Develop Reference

How to include or detect the name of a new Object when it's created from a Constructor

I have a constructor that include a debug/log code and also a self destruct method
I tried to find info on internet about how to detect the new objects names in the process of creation, but the only recommendation that I found was pass the name as a property.
for example
var counter = {}
counter.a =new TimerFlex({debug: true, timerId:'counter.a'});
I found unnecessary to pass counter.a as a timerId:'counter.a' there should be a native way to detect the name from the Constructor or from the new object instance.
I am looking for something like ObjectProperties('name') that returns counter.a so I don't need to include it manually as a property.
Adding more info
#CertainPerformance What I need is to differentiate different objects running in parallel or nested, so I can see in the console.
counter.a data...
counter.b data...
counter.a data...
counter.c data... etc
also these objects have only a unique name, no reference as counter.a = counter.c
Another feature or TimerFlex is a method to self desruct
this.purgeCount = function(manualId) {
if (!this.timerId && manualId) {
this.timerId = manualId;
this.txtId = manualId;
}
if (this.timerId) {
clearTimeout(this.t);
this.timer_is_on = 0;
setTimeout ( ()=> { console.log(this.txtId + " Destructed" ) },500);
setTimeout ( this.timerId +".__proto__ = null", 1000);
setTimeout ( this.timerId +" = null",1100);
setTimeout ( "delete " + this.timerId, 1200);
} else {
if (this.debug) console.log("timerId is undefined, unable to purge automatically");
}
}
While I don't have a demo yet of this Constructor this is related to my previous question How to have the same Javascript Self Invoking Function Pattern running more that one time in paralel without overwriting values?

Objects don't have names - but constructors!
Javascript objects are memory references when accessed via a variables. The object is created in the memory and any number of variables can point to that address.
Look at the following example
var anObjectReference = new Object();
anObjectReference.name = 'My Object'
var anotherReference = anObjectReference;
console.log(anotherReference.name); //Expected output "My Object"
In this above scenario, it is illogical for the object to return anObjectReference or anotherReference when called the hypothetical method which would return the variable name.
Which one.... really?
In this context, if you want to condition the method execution based on the variable which accesses the object, have an argument passed to indicate the variable (or the scenario) to a method you call.

In JavaScript, you can access an object instance's properties through the same notation as a dictionary. For example: counter['a'].
If your intent is to use counter.a within your new TimerFlex instance, why not just pass counter?
counter.a = new TimerFlex({debug: true, timerId: counter});
// Somewhere within the logic of TimerFlex...
// var a = counter.a;

This is definitely possible but is a bit ugly for obvious reasons. Needless to say, you must try to avoid such code.
However, I think this can have some application in debugging. My solution makes use of the ability to get the line number for a code using Error object and then reading the source file to get the identifier.
let fs = require('fs');
class Foo {
constructor(bar, lineAndFile) {
this.bar = bar;
this.lineAndFile = lineAndFile;
}
toString() {
return `${this.bar} ${this.lineAndFile}`
}
}
let foo = new Foo(5, getLineAndFile());
console.log(foo.toString()); // 5 /Users/XXX/XXX/temp.js:11:22
readIdentifierFromFile(foo.lineAndFile); // let foo
function getErrorObject(){
try { throw Error('') } catch(err) { return err; }
}
function getLineAndFile() {
let err = getErrorObject();
let callerLine = err.stack.split("\n")[4];
let index = callerLine.indexOf("(");
return callerLine.slice(index+1, callerLine.length-1);
}
function readIdentifierFromFile(lineAndFile) {
let file = lineAndFile.split(':')[0];
let line = lineAndFile.split(':')[1];
fs.readFile(file, 'utf-8', (err, data) => {
if (err) throw err;
console.log(data.split('\n')[parseInt(line)-1].split('=')[0].trim());
})
}
If you want to store the variable name with the Object reference, you can read the file synchronously once and then parse it to get the identifier from the required line number whenever required.

How to assign a function to a object method in javascript?

I'd like to 'proxy' (not sure if that's the term at all) a function inside a function object for easy calling.
Given the following code
function Soldier() {
this.el = $("<div></div>").addClass('soldier');
this.pos = this.el.position; // $(".soldier").position(), or so I thought
}
In the console:
s = new Soldier();
$("#gamemap").append(s.el); // Add the soldier to the game field
s.pos === s.el.position // this returns true
s.el.position() // Returns Object {top: 0, left: 0}
s.pos() // Returns 'undefined'
What am I doing wrong in this scenario and is there an easy way to achieve my goal (s.pos() to return the result of s.el.position()) ?
I thought about s.pos = function() { return s.el.position(); } but looks a bit ugly and not apropriate. Also I'd like to add more similar functions and the library will become quite big to even load.

When you're calling s.pos(), its this context is lost.
You can simulate this behavior using call():
s.pos.call(s); // same as s.pos()
s.pos.call(s.el); // same as s.el.position()
This code is actually ok:
s.pos = function() { return s.el.position(); }
An alternative is using bind():
s.pos = s.el.position.bind(el);
You can use the prototype, that way the functions will not be created separately for every object:
Soldier.prototype.pos = function(){ return this.el.position(); }

I'd recommend to use the prototype:
Soldier.prototype.pos = function() { return this.el.position(); };
Not ugly at all, and quite performant actually.
If you want to directly assign it in the constructor, you'll need to notice that the this context of a s.pos() invocation would be wrong. You therefore would need to bind it:
…
this.pos = this.el.position.bind(this.el);

It's because the context of execution for position method has changed. If you bind the method to work inside the element context it will work.
JS Fiddle
function Soldier() {
this.el = $("<div></div>").addClass('soldier');
this.pos = this.el.position.bind(this.el);
}
var s = new Soldier();
$("#gamemap").append(s.el);
console.log(s.pos());

Object method loses its scope when called using setInterval

Is there any way to print out the value of the array players like in the example below? I've tried to find a solution for hours now...
function Room(name, id, owner) {
this.players = [];
this.movementz = function() {
console.log(this.players);
}
}
I'm calling the function using setInterval, like this:
setInterval(room.movementz, 1000);

The problem here is about the this object: creating your object and manually calling it's movementz method will work because the this element is the object itself, but using setInterval will cause the method to be called with this === window.
Here is an example:
var room = new Room();
room.movementz(); // []
setInterval(room.movementz, 1000); // undefined
This happens because when the movementz method gets called by setInterval, the this object is window, so, to fix this, you'll have to force the function to be called using room as this. You can easily accomplish this using the bind method, here's an example:
var room = new Room(),
players = "hello";
setInterval(room.movementz, 1000);
// this will output "hello" because this === window
setInterval(room.movementz.bind(room), 1000);
// this will output [], because now this === room

need help understanding closures usage in this code

Here is a simplified snippet from some code I wrote for managing tablet gestures on canvas elements
first a function that accepts an element and a dictionary of callbacks and register the events plus adding other features like 'hold' gestures:
function registerStageGestures(stage, callbacks, recieverArg) {
stage.inhold = false;
stage.timer = null;
var touchduration = 1000;
var reciever = recieverArg || window;
stage.onLongTouch = function(e) {
if (stage.timer) clearTimeout(stage.timer);
stage.inhold = true;
if (callbacks.touchholdstart) callbacks.touchholdstart.call(reciever, e);
};
stage.getContent().addEventListener('touchstart', function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
calcTouchEventData(e);
stage.timer = setTimeout(function() {
stage.onLongTouch(e);
}, touchduration);
if (callbacks.touchstart) callbacks.touchholdstart.call(reciever, e);
});
stage.getContent().addEventListener('touchmove', function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
if (stage.timer) clearTimeout(stage.timer);
if (stage.inhold) {
if (callbacks.touchholdmove) callbacks.touchholdmove.call(reciever, e);
} else {
if (callbacks.touchmove) callbacks.touchmove.call(reciever, e);
}
});
stage.getContent().addEventListener('touchend', function(e) {
e.preventDefault();
if (stage.timer) clearTimeout(stage.timer);
if (stage.inhold) {
if (callbacks.touchholdend) callbacks.touchholdend.call(reciever, e);
} else {
if (callbacks.touchend) callbacks.touchend.call(reciever, e);
}
stage.inhold = false;
});
}
later I call registerStageGestures on a few elements (represented by 'View' objects) in the same page. Something like:
function View() {
var self=this;
..
function InitView() {
...
registerStageGestures(kineticStage, {
touchstart: function(e) {
// do something
},
touchmove: function(e) {
// do something
},
touchendunction(e) {
// do something
},
touchholdstart: function(e) {
// do something
},
touchholdmove: function(e) {
// do something
},
touchholdend: function(e) {
// do something
},
}, self);
Everything works fine, however I'm left wondering about two things in the implementation of registerStageGestures:
First, is it necessary to make inhold, timer and onLongTouch members of the stage ? or will closures make everything works well if they are local vars in registerStageGestures ?
Second, is it necessary to call the callbacks with '.call(receiver,' syntax ? I'm doing this to make sure the callback code will run in the context of the View but I'm not sure if it's needed ?
any input is much appreciated
Thanks!

First, is it necessary to make inhold, timer and onLongTouch members
of the stage ? or will closures make everything works well if they are
local vars in registerStageGestures ?
As far as registerStageGestures() is concerned, var inhold, var timer and function onLongTouch(e) {...}. would suffice. The mechanism by which an inner function has automatic access to its outer function's members is known as "closure". You would only need to set stage.inhold, stage.timer and stage.onLongTouch if some other piece of code needs access to these settings as properties of stage.
Second, is it necessary to call the callbacks with '.call(receiver,'
syntax ? I'm doing this to make sure the callback code will run in the
context of the View but I'm not sure if it's needed ?
Possibly, depending on how those callbacks are written. .call() and .apply() are sometimes used when calling functions that use this internally. In both cases, the first parameter passed defines the object to be interpreted as this. Thus, javascript gives you the means of defining general purpose methods with no a priori assumption about the object to which those methods will apply when called. Similarly, you can call a method of an object in such a way that it acts on another object.
EDIT:
For completeness, please note that even in the absence of this in a function, .apply() can be very useful as it allows multiple parameters to be specified as elements of a single array, eg the ubiquitous jQuery.when.apply(null, arrayOfPromises)...

There are some simple answers, here.
First, closure:
Closure basically says that whatever is defined inside of a function, has access to the rest of that function's contents.
And all of those contents are guaranteed to stay alive (out of the trash), until there are no more objects left, which ere created inside.
A simple test:
var testClosure = function () {
var name = "Bob",
recallName = function () { return name; };
return { getName : recallName };
};
var test = testClosure();
console.log(test.getName()); // Bob
So anything that was created inside can be accessed by any function which was also created inside (or created inside of a function created in a function[, ...], inside).
var closure_2x = function () {
var name = "Bob",
innerScope = function () {
console.log(name);
return function () {
console.log("Still " + name);
}
};
return innerScope;
};
var inner_func = closure_2x();
var even_deeper = inner_func(); // "Bob"
even_deeper(); // "Still Bob"
This applies not only to variables/objects/functions created inside, but also to function arguments passed inside.
The arguments have no access to the inner-workings(unless passed to methods/callbacks), but the inner-workings will remember the arguments.
So as long as your functions are being created in the same scope as your values (or a child-scope), there's access.
.call is trickier.
You know what it does (replaces this inside of the function with the object you pass it)...
...but why and when, in this case are harder.
var Person = function (name, age) {
this.age = age;
this.getAge = function () {
return this.age;
};
};
var bob = new Person("Bob", 32);
This looks pretty normal.
Honestly, this could look a lot like Java or C# with a couple of tweaks.
bob.getAge(); // 32
Works like Java or C#, too.
doSomething.then(bob.getAge);
? Buh ?
We've now passed Bob's method into a function, as a function, all by itself.
var doug = { age : 28 };
doug.getAge = bob.getAge;
Now we've given doug a reference to directly use bobs methid -- not a copy, but a pointer to the actual method.
doug.getAge(); // 28
Well, that's odd.
What about what came out of passing it in as a callback?
var test = bob.getAge;
test(); // undefined
The reason for this, is, as you said, about context...
But the specific reason is because this inside of a function in JS isn't pre-compiled, or stored...
this is worked out on the fly, every time the function is called.
If you call
obj.method();
this === obj;
If you call
a.b.c.d();
this === a.b.c;
If you call
var test = bob.getAge;
test();
...?
this is equal to window.
In "strict mode" this doesn't happen (you get errors really quickly).
test.call(bob); //32
Balance restored!
Mostly...
There are still a few catches.
var outerScope = function () {
console.log(this.age);
var inner = function () {
console.log("Still " + this.age);
};
inner();
};
outerScope.call(bob);
// "32"
// "Still undefined"
This makes sense, when you think about it...
We know that if a function figures out this at the moment it's called -- scope has nothing to do with it...
...and we didn't add inner to an object...
this.inner = inner;
this.inner();
would have worked just fine (but now you just messed with an external object)...
So inner saw this as window.
The solution would either be to use .call, or .apply, or to use function-scoping and/or closure
var person = this,
inner = function () { console.log(person.age); };
The rabbit hole goes deeper, but my phone is dying...

Solution to "this" reference changing inside callbacks?

One of the issues I've been encountering again and again is the reference to the this pointer changing. Take the below example. I want to create a Server object, and store the resolution of the camera as a property. This is not possible, as this.resolution applies to a property in the camera callback object instead of the Server object.
function Server(options) {
this.settings = options.settings;
this.camera = options.camera;
// Grab camera resolution
this.camera.getImageResolution(function(err, data) {
this.resolution = data;
});
}
Server.prototype.start = function() {
console.log(this.resolution); // This outputs an undefined variable error
}
In the past, I have worked around this by renaming this to self temporarily to call functions. This does not work when I am storing a value. I would need to to pass this into the callback, which I obviously cannot do.
Additionally, I cannot use apply, as that would not allow camera.getImageResolution to call its own methods.
What is the best route to take in solving this issue? Please ask for clarification if my question is vague.

function Server(options) {
var self = this;
self.settings = options.settings;
self.camera = options.camera;
// Grab camera resolution
this.camera.getImageResolution(function(err, data) {
self.resolution = data;
});
}
Server.prototype.start = function () {
return this.resolution;
}
var server = new Server({options: {...}, settings: {...}});
server.camera.getImageResolution();
// after getImageResolution's asynch method has completed
server.start() // === data parameter from getImageResolution's asynch method callback