Develop Reference

How to create a unique function with its own pointer in JavaScript?

Calling getFunction will return a unique function every time, right?
var getFunction = function() {
var myFunction = function() {
};
return myFunction;
}
var function1 = getFunction();
var function2 = getFunction();
function1 === function2; // false

Yes, every time a function is called, a new scope is created for that run and all variables defined in it are unique and not shared between runs of the function.
Even doing something like the following would have the same result as the inner function is still defined inside of the function's scope and can see the arguments to the outer function.
var getFunction = function() {
function myFunction() {
};
return myFunction;
}
var function1 = getFunction();
var function2 = getFunction();
function1 === function2; // false

This can be visualized as follows. The outer scope holds the three variable allocations and the getFunction invocations will create two new scopes which return a function object defined in that scope.

Javascript function & nested functions

Purpose: I need to call sub function within main one;
Function declaration:
var MainFunction = function () {
function NestedFunc1(){
console.warn("NestedFunc1");
};
function NestedFunc2(){
console.warn("NestedFunc2");
};
}
Functions call:
MainFunction.NestedFunc1();
MainFunction.NestedFunc2();
What am I doing wrong?
10x;

you can make it public via a property then
function MainFunction () {
this.nestedFunc1 = function(){
console.warn("NestedFunc1");
};
this.nestedFunc2 = function(){
console.warn("NestedFunc2");
};
}
now you can invoke this function outside by doing
var malObj = new MainFunction();
malObj.nestedFunc1();
However, if you want to still invoke it like MainFunction.NestedFunc1() then make it
var MainFunction = {
NestedFunc1:function (){
console.warn("NestedFunc1");
},
NestedFunc2:function (){
console.warn("NestedFunc2");
}
}

The issue is that both of those functions are isolated within a function scope. Think of them as private functions.
One (of many) solutions could be to define MainFunction as a plain ol' object that has some functions as attributes:
var MainFunction = {
NestedFunction1: function () { .. },
NestedFunction2: function () { .. }
};
Notice that a comma is needed to separate the functions because of the way we are defining them. You then just call
MainFunction.NestedFunction1();
Also note that this pattern is fine as long as you don't wish to have other "private" functions inside that object.

What is a best practice for ensuring "this" context in Javascript?

Here's a sample of a simple Javascript class with a public and private method (fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/gY4mh/).
function Example() {
function privateFunction() {
// "this" is window when called.
console.log(this);
}
this.publicFunction = function() {
privateFunction();
}
}
ex = new Example;
ex.publicFunction();
Calling the private function from the public one results in "this" being the window object. How should I ensure my private methods are called with the class context and not window? Would this be undesirable?

Using closure. Basically any variable declared in function, remains available to functions inside that function :
var Example = (function() {
function Example() {
var self = this; // variable in function Example
function privateFunction() {
// The variable self is available to this function even after Example returns.
console.log(self);
}
self.publicFunction = function() {
privateFunction();
}
}
return Example;
})();
ex = new Example;
ex.publicFunction();

Another approach is to use "apply" to explicitly set what the methods "this" should be bound to.
function Test() {
this.name = 'test';
this.logName = function() {
console.log(this.name);
}
}
var foo = {name: 'foo'};
var test = new Test();
test.logName()
// => test
test.logName.apply(foo, null);
// => foo
Yet another approach is to use "call":
function Test() {
this.name = 'test';
this.logName = function() {
console.log(this.name);
}
}
var foo = {name: 'foo'};
var test = new Test();
test.logName()
// => test
test.logName.call(foo, null);
// => foo
both "apply" and "call" take the object that you want to bind "this" to as the first argument and an array of arguments to pass in to the method you are calling as the second arg.

It is worth understanding how the value of this in javascript is determined in addition to just having someone tell you a code fix. In javascript, this is determined the following ways:
If you call a function via an object property as in object.method(), then this will be set to the object inside the method.
If you call a function directly without any object reference such as function(), then this will be set to either the global object (window in a browser) or in strict mode, it will be set to undefined.
If you create a new object with the new operator, then the constructor function for that object will be called with the value of this set to the newly created object instance. You can think of this as the same as item 1 above, the object is created and then the constructor method on it is called.
If you call a function with .call() or .apply() as in function.call(xxx), then you can determine exactly what this is set to by what argument you pass to .call() or .apply(). You can read more about .call() here and .apply() here on MDN.
If you use function.bind(xxx) this creates a small stub function that makes sure your function is called with the desired value of this. Internally, this likely just uses .apply(), but it's a shortcut for when you want a single callback function that will have the right value of this when it's called (when you aren't the direct caller of the function).
In a callback function, the caller of the callback function is responsible for determining the desired value of this. For example, in an event handler callback function, the browser generally sets this to be the DOM object that is handling the event.
There's a nice summary of these various methods here on MDN.
So, in your case, you are making a normal function call when you call privateFunction(). So, as expected the value of this is set as in option 2 above.
If you want to explictly set it to the current value of this in your method, then you can do so like this:
var Example = (function() {
function Example() {
function privateFunction() {
// "this" is window when called.
console.log(this);
}
this.publicFunction = function() {
privateFunction.call(this);
}
}
return Example;
})();
ex = new Example;
ex.publicFunction();
Other methods such as using a closure and defined var that = this are best used for the case of callback functions when you are not the caller of the function and thus can't use 1-4. There is no reason to do it that way in your particular case. I would say that using .call() is a better practice. Then, your function can actually use this and can behave like a private method which appears to be the behavior you seek.

I guess most used way to get this done is by simply caching (storing) the value of this in a local context variable
function Example() {
var that = this;
// ...
function privateFunction() {
console.log(that);
}
this.publicFunction = function() {
privateFunction();
}
}
a more convenient way is to invoke Function.prototype.bind to bind a context to a function (forever). However, the only restriction here is that this requires a ES5-ready browser and bound functions are slightly slower.
var privateFunction = function() {
console.log(this);
}.bind(this);

I would say the proper way is to use prototyping since it was after all how Javascript was designed. So:
var Example = function(){
this.prop = 'whatever';
}
Example.prototype.fn_1 = function(){
console.log(this.prop);
return this
}
Example.prototype.fn_2 = function(){
this.prop = 'not whatever';
return this
}
var e = new Example();
e.fn_1() //whatever
e.fn_2().fn_1() //not whatever
Here's a fiddle http://jsfiddle.net/BFm2V/

If you're not using EcmaScript5, I'd recommend using Underscore's (or LoDash's) bind function.

In addition to the other answers given here, if you don't have an ES5-ready browser, you can create your own "permanently-bound function" quite simply with code like so:
function boundFn(thisobj, fn) {
return function() {
fn.apply(thisobj, arguments);
};
}
Then use it like this:
var Example = (function() {
function Example() {
var privateFunction = boundFn(this, function() {
// "this" inside here is the same "this" that was passed to boundFn.
console.log(this);
});
this.publicFunction = function() {
privateFunction();
}
}
return Example;
}()); // I prefer this order of parentheses
Voilà -- this is magically the outer context's this instead of the inner one!
You can even get ES5-like functionality if it's missing in your browser like so (this does nothing if you already have it):
if (!Function.prototype.bind) {
Function.prototype.bind = function (thisobj) {
var that = this;
return function() {
that.apply(thisobj, arguments);
};
}:
}
Then use var yourFunction = function() {}.bind(thisobj); exactly the same way.
ES5-like code that is fully compliant (as possible), checking parameter types and so on, can be found at mozilla Function.prototype.bind. There are some differences that could trip you up if you're doing a few different advanced things with functions, so read up on it at the link if you want to go that route.

I would say assigning self to this is a common technique:
function Example() {
var self = this;
function privateFunction() {
console.log(self);
}
self.publicFunction = function() {
privateFunction();
};
}
Using apply (as others have suggested) also works, though it's a bit more complex in my opinion.
It might be beyond the scope of this question, but I would also recommend considering a different approach to JavaScript where you actually don't use the this keyword at all. A former colleague of mine at ThoughtWorks, Pete Hodgson, wrote a really helpful article, Class-less JavaScript, explaining one way to do this.

Unable to access the object using `this`. `this` points to `window` object

I have this Javascript constructor-
function TestEngine() {
this.id='Foo';
}
TestEngine.prototype.fooBar = function() {
this.id='bar';
return true;
}
TestEngine.prototype.start = function() {
this.fooBar();
}
TestEngine.prototype.startMethod = function() {
inter = setInterval(this.start, 200);
}
var test = new TestEngine();
test.startMethod();
Gives me this error -
Uncaught TypeError: Object [object global] has no method 'fooBar'
I tried console.log and found out that when I call this.start from within setInterval, this points to the window object. Why is this so?

The this pointer can point to one of many things depending upon the context:
In constructor functions (function calls preceded by new) this points to the newly created instance of the constructor.
When a function is called as a method of an object (e.g. obj.funct()) then the this pointer inside the function points to the object.
You can explicitly set what this points to by using call, apply or bind.
If none of the above then the this pointer points to the global object by default. In browsers this is the window object.
In your case you're calling this.start inside setInterval. Now consider this dummy implementation of setInterval:
function setInterval(funct, delay) {
// native code
}
It's important to understand that start is not being called as this.start. It's being called as funct. It's like doing something like this:
var funct = this.start;
funct();
Now both these functions would normally execute the same, but there's one tiny problem - the this pointer points to the global object in the second case while it points to the current this in the first.
An important distinction to make is that we're talking about the this pointer inside start. Consider:
this.start(); // this inside start points to this
var funct = this.start;
funct(); // this inside funct (start) point to window
This is not a bug. This is the way JavaScript works. When you call a function as a method of an object (see my second point above) the this pointer inside the function points to that object.
In the second case since funct is not being called as a method of an object the fourth rule is applied by default. Hence this points to window.
You can solve this problem by binding start to the current this pointer and then passing it to setInterval as follows:
setInterval(this.start.bind(this), 200);
That's it. Hope this explanation helped you understand a little bit more about the awesomeness of JavaScript.

Here is a neat way to do OOP with javascript:
//Global Namespace:
var MyNamespace = MyNamespace || {};
//Classes:
MyNamespace.MyObject = function () {
this.PublicVar = 'public'; //Public variable
var _privatVar = 'private'; //Private variable
//Public methods:
this.PublicMethod = function () {
}
//Private methods:
function PrivateMethod() {
}
}
//USAGE EXAMPLE:
var myObj = new MyNamespace.MyObject();
myObj.PublicMethod();
This way you encapsulate your methods and variables into a namespace/class to make it much easier use and maintain.
Therefore you could write your code like this:
var MyNamespace = MyNamespace || {};
//Class: TestEngine
MyNamespace.TestEngine = function () {
this.ID = null;
var _inter = null;
//Public methods:
this.StartMethod = function (id) {
this.ID = id;
_inter = setInterval(Start, 1000);
}
//Private methods:
function Start() {
FooBar();
console.log(this.ID);
}
function FooBar() {
this.ID = 'bar';
return true;
}
}
//USAGE EXAMPLE:
var testEngine = new MyNamespace.TestEngine();
testEngine.StartMethod('Foo');
console.log(testEngine.ID);
Initially, the ID is set to 'Foo'
After 1 second the ID is set to 'bar'
Notice all variables and methods are encapsulated inside the TestEngine class.

Try this:
function TestEngine() {
this.id='Foo';
}
TestEngine.prototype.fooBar = function() {
this.id='bar';
return true;
}
TestEngine.prototype.start = function() {
this.fooBar();
}
TestEngine.prototype.startMethod = function() {
var self = this;
var inter = setInterval(function() {
self.start();
}, 200);
}
var test = new TestEngine();
test.startMethod();
setInterval calls start function with window context. It means when start gets executed, this inside start function points to window object. And window object don't have any method called fooBar & you get the error.
Anonymous function approach:
It is a good practice to pass anonymous function to setInterval and call your function from it. This will be useful if your function makes use of this.
What I did is, created a temp variable self & assigned this to it when it is pointing your TestEngine instance & calling self.start() function with it.
Now inside start function, this will be pointing to your testInstance & everything will work as expected.
Bind approach:
Bind will make your life easier & also increase readability of your code.
TestEngine.prototype.startMethod = function() {
setInterval(this.start.bind(this), 200);
}

Confusion with "this" object in JavaScript anonymous functions

Hi I have following JavaScript code that I am trying to run. My aim is to grasp the meaning of this in different scopes and different types of invocations in JavaScript.
If you look in code below: I have a inner anonymous function, which is getting assigned to innerStuff variable. In that anonymous function as such this points to window object and not the outer function object or anything else. Event though it still has access to out function's variables.
Anyway, I am not sure, why that would be; but if you look at code below, I pass this in form of that to innerStuff later and it works just fine and prints object with doofus attribute in console.
var someStuff = {
doofus:"whatever",
newF: function()
{
var that = this;
console.log(that);
var innerStuff = function(topThis){
console.log(topThis);
};
return innerStuff(that);
}
}
someStuff.newF();
Now I am changing a code only little bit. And instead of assigning it to innerStuff, I'll just directly return the function by invoking it as shown below:
var someStuff = {
doofus:"whatever",
newF: function()
{
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(that){
console.log(that);
}();
}
}
someStuff.newF();
This prints undefined for the inner anonymous function. Is it because there is a clash between a that that is being passed as parameter and a that defined in outside function?
I thought the parameter would have overriden the visibility. Why would the value be not retained?
This is utterly confusing.
On the other hand if I don't pass that, but instead just use it, because visibility is there, the outcome is proper and as expected.
What is it that I am missing? Is it the clash between the variables, present in same scope?
Is there a good reason, that inner functions have this bound to window object?

this in JavaScript refers to the object that you called a method on. If you invoke a function as someObject.functionName(args), then this will be bound to that object. If you simply invoke a bare function, as in functionName(args), then this will be bound to the window object.
Inside of newF in the second example, you are shadowing the that variable in your inner function, but not passing anything into it, so it is undefined.
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(that){
console.log(that);
}();
You probably want the following instead, if you want something that is equivalent to your first example (passing that in to the inner function):
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(that){
console.log(that);
}(that);
Or the following, if you don't want to shadow it and just use the outer function's binding:
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(){
console.log(that);
}();

In your second example, when you invoke the anonymous function, the parameter that is not defined (you aren't passing anything to it.) You can do this:
newF: function()
{
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(that){
console.log(that);
}(that); // note that we are passing our 'that' in as 'that'
}
That will keep the proper value of the variable around.
However, since you are scoping var that above, you could just remove the function parameter as well:
newF: function()
{
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(){
console.log(that);
}(); // 'that' is referenced above.
}
As far as why anonymous functions have window as their this: whenever you call a function without a context (i.e. somef() vs context.somef()) this will point to the window object.
You can override that and pass a this using .apply(context, argumentsArray) or .call(context, arg1, arg2, arg3) on a function. An example:
newF: function()
{
console.log('Outer:', this);
var innerF = function(){
console.log('Inner:', this);
};
return innerF.apply(this,arguments);
}

In your first code example, the anonymous function, though declared within a function that is a member of the someStuff object, is not a member of the someStuff object. For that reason, this in that function is a reference to the window object. If you wanted to invoke the anonymous function and have control over the this reference, you could do the following:
var someStuff = {
doofus:"whatever",
newF: function()
{
var that = this;
console.log(that);
var innerStuff = function(){
console.log(this);
};
return innerStuff.apply(this);
}
}
someStuff.newF();
In your second example, your actually creating an anonymous function, executing it, and then returning the value that the anonymous function returned. However, your anonymous function did not return anything. Additionally, you have a variable name conflict. You could do:
var someStuff = {
doofus:"whatever",
newF: function()
{
var that = this;
console.log(that);
return function(){
console.log(that);
return true;
}();
}
}
someStuff.newF();
I added the return true because your function should return something, since the function that is executing it is returning the return value of the anonymous function. Whether it returns true or false or a string or an object or whatever else depends on the scenario.