How to use 2 arguments in a 1-arg javascript function? - javascript

I am using the http module in node.js to read from url. The http.get function has this signature:
http.get(options[, callback])
The callback function takes a single argument, res. What can I do if I want to use extra objects/functions inside the callback? I can think of inlining the get call like so:
outerFunction = function(xyz) {
http.get(options, (res) => {
// do stuff with xyz here
xyz(res.blah);
}
});
But if my callback gets long I want to declare it upfront somewhere:
myCallback = function(xyz) {
return function(r) { xyz(r.blah); };
}
And invoke myCallback like so:
outerFunction = function(xyz) {
http.get(options, (res) => {
myCallback(xyz)(res);
});
}
But that seems super clumsy and only to get around the 1-arg callback restriction.
Are there better ways? Thanks!

you can use this code please,because myCallback return a function,then after get the resource,http will pass the res into xyz automatically.
outerFunction = function(xyz) {
http.get(options,myCallback(xyz));
}

You could use the arguments object.
The arguments object is a local variable available within all
functions. You can refer to a function's arguments within the function
by using the arguments object. This object contains an entry for each
argument passed to the function, the first entry's index starting at
0.
Quick example:
function test1234(a){
var args = arguments;
console.log(args); // prints -> 0: "a", 1: "b"
}
test1234('a', 'b');

Related

Send function parameters as arguments to another function js [duplicate]

Here are two callback function:
function callback_a(){
alert('a');
}
function callback_b(p){
alert('b says'+ p)'
}
If I want use callback_a
function test(callback){
if(condition){
callback();
}
}
test(callback_a);
But the function test isn't applicable to callback_b, So how to implement a common function that you can passing some callbacks function with multiple possible parameter lists.
There are three options:
The easiest way is to use spread operator:
function test(callback, ...callback_args) {
callback(...callback_args);
}
in this case the invocation of test for function callback_b would be like this:
test(callback_b,"b")
The second way is using arguments which are scoped to any function in JavaScript:
function test(callback) {
callback.apply(null, arguments.slice(1));
}
the invocation of test for function callback_b would be the same:
test(callback_b,"b")
Another options is to use partially applied functions. In this case you should define b_callback like this (ES6 syntax):
let callback_b = (p) => () => void{
alert('b says'+ p)'
}
or without ES6:
function callback_b(p) {
return function(){
alert('b says'+ p)'
}
}
and invoke it like this:
test(callback_b("b"))
There is a special object called arguments that gets created when a function is invoked. It's an array-like object that represents the arguments passed in to a function:
It can be used like this:
test();
// no arguments passed, but it still gets created:
// arguments.length = 0
// arguments >> []
test(a);
// ONE argument passed:
// arguments.length = 1
// arguments >> [a]
test(a,b,c,d);
// FOUR arguments passed:
// arguments.length = 4
// arguments >> [a,b,c,d]
Knowing this, one can call a callback with the rest of the arguments passed in from the parent function using apply like this:
function test(callback) {
callback.apply(null, Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 1));
}
// arguments passed into test are available in the function scope when
// .slice is used here to only pass the portion of the arguments
// array relevant to the callback (i.e. any arguments minus the
// first argument which is the callback itself.)
//
// N.B. The arguments object isn't an array but an array like object so
// .slice isn't available on it directly, hence .call was used here)
Might be worth reading up on:
The arguments object
Function.prototype.apply, Function.prototype.call and Function.prototype.bind as they are way to bind a context and arguments to a function (i.e. they'll work with the arguments object to call a function where you may not know how many arguments will be passed)
So how to implement a common function that you can passing some callbacks function with multiple possible parameter lists.
Basically, you don't. The function receiving the callback is in charge of what the callback receives as arguments. When you call Array#forEach, it's Array#forEach that decides what arguments your callback gets. Similarly, String#replace defines what it will call its callback with.
Your job is to say what test will do, what it will call its callback with. Then it's the job of the person using test to write their callback appropriately. For instance: You might document test as calling the callback with no arguments. If the caller wants to use callback_b, then it's up to them to handle the fact that callback_b expects a parameter. There are several ways they can do that:
The could wrap it in another function:
test(function() {
callback_b("appropriate value here");
});
...or use Function#bind
test(callback_b.bind(null, "appropriate value here"));
...but it's their problem, not yours.
Side note: If they pass you callback_b and you call it without any arguments, you won't get an error. JavaScript allows you to call a function with fewer arguments than it expects, or more. How the function handles that is up to the author of the function.
You can pass an anonymous function as the callback that will itself return your desired callback function with parameters.
test(function() { return callback_b(' how are you'); });
see this working snippet that will first use callback_a, then callback_b (with parameter) as the callback:
function callback_a(){
alert('a');
}
function callback_b(p){
alert('b says'+ p);
}
function test(callback){
if(true){
callback();
}
}
test(callback_a);
test(function() { return callback_b(' how are you'); });
You can pass the parameter while calling the callback
function test(callback){
if(condition){
callback();
}
else if(other condition){
callback("b");
}
}
test(callback_b);
You can write your callback function like
function callback_a_b(){
if(arguments.length){
var arg = [].slice.call(arguments);
alert('b says'+ arg[0])
}
else{
alert('a');
}
}
You can pass array of parameters as second param of test function or in ES6 use spread operator read more here
function test(callback, params){
if(condition){
if (params === undefined){
callback();
} else {
callback.apply(null, params); //params must be array
//ES6: callback(...params);
}
}
}
test(callback_a);
test(callback_b, [" whatever"]);
I've just checked in my browser (ffox 51.0.1) that the following works:
function test(callback,other_args){if(condition){callback(other_args);}}
results:
condition=true
test(callback_a)
=> shows the alert with 'a'
condition=false
test(callback_a)
=> doesn't show anything
condition=true
test(callback_b,"pepe")
=> shows the alert with 'b sayspepe'
condition=false
test(callback_b,"pepe")
=> doesn't show anything

Javascript why can one specify callback without parameters?

I originally come from the Java Programming language, and I was just wondering why it is possible in javascript to pass a callback function as a variable or plain object (without parameters) to another function, and then use this callback function inside of another function but this time with parameters to pass.
And how exactly is this callback returning my user object, as I did not specify a return function inside callback(user), or specify any function body at all for my callback. Is this done inside the setTimeout(()...) function as the timeoutHandler implementation is implicitly returning something?
var getUser = (id,callback) => {
var user = {
id: id,
name: 'Vikram'
};
setTimeout(() => {
callback(user);
},3000);
};
getUser(31, (userObject) => {
console.log(userObject);
});
I see two questions here:
why it is possible in javascript to pass a callback function as a variable or plain object (without parameters) to another function.
Because functions are first-class objects, we can pass a function as an argument in another function and later execute that passed-in function or even return it to be executed later.
Read more here: https://javascriptissexy.com/understand-javascript-callback-functions-and-use-them/
Below shows functions are just objects as well:
function hello() {
return 'hello';
}
hello.other = 'world';
console.log(hello() + ', ' + hello.other);
how exactly is this callback returning my user object, as I did not specify a return function inside callback(user), or specify any function body at all for my callback.
setTimeout(()...) function is not implicitly returning anything, it just registers a function, that would execute later. When the function registered by the setTimeout triggers, it invokes the callback(user) and that resolves getUser registered function which logs to the console. Remember callbacks are asynchronous.
Functions have implicit returns if not specified, which returns undefined, meaning you did not explicitly return.
Below shows an example:
function hello() {
console.log('Hello, World');
}
console.log(hello()); // undefined.
function hi() {
return 'Hi, World';
}
console.log(hi()); // Hi, World.
The function i.e callback is passed as reference here. So you can pass it as much you want, when you call it then you can pass on the arguments and it will refer to original function.
And also it's not returning the user object, it's just consoling out the user object. As you have not used any return it will return undefined. Try consoling the callback fn return out.
var getUser = (id,callback) => {
var user = {
id: id,
name: 'Vikram'
};
setTimeout(() => {
console.log(callback(user), 'return value of callback');
},3000);
};
In javascript function is a object.
It behaves like function only with ()
So you can pass function to another function or variable as value.
Some functions in javascript are asynchronous.
setTimeout is such async function. It means callback function will be run after a time.
What's happening:
//assign anonymous function to variable
// until function without () it only a object
var getUser = (id,callback) => {
//set up params
var user = {
id: id,
name: 'Vikram'
};
// setup asynchronous function setTimeout
setTimeout(() => {
// run callback with params when time would done
callback(user);
},3000);
};
// call function which contains in getUser-variable and pass 2 params: int and callback-function
getUser(31, (userObject) => {
console.log(userObject);
});

How can I get the arguments for function that I pass as a parameter to another function?

I'm trying to access arguments from the function that is being passed as a parameter to make sure to pass those through, however I'm getting the error:
TypeError: 'caller', 'callee', and 'arguments' properties may not be accessed on strict mode functions or the arguments objects for calls to them
How can I get the arguments for func so that I can pass the message through when calling it?
UPDATE: maybe a better question is why can't I log func.arguments?
function a(func){
console.log(func.arguments)
return function(){
func.apply(null, func.arguments);
}
}
function log(message){
console.log(message)
}
a(log.bind('hello'))()
It can be done but its not pretty. you have to return an object with the parameters you want from the function you are passing
function a(func){
console.log(func.arguments)
//you dont actually need this since you have already called the function before passing
//return function(){
// func.apply(null, func.arguments);
//}
}
function log(message){
console.log(message);
return {
arguments : arguments //store the arguments and return them
};
}
//you not actually passing the function here (the way you have it written)
//you are calling it and returning its value
//we return { arguments: arguments } so the "a" function can retrieve its properties.
a(log("hello"));
I guess what you're trying to do is to intercept a function with a "logging" function.
If so, there is a different approach, using ES6 rest params --
let withLog = func => (...args) => {
console.log(...args);
return func(...args);
};
let add = (x, y) => x + y;
withLog(add)(2, 3); // outputs '2 3', returns 5

Why pass an undefined javascript function parameter?

So I'm learning Javascript and I see this code:
var apple = {//... an object with some properties};
var fruit = apple.someMethod(function (b) {return b.a_property_of_apple});
Where someMethod and a_property_of_apple are valid methods and properties.
My question pertains to the argument, b, of the anonymous function which is not declared or defined anywhere else:
function (b) {return ...
What is going on here? What is b and why is it being used?
Apologies in advance for the basic nature of the question. If someone just wants to drop some focused terms on me to read up on that would be great short of an explanation.
The anonymous function is a callback function being passed to the apple.method() invocation.
apple.method() will invoke that anonymous function at some point during it's execution, ( or pass it to another function ). Whenever it's invoked it will be invoked with an argument that will be available inside the callback. You could call it b, or response, or whatever you want (logical names are best) and be able to use it within the anonymous function.
You should read about Callback functions over at MDN.
EDIT: I will explain the parts to you
var apple = {} This is the definition of an object
var fruit = apple.someMethod(function (b) {return b.a_property_of_apple}); is defining that fruit is equal to the return value of the invocation of apple.someMethod(...)
apple.someMethod(function (b) {return b.a_property_of_apple}); is the invocation of apple.someMethod with function (b) {return b.a_property_of_apple} as the only argument.
The b argument in the anonymous function function (b) {return b.a_property_of_apple} will be passed to it's invocation within the apple.someMethod.
Here is an example snippet.
// define apple
var apple = {
// define method
someMethod: function( callback ) {
var obj = {
a_property_of_apple: "Eat me!" // this will be returned
}
// return the invocation of callback with obj as argument
return callback(obj);
}
}
var fruit = apple.someMethod(function (b) {return b.a_property_of_apple});
console.log(fruit);
EDIT: Ok, going to use something slightly less abstract as an example.
// notice employees being passed to this function
// that is called an argument and is usable inside the function
var orginization = function( employees ) {
// this will take the empoyees argument and assign it to this.employees
// or set this.employees to an empty array if there is no employees argument
this.employees = employees || [ ];
// this is a method ( a method is a function on an object )
// this function takes 3 arguments
this.addEmployee = function( employee ) {
// we use the 3 arguments to push a new object with title, name, and salary
// properties provided by the function arguments
this.employees.push( employee );
}
// this method returns the value stored in this.employees
this.getEmployees = function() {
return this.employees;
}
}
// this is a variable an array of employees only containing 1 employee
// i will use it in the creation of my new orginization
var employess = [
{
title: "CEO",
name: "Enola",
salary: "$$$$$$$"
}
];
// i use the new to create learningInc from originization( employees )
// originization is a constructor function which creates an object
// with methods and properties found on the constructor
var learningInc = new orginization( employess );
// console.log learningInc.getEmployees() an you will see still only the CEO
// works here
console.log( "before newHire: ", learningInc.getEmployees() );
// lets make a newHire
var newHire = {
title: "Peon",
name: "Sadly McFrownFace",
salary: "$"
};
// add the newHire to the employess of learningInc wth out getEmployees() method
learningInc.addEmployee( newHire );
// log the new value of learningInc.getEmployees and you see we now have 2 employees
console.log( "after newHire: ", learningInc.getEmployees() );
Ok now notice this line var learningInc = new orginization( employess );
The employees variable I'm passing to this function as an argument is used in this function var orginization = function( employees ) { ... }.
Hope this help.
My question pertains to the parameter, b, of the anonymous function which is not declared or defined anywhere else: What is going on here?
What is b and why is it being used?
Why you say it is not declared? It is declared right there. Consider this simple JavaScript function:
function doSomething(a, b){
//do something here;
}
In this code, we are creating a function, naming it "doSomething", and declaring two parameters for it a and b. This is how we declare function parameters in JavaScript. Now your example:
function (b) {return ...
is exactly the same, except we didn't give this function a name, which means it is an anonymous function. That's the only difference, but its parameter b is declared right there like any standard function. So there is nothing special going here, it's a standard function parameter and used as such.
There are a couple concepts at work here
Function declarations vs function expressions; you can use function as an operator to define a function, and assign the function to an identifier and pass it around like any normal object
Callbacks; you can pass a function CB into another function A to be called by A (as defined by A)
Passing something without an identifier
Function Declaration
// declare function
function foo(argFoo) {
console.log('foo', argFoo);
}
// invoke function
foo('was declared'); // "foo" "was declared"
Function Expression
// express function
var bar = function (argBar) {
console.log('bar', argBar);
};
// invoke function
bar('was expressed'); // "bar" "was expressed"
Callbacks
function fizz(callback) {
console.log('first I fizz');
callback();
}
function buzz() {
console.log('then I buzz');
}
fizz(buzz);
// "first I fizz"
// "then I buzz"
Passing without an Identifier,
Basically, defining things in-place
// say we have some fn fizzbuzz
function fizzbuzz(foo) {
console.log(foo);
}
// we could pre-define what we want to pass to it
var i = 1;
fizzbuzz(i); // 1
// or we could pass directly
fizzbuzz(1); // 1
// with anything we like
fizzbuzz({some: 'object'}); // {some: "object"}
// even a function
fizzbuzz(function () {}); // function () {}
Maybe if I break down what is happening into more readable code, you can see what is happening.
someMethod is a method that take a function as an argument. This is more easily seen when broken down like below.
It's up to someMethod to determine what they do with that function. In this example, I am executing the function being passed into someMethod and passing it my this context.
var apple = {
name: 'Apple',
someMethod: function(func) {
return func(this);
}
};
function getName (b) {
return b.name;
};
const name = apple.someMethod(getName); // Apple
To your question: b is defined as the first argument to your anonymous function. This is more clearly expressed when the code is broken out above. But you could also express it like this:
const name = apple.someMethod(function(x) { return x.name; }); // Apple
or like this using ES6:
const name = apple.someMethod(x => x.name); // Apple

Function as a Parameter that Returns an Anonymous Object

I see a lot of javascript code that passes a function as a parameter that returns an anonymous object.
myFunction(function() {
return {
foo: 'bar'
};
});
What is the advantage or the purpose of using this instead of simply passing directly an anonymous object?
myFunction({
foo: 'bar'
});
The difference is that if you alter the argument passed in your second code snippet, there is no way to get the original argument again.
If you pass an function instead you can call the function more than once and get always the same argument back. (if the function is implemented this way)
Furthermore if you use a function you can do additional stuff like logging how often your function / argument was called or so on. So using a function adds more flexibility for the user of the function.
For the developer of the function on the other hand accepting a function as argument can cause the tiny problem that a function doesn´t have to return the same value every time you call it - myFunc() == myFunc() COULD return false, therefore i would not recommend handing over a function if it is supposed to JUST return an argument.
Backbone uses have a lot of places where they will initialize the function if passed to get the value, eg.
Backbone.Model.extend({
url: function() { return 'myurl.aspx'; }
});
// VS
Backbone.Model.extend({
url: 'myurl.aspx'
});
This is clever if you will have to make some calculation / run some conditions before you'ill know that the url is.
Backbone.Model.extend({
url: function() {
if ( this.get('name') ) {
return 'service1.aspx';
}
else {
return 'service2.aspx';
}
}
});
Your first example sends an anonymous function as the first argument to myFunction while the second example sends an object as the first argument.
myFunction(function() {
return {
foo: 'bar'
};
}); // function() {...}
myFunction({
foo: 'bar'
}); // {foo: 'bar'}
function myFunction(what) {
console.log(what);
}
If you are talking about closures, the main difference is that you can have private variables inside closures:
var setGet = (function() {
var v = null;
return {
get: function() { return v; },
get: function(val) { v=val; },
};
});
// VS:
var setGet = {
v: null,
get: function() { return this.v; },
get: function(val) { this.v; },
};
In the first example you can't access the variable v without using .get/.set on setGet while in the 2. example i can simple change it by setting setGet.v = 'new_val';
In the first example You are passing a callback function.
When we pass a callback function as an argument to another function,
we are only passing the function definition. We are not executing the function
in the parameter.
And since the containing function has the callback function in its parameter as a function definition, it can execute the callback anytime. This allows us to execute the callback functions at any point in the containing function.
A simple example for this is jQuery click binding :
/The anonymous function is not being executed there in the parameter.
//The anonymous function is a callback function
$("#btn_1").click(function() {
alert("Btn 1 Clicked");
});
But in the second example you are simply passing an object to the called function.
Use this link to get more details about Callback functions. Enjoy :)
I think, it really depends where you saw the code being used.
In this case, myFunction seems to require you to pass a function rather than an Object.
But in general, Consider this
myFunction(function() {
var a = "bar";
return {
foo: a
};
});
and this:
var a = "bar"
myFunction({
foo: a
});
In the second case, anyone outside is able to access a. But in first case, a becomes similar to a private variable which is exposed as public by the function. So you might observe this in places where people wish to follow OOP concepts in the otherwise classless JS.
Another case is where you require a callback function or some function that is to be called later. So if the data is to be preserved until a certain something is over you can make it available as the return value of a function, rather than storing it globally...

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