Purpose of this custom resolve function? - javascript

I'm having trouble puzzling this resolve function out...
function _resolve(){
var $deferred = $.Deferred();
return $deferred.resolve.apply($deferred, arguments).promise();
}
I see it being used like
if (availableLanguages.length === 1) {
return _resolve(availableLanguages[0]);
}
and
if (detectedLocale && availableLanguages.indexOf(detectedLocale) > -1) {
// save the locale so the user does not get asked for it again
return _resolve(detectedLocale, true);
}

The _resolve function is a shortcut for creating kind of a dummy jQuery Deferred object, which is initially resolved. They should have rather called it for example _createResolvedPromise which would be more intuitive, but we always used to save some characters don't we.
In general this technique is needed when you have a function which returns a deferred, but in some cases you can have an early return with some value. In this case you cannot just return the value, because the caller expects a deferred, so you have to create a deferred object and immediately resolve it with that value. You can perhaps call these deferred objects constant deferred objects or so.
The apply is used to call the resolve with the optional arguments passed to _resolve. Those arguments will be passed to the done callback later on. See the documentation here.
Calling promise() on the deferred object is nothing more than wrapping it into a promise object, so that the consumer cannot call resolve for example. See the documentation here.
For example, let's assume we want to retrieve something via ajax, but also we cache the results.
var _cachedResult;
function getResults() {
if (_cachedResult) {
// for THIS line they made the _resolve shortcut, with which I could write _resolve(_cachedResult)
return $.Deferred().resolve(_cachedResult).promise();
}
return $.ajax(...).done(function(result) {
_cachedResult = result;
});
}
The caller can use it like this.
getResult().done(function(result) {
// do something with result, which maybe came from the cache
});
Hope it makes sense.

In short, it appears to be wrapping up various calls in a Promise/async fashion.
It's likely that detectLocale is an async function, and they're using _resolve to simply handle it in a synchronous manner. Your _resolve function is returning a Promise, which presumably the consumers of those return values are using.
I would expect to see something like this if you trace it up:
function getLanguages() {
if (availableLanguages.length === 1) {
return _resolve(availableLanguages[0]);
}
return new Promise(); // or something, unless it's checking for null outside
}
function doSomething() {
getLanguages().then(languages => console.log(languages));
}

Related

a jQuery promise that always succeeds?

I have this code jQuery code fragment:
$.get('/api/' + currentPage).done(function(data) { ... })
.fail(...)
I want to replace $.get('/api/'+currentPage) with a promise that always succeeds and returns a specific value for data. Something like:
let myData = { ... } // value of data I want to pass to the done function
(new AlwaysSucceeds(myData)).done(function(data) { ... })
.fail(...)
I could cobble up a dummy object, or I could extract out the done function but I want to keep changes to the code to a minimum.
Is there a way to do this?
UPDATE: To help clarify what's going, the code I am working with is (here). Normally this app is served from a nodejs server which implements the /api/... call, but I am converting it to be served
from a static page server. I know what is going to be returned from
the $.get call. To keep changes to the code clean I simply want to
change that line to:
let myData = {...}
// $.get('/api/' + currentPage) -- comment out the $.get call
(SOMETHINGHERE(myData)).done(function(data) {
The SOMETHINGHERE expression needs to implement .done(f)
which will call the function f with myData and then return
some object which implements .fail(...) which does nothing.
You can just replace $.get(...) with a function that returns a promise that is already resolved with the data you already have. And, the shortest way to get an already resolved jQuery promise, resolved with a particular value, is this:
$.when(myData).done(...)
The more text book way to do it in jQuery is:
$.Deferred().resolve(myData).done(...)
And, if you care to switch your logic to the the ES6 standard (instead of the non-standard jQuery promise behaviors), then you could use this:
Promise.resolve(myData).then(...).catch(...)
You can achieve this by implementing AlwaysSuceeds constructor function. Please see below example.
function AlwaysSucceeds(data) {
this.data = data;
}
AlwaysSucceeds.prototype.done = function(fn) {
fn(this.data);
return this;
}
AlwaysSucceeds.prototype.fail = function(fn) {
return this;
}
var myData = {
a: 1
};
(new AlwaysSucceeds(myData)).done(function(data) {
console.log(data)
}).fail(function(data){
})
Since jQuery Ajax functions just return $.Deferred objects, you can just substitute an immediately-resolved Deferred:
$.Deferred().resolve(myData).then(...)
In this particular case, if you want to make it easy to switch between synchronous and asynchronous code, and you have access to async/await, you can just use those directly:
try {
const data = await Promise.resolve($.get('/api/' + currentPage));
// code in done
} catch (err) {
// code in fail
}
would become
try {
const data = myData;
// code in done
} catch (err) {
// code in fail (never runs unless other code throws exceptions)
}
It's not clear what you actually want but be carufull using jQuery Deferred with native promises, the deferred has some non standard methods that native promises don't have.
So to be save I always assume there is a thenable, something that has a then with that you can pretty much do whatever you want.
jQuery Deferred do not behave like native promises either (depending on version):
$.Deferred().reject("hello world")
.then(
undefined
,x=>x
)
.then(
x=>console.log("Never happens",x)
)
Promise.reject("hello world")
.then(
undefined
,x=>x
);
.then(
x=>console.log("Well behaved",x)
);
Promise.resolve().then(x=>{throw "nope"})
.then(undefined,err=>console.warn(err));
$.Deferred().resolve().then(x=>{throw "nope"})//crashes
.then(undefined,err=>err);
So it will be saver to use native promises and polyfill with something that behaves like native.
To answer the question about non failing promise, if you want to make a request but return a default when it rejects and keep returning the same once resolves or rejects you can do:
const get = (p=>{
(url) => {
p = p ||
//return native promise or properly polyfilled one
Promise.resolve($.get(url))
.then(
undefined,
_=> {defaultobject:true}
);
return p;
}
})();
Your get function will return a native promise so no fail, done and other things that are non standard. Combining "promises" from different libraries and native promises it would be best to only use then

Javascript pattern for handling finished promise

I run into this every now and then:
return somethingThatReturnsAPromise()
.then((response) => {
soSomethingg(); // Eg; update the UI
return response;
});
Now I'm looking for something that is not expected to return anything and won't change the promise chain if I forget that:
return somethingThatReturnsAPromise()
.whatImLookingFor((response) => {
doSomething(); // Eg; update the UI
})
.then((response) => {
// and this one should still be able to access response
});
Maybe this goes against the idea of promises, but for me, it's a bit inconvenient since I can't pass arbitrary functions.
One idea is to compose a function:
const sideEffect = (callback) => {
return (response) => {
callback(response);
return response;
};
};
And I could use it as
return somethingThatReturnsAPromise()
.then(sideEffect(doSomething));
But I'd prefer something instead of then is there something like that?
Note: I'm working with Angular 1.x so I need something like for that.
I would assume that you're not really writing .then().then(), because you could collapse that into a single .then, but that your concern is really about returning the promise and having some external code add another then to the chain. In that case do this:
let p = somethingThatReturnsAPromise();
p.then(() => doSomething());
return p;
This allows the caller to attach additional thens to the original promise instead of chaining off of your .then, thereby receiving the original promise's value. This is called branching the promise chain.
Maybe this goes against the idea of promises
Slightly, promise chains are pipelines where then handlers transform things at each stage. But it's perfectly valid to want to pass through the value unchanged.
One idea is to compose a function:
Indeed the first thing that came to mind, and how I'd do it.
But I'd prefer something instead of then is there something like that?
There isn't. You could add it for your own projects (I wouldn't in a library) by adding it to Promise.prototype. Or you could give yourselve a Promise subclass and add it there.
With a Promise sublass you'd do something like:
return MyPromise.resolve(somethingThatReturnsAPromise())
.thenSide(soSomethingg); // Eg; update the UI
...where thenSide is your method that's then but passing the original value back unchanged, e.g.:
class MyPromise extends Promise {
thenSide(callback) {
this.then(callback);
return this;
}
}
or
class MyPromise extends Promise {
thenSide(callback) {
this.then(callback);
return MyPromise.resolve(this);
}
}
...depending on whether you're bothered about thenSide returning the same promise (since then always returns a new one).
As far as I know (I could well be wrong) the wrapper method for "pass-through" side-effects is an idiomatic way to do what you want.
Alternatively (if you need the same response in multiple places) you can break up the promise chain when you encounter a situation like this.

Return deferred object or null

I have a function that submits some data. Depending on the state of some boolean, I might not want to submit this data. However, the caller is always expecting a deferred object as the return value to check .done() or .fail(). It seems you cannot return null or return nothing when something expects done/fail (makes sense), so I don't know how to return from this async call.
I can hack in a $.Deferred object and immediately resolve/return it, but that seems like bad design. I can't change the calling method here.
How can I return a deferred object or some other return value that satisfies .done() or .fail() without using a deferred object?
function foo(a) {
bar(a).done(function () {
console.log("done");
}).fail(function () {
console.log("fail");
});
}
function bar(a) {
if (a){
// Could create a $.Deferred and resolve it
return;
}
return doAsync();
}
function doAsync() {
var defer = $.Deferred();
defer.resolve();
return defer.promise();
}
foo(false); // fine
foo(true); // error
http://jsfiddle.net/ma4grjj4/2/
The main problem is that it's usually a design smell to have boolean arguments that changes the process flow of a function.
I think you will agree that doing something like the following makes no sense:
function process(doNotProcess) {
if (doNotProcess) return;
//process
}
In the above example, it would make more sense to simply not call on process() to avoid processing.
"What I would do ideally is in foo skip the entire call of bar, but a
lot of stuff happens inside of bar().done that needs to occur in both
cases"
That code should probably be factored out of the done callback and put in a different function, which would allow you to reuse it without having to call bar.
"I can hack in a $.Deferred object and immediately resolve/return it,
but that seems like bad design."
Creating deferred objects and resolving them right away is a quite standard approach when you need to standardize the use of an API that may have a synchronous or asynchronous implementation.
It's a very good practice to do so because it frees the client from having to rely on implementation details.

Mutating arguments in jQuery promises

tl;dr : I'm looking for a way to have the first .then callback make changes to the data that is passed to subsequent chained events.
I have a library that encapsulates some async operations.
dudetools.getDude(2); // causes an XHR against REST resource "Dude" for row id 2
For awesomeness purposes, dudetools.getDude returns the promise created by the underlying $.ajax call. Thus, I can do things like:
dudetools.getDude(dudeId).done(function(dudeData) { /* do stuff with dude's data */ });
Now I'm trying to modify dudetools so that it'll do some convenient data-massaging on response data before continuing along the promise chain. I want this massage to happen universally, without calling code having to request it or even know about it.
Because the dudetools implementation can't share a closure with all calling code, I'm hoping to leverage the fact that, in JavaScript, non-scalars are always passed by reference rather than by value.
Consider:
var urStuff = {};
function wreck(x) {
x.isWrecked = 'so wrecked';
}
wreck(urStuff);
// urStuff.isWrecked === 'so wrecked' ^.^
I dare you to try it.
So, I was hoping this would work:
dudetools = {
'getDude': function(dudeId) {
return $.ajax('/api/Dude/' + dudeId).then(function(dudeData) {
// I'm so clever!
dudeData.isDuplicated = dudeData.isDuped && dudeData.drillDown > 5;
});
}
}
Of course, it doesn't work. My clever code is being executed (I've seen it), and it's reaching the right conclusions, but subsequent Deferred events in the chain never see the modifications. I.e.:
$.when(
dudetools.getDude(dudeId)
).done(function(mysteriouslyUnmodifiedInfo) {
/* the info passed to this function is mysteriously unmodified! HALP */
});
Any suggestions? Is there a way to accomplish what I'm after?
Also: I'm still kind of new to promises in general, and my grasp of the differences between Deferreds, Promises, and associated constructs is still kind of fuzzy, so I'd very much appreciate your efforts to be clear and explicit when explaining to me how I've ruined everything.
Thanks very much.
EDIT: updated to reflect fact that dudetools.getDude returns a promise, not a Deferred. Because I now (mostly) understand the difference.
The magic of .then is that it pipes its return value into the next callbacks param.
If you don't return your object (even if you haven't changed anything), then undefined is returned by default.
do_something()
.then(function (json) { return JSON.parse(json); })
.then(function (response) { return response.data; })
.then(function (data) { data.tweaked = true; return data; });
You'll want to return your own new Deferred.promise() object.
http://api.jquery.com/deferred.promise/
dudetools = {
'getDude': function(dudeId) {
var dfd = new jQuery.Deferred();
$.ajax('/api/Dude/' + dudeId).then(function(dudeData) {
dudeData.isDuplicated = dudeData.isDuped && dudeData.drillDown > 5;
// I'm so clever!
dfd.resolve(dudeData);
});
return dfd.promise();
}
}
Hope that helps.

Return either local variable or GET results

I would like to return x || $.get.
Or in other words, if x is true, then return x, else perform a GET call and return the value provided by the server.
My attempt is listed below (ideally, it would follow the return x || y format maybe with an anonymous function? instead of the if/then).
Problem is my return from my $.get function appears not to be what I expected.
Would appreciate an explanation of what is going on.
Thanks
$(function(){
function test(x,y) {
if(x==true) {return true;}
else{
//test.php is echo($_GET['y']==123);
$.get('ajax.php',{'y':y},function (status) {return status;});
}
}
alert(test(false,123));
});
If you're using jQuery 1.5 or later, Deferred and Promise are your friend for this kind of thing. Any time you call AJAX calls what you get back are Promise objects which you can attach functions to via .done(), .fail(), and .then().
However! As pointed out by this excellent intro to deferred/promise and all this stuff (http://www.erichynds.com/jquery/using-deferreds-in-jquery/), you can also use $.wait()'s ability to handle a value that isn't a promise to automatically do caching. So code like this:
$.when(getToken()).done(
function (token) {
// do something with the token, which may or may not have been
// retrieved from the remote service
}
);
Can handle getting either a cached value back or a promise with no problem:
function getToken() {
// Return either the cached value or a jQuery Promise. If $.when() gets the
// cached value it will immediately realize that you didn't give it a
// promise and it will instead create a jQuery Deferred to return and
// .resolve() it using the value it did get. Thus, either way what
// comes out of the function is something .when() can deal with and call a function.
if (this.cache["token"]) {
return this.cache["token"];
} else {
return $.get(" ... some url ... ");
}
};

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