Accessing parameters when the function expects none Javascript - javascript

I am writing a Javascript function to count the number of instances of an element in an unsorted array. It has a method signature like this
Array.prototype.numberOfOccurrences = function() {
}
Here is an example of expected behavior
var arr = [4, 0, 4];
Test.assertEquals(arr.numberOfOccurrences(4), 2);
My problem is that I don't know how to access the elements in the array. The function doesn't take any parameters so how do I reference the array being passed in?
Note: The instructions aren't very descriptive for this kata on code wars and adding a parameter to the function returns some error unexpected token.

Inside the function you are creating into the Array.prototype you can access all the prototype functions through the "this" keyword.
Meaning you can access the array items using numeric properties like this[0] or this[1] to a access the first and second item respectively.
You can also call functions which allows you to iterate over each item on the array, such as: forEach, filter, etc.
Please refer this page to see everything you can do with the array prototype:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Array/prototype
Lastly don't forget that the JavaScript implementation varies on each browser, so a function that works on Chrome, might not work on InternetExplorer, always confirm on caniuse.com If the function you are used has the same implementation on your targets browsers.
Cheers.

Whether you should extend javascript base objects aside, this is your friend:
Array.prototype.numberOfOccurrences = function(valueToFind) {
return this.filter(function(item) {
return item === valueToFind;
}).length;
}
var a = [1,2,3,3,3,3];
console.log(a.numberOfOccurrences(3)); //4
As noted above, if you're not able to change the function signature for whatever reason you can specify it as follows:
Array.prototype.numberOfOccurrences = function() {
var valueToFind = arguments[0];
...
}
I would recommend adding the parameter to the function for clarities sake. Seems counter intuitive for a function like numberOfOccurences to not take in a parameter - numberOfOccurences of what?
Fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/KyleMuir/g82b3f98/

You might try using the locally available variable 'arguments' inside of the function. So for example, your code might look like thsi:
Array.prototype.numberOfOccurrences = function() {
var args = arguments || {};
var testArray, testCheck;
if (args[0] && Array.isArray(args[0]) {
// do something with the array that was the first argument, like:
testArray = args[0];
testCheck = testArray.indexOf(args[1]);
return testCheck;
} else {
// do what you want to do if the function doesn't receive any arguments or the first argument
// received isn't an array.
}
}
'arguments' is always available to you inside a declared function.

Related

array.splice = what does it means?

I would like to understand the meaning of that code fragment. "saveTo" is a array, the programmer assigned a function() to the splice method. I don't understand what does it mean. Is that a override? What is the meaning of the return argument?, and why the function takes no argument while splice requires 2 or more arguments?
saveTo.splice = function() {
if (saveTo.length == 1) {
$("#send").prop("disabled", true);
}
return Array.prototype.splice.apply(this, arguments);
};
Javascript lets you re-assign methods at runtime. In this case, what the programmer was doing is reassigning splice on this specific instance of an array in order to call a jQuery method. Beyond that, it works in exactly the same way as the existing splice as they are calling return Array.prototype.splice.apply(this, arguments); - meaning that this method just passes on whatever arguments are passed to it.
Here's a demo:
var myArray = [1,2,3,4];
console.log("Splice before re-assing: ", myArray.splice(1,1));
// reset it.
myArray = [1,2,3,4];
myArray.splice = function(){
console.log("From inside new splice function");
return Array.prototype.splice.apply(this, arguments);
}
console.log("Splice after re-assiging: ", myArray.splice(1,1));
Whether this is a good thing to do is debatable. It breaks a few principles of programming.
The programmer that wrote this code knew that some other part of the program is calling splice on this array, and he wanted to attach an event to that, in order to update the user interface (hence the call to jQuery).
This is commonly called "Monkey Patching". You can read about it at https://www.audero.it/blog/2016/12/05/monkey-patching-javascript/
This is not a good pratice as it obfuscate what is happening: no programmer would expect that calling a data manipulation function has side-effects somewhere else.
You can run this sample to understand how it works:
const myArray = [];
// Patch push method only for this instance of array.
myArray.push = function() {
// log event
console.log('myArray.push was called with the following arguments', arguments);
// Call the original push function with the provided arguments.
return Array.prototype.push.apply(this, arguments);
}
myArray.push(1);
You can also patch methods for all instances of a given class:
// Patch push method on all arrays
const originalPush = Array.prototype.push;
Array.prototype.push = function() {
// log event
console.log('.push was called with the following arguments', arguments);
// Call the original push function with the provided arguments.
return originalPush.apply(this, arguments);
}
const myArray = [];
myArray.push(1);
As for your question about the arguments, in javascript all functions can access the arguments array-like object that contains the arguments the function was called with, which does not depend on which arguments are specified in the original declaration.
function doSomething(arg1) {
console.log(arguments[2]);
}
doSomething(1, 2, 3); // outputs "3"
Here is the MDN documentation about it: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Functions/arguments
Note that there is a better way to extend arrays in ES6:
class CustomArray extends Array {
splice(...args) {
if(this.length === 1) {
$("#send").prop("disabled", true);
}
super.splice(...args);
}
}
Now that there are other ways to change the arrays length, .length, .pop, .shift, etc. so those should be overriden as well. However then it is still questionable wether the code calling those methods should not just cause the side effect.
What this does is it adds some checks for specifically saveTo.splice. If you call anyOtherArray.splice, then it'll just be evaluated as per normal. The reason it takes no arguments is because Array.prototype.splice takes arguments, and also the calling context of saveTo, as well as the array-like objects arguments, representing all the arguments passed to saveTo.splice. So it's just adding a little bit of extra code based on a specific condition - other than that, there's no difference to the native splice.
1) Yes, the programmer has overridden splice method, its not recommended
2) return statement is nothing but calls Array.prototype.splice(the original method).
3) Yes, splice requires arguments, but in JS, you may not define them as function params. You get the passed parameters as an array like object arguments inside your functions,
if you look closely, they call Array.prototype.splice with this and arguments object.
Okay, let's dissect this piece by piece.
saveTo.splice = function() {
if (saveTo.length == 1) {
$("#send").prop("disabled", true);
}
return Array.prototype.splice.apply(this, arguments);
};
As we all know that in JavaScript functions are first class objects, so if we have an object let's say saveTo something like this:
const saveTo = {};
Then we can assign a function to one of its properties like :
saveTo.splice = function() {
};
or something like this to:
const saveTo = {
splice: function() {
}
};
With that out of the way, you are just calling the Array#prototype#splice method to create a shallow copy out of the array and passing it an iterable to it.
So in total you have overridden the native Array#prototype#splice to fit your requirement.

Saving a function in an array, and retrieving its index

How can I get the index of a function stored in an array? The following code returns -1
var myArray = [ function(){console.log('fct1')} ];
myArray.indexOf( function(){console.log('fct1')} );
jsFiddle
More details:
I'm using jQuery to delegate events. Each event has one or more callback functions to call. It's impossible for me to know what the functions are since they are not pre-coded. Each callback function will be stored in an array. When a new callback function is added, I want to verify that it isn't already in the array, to avoid duplicates which would be both called by the event.
Any object in JavaScript will not be equal to something similar, except itself.
var func = function() {
console.log('fct1')
};
console.log(Object.prototype.toString.call(func));
# [object Function]
Since functions are also objects in JavaScript, you cannot search for a function object with another function object which does the same.
To be able to get a match, you need to use the same function object, like this
var func = function() {
console.log('fct1')
};
var myArray = [func];
console.log(myArray.indexOf(func));
# 0
This happens due to multiple references.
Each function you declared has a different reference and is not equal to the other.
That's why indexOf doesn't identify it.
Try this:
var func = function(){console.log('fct1')};
var myArray = [func];
alert(myArray.indexOf(func)); // will alert 0.
Fiddle

call some methods in one line

I build a objects source in JavaScript.
Is there any way to call some methods in one line like this:
var x = new object("aaa").method_a().method_b().method_c();
If you want to chain function call's you need to return this from your functions
function method_a(){
// do something
return this;
}
Same for other functions -
then you can do var x = new object("aaa").method_a().method_b().method_c();
The way to do that is making each method to return the object itself. For example:
function Person() {};
Person.prototype.setName=function(n){
this.name=n;
return this;
}
Person.prototype.setAge=function(a) {
this.age=a;
return this;
}
var p= new Person().setName("John").setAge(20);
The obvious gotcha is you cannot do that if the method has to return any other value (you can do it with setters but not with getters)
If your object doesn't support a fluid interface you can always wrap that functionality on top of it:
function FluidWrapper(obj)
{
var o = {};
for (var p in obj) {
if (typeof obj[p] == 'function') {
o[p] = function(method) {
return function() {
obj[method].apply(obj, [].slice.call(arguments, 0));
return o;
};
}(p);
}
}
return o;
}
var x = new object("aaa");
FluidWrapper(x).method_a().method_b().method_c();
Demo
While Mohammad Adil's answer is the most common scenario, i feel that the possibilities haven't been explored properly.
A function returns a value. In JavaScript you can call methods on any value except null and undefined. This means that this is perfectly acceptable:
var x = 987654321;
var y = x.toString().split('').sort().join('0');
In this scenario,
the toString() method was called on a Number who's internal value is 987654321 and returns a string.
the split('') method was called on a String who's internal value is '987654321' and returns an Array.
the sort() method was called on an Array holding the following values:['9','8','7','6','5','4','3','2','1'] and returns the same Array (but sorted).
The join('0') method was called on the same Array, but holding the values ['1','2','3','4','5','6','7','8','9'] and returns a string.
finally, after all these operations, y contains the value '10203040506070809';
So it is not necessary for the object the chained methods act on to be the same, as long as you are aware at every step of what that object is.
When you have a method called on an object, inside that method this will refer to the object. So if you return this;, then another method of that object can be called afterwards.
It is important to note that sometimes you want to return a new object of the same type rather than change the object and return it. Both work equally well when chaining, but the results are different when not. Consider the following jQuery example:
var divs = $('div'); // all divs on the page
var marked = divs.filter('.marked'); // all marked divs on the page
marked.css('color', 'red'); // make marked divs red
Because the filter method returns a new jQuery object, the initial divs variable still contains all the divs on the page. If the filter method were to eliminate things from the jQuery object it was called on and return it, then divs would point to the same object as marked and therefore would no longer have all divs on the page.
From a chaining perspective, nothing changes between the two potential implementations (except for some throw-away objects):
$('div').filter('.marked').css('color', 'red');

JavaScript passing argument via reference

let say I've got this kind of code:
var obj1 = {test: false};
function testCondition(condition){
if (!condition){
testCondition(condition);
}
}
testCondition(obj1.test);
above code will pass false as argument to testCondition. How can I do to pass reference to obj1.test instead of passing it's value?
EDIT
wow, thanks for quick responses!! :) But I would like to add, that I cannot pass the whole object, because I would like to build one generic function/method which would just check parameter and do onComplete callback or onError callback. Above code is only example of situation where I am right now.
You have two choices, from what I can see:
Pass the object itself, instead of its member. You can then access and modify the member:
function testCondition(object) {
if (!object.test) {
testCondition(object);
}
}
testCondition(obj1)
Alternatively, since you're changing a single value, you can have that value be returned by the function:
function testCondition(condition) {
if (!condition){
return testCondition(condition);
}
}
obj1.test = testCondition(obj1.test);
FYI, your code as you've displayed it right now will cause an infinite recursion if condition is false.
What's wrong with return values?
Alternatively you can wrap the argument in an object:
function foo(arg) {
var val = arg.val;
// do something with val
arg.val = val;
}
var arg = {val:"bar"};
foo(arg);
// do something with arg.val
You can't.
Pass obj1 instead, then examine condition.test inside the function.
You can't. JavaScript passes objects and arrays by reference, primitives (integers, strings, booleans) by value. What you're asking for is impossible, except by bad work-arounds:
function ugly(result) {
result.success = true;
}
var result = {};
ugly(result);
Instead, just return your value. It's how JavaScript is meant to work.
pass the whole object instead of its property:
testCondition(obj1);
and then
if(!passedObj.test){
etc...

JavaScript variable number of arguments to function

Is there a way to allow "unlimited" vars for a function in JavaScript?
Example:
load(var1, var2, var3, var4, var5, etc...)
load(var1)
Sure, just use the arguments object.
function foo() {
for (var i = 0; i < arguments.length; i++) {
console.log(arguments[i]);
}
}
In (most) recent browsers, you can accept variable number of arguments with this syntax:
function my_log(...args) {
// args is an Array
console.log(args);
// You can pass this array as parameters to another function
console.log(...args);
}
Here's a small example:
function foo(x, ...args) {
console.log(x, args, ...args, arguments);
}
foo('a', 'b', 'c', z='d')
=>
a
Array(3) [ "b", "c", "d" ]
b c d
Arguments
​ 0: "a"
​1: "b"
​2: "c"
​3: "d"
​length: 4
Documentation and more examples here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Functions/rest_parameters
Another option is to pass in your arguments in a context object.
function load(context)
{
// do whatever with context.name, context.address, etc
}
and use it like this
load({name:'Ken',address:'secret',unused:true})
This has the advantage that you can add as many named arguments as you want, and the function can use them (or not) as it sees fit.
I agree with Ken's answer as being the most dynamic and I like to take it a step further. If it's a function that you call multiple times with different arguments - I use Ken's design but then add default values:
function load(context) {
var defaults = {
parameter1: defaultValue1,
parameter2: defaultValue2,
...
};
var context = extend(defaults, context);
// do stuff
}
This way, if you have many parameters but don't necessarily need to set them with each call to the function, you can simply specify the non-defaults. For the extend method, you can use jQuery's extend method ($.extend()), craft your own or use the following:
function extend() {
for (var i = 1; i < arguments.length; i++)
for (var key in arguments[i])
if (arguments[i].hasOwnProperty(key))
arguments[0][key] = arguments[i][key];
return arguments[0];
}
This will merge the context object with the defaults and fill in any undefined values in your object with the defaults.
It is preferable to use rest parameter syntax as Ramast pointed out.
function (a, b, ...args) {}
I just want to add some nice property of the ...args argument
It is an array, and not an object like arguments. This allows you to apply functions like map or sort directly.
It does not include all parameters but only the one passed from it on. E.g. function (a, b, ...args) in this case args contains
argument 3 to arguments.length
Yes, just like this :
function load()
{
var var0 = arguments[0];
var var1 = arguments[1];
}
load(1,2);
As mentioned already, you can use the arguments object to retrieve a variable number of function parameters.
If you want to call another function with the same arguments, use apply. You can even add or remove arguments by converting arguments to an array. For example, this function inserts some text before logging to console:
log() {
let args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
args = ['MyObjectName', this.id_].concat(args);
console.log.apply(console, args);
}
Although I generally agree that the named arguments approach is useful and flexible (unless you care about the order, in which case arguments is easiest), I do have concerns about the cost of the mbeasley approach (using defaults and extends). This is an extreme amount of cost to take for pulling default values. First, the defaults are defined inside the function, so they are repopulated on every call. Second, you can easily read out the named values and set the defaults at the same time using ||. There is no need to create and merge yet another new object to get this information.
function load(context) {
var parameter1 = context.parameter1 || defaultValue1,
parameter2 = context.parameter2 || defaultValue2;
// do stuff
}
This is roughly the same amount of code (maybe slightly more), but should be a fraction of the runtime cost.
While #roufamatic did show use of the arguments keyword and #Ken showed a great example of an object for usage I feel neither truly addressed what is going on in this instance and may confuse future readers or instill a bad practice as not explicitly stating a function/method is intended to take a variable amount of arguments/parameters.
function varyArg () {
return arguments[0] + arguments[1];
}
When another developer is looking through your code is it very easy to assume this function does not take parameters. Especially if that developer is not privy to the arguments keyword. Because of this it is a good idea to follow a style guideline and be consistent. I will be using Google's for all examples.
Let's explicitly state the same function has variable parameters:
function varyArg (var_args) {
return arguments[0] + arguments[1];
}
Object parameter VS var_args
There may be times when an object is needed as it is the only approved and considered best practice method of an data map. Associative arrays are frowned upon and discouraged.
SIDENOTE: The arguments keyword actually returns back an object using numbers as the key. The prototypal inheritance is also the object family. See end of answer for proper array usage in JS
In this case we can explicitly state this also. Note: this naming convention is not provided by Google but is an example of explicit declaration of a param's type. This is important if you are looking to create a more strict typed pattern in your code.
function varyArg (args_obj) {
return args_obj.name+" "+args_obj.weight;
}
varyArg({name: "Brian", weight: 150});
Which one to choose?
This depends on your function's and program's needs. If for instance you are simply looking to return a value base on an iterative process across all arguments passed then most certainly stick with the arguments keyword. If you need definition to your arguments and mapping of the data then the object method is the way to go. Let's look at two examples and then we're done!
Arguments usage
function sumOfAll (var_args) {
return arguments.reduce(function(a, b) {
return a + b;
}, 0);
}
sumOfAll(1,2,3); // returns 6
Object usage
function myObjArgs(args_obj) {
// MAKE SURE ARGUMENT IS AN OBJECT OR ELSE RETURN
if (typeof args_obj !== "object") {
return "Arguments passed must be in object form!";
}
return "Hello "+args_obj.name+" I see you're "+args_obj.age+" years old.";
}
myObjArgs({name: "Brian", age: 31}); // returns 'Hello Brian I see you're 31 years old
Accessing an array instead of an object ("...args" The rest parameter)
As mentioned up top of the answer the arguments keyword actually returns an object. Because of this any method you want to use for an array will have to be called. An example of this:
Array.prototype.map.call(arguments, function (val, idx, arr) {});
To avoid this use the rest parameter:
function varyArgArr (...var_args) {
return var_args.sort();
}
varyArgArr(5,1,3); // returns 1, 3, 5
Use the arguments object when inside the function to have access to all arguments passed in.
Be aware that passing an Object with named properties as Ken suggested adds the cost of allocating and releasing the temporary object to every call. Passing normal arguments by value or reference will generally be the most efficient. For many applications though the performance is not critical but for some it can be.
Use array and then you can use how many parameters you need. For example, calculate the average of the number elements of an array:
function fncAverage(sample) {
var lenghtSample = sample.length;
var elementsSum = 0;
for (var i = 0; i < lenghtSample; i++) {
elementsSum = Number(elementsSum) + Number(sample[i]);
}
average = elementsSum / lenghtSample
return (average);
}
console.log(fncAverage([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10])); // results 5.5
let mySample = [10, 20, 30, 40];
console.log(fncAverage(mySample)); // results 25
//try your own arrays of numbers

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