msg){
alert(msg);
}
this.myFunc2 = function(callBackParameter){
callBackParameter('message');
}
}
function main(){
var myClass = new Class();
myClass.myFunc2(myClass.myFunc1);
}

"callback" keyword in JavaScript

Please help in understanding the below code:
// define our function with the callback argument
function some_function(arg1, arg2, callback) {
// this generates a random number between
// arg1 and arg2
var my_number = Math.ceil(Math.random() * (arg1 - arg2) + arg2);
// then we're done, so we'll call the callback and
// pass our result
callback(my_number);
}
// call the function
some_function(5, 15, function(num) {
// this anonymous function will run when the
// callback is called
console.log("callback called! " + num);
});
In the above code,what is the callback keyword.what is the use of this word.
Even there is no function defined with name callback.

The gap in logic I think you're having a hard time with is anonymous, unnamed functions. Once upon a time, all functions were named. So code was written like this:
function MemberProcessingFunction() {
// etc
}
function AdminProcessingFunction() {
// etc
}
var loginProcessingFunction;
if (usertype == 'BasicMember') {
loginProcessingFunction = MemberProcessingFunction;
}
else if (usertype == 'Admin') {
loginProcessingFunction = AdminProcessingFunction;
}
loginProcessingFunction();
Someone thought "This is dumb. I'm only creating those function names to use them in one place in my code. Let's merge that together."
var loginProcessingFunction;
if (usertype == 'BasicMember') {
loginProcessingFunction = function() {
// etc
};
}
else if (usertype == 'Admin') {
loginProcessingFunction = function() {
// etc
};
}
loginProcessingFunction();
This especially saves a lot of time when you're passing a function to another function as an argument. Often, this is used for "callbacks" - occasions where you want to run certain code, but only after a certain indeterminately-timed function has finished its work.
For your top function, callback is the name of the third argument; it expects this to be a function, and it is provided when the method is called. It's not a language keyword - if you did a "find/replace all" of the word "callback" with "batmanvsuperman", it would still work.

'callback' is a function passed as an argument to the 'some_function' method. It is then called with the 'my_number' argument.
when 'some_function' is actually being called as seen below
// call the function
some_function(5, 15, function(num) {
// this anonymous function will run when the
// callback is called
console.log("callback called! " + num);
});
it receives the whole definition of the third function argument. so basically your 'callback' argument has this value below
function(num) {
// this anonymous function will run when the
// callback is called
console.log("callback called! " + num);
}
To understand better how a function can be passed as an argument to another function, take a look at this answer.

How are arguments passed to anonymous callback functions?

I am learning AngularJS and have copied code this basic code from a tutorial (simplified/pseudo code to only include the parts relevant to this question).
The code works for me, but I am trying to better understand how the argument is being passed the the callback in the success method.
// jobService object
var jobService = {
get : function() {
return $http.get( 'some/api/url' );
}
};
jobService.get().success(function (data) {
$scope.jobs = data;
});
My question is, knowing that "normally" arguments are specifically passed into the functions when invoked i.e.:
function foo(arg1) {
alert(arg1); //alerts Hello!
};
foo('hello!');
How is the data argument being passed into the anonymous callback function?
is it:
Being "injected" by AngularJS?
Does the javascript engine simply use variables on the local scope called data?
does the javascript engine look for a data property on the parent object if the success method?

TL;DR
We're just defining that anonymous function, not calling it!
Thus data is a function parameter, not a function argument.
Long version
Let's take this into little pieces.
success() is a function. It's chain-called after jobService.get(). So, whatever the jobService.get() call returns, we're calling the success function of that object (say returnedObject.success()).
Back to success() itself. It can easily read other properties of its object (returnObject from the example above). Since we're passing in the anonymous callback function as an argument, success can easily do something like (narrowing it down to basic JS):
function success(callback) {
var whatever = "I'm passing this to the callback function";
callback(whatever);
}
which would actually call our anonymous function we passed in, and assign it whatever as data (don't forget we're just defining that anonymous function, not calling it!) . This makes data a function parameter, and it is basically a custom name that you use to represent and access what the success function passes into its callback function. You can use whatever you want there - this would still work perfectly fine:
jobService.get().success(function (somethingElse) {
$scope.jobs = somethingElse;
});
Hope I didn't make this too complicated. I was trying to explain it step-by-step from the plain JS standpoint because you can easily read Angular's source to see what it does, so I thought you needed this simpler explanation.
Here's a basic example replicating what's going on there (inspect the JS source, see how the output is the same in all three cases):
var debug = document.getElementById('debug');
function success(callback) {
var whatever = 'hello world';
debug.innerHTML += '<br>success function called, setting parameter to <span>' + whatever + '</span><br>';
callback(whatever);
}
function callbackFunction(someParameter) {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>callbackFunction called with parameter <span>' + someParameter + '</span><br>';
}
success(callbackFunction);
// anon function
success(function(val) {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>anonymous callback function called with parameter <span>' + val + '</span><br>';
})
// anon function 2
success(function(anotherVal) {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>second anonymous callback function called with parameter <span>' + anotherVal + '</span><br>';
})
span {
color: green;
}
<div id="debug"></div>
An example using an object, similar to what is done in your original code:
var debug = document.getElementById('debug');
var myObject = {
whatever: 'hello world',
success: function(callback) {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>success function called, fetching object property and setting the parameter to <span>' + this.whatever + '</span><br>';
callback(this.whatever);
},
modifyMe: function() {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>object property modified<br>';
this.whatever = 'another world';
return this; // this is crucial for chaining
}
}
// anon function callback
myObject.success(function(val) {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>anonymous callback function called with parameter <span>' + val + '</span><br>';
})
debug.innerHTML += '<br><hr>';
// chaining - calling a success function on a modified object
myObject.modifyMe().success(function(val) {
debug.innerHTML += '<br>anonymous callback function called with modified parameter <span>' + val + '</span><br>';
})
span {
color: green;
}
<div id="debug"></div>

Here's the relevant part in the source code:
promise.success = function(fn) {
promise.then(function(response) {
fn(response.data, response.status, response.headers, config);
});
return promise;
};
Read more on GITHUB.

Use same variable that is defined in another function

This may seem simple to some but I am less experienced with JavaScript. I have two functions. One is called when my upload begins. The next is called when my upload ends.
In the first function, a variable is created, a unique id used for the upload. What is the best way to go about reusing it in my second function since it is not global? The reason I defined it within my function is because every time a user clicks the upload button, the function is called and a NEW id is created for that upload, that is why I do not want to define it outside because then the same id would be served for a second upload unless the page is refreshed.
Anyone got any suggestions?
function uploadstart() {
function makeid() {
var text = "";
var possible = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789";
for( var i=0; i < 32; i++ )
text += possible.charAt(Math.floor(Math.random() * possible.length));
return text;
}
var rand_id = makeid();
}
uploadfinish(){
//rand_id will be undefined
}

Pass in that var as a parameter
uploadstart(){
function makeid()
{
var text = "";
var possible = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789";
for( var i=0; i < 32; i++ )
text += possible.charAt(Math.floor(Math.random() * possible.length));
return text;
}
var rand_id=makeid();
//Pass in rad_id
uploadfinish(rand_id);
}
uploadfinish(radomID){
//rand_id will be undefined
}

Try declaring rand_id in global scope (before everything)
var rand_id;
function bla....

The solution to this problem depends on how and where you use those two functions. If you pass them as callbacks to another function from some ajax library, or something like that, and if you control that library call, you could use a closure.
So, if for example you do something like this when an upload is begun:
Library.foo(..., uploadstart, uploadfinish);
You could define makeID as a global function, and then bind the generated id to your callbacks using a function like this:
function bind_id(rand_id, my_function) {
return function() { // return a closure
return my_function(); // my_function is executed in a context where rand_id is defined
}
}
Then you define your callbacks using rand_id as if it were global (actually, it will defined in the closure):
function uploadstart() {
// use rand_id as you wish
}
function uploadend() {
// use rand_id as you wish
}
When you need to call your Library.foo function, first generate the rand_id, then bind it to the start and end callbacks:
var new_rand_id = randID();
Library.foo(..., bind_id(new_rand_id,uploadstart), bind_id(new_rand_id,uploadend));
This way you'll pass to foo not the original uploadstart and uploadend, but two closures where rand_id is defined and i the same for both, so that callback code can use that variable.
PS: closures are one of the most powerful and trickiest features of javascript. If you're serious about the language, take your time to study them well.

What do you do with the rand_id once you've created it? Could you not just call uploadfinish with the rand_id as a parameter?
function makeid()
{
...
}
var rand_id=makeid();
uploadfinish(rand_id);
}
uploadfinish(id){
//rand_id will be 'id'
}
[EDIT] Since you said you need to call the function externally, check out this page for details about callbacks:Create custom callbacks
function doSomething(callback) {
// ...
// Call the callback
callback('stuff', 'goes', 'here');
}
function foo(a, b, c) {
// I'm the callback
alert(a + " " + b + " " + c);
}
doSomething(foo);
That will call doSomething, which will call foo, which will alert
"stuff goes here".
Note that it's very important to pass the function reference doSomething(foo),
rather than calling the function and passing its result like this: doSomething(foo()).