Using a variable as an object and a function - javascript

I am trying to mock the times function from the JavaScript library Underscore.js.
This function accepts two syntaxes :
_.times(3, function(n) {
console.log("hello " + n);
});
and
_(3).times(function(n) {
console.log("hello " + n);
});
So far I succeeded to mock the first one by creating an _ object like this :
var _ = {
times: function(reps, iteratee) {
// a loop
}
};
And the second syntax by creating an _ function which returns an object :
function _(n) {
return {
times: function(iteratee) {
// a loop
}
};
}
But I can't use these 2 methods together. I need to find a way that will allow both syntaxes.
Do you have any idea how I could use the _ character as an object as well as a function ?

You should be able to combine two syntaxes like this:
var _ = (function() {
var times = function(n, iteratee) {
// a loop
};
function _(n) {
return {times: function(iteratee) {
return times(n, iteratee);
}}; // or shorter: {times: times.bind(null, n)}
}
_.times = times;
return _;
})();
Here you benefit from the fact that functions are also objects and hence can have properties.

Functions are objects in Javascript, so you could just do something like this:
var _ = function(a,b) { /* ... */ };
_.times = _;

You could extent the function after defining it. Try this:
function _(n) {
return {
times: function(iteratee) {
while (n-- > 0)
iteratee();
}
};
}
_.times = function(reps, iteratee) {
while (reps-- > 0)
iteratee();
};
function iter() {
console.log('iter!');
}
_(3).times(iter);
console.log('----');
_.times(5, iter);

Related

How to deal with parameter as a value or an array of values

I have several functions of the form:
this.something = function (which) {
// One or many.
if (!Array.isArray(which)) {
// Normal - just one.
doSomething(which);
} else {
// To all!
which.forEach(function (thing) {
// Note the recursion
something(thing);
});
}
};
Is there a tidier way to do this?
this.something = function(which) {
(Array.isArray(which) ? which : [which]).forEach(function(thing) {
doSomething(thing);
});
};
Not really a fan, but you often see this:
// A function that handles values as a single parameter, or inside an array
var doSomething(x) {
if (Array.isArray(x)) {
x.forEach(doSomething);
} else {
console.log(x);
}
}
Which you could extract from doSomething and apply in a utility method like so:
var ifArrayForEach = f => x => Array.isArray(x) ? x.forEach(f) : f(x);
var doSomething = x => console.log(x);
var doSomethingArrayOrNot = ifArrayForEach(doSomething);
doSomethingArrayOrNot("Hello world");
doSomethingArrayOrNot(["Hello", "world"]);
Again... I'm not a big fan, but sometimes it can be useful. I'd personally just check before calling. At some point you'll have to know what data you're handling anyway...
Not sure if this meets the "Tidier" request you're looking for, but you could always handle it in a try/catch.
try {
which.forEach(function (thing) {
something(thing);
});
} catch (e) {
if (e instanceof TypeError) {
doSomething(which);
}
}

How can I call any function in a chain of functions, without the chaining?

Sorry if my question wasn't clear enough. I'll put my code here...
var chain = {
'fn_1' : {
//fn_1 code here
chain.fn_2();},
'fn_2' : {
//fn_2 code here
chain.fn_3();}
...and so on
}
Let's say if i wana call chain.fn_1(), is there a way I can do that without calling chain.fn_2()?
What I can think of right now is a flag, but that would be alot of excess flags probably for each function. Do you guys have any ideas?
If the series of functions each call the next one you're correct, you'd need to have some sort of flag. In all likelihood, what would be best would be to modify your functions so that they return the reference to the object. Then you could chain like so:
var chain = {
'fn_1': function () {
// do something here.
return this;
},
'fn_2': function () {
// do something here.
return this;
},
'fn_3': function () {
// do something here.
return this;
}
};
// call the full chain:
chain.fn_1().fn_2().fn_3();
// call only the middle.
chain.fn_2();
g.d.d.c's answer is best, but if you can't modify the object for some reason, you could do this:
var _oldFn2 = chain.fn_2
chain.fn_2 = function() { return; };
chain.fn_1();
chain.fn_2 = _oldFn2;
var chain = {
fn : ['fn1', 'fn2', 'fn3'],
call : function(name) {
var i = 0, pos = -1, l = this.fn.length;
for(i = 0; i < l; i += 1) {
if(this.fn[i] == name) {
pos = i;
}
if(pos !== -1) {
this[this.fn[i]]();
}
}
},
fn1 : function() {
alert('fn1');
},
fn2 : function() {
alert('fn2');
},
};
chain.call('fn1'); //chain
chain.fn1(); //single

Javascript Array of Functions

var array_of_functions = [
first_function('a string'),
second_function('a string'),
third_function('a string'),
forth_function('a string')
]
array_of_functions[0];
That does not work as intended because each function in the array is executed when the array is created.
What is the proper way of executing any function in the array by doing:
array_of_functions[0]; // or, array_of_functions[1] etc.
Thanks!
var array_of_functions = [
first_function,
second_function,
third_function,
forth_function
]
and then when you want to execute a given function in the array:
array_of_functions[0]('a string');
I think this is what the original poster meant to accomplish:
var array_of_functions = [
function() { first_function('a string') },
function() { second_function('a string') },
function() { third_function('a string') },
function() { fourth_function('a string') }
]
for (i = 0; i < array_of_functions.length; i++) {
array_of_functions[i]();
}
Hopefully this will help others (like me 20 minutes ago :-) looking for any hint about how to call JS functions in an array.
Without more detail of what you are trying to accomplish, we are kinda guessing. But you might be able to get away with using object notation to do something like this...
var myFuncs = {
firstFunc: function(string) {
// do something
},
secondFunc: function(string) {
// do something
},
thirdFunc: function(string) {
// do something
}
}
and to call one of them...
myFuncs.firstFunc('a string')
I would complement this thread by posting an easier way to execute various functions within an Array using the shift() Javascript method originally described here
var a = function(){ console.log("this is function: a") }
var b = function(){ console.log("this is function: b") }
var c = function(){ console.log("this is function: c") }
var foo = [a,b,c];
while (foo.length){
foo.shift().call();
}
Or just:
var myFuncs = {
firstFun: function(string) {
// do something
},
secondFunc: function(string) {
// do something
},
thirdFunc: function(string) {
// do something
}
}
It's basically the same as Darin Dimitrov's but it shows how you could use it do dynamically create and store functions and arguments.
I hope it's useful for you :)
var argsContainer = ['hello', 'you', 'there'];
var functionsContainer = [];
for (var i = 0; i < argsContainer.length; i++) {
var currentArg = argsContainer[i];
functionsContainer.push(function(currentArg){
console.log(currentArg);
});
};
for (var i = 0; i < functionsContainer.length; i++) {
functionsContainer[i](argsContainer[i]);
}
up above we saw some with iteration. Let's do the same thing using forEach:
var funcs = [function () {
console.log(1)
},
function () {
console.log(2)
}
];
funcs.forEach(function (func) {
func(); // outputs 1, then 2
});
//for (i = 0; i < funcs.length; i++) funcs[i]();
Ah man there are so many weird answers...
const execute = (fn) => fn()
const arrayOfFunctions = [fn1, fn2, fn3]
const results = arrayOfFunctions.map(execute)
or if you want to sequentially feed each functions result to the next:
compose(fn3, fn2, fn1)
compose is not supported by default, but there are libraries like ramda, lodash, or even redux which provide this tool
This is correct
var array_of_functions = {
"all": function(flag) {
console.log(1+flag);
},
"cic": function(flag) {
console.log(13+flag);
}
};
array_of_functions.all(27);
array_of_functions.cic(7);
If you're doing something like trying to dynamically pass callbacks you could pass a single object as an argument. This gives you much greater control over which functions you want to you execute with any parameter.
function func_one(arg) {
console.log(arg)
};
function func_two(arg) {
console.log(arg+' make this different')
};
var obj = {
callbacks: [func_one, func_two],
params: ["something", "something else"];
};
function doSomething(obj) {
var n = obj.counter
for (n; n < (obj.callbacks.length - obj.len); n++) {
obj.callbacks[n](obj.params[n]);
}
};
obj.counter = 0;
obj.len = 0;
doSomething(obj);
//something
//something else make this different
obj.counter = 1;
obj.len = 0;
doSomething(obj);
//something else make this different
Execution of many functions through an ES6 callback 🤗
const f = (funs) => {
funs().forEach((fun) => fun)
}
f(() => [
console.log(1),
console.log(2),
console.log(3)
])
Using ES6 syntax, if you need a "pipeline" like process where you pass the same object through a series of functions (in my case, a HTML abstract syntax tree), you can use for...of to call each pipe function in a given array:
const setMainElement = require("./set-main-element.js")
const cacheImages = require("./cache-images.js")
const removeElements = require("./remove-elements.js")
let htmlAst = {}
const pipeline = [
setMainElement,
cacheImages,
removeElements,
(htmlAst) => {
// Using a dynamic closure.
},
]
for (const pipe of pipeline) {
pipe(htmlAst)
}
A short way to run 'em all:
[first_function, ..., nth_function].forEach (function(f) {
f('a string');
});
the probleme of these array of function are not in the "array form" but in the way these functions are called... then...
try this.. with a simple eval()...
array_of_function = ["fx1()","fx2()","fx3()",.."fxN()"]
var zzz=[];
for (var i=0; i<array_of_function.length; i++)
{ var zzz += eval( array_of_function[i] ); }
it work's here, where nothing upper was doing the job at home...
hopes it will help
Using Function.prototype.bind()
var array_of_functions = [
first_function.bind(null,'a string'),
second_function.bind(null,'a string'),
third_function.bind(null,'a string'),
forth_function.bind(null,'a string')
]
I have many problems trying to solve this one... tried the obvious, but did not work. It just append an empty function somehow.
array_of_functions.push(function() { first_function('a string') });
I solved it by using an array of strings, and later with eval:
array_of_functions.push("first_function('a string')");
for (var Func of array_of_functions) {
eval(Func);
}
maybe something like this would do the trick:
[f1,f2,f3].map((f) => f('a string'))
Maybe it can helps to someone.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head lang="en">
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title></title>
<script type="text/javascript">
window.manager = {
curHandler: 0,
handlers : []
};
manager.run = function (n) {
this.handlers[this.curHandler](n);
};
manager.changeHandler = function (n) {
if (n >= this.handlers.length || n < 0) {
throw new Error('n must be from 0 to ' + (this.handlers.length - 1), n);
}
this.curHandler = n;
};
var a = function (n) {
console.log("Handler a. Argument value is " + n);
};
var b = function (n) {
console.log("Handler b. Argument value is " + n);
};
var c = function foo(n) {
for (var i=0; i<n; i++) {
console.log(i);
}
};
manager.handlers.push(a);
manager.handlers.push(b);
manager.handlers.push(c);
</script>
</head>
<body>
<input type="button" onclick="window.manager.run(2)" value="Run handler with parameter 2">
<input type="button" onclick="window.manager.run(4)" value="Run handler with parameter 4">
<p>
<div>
<select name="featured" size="1" id="item1">
<option value="0">First handler</option>
<option value="1">Second handler</option>
<option value="2">Third handler</option>
</select>
<input type="button" onclick="manager.changeHandler(document.getElementById('item1').value);" value="Change handler">
</div>
</p>
</body>
</html>
This answered helped me but I got stuck trying to call each function in my array a few times. So for rookies, here is how to make an array of functions and call one or all of them, a couple different ways.
First we make the array.
let functionsArray = [functionOne, functionTwo, functionThree];
We can call a specific function in the array by using its index in the array (remember 0 is the first function in the array).
functionsArray[0]();
We have to put the parenthesis after because otherwise we are just referencing the function, not calling it.
If you wanted to call all the functions we could use a couple different ways.
For loop
for (let index = 0; index < functionsArray.length; index++) {
functionsArray[index]();
}
Don't forget the parenthesis to actually call the function.
ForEach
ForEach is nice because we don't have to worry about the index, we just get handed each element in the array which we can use. We use it like this (non arrow function example below):
functionsArray.forEach(element => {
element();
});
In a ForEach you can rename element in the above to be whatever you want. Renaming it, and not using arrow functions could look like this:
functionsArray.forEach(
function(funFunctionPassedIn) {
funFunctionPassedIn();
}
);
What about Map?
We shouldn't use Map in this case, since map builds a new array, and using map when we aren't using the returned array is an anti-pattern (bad practice).
We shouldn't be using map if we are not using the array it returns, and/or
we are not returning a value from the callback. Source
I know I am late to the party but here is my opinion
let new_array = [
(data)=>{console.log(data)},
(data)=>{console.log(data+1)},
(data)=>{console.log(data+2)}
]
new_array[0]
you got some top answers above. This is just another version of that.
var dictFun = {
FunOne: function(string) {
console.log("first function");
},
FuncTwo: function(string) {
console.log("second function");
},
FuncThree: function(string) {
console.log("third function");
}
}
/* PlanetGreeter */
class PlanetGreeter {
hello : { () : void; } [] = [];
planet_1 : string = "World";
planet_2 : string = "Mars";
planet_3 : string = "Venus";
planet_4 : string = "Uranus";
planet_5 : string = "Pluto";
constructor() {
this.hello.push( () => { this.greet(this.planet_1); } );
this.hello.push( () => { this.greet(this.planet_2); } );
this.hello.push( () => { this.greet(this.planet_3); } );
this.hello.push( () => { this.greet(this.planet_4); } );
this.hello.push( () => { this.greet(this.planet_5); } );
}
greet(a: string) : void { alert("Hello " + a); }
greetRandomPlanet() : void {
this.hello [ Math.floor( 5 * Math.random() ) ] ();
}
}
new PlanetGreeter().greetRandomPlanet();

Functional JavaScript: how to implement Function.prototype.not

I was working on some code earlier today, when I realized, "Hey! This code would be more concise and semantic if I abstracted the idea of a boolean not out of an anonymous function and into a prototype function..."
Consider a predicate generator:
function equalTo(n) {
return function(x) {
return n==x;
};
}
So you can use it like so:
[1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4].filter(equalTo(2)) == [2,2]
Now, my idea is to make a predicate "inverser":
Function.prototype.not = function() {
//???
}
So that you can say:
[1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4].filter(equalTo(2).not) == [1,3,4,1,3,4]
My first stab at the implementation was probably very naive:
Function.prototype.not = function () {
return ! this(arguments);
}
And probably why it didn't work.
How would you implement this function, and why?
I'm just trying to wrap my head around functional ideas, and know JavaScript well enough to know it can be used to do this, but just not how.
Your implementation won't work for several reasons:
You need to return a function, not a boolean.
You should pass the arguments as-is, not wrapped in an array.
You should preserve the context (this keyword) that the function would have been called in.
I would implement it like this:
Function.prototype.not = function (context) {
var func = this;
return function() { return !func.apply(context || this, arguments); };
}
I return an anonymous function (function() { ... })
I call apply to call the original function in the current contexts with the actual arguments.
(EDIT) Free bonus: I added an optional context parameter which will override this for the callback.
I would probably do it like so (but perhaps with some sort of namespacing):
function not (x) {
return !x;
}
function id (x) {
return x;
}
function compose (/*funcs*/) {
var args = arguments.length
? Array.prototype.slice.call (arguments)
: [id]
;
return function () {
var val = args [args.length - 1].apply (null, arguments);
for (var i = args.length - 2; i >= 0; --i) {
val = args [i] (val);
}
return val;
};
}
[1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4].filter (compose (not, equalTo (2)));
Using your idea:
function equalTo(n) {
var fn = function(x) {
return n == x;
};
fn.not = function(x) {
return n != x; // use this for simpler conditions
return !fn.apply(this, arguments); // use this for more complex logic
}
return fn;
}
So your example would work:
[1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4].filter(equalTo(2).not) == [1,3,4,1,3,4]
Edit: You can write a helper function (better name to be found) so not doesn't need to be redefined every time:
function generateFnWithNot(fn) {
return function () {
var f = fn.apply(this, arguments);
f.not = function () {
return !f.apply(this, arguments);
}
return f;
};
}
So when you're defining your functions, you can define them as normal with the exception of wrapping a generateFnWithNot call:
var equalTo = generateFnWithNot(function (n) {
return function (x) {
return n == x;
};
});
equalTo(5) // resolves to function () { return n == 5; }
equalTo(5).not // resolves to function () { return n != 5; }

How do I wrap a function in Javascript?

I'm writing a global error handling "module" for one of my applications.
One of the features I want to have is to be able to easily wrap a function with a try{} catch{} block, so that all calls to that function will automatically have the error handling code that'll call my global logging method. (To avoid polluting the code everywhere with try/catch blocks).
This is, however, slightly beyond my understanding of the low-level functioning of JavaScript, the .call and .apply methods, and the this keyword.
I wrote this code, based on Prototype's Function.wrap method:
Object.extend(Function.prototype, {
TryCatchWrap: function() {
var __method = this;
return function() {
try { __method.apply(this, arguments) } catch(ex) { ErrorHandler.Exception(ex); }
}
}
});
Which is used like this:
function DoSomething(a, b, c, d) {
document.write(a + b + c)
alert(1/e);
}
var fn2 = DoSomething.TryCatchWrap();
fn2(1, 2, 3, 4);
That code works perfectly. It prints out 6, and then calls my global error handler.
My question is: will this break something when the function I'm wrapping is within an object, and it uses the "this" operator? I'm slightly worried since I'm calling .apply, passing something there, I'm afraid this may break something.
Personally instead of polluting builtin objects I would go with a decorator technique:
var makeSafe = function(fn){
return function(){
try{
return fn.apply(this, arguments);
}catch(ex){
ErrorHandler.Exception(ex);
}
};
};
You can use it like that:
function fnOriginal(a){
console.log(1/a);
};
var fn2 = makeSafe(fnOriginal);
fn2(1);
fn2(0);
fn2("abracadabra!");
var obj = {
method1: function(x){ /* do something */ },
method2: function(x){ /* do something */ }
};
obj.safeMethod1 = makeSafe(obj.method1);
obj.method1(42); // the original method
obj.safeMethod1(42); // the "safe" method
// let's override a method completely
obj.method2 = makeSafe(obj.method2);
But if you do feel like modifying prototypes, you can write it like that:
Function.prototype.TryCatchWrap = function(){
var fn = this; // because we call it on the function itself
// let's copy the rest from makeSafe()
return function(){
try{
return fn.apply(this, arguments);
}catch(ex){
ErrorHandler.Exception(ex);
}
};
};
Obvious improvement will be to parameterize makeSafe() so you can specify what function to call in the catch block.
2017 answer: just use ES6. Given the following demo function:
function doThing(){
console.log(...arguments)
}
You can make your own wrapper function without needing external libraries:
function wrap(someFunction){
function wrappedFunction(){
var newArguments = [...arguments]
newArguments.push('SECRET EXTRA ARG ADDED BY WRAPPER!')
console.log(`You're about to run a function with these arguments: \n ${newArguments}`)
return someFunction(...newArguments)
}
return wrappedFunction
}
In use:
doThing('one', 'two', 'three')
Works as normal.
But using the new wrapped function:
const wrappedDoThing = wrap(doThing)
wrappedDoThing('one', 'two', 'three')
Returns:
one two three SECRET EXTRA ARG ADDED BY WRAPPER!
2016 answer: use the wrap module:
In the example below I'm wrapping process.exit(), but this works happily with any other function (including browser JS too).
var wrap = require('lodash.wrap');
var log = console.log.bind(console)
var RESTART_FLUSH_DELAY = 3 * 1000
process.exit = wrap(process.exit, function(originalFunction) {
log('Waiting', RESTART_FLUSH_DELAY, 'for buffers to flush before restarting')
setTimeout(originalFunction, RESTART_FLUSH_DELAY)
});
process.exit(1);
Object.extend(Function.prototype, {
Object.extend in the Google Chrome Console gives me 'undefined'
Well here's some working example:
Boolean.prototype.XOR =
// ^- Note that it's a captial 'B' and so
// you'll work on the Class and not the >b<oolean object
function( bool2 ) {
var bool1 = this.valueOf();
// 'this' refers to the actual object - and not to 'XOR'
return (bool1 == true && bool2 == false)
|| (bool1 == false && bool2 == true);
}
alert ( "true.XOR( false ) => " true.XOR( false ) );
so instead of
Object.extend(Function.prototype, {...})
Do it like:
Function.prototype.extend = {}
Function wrapping in good old fashion:
//Our function
function myFunction() {
//For example we do this:
document.getElementById('demo').innerHTML = Date();
return;
}
//Our wrapper - middleware
function wrapper(fn) {
try {
return function(){
console.info('We add something else', Date());
return fn();
}
}
catch (error) {
console.info('The error: ', error);
}
}
//We use wrapper - middleware
myFunction = wrapper(myFunction);
The same in ES6 style:
//Our function
let myFunction = () => {
//For example we do this:
document.getElementById('demo').innerHTML = Date();
return;
}
//Our wrapper - middleware
const wrapper = func => {
try {
return () => {
console.info('We add something else', Date());
return func();
}
}
catch (error) {
console.info('The error: ', error);
}
}
//We use wrapper - middleware
myFunction = wrapper(myFunction);
Here is an ES6 style:
const fnOriginal = (a, b, c, d) => {
console.log(a);
console.log(b);
console.log(c);
console.log(d);
return 'Return value from fnOriginal';
};
const wrapperFunction = fn => {
return function () {
try {
const returnValuFromOriginal = fn.apply(this, arguments);
console.log('Adding a new line from Wrapper :', returnValuFromOriginal);
} catch (ex) {
ErrorHandler.Exception(ex);
}
};
};
const fnWrapped = wrapperFunction(fnOriginal);
fnWrapped(1, 2, 3, 4);
The following wrapping utility takes a function and enables the developer to inject a code or wrap the original:
function wrap(originalFunction, { inject, wrapper } = {}) {
const wrapperFn = function(...args) {
if (typeof inject === 'function') {
inject(originalFunction, this);
}
if (typeof wrapper === 'function') {
return wrapper(originalFunction, this, args);
}
return originalFunction.apply(this, args);
};
// copy the original function's props onto the wrapper
for(const prop in originalFunction) {
if (originalFunction.hasOwnProperty(prop)) {
wrapperFn[prop] = originalFunction[prop];
}
}
return wrapperFn;
}
Usage example:
// create window.a()
(function() {
const txt = 'correctly'; // outer scope variable
window.a = function a(someText) { // our target
if (someText === "isn't") {
throw('omg');
}
return ['a', someText, window.a.c, txt].join(' ');
};
window.a.c = 'called'; // a.c property example
})();
const originalFunc = window.a;
console.log(originalFunc('is')); // logs "a is called correctly"
window.a = wrap(originalFunc);
console.log(a('is')); // logs "a is called correctly"
window.a = wrap(originalFunc, { inject(func, thisArg) { console.log('injected function'); }});
console.log(a('is')); // logs "injected function\na is called correctly"
window.a = wrap(originalFunc, { wrapper(func, thisArg, args) { console.log(`doing something else instead of ${func.name}(${args.join(', ')})`); }});
console.log(a('is')); // logs "doing something else instead of a(is)"
window.a = wrap(originalFunc, {
wrapper(func, thisArg, args) {
try {
return func.apply(thisArg, args);
} catch(err) {
console.error('got an exception');
}
}
});
a("isn't"); // error message: "got an exception"
The last example demonstrates how to wrap your function with a try-catch clause
As far as polluting the namespaces, I'm actually going to pollute them some more...
Since everything that happens in JS is initiated by an event of some kind, I'm planning to call my magical wrapper function from within the Prototype Event.observe() method, so I don't need to call it everywhere.
I do see the downsides of all this, of course, but this particular project is heavily tied to Prototype anyway, and I do want to have this error handler code be as global as possible, so it's not a big deal.
Thanks for your answer!

Categories

Resources