Develop Reference

Swapping hardcoded arguments for variables

I've got a functional script on my site that allows me to open a link in a new window when a specific class is added to the link. I need a lot of those on my site though so I figured I'd make the script a bit easier to edit by working with variables.
In the process of changing out hardcoded strings for variables my script stopped working though. The only one that works is the var where I set the url.
I'm learning that ${} doesn't work everywhere. Hope that someone can point out where my thinking is wrong. Also hope that I got the terminology right, trying to learn though! :-)
var function1Name = "test_function";
var function1Url = "https://www.google.com";
var function1Class = ".test_function_class";
function ${function1Name}() {
window.open(function1Url, "_blank", "height=200");
}
jQuery("${function1Class}").click(function(){
${function1Name}()
});

None of your uses of ${} are valid JavaScript syntax.
Your function declaration van be replaced with:
window[function1Name] = function () {
window.open(function1Url, "_blank", "height=200");
}
Please note that the function will no longer be hoisted when declared this way, so order of operation matters.
The click handler can be written as follows:
jQuery(function1Class).click(function() { // Note that I just used the variable there.
window[function1Name]();
});
There is a ${} concept in JavaScript, but that is only in template literals:
const myVariable = "Foo";
const message = `myVariable contains: "${myVariable}"!`;
console.log(message);

There's several syntax issues here.
Firstly, function ${function1Name}() is not valid syntax. Function names must be defined before runtime. If you want to dynamically access a function, place it in an object and set the key with the variable reference.
Secondly, ${function1Name}() is again not valid syntax. You cannot invoke a function like that dynamically. Referring to the suggestion above, you can access an object dynamically so the first point fixes this problem.
Thirdly, string interpolation only works within template literals, so you need to delimit the string with backticks: ``. However it's completely redundant here as you can just use $(function1Class)
With those issues in mind, here's an updated example:
var function1Name = "test_function";
var function1Url = "https://www.google.com";
var function1Class = ".test_function_class";
var funcObj = {
[function1Name]: function() {
console.log(`function called, window would open here containing ${function1Url}...`);
// window.open(function1Url, "_blank", "height=200");
}
}
$(function1Class).click(function() {
funcObj[function1Name]()
});
/*
alternative using a template literal, although note that it's redundant here
$(`${function1Class}`).click(function() {
funcObj[function1Name]()
});
*/
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.3.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
Click me
One last thing to note is that no version of IE supports template literals, so be sure of your browser support requirements before using them.

So cool, I got it to work!
var function1Name = "test_function_1";
var function1Url = "https://www.google.com";
var function1Class = ".test_function_class1";
var function2Name = "test_function_2";
var function2Url = "https://www.cnn.com";
var function2Class = ".test_function_class2";
// Function 1
window[function1Name] = function () {
window.open(function1Url, "_blank", "toolbar=no,status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,top=500,left=500,width=600,height=745");
}
jQuery(function1Class).click(function() {
window[function1Name]();
});
// Function 2
window[function2Name] = function () {
window.open(function2Url, "_blank", "toolbar=no,status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,top=500,left=500,width=600,height=745");
}
jQuery(function2Class).click(function() {
window[function2Name]();
});
I can now add a bunch of url's and corresponding classes as was my intention. Super happy about that.
A follow up question though, as I'll have to experiment with what the ideal window parameters will be I'm trying to make those arguments variables as well. I've tried the examples of how to insert a variables output from the functional code but those methods don't work there. Here's that code:
var windowWidth = 250
var function1Name = "test_function_1";
var function1Url = "https://www.google.com";
var function1Class = ".test_function_class1";
var function2Name = "test_function_2";
var function2Url = "https://www.cnn.com";
var function2Class = ".test_function_class2";
// Function 1
window[function1Name] = function () {
window.open(function1Url, "_blank", "toolbar=no,status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,top=500,left=500,width=[windowWidth],height=745");
}
jQuery(function1Class).click(function() {
window[function1Name]();
});
// Function 2
window[function2Name] = function () {
window.open(function2Url, "_blank", "toolbar=no,status=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,top=500,left=500,width=600,height=745");
}
jQuery(function2Class).click(function() {
window[function2Name]();
});
How would I insert the variables value (2nd line of Function1) there ?

Storing Jquery reference

Is it possible to store the reference to an element in an array or object without having a unique ID on the element?
I am having trouble with storing a subtable in another table so I can reference it later. I get the table by class with this code:
$(this).parent('tr').parent().find('.tableSomeTable');
Is the only solution to have unique id's on each element and use the .selector method?
More of my code. Abit simplified.
var rows = [];
var historyLoad;
$(document).on("click", '.details-control', function (e) {
var t = $(this);
var tr = t.closest('tr');
var row = t.parent().parent().parent().DataTable().row(tr);
var id = t.closest('tr').attr('id');
var object = {
id: id,
btnHistory: t.parent('tr').next().find('#btnHistory'),
tblHistory: t.parent('tr').parent().find('.tableHistory'),
historyLoad: historyLoad
};
if ($.inArray(id, rows) > -1) {
loadData = false;
}
else {
loadData = true;
loadHistory(object);
rows.push(object);
}
};
Here is where I am having trouble retrieving the correct elements. And I also want to save the ajaxHistory element to my object (which is working fine).
This code is not working, but if I change it to $(result.btnHistory.btnHistory.selector) I get the object. But this doesn't seem to work very good with multiple rows.
function loadHistory(result) {
result.ajaxHistory = $.ajax({
...
beforeSend: function () {
$(result.btnHistory).html(<loading txt>);
$(result.tblHistory).find('tbody').html(<loading txt>);
},
....
success: function (data) {
if (data.TotalRecordCount > 0) {
$(result.tblHistory).find('tbody').html('');
$.each(data.Records, function (e, o) {
$(result.tblHistory).find('tbody').append(<data>)
});
}
else {
$(result.tblHistory).find('tbody').html(<txt no records>);
}
$(result.btnHistory).html(<txt loading done>));
},

First off, if you are trying to find the parent table, try
var $myObj = $(this).closest('table.tableSomeTable');
instead of navigating parents.
As far as storing the jQuery reference, define a variable and then store it. The above will store the object in $myObj but that is locally scoped. If you need a global variable then define it globally and just assign it here. If you want to define it as a property within an object then define it that way. It really comes down to a scope question at this point.
EDIT: Just saw your added content.
First off, don't name it 'object'. This may run into key word issues. Use var myObj or similar instead. Next, object.btnHistory is a reference to a jQuery object. So, when you pass it to loadHistory, you do not need to apply the $(...) again. Just use the reference directly: result.btnHistory.html(...). A good habit to get into is prepending you jQuery variables with $ so you remember it is already a jQuery variable.

The .find() method returns a jQuery object. So the answer is, yes, you can store this return object in a variable:
var $yourObject = $(this).parent('tr').parent().find('.tableSomeTable');

Getting "This" into a namespace in Javascript

I'm sure this should be a simple question but I'm still learning so here it goes:
I have some code to run a function on click to assign the clicked element's ID to a variable but I don't know how to pass the "this.id" value to the namespace without making a global variable (which I thought was bad).
<script>
fsa = (function() {
function GetTemplateLoc() {
templateId = document.activeElement.id;
alert(templateId + templateId2);
}
return {
GetTemplateLoc: GetTemplateLoc,
}
})();
//call the functions
$(document).on('click', '.template', function () {
fsa.GetTemplateLoc();
});
</script>
and HTML with random picture:
<img id="template-1" class="template" src="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/028/c/b/cb21eda885b4cc6ee3f549a417770596.png"/>
<img id="template-2" class="template" src="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/028/c/b/cb21eda885b4cc6ee3f549a417770596.png"/>

The following would work:
var fsa = (function() {
function GetTemplateLoc() {
var templateId = this.id;
alert(templateId);
}
return {
GetTemplateLoc: GetTemplateLoc,
}
})();
//call the functions
$(document).on('click', '.template', fsa.GetTemplateLoc);
jQuery generally calls functions you pass as event handlers with this set to the DOM object the event is associated with.
In this case it will call GetTemplateLoc() with this set to either .template element, so you can use this directly in the function and don't need to pass any parameters.
Important tip: Always declare variables using var. JavaScript has no automatic function-local scope for variables, i.e. every variable declared without var is global, no matter where you declare it. In other words, forgetting var counts as a bug.

Try this : You can directly use this.id to pass id of the clicked element where this refers to the instance of clicked element.
<script>
fsa = (function() {
function GetTemplateLoc(templateId ) {
//templateId = document.activeElement.id;
alert(templateId + templateId2);
}
return {
GetTemplateLoc: GetTemplateLoc,
}
})();
//call the functions
$(document).on('click', '.template', function () {
fsa.GetTemplateLoc(this.id);
});
</script>

If you're able to use jQuery within the GetTemplateLoc function, you could do something like this:
var fsa = (function() {
function GetTemplateLoc($trigger) {
var templateId = $trigger.attr('id'),
templateId2 = $($trigger.siblings('.template')[0]).attr('id');
alert(templateId + ' ' + templateId2);
}
return {
GetTemplateLoc: GetTemplateLoc,
}
})();
$(document).on('click', '.template', function () {
fsa.GetTemplateLoc($(this));
});
You can set GetTemplateLoc to expect a jQuery object as a parameter (the dollar sign at the beginning of $trigger can be used to distinguish it as a jQuery object rather than any other data type, it's not necessary but can help clarify things sometimes).
templateId will store the value of the clicked image's ID, and templateId2 will store the value of the other image's ID. I also added a space between the two variables in the alert.
If you can't use jQuery within GetTemplateLoc, you could do something like this:
var fsa = (function() {
function GetTemplateLoc(trigger) {
var templateId = trigger.id;
var templateId2 = trigger.nextElementSibling == null ? trigger.previousElementSibling.id : trigger.nextElementSibling.id;
alert(templateId + ' ' + templateId2);
}
return {
GetTemplateLoc: GetTemplateLoc,
}
})();
This time, the .template that triggered the event is passed into GetTemplateLoc, but this time it's not a jQuery object. templateId is assigned to the trigger's ID and then templateId2 is assigned in a ternary. First, the nextElementSibling of trigger is checked to see if it's null. If it is, we know that trigger is the second of the two .template elements. Therefore we can set templateId2 to the ID of trigger's previous sibling. If trigger's nextElementSibling is not null, then we know that trigger is the first template and we populate templateId2 with the ID of nextElementSibling. This exact method will only work with two .template's, if there are more you'll need some additional/different logic, probably to retrieve all .template IDs and then loop through them to add them to the alert message. Hope this helps.

TAFFYdb: Passing in options to a function

update: This code is bonkers. The root of the issue here is recreating the name of a variable by concating strings and assuming it would then magically turn into that variable.. I had a lot to learn. Also, a much better way to pass an ambiguous number of options into a function is to use JSON.
var availableTimes,
selected_unit,
selected_unit_number;
function createTimePicker(machineNumber){
availableTimes = machineNumber({booked:"no"}).select("time");
for (i=0;i<availableTimes.length;i++){
$('<option/>').val(availableTimes[i]).html(availableTimes[i]).appendTo('#signin_start_time');
}
}
$(function() {
$('body').on('click', '#cybex_arctrainer_button', function() {
selected_unit = "cybex_arctrainer";
});
$('body').on('change', '#signin_unit_number_selector', function () {
selected_unit_number = $("#signin_unit_number_selector option:selected").text();
unit_plus_number = selected_unit+selected_unit_number;
createTimePicker(unit_plus_number);
});
});
A few things: The database works. If I run createTimePicker(cybex_arctrainer1) it fills in the availableTimes variable just fine. The problem seems to be with combining selected_unit+selected_unit_number and passing them to createTimePicker.

Here:
machineNumber({booked:"no"})
machineNumber is a string, but you're trying to call it as if it is a function. You'll get the same error if you do something like
someVar = 'bob';
someVar();
You say that if you run
createTimePicker(cybex_arctrainer1);
but your code is not calling createTimePicker with the variable cybex_arctrainer1 as an argument, instead it's doing something more like:
createTimePicker('cybex_arctrainer1');

Functional object basics. How to go beyond simple containers?

On the upside I'm kinda bright, on the downside I'm wracked with ADD. If I have a simple example, that fits with what I already understand, I get it. I hope someone here can help me get it.
I've got a page that, on an interval, polls a server, processes the data, stores it in an object, and displays it in a div. It is using global variables, and outputing to a div defined in my html. I have to get it into an object so I can create multiple instances, pointed at different servers, and managing their data seperately.
My code is basically structured like this...
HTML...
<div id="server_output" class="data_div"></div>
JavaScript...
// globals
var server_url = "http://some.net/address?client=Some+Client";
var data = new Object();
var since_record_id;
var interval_id;
// window onload
window.onload(){
getRecent();
interval_id = setInterval(function(){
pollForNew();
}, 300000);
}
function getRecent(){
var url = server_url + '&recent=20';
// do stuff that relies on globals
// and literal reference to "server_output" div.
}
function pollForNew(){
var url = server_url + '&since_record_id=' + since_record_id;
// again dealing with globals and "server_output".
}
How would I go about formatting that into an object with the globals defined as attributes, and member functions(?) Preferably one that builds its own output div on creation, and returns a reference to it. So I could do something like...
dataOne = new MyDataDiv('http://address/?client');
dataOne.style.left = "30px";
dataTwo = new MyDataDiv('http://different/?client');
dataTwo.style.left = "500px";
My code is actually much more convoluted than this, but I think if I could understand this, I could apply it to what I've already got. If there is anything I've asked for that just isn't possible please tell me. I intend to figure this out, and will. Just typing out the question has helped my ADD addled mind get a better handle on what I'm actually trying to do.
As always... Any help is help.
Thanks
Skip
UPDATE:
I've already got this...
$("body").prepend("<div>text</div>");
this.test = document.body.firstChild;
this.test.style.backgroundColor = "blue";
That's a div created in code, and a reference that can be returned. Stick it in a function, it works.
UPDATE AGAIN:
I've got draggable popups created and manipulated as objects with one prototype function. Here's the fiddle. That's my first fiddle! The popups are key to my project, and from what I've learned the data functionality will come easy.

This is pretty close:
// globals
var pairs = {
{ div : 'div1', url : 'http://some.net/address?client=Some+Client' } ,
{ div : 'div2', url : 'http://some.net/otheraddress?client=Some+Client' } ,
};
var since_record_id; //?? not sure what this is
var intervals = [];
// window onload
window.onload(){ // I don't think this is gonna work
for(var i; i<pairs.length; i++) {
getRecent(pairs[i]);
intervals.push(setInterval(function(){
pollForNew(map[i]);
}, 300000));
}
}
function getRecent(map){
var url = map.url + '&recent=20';
// do stuff here to retrieve the resource
var content = loadResoucrce(url); // must define this
var elt = document.getElementById(map.div);
elt.innerHTML = content;
}
function pollForNew(map){
var url = map.url + '&since_record_id=' + since_record_id;
var content = loadResoucrce(url); // returns an html fragment
var elt = document.getElementById(map.div);
elt.innerHTML = content;
}
and the html obviously needs two divs:
<div id='div1' class='data_div'></div>
<div id='div2' class='data_div'></div>
Your 'window.onload` - I don't think that's gonna work, but maybe you have it set up correctly and didn't want to bother putting in all the code.
About my suggested code - it defines an array in the global scope, an array of objects. Each object is a map, a dictionary if you like. These are the params for each div. It supplies the div id, and the url stub. If you have other params that vary according to div, put them in the map.
Then, call getRecent() once for each map object. Inside the function you can unwrap the map object and get at its parameters.
You also want to set up that interval within the loop, using the same parameterization. I myself would prefer to use setTimeout(), but that's just me.
You need to supply the loadResource() function that accepts a URL (string) and returns the HTML available at that URL.
This solves the problem of modularity, but it is not "an object" or class-based approach to the problem. I'm not sure why you'd want one with such a simple task. Here's a crack an an object that does what you want:
(function() {
var getRecent = function(url, div){
url = url + '&recent=20';
// do stuff here to retrieve the resource
var content = loadResoucrce(url); // must define this
var elt = document.getElementById(div);
elt.innerHTML = content;
}
var pollForNew = function(url, div){
url = url + '&since_record_id=' + since_record_id;
var content = loadResoucrce(url); // returns an html fragment
var elt = document.getElementById(div);
elt.innerHTML = content;
}
UpdatingDataDiv = function(map) {
if (! (this instanceof arguments.callee) ) {
var error = new Error("you must use new to instantiate this class");
error.source = "UpdatingDataDiv";
throw error;
}
this.url = map.url;
this.div = map.div;
this.interval = map.interval || 30000; // default 30s
var self = this;
getRecent(this.url, this.div);
this.intervalId = setInterval(function(){
pollForNew(self.url, self.div);
}, this.interval);
};
UpdatingDataDiv.prototype.cancel = function() {
if (this.intervalId) {
clearInterval(this.intervalId);
this.intervalId = null;
}
}
})();
var d1= new UpdatingDataDiv('div1','http://some.net/address?client=Some+Client');
var d2= new UpdatingDataDiv('div2','http://some.net/otheraddress?client=Some+Client');
...
d1.cancel();
But there's not a lot you can do with d1 and d2. You can invoke cancel() to stop the updating. I guess you could add more functions to extend its capability.

OK, figured out what I needed. It's pretty straight forward.
First off disregard window.onload, the object is defined as a function and when you instantiate a new object it runs the function. Do your setup in the function.
Second, for global variables that you wish to make local to your object, simply define them as this.variable_name; within the object. Those variables are visible throughout the object, and its member functions.
Third, define your member functions as object.prototype.function = function(){};
Fourth, for my case, the object function should return this; This allows regular program flow to examine the variables of the object using dot notation.
This is the answer I was looking for. It takes my non-functional example code, and repackages it as an object...
function ServerObject(url){
// global to the object
this.server_url = url;
this.data = new Object();
this.since_record_id;
this.interval_id;
// do the onload functions
this.getRecent();
this.interval_id = setInterval(function(){
this.pollForNew();
}, 300000);
// do other stuff to setup the object
return this;
}
// define the getRecent function
ServerObject.prototype.getRecent = function(){
// do getRecent(); stuff
// reference object variables as this.variable;
}
// same for pollForNew();
ServerObject.prototype.pollForNew = function(){
// do pollForNew(); stuff here.
// reference object variables as this.variable;
}
Then in your program flow you do something like...
var server = new ServerObject("http://some.net/address");
server.variable = newValue; // access object variables
I mentioned the ADD in the first post. I'm smart enough to know how complex objects can be, and when I look for examples and explanations they expose certain layers of those complexities that cause my mind to just swim. It is difficult to drill down to the simple rules that get you started on the ground floor. What's the scope of 'this'? Sure I'll figure that out someday, but the simple truth is, you gotta reference 'this'.
Thanks
I wish I had more to offer.
Skip