I am trying to write a javascript program which stores the value from an input element in an array when a button is clicked. The array is the split and each individual letter added to a span element and then appended to the document. The idea is to create a typing effect using setTimeout.
I am running into an issue creating a closure within the loop, so currently the setTimeout function always returns the final value of the iteration.
The function in question is at the bottom of the code block and called addTextToBoard();
var noteButton = document.querySelector('[data-js="button"]');
noteButton.addEventListener("click",function() {
var messageIn = document.querySelector('[data-js="input"]');
var message = messageIn.value;
postToBoard(message);
});
function postToBoard(val) {
var noteBoard = document.querySelector('[data-js="noteboard"]');
var newElement = document.createElement('div');
newElement.classList.add('noteboard__item');
noteBoard.appendChild(newElement);
setTimeout(function(){
newElement.classList.add('active');
}, 200);
addTextToBoard(newElement, val);
}
function addTextToBoard(el, val) {
var wordArray = val.split('');
for(i = 0; i < wordArray.length; i++) {
var letter = document.createElement('span');
letter.innerHTML = wordArray[i];
setTimeout(function(x){
return function() {}
el.appendChild(letter);
}(i),1000);
}
}
I believe I am close, I'm just not fully understanding the syntax for creating the closure. If someone could give poke in the right direction, without necessarily giving the full solution that would be great.
I essentially tried to paste in the following code snippet from here but I've missed something somehwere along the way!
setTimeout(function(x) { return function() { console.log(x); }; }(i), 1000*i);
Best,
Jack
You are close.
Since the "letter" variable changes, you'll add only the last letter over and over again. You need to "save" the current letter on the setTimeout() callback function, One way to go is like this:
function appendMyLetter(letter) {
return(function() {
el.append.Child(letter);
});
}
function addTextToBoard(el, val) {
var wordArray = val.split('');
for(i = 0; i < wordArray.length; i++) {
var letter = document.createElement('span');
letter.innerHTML = wordArray[i];
setTimeout(appendMyLetter(letter), 1000);
}
}
This way, the appendMyLetter() function gets called with a different parameter (one for each letter) and returns a function with the correct "stored" value to be called by setTimeout().
EDIT
Looking at your setTimeout() code closely
setTimeout(function(x){
return function() {}
el.appendChild(letter);
}(i),1000);
It would work fine, if you used the proper parameters and used the appendChild() inside the returned function, like so:
setTimeout(function(x){
return(function() {
el.appendChild(x);
});
}(letter),1000);
You can create an immediately-invoked function expression IIFE to create a closure
function addTextToBoard(el, val) {
var wordArray = val.split('');
for(i = 0; i < wordArray.length; i++) {
(function(index) {
var letter = document.createElement('span');
letter.innerHTML = wordArray[i];
setTimeout(function(){
el.appendChild(letter);
},1000);
})(i);
}
}
I dont know if this will work but here you go a slight change in operator:
letter.innerHTML += wordArray[i];
if you dont get the effect you imagined you will get you better try to increment the timer by i like this
setTimeout(function(){
...
},1000*i);
Related
I thought making a simple function where if you click on a button a number will show up inside of a paragraph. And if you continue to click on the button the number inside the paragraph tag will increase. However, I'm getting an error message saying that getElementsByTagName is not a function. Here is the code on jsfiddle, I know there is something simple that I'm doing wrong but I don't know what it is.
HTML
<div class="resist" id="ex1"><h2>Sleep</h2><p></p><button>Resist</button></div>
<div class="resist" id="ex2"><h2>Eat</h2><p></p><button>Resist</button></div>
Javascript
var count = 0;
var resist = document.getElementsByClassName('resist') ;
for(var i = 0; i < resist.length; i++)
{ var a = resist[i];
a.querySelector('button').addEventListener('click', function(a){
count +=1;
a.getElementsByTagName('p')[0].innerHTML = count;
});
}
You are overwriting a variable with event object passed into event handler. Change the name to e maybe, or remove it altogether as you are not using it anyway:
a.querySelector('button').addEventListener('click', function(e /* <--- this guy */) {
count += 1;
a.getElementsByTagName('p')[0].innerHTML = count;
});
Another problem you are going to have is classical closure-in-loop issue. One of the solutions would be to use Array.prototype.forEach instead of for loop:
var count = 0;
var resist = Array.prototype.slice.call(document.getElementsByClassName('resist'));
// ES6: var resist = Array.from(document.getElementsByClassName('resist'));
resist.forEach(function(a) {
a.querySelector('button').addEventListener('click', function(e) {
count += 1;
a.getElementsByTagName('p')[0].innerHTML = count;
});
});
vars in Javascript are function scoped, so you must wrap your event listener binding in a closure function to ensure the variable you're trying to update is correctly set.
(Note: I've renamed a to div in the outer function and removed the arg from the inner click function).
var count = 0;
var resist = document.getElementsByClassName('resist') ;
var div;
for(var i = 0; i < resist.length; i++)
{
div = resist[i];
(function(div){
div.querySelector('button').addEventListener('click', function(){
count +=1;
div.getElementsByTagName('p')[0].innerHTML = count;
});
})(div);
}
Please see the jsfiddle:
http://jsfiddle.net/LsNCa/2/
function MyFunc() {
for (var i = 0; i < 2; i++) { // i= 0, 1
var myDiv = $('<div>');
myDiv.click(function(e) {
alert(i); // both the two divs alert "2", not 0 and 1 as I expected
});
$('body').append(myDiv);
}
}
var myFunc = new MyFunc();
I want the divs to alert "0" and "1" respectively when I click them, but both of them alert "2".
When I click the divs and the event is triggered, how and where do the handler find the value of the variable i?
I'm aware that adding a closure achieves my goal. But why?
function MyFunc() {
for (var i = 0; i < 2; i++) { // i= 0, 1
(function(j) {
var myDiv = $('<div>');
myDiv.click(function(e) {
alert(j);
});
$('body').append(myDiv);
})(i);
}
}
var myFunc = new MyFunc();
The code above is how you get it work correctly. Without an closure, you always the the last value of i. What we do is to post i into the closure and let the runtime "remember" the value of that very moment.
You need a closure because all your event handler functions are referencing the same variable i. The for loop updates this, and when the loop is done the variable contains 2. Then when someone clicks on one of the DIVs, it accesses that variable.
To solve this, each event handler needs to be a closure with its own variable i that contains a snapshot of the value at the time the closure was created.
I suggest that you read this article
JavaScript hoists declarations. This means that both var statements
and function declarations will be moved to the top of their enclosing
scope.
As #Barmar said in his answer above, the variable i is being referenced by both the event handlers.
You should avoid declaring functions inside loops. Below there is some code that does what you need.
I assume that you're using jQuery.
function MyFunc() {
for (var i = 0; i < 2; i++) { // i= 0, 1
var myDiv = $('<div>');
$('body').append(myDiv);
}
$('div').on('click', function() {
alert($(this).index());
});
}
var myFunc = new MyFunc();
The "alert()" call happens after the for-loop completed, which means that the value of "i" will be the last value for anything after that. In order to capture individual values of "i", you must create a closure for each value by creating a new function:
function MyFunc() {
function alertFn(val) {
return function () {
alert(val);
};
}
for (var i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
var myDiv = $('<div>');
myDiv.click(alertFn(i));
$('body').append(myDiv);
}
}
var myFunc = new MyFunc();
The closure captures the value of "i" at the time it was passed into the function, allowing alert() to show the value you expect.
I have a list of objects each of which has a .bullet which is a SPAN. I want to bind a click on the span to a handler than performs a certain action on the span using jQuery. I'm seeing some behavior I don't understand, so I'm hoping someone can explain what's going on. Basically, this first code example works:
for (var i = 0 ; i< length ; i++) {
(function(){
dataNode = dataNodeList[i];
var handler = function(e) {
e.data.node.bullet.firstChild.nodeValue = "- ";
};
$(dataNode.bullet).on("click",{node:dataNode},handler);
})();
}
However, this second variation does not work:
for (var i = 0 ; i< length ; i++) {
(function(){
dataNode = dataNodeList[i];
var handler = function() {
dataNode.bullet.firstChild.nodeValue = "- ";
};
$(dataNode.bullet).on("click",handler);
})();
}
In this second example,
dataNode.bullet.firstChild.nodeValue = "- ";
has no effect on the value of the SPAN I intended. I expected dataNode.bullet to still point to the SPAN I want to change because of JavaScript closure. So, can someone explain why this fails? Thanks.
Try this:
for (var i = 0 ; i< length ; i++) {
(function(index){
var dataNode = dataNodeList[index];
var handler = function() {
dataNode.bullet.firstChild.nodeValue = "- ";
};
$(dataNode.bullet).on("click",handler);
})(i);
}
The closure defines a new scope. This is necessary because your handler isn't called until after the loop has finished, so i is not part of the scope at the time it is called, or (in some cases) has the last possible value from the loop.
I want to loop over an array continuously on click. Extra props if you can work in a delay between class switches :-)
I got this far:
// Define word
var text = "textthing";
// Define canvas
var canvas = 'section';
// Split word into parts
text.split();
// Loop over text
$(canvas).click(function() {
$.each(text, function(key, val) {
$(canvas).removeAttr('class').addClass(val);
});
});
Which is not too far at all :-)
Any tips?
The following will wait until you click the selected element(s) in the var el. In this example var el = $('section') will select all <section>...</section> elements in your document.
Then it will start cycling through the values in cssClassNames, using each, in turn as the css class name on the selected element(s). A delay of delayInMillis will be used between each class change.
var cssClassNames = ['c1', 'c2', 'c3'];
var el = $('section');
var delayInMillis = 1000;
// Loop over text
el.click(function() {
var i = 0;
function f() {
if( i >= cssClassNames.length ) {
i = 0;
}
var currentClass = cssClassNames[i];
i += 1;
el.removeClass().addClass(currentClass);
setTimeout(f, delayInMillis);
}
f();
});
I believe you want a delay of X milliseconds between removing a class and adding a class. I'm not sure that you have to have the lines marked // ? or even that they do the job, but what you do have to have is a way to get the value's into the function. Also, the setTimeout anon function might not actually need the parameters, but it should give you an idea.
$(canvas).click(function() {
$.each(text, function(key, val) {
$(canvas).removeAttr('class')
var $canvas = $(canvas) //?
var class_val = val //?
setTimeout(function ($canvas, class_val) {
$canvas.addClass(class_val);
}, 2000);
});
});
Edit: I'd do this instead
function modify_element($element, class_name){
$element.removeClass('class');
setTimeout(function ($element) {
$element.addClass(class_name);
}, 1000);
//adds the class 1 second after removing it
}
$(canvas).click(function() {
$.each(text, function(key, val) {
setTimeout(modify_element($(canvas), val),2000);
//this will loop over the elements with 2 seconds between elements
});
});
"loop over an array continuously" this sounds like a infinite loop, I don't think you want that. About pausing the loop, this is possible, you can use this
function createTextFields(obj) {
for (var i = 0; i < obj.length; i++) {
var dataDump = {};
for (var key in obj[i]) {
var textField = Ti.UI.createTextField(pm.combine($$.labelBrown, {
left: 200,
height:35,
value:obj[i][key],
width:550,
keyboardType:Ti.UI.KEYBOARD_NUMBER_PAD,
layout:'horizontal',
backgroundColor:'transparent',
id:i
}));
dataDump[key] = textField.value;
var callback = function (vbKey) {
return function (e) {
dataDump[vbKey] = e.source.value;
};
}(key);
}
globalData.push(dataDump);
}
}
I am using the simlar code for Adding the data and it works fine. I posted the problem yesterday and it got resolved...
Last Object is always getting updated?
Now when i go to edit page, it shows me four text fields or number of text fields added... now when i edit something and click on save... the value get's updated on the fourth or the last TextFields Object...
Don't define functions inside loops. Computationally expensive and leads to problems, like this one. Here's a fix that should solve it:
function createTextFields(obj) {
var callback = function (vbKey, localDump) {
return function (e) {
localDump[vbKey] = e.source.value;
};
}
var i;
var max = obj.length;
for (i = 0; i < max; i++) {
var dataDump = {};
for (var key in obj[i]) {
dataDump[key] = textField.value;
var callBackInstance = function(keyn, dataDump);
}
globalData.push(dataDump);
}
}
JavaScript does not have block level scope, so your variables dataDump and callback, though "declared" inside for-loops actually belong to the function. As in, you're saving a value to dataDump, then you're overwriting it, each time you go through the loop. Which is why finally only the code that operated on the last value remains.
Take a look at What is the scope of variables in JavaScript? too.