nodejs: API differences fs.readFile vs. http.get - javascript

Node.js has no built-in promises support. Eventual promise implementations are up to the user. The promise library Q supports some helper functions to convert node-style (err, succ) functions to promise objects.
The q documentation shows this with the fs.readFile function like this:
var fs = require("fs");
var q = require("q");
q.nfcall(fs.readFile, "/path/file")
.then(_ => console.log("succ"))
.fail(_ => console.log("err"))
.done();
This works well. Yet transferring this structure to, say, the http.get function is not possible, since it has natively another structure:
var http = require("http");
http.get("http://url..", succ_funct).on("error", err_funct);
This is already a "sort of" (!) promise style notation.
I'm asking myself if there is a reason for those different API types in node.js . Considering the examples shown above, it would be more consistent to write something like this:
q.nfcall(http.get, "http://url..")
.then(succ_f)
.fail(err_f)
.done();

fs.readFile() uses the common Node callback idiom where a callback gets called with an error object as first argument (if there were errors), or the result of the function (the file data) as second argument.
The optional function that gets passed to http.get() (only one, not two as you're suggesting) is a shortcut for adding an event handler function for the response event.
In other words, #1 is a shortcut for #2:
// #1
var client = http.get(URL, function(res) { ... });
// #2
var client = http.get(URL);
client.on('response', function(res) { ... });
Event handler functions and "regular" callbacks are different beasts. Event handlers are commonly used for streams (http.get() returns a stream).
Errors on streams may occur somewhere during the lifetime of the stream, so you don't use regular callbacks for streams (which imply that once the callback gets called, any errors have already occurred). Also, the result isn't necessarily available immediately (which requires reading the stream data "manually").
There are also stream-based API's for files (like fs.createReadStream()).

Related

Javascript singlethread programing implementation

I know javascrip is a single thread application. I think to implement asynchronous programing it execute different part of a program synchronously.
In the case of promises it does not stop the execution to resolve the promises. It just execute the other part and my question is what happend when the promise resolves. It just stop the current execution and start the then part of the promise or execute the then part only after completing the current execution
No. The current queue of code will run before coming back to fulfill promises. This includes the 'then' method.
Promises use "continuation-passing style" ("CPS").
The node approach to CPS is that asynchronous functions accept callbacks. Like so:
const FS = require('fs')
FS.readFile( path, 'utf8', function callback(error, data) {
// FS.readFile will invoke this function with an error or the file contents
// once the read operation is complete
})
An explicit promise (i.e. not async/await), looks pretty similar:
const myPromise = new Promise(function callback(resolve, reject) {
// invoke the non-blocking thing, then use resolve or reject to pass something onward
} )
The callback function is a "continuation," and you provide that continuation to the
asynchronous function knowing that it will eventually be invoked with whatever is the result of the non-blocking task.
Promises often look similar, at least superficially. Promise polyfills (which are often not needed) literally work by using some hairy but non-magical CPS code, plus timeouts or events, to provide the same interface. I suspect that modern JS engines use some kind of lower-level mechanism that does not lean on CPS to wire the data into the "callback."

What is the HTTP promise object in AngularJS?

Although I am working with the HTTP promise object in AngularJS, I don't have a clear concept of what an HTTP promise object actually is and what the is difference between an HTTP promise object and a traditional object in AngularJS!
Would anybody explain this, please?
A Promise is a concept for asynchronous operations. Basically it represents an object that can be available at any point from now into the future.
It has three states:
Pending
Fulfilled (it completed successfully)
Rejected (it failed)
You handle the states of your Promise with two methods, then() and catch().
then() provides you with the expected object from your asynchronous call if successful, and catch() will allow you to handle the error.
A scenario where you might use a Promise is when you're making a network call, for example:
getData(): Promise<Array<string>> {
return this.http.get("http://a-test-api.com/api/getdata").toPromise();
}
You'd then use it like this:
this.getData().then(function (stringArray) {
self.data = stringArray;
});
You can find some more information on the concept here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Promise
Promises are a concept. This is a question on AngularJS Promises, which are a bit different from other promises, but the concept across libraries are fundamentally the same.
What are Asynchronous Processes?
If you know what this is, skip it and read the next header, otherwise:
When you have code, it generally runs in sequential order like so:
object.method() // First,
variable = "something"; // Second,
for(var i=0; i<2; i++) {
resp = object.makeHttpRequest();
console.log(resp.data + " was #" + i);
} // Third,
console.log("Done"); // Last.
Each step is performed after the previous finishes. This can be a problem when that for loop takes a long time (imagine the HTTP request takes a long time). The request would hang an entire process until the HTTP request is finished. Very bad.
Node.js handles this by default using a callback pattern. When you call a function that is blocking (takes a long time, like reading a file on disk or making an HTTP request), you register a callback function it will call after finishing. It will apply the function with the data from the blocking function when it finishes. This allows you to run other code while that blocking function finishes.
As many Node.js developers will tell you, this code can get very messy, very fast. Instead, AngularJS (and other libraries) will return you a Promise for when the code will finish. It allows you to use a Promise Pattern.
I know what asynchronous stuff is
Promises are conceptually similar to callbacks, but much cleaner and allow a greater degree of control. Consider this:
var url = getUrlFunction();
makeHttpRequest(url, function onResponse(data) {
dataHandler(data);
console.log("done");
}, function onError(err) {
errHandler(err);
console.log("uh oh");
});
showTheUserWeAreLoading();
// Or in node.js
var url = getUrlFunction();
makeHttpRequest(url, function onResponse(err, data) {
(err) ? handleErr(err): null;
dataHandler(data);
console.log("done");
});
showTheUserWeAreLoading();
It is not very intuitive that the showTheUserWeAreLoading function will (sometimes) happen before the HTTP request if fulfilled. This leaves much to be desired when rereading your own code.
The same code, but with the makeHttpRequest returns a promise:
var url = getUrlFunction(), prom = makeHttpRequest(url);
showTheUserWeAreLoading();
prom.then(function onSuccess(data) {
dataHandler(data);
console.log("done");
}, function onError(err) {
errHandler(err);
console.log("uh oh");
});
The promise object helps track the state of the operation. You assign handlers for when the operations reaches one of two states: Fulfilled or Rejected.
It should be noted that makeHttpRequest is a stand-in for $http() in AngularJS or $.ajax in jQuery. Before the standard for promises was created in the ECMAScript standard, each library (and library version) had its own opinion on which pattern you should/can use. AngularJS previously used the .success(<function>).error(<function>) naming pattern, while jQuery used .done(<function>).fail(<function>). These naming schemes have been depreciated a very long time ago, therefore making the current difference between libraries unnoticeable (thank you ECMAScript).
The $http API is based on the deferred/promise APIs exposed by the $q service.
1.then(successCallback, [errorCallback], [notifyCallback])
2.catch(errorCallback) – shorthand for promise.then(null, errorCallback)
3.finally(callback, notifyCallback)
$q promise method

JavaScript initializing callback parameters down the callback chain

Note: I'm bootstrapping a reactjs app but this is a general JavaScript question.
I have a special module "locationUtils" that I am trying to keep in it's own package, but keeping that code separate is causing an eyesore with callbacks.
When I access one of it's methods I have to send a callback with it that only has one of its parameters initially defined, and in that method I get the other data parameter to initalize the other parameter.
Can I add in undefined parameters later like that in JavaScript, and is it good practice to initial parameters for a callback method as you go down the callback chain in general, or am I making a convoluted newbie mistake?
/********************Module 1******************************/
var bootStrapUI = function(callback) {
locationUtils.findData(findOtherData(callback));
}
//This gets called last to finalize bootstraping
var findOtherData = function(callback,originalFetchedData){
//use originalFetchedData to get more data
//bootStraping program with all rendering data
callback() //sends back a boolean confirming all fetched
}
/**********************Module2**********************************/
var findData = function(findOtherData){
var data = magicGetData();
findOtherData(findOtherData,data);//I initialized a param late here!
}
It's a good Javascript question, callbacks can become a serious hell for the uninitiated, particularly when they are nested and / or the order in which they return is important.
This is where promises come in: they are an essential tool for Javascript development and about to become part of the standard (in EcmaScript 6).
In essence: a promise is an object that is returned from a function with a method (callback) that is called when the asynchronous action (e.g. API call) has been completed. The difference between a promise and a callback is that promises allow you to structure how you handle the callbacks and, importantly, in what order.
I recently wrote a method that had to make 30 api calls with each call dependent on the results of the previous one (this was not a well designed api). Can you imagine trying to do that with callbacks? As it was, I created an array of promises and used jQuery.when() to handle things when all the api calls had completed.
For the moment we need to use a library for promises. jQuery: https://api.jquery.com/jquery.deferred/ is the obvious one but there are various other implementations that do much the same thing.
Update:
The question relates more specifically to the passing of arguments between callbacks and modifying the arguments as execution moves between them. This can be done easily by passing whatever info you need as an argument to your resolve method.
Typically it looks something like this (using jQuery):
var myAsyncMethod = function(info){
var deferred = $.Deferred();
$.getJSON(myUrl,
function(dataFromServer) {
// Do stuff with data
var newData = doSomething(dataFromServer);
deferred.resolve(newData);
});
});
return deferred.promise();
};
// Make initial method call
myAsyncMethod(myInitialData).then(
function(transformedData){
// transformed data from server is returned here.
}
);

Creating node library that support both node callbacks and promise with bluebird

I am creating a node module and I want to be able to support both node callback and Promise APIs. The library that I hear the best things about (mainly that is it the fastest) is bluebird. So after reading some docs and looking at some other libraries that are using bluebird, I thought this would be the cleanest way to get a method to support both node callback and Promise APIs:
this.isAllowed = function(role, resource, permission, callback) {
var isAllowedAsync = bluebird.promisify(isAllowed);
return isAllowedAsync(role, resource, permission).nodeify(callback);
};
However with this code, the callback is never executed. After some more research, I tried this:
this.isAllowed = function(role, resource, permission, callback) {
return new bluebird(function (resolve, reject) {
resolve(isAllowed(role, resource, permission));
}).nodeify(callback);
};
With that code, both the node callback and Promise API works.
For reference, this is the isAllowed method:
var isAllowed = function(role, resource, permission) {
if(!lists[role] || !lists[role][resource]) {
return false;
}
return lists[role][resource].indexOf(permission) !== -1;
};
Am I doing something wrong in the first code example or is the second example the real way of getting what I am looking for?
Your specific problem makes no sense (see my comment) so I'll just be generic. There are 2 ways to expose a dual promise/callback API.
First way is to have the same function support promises and callbacks at the same time, by returning a promise if callback parameter is not passed or using the callback if it is passed.
However this is hard to implement and can have some nasty problems when some arguments are optional.
To implement it, you do exactly the same thing as you would with a 100% promise function except you add a .nodeify at the end of the returned chain.
// Note however this doesn't work if some arguments before
// `callback` are optional
function dualApi(..., callback) {
// acting as if you would never support callbacks at all
return getPromise()
.then(...)
.then(...)
.then(...)
// .nodeify at the end of the chain, NOWHERE else
.nodeify(callback)
}
The second way is to define a normal callback api, and then just call promisifyAll. This is very easy to implement, in fact there is almost no reason to do it at all because the user can so easily promisify the module themselves if they use bluebird.

What does the function then() mean in JavaScript?

I’ve been seeing code that looks like:
myObj.doSome("task").then(function(env) {
// logic
});
Where does then() come from?
The traditional way to deal with asynchronous calls in JavaScript has been with callbacks.
Say we had to make three calls to the server, one after the other, to set up our
application. With callbacks, the code might look something like the following (assuming
a xhrGET function to make the server call):
// Fetch some server configuration
xhrGET('/api/server-config', function(config) {
// Fetch the user information, if he's logged in
xhrGET('/api/' + config.USER_END_POINT, function(user) {
// Fetch the items for the user
xhrGET('/api/' + user.id + '/items', function(items) {
// Actually display the items here
});
});
});
In this example, we first fetch the server configuration. Then based on that, we fetch
information about the current user, and then finally get the list of items for the current
user. Each xhrGET call takes a callback function that is executed when the server
responds.
Now of course the more levels of nesting we have, the harder the code is to read, debug,
maintain, upgrade, and basically work with. This is generally known as callback hell.
Also, if we needed to handle errors, we need to possibly pass in another function to each
xhrGET call to tell it what it needs to do in case of an error. If we wanted to have just one
common error handler, that is not possible.
The Promise API was designed to solve this nesting problem and the
problem of error handling.
The Promise API proposes the following:
Each asynchronous task will return a promise object.
Each promise object will have a then function that can take two arguments, a success
handler and an error handler.
The success or the error handler in the then function will be called only once, after
the asynchronous task finishes.
The then function will also return a promise, to allow chaining multiple calls.
Each handler (success or error) can return a value, which will be passed to the next
function as an argument, in the chain of promises.
If a handler returns a promise (makes another asynchronous request), then the next
handler (success or error) will be called only after that request is finished.
So the previous example code might translate to something like the following, using
promises and the $http service(in AngularJs):
$http.get('/api/server-config').then(
function(configResponse) {
return $http.get('/api/' + configResponse.data.USER_END_POINT);
}
).then(
function(userResponse) {
return $http.get('/api/' + userResponse.data.id + '/items');
}
).then(
function(itemResponse) {
// Display items here
},
function(error) {
// Common error handling
}
);
Propagating Success and Error
Chaining promises is a very powerful technique that allows us to accomplish a lot of
functionality, like having a service make a server call, do some postprocessing of the
data, and then return the processed data to the controller. But when we work with
promise chains, there are a few things we need to keep in mind.
Consider the following hypothetical promise chain with three promises, P1, P2, and P3.
Each promise has a success handler and an error handler, so S1 and E1 for P1, S2 and
E2 for P2, and S3 and E3 for P3:
xhrCall()
.then(S1, E1) //P1
.then(S2, E2) //P2
.then(S3, E3) //P3
In the normal flow of things, where there are no errors, the application would flow
through S1, S2, and finally, S3. But in real life, things are never that smooth. P1 might
encounter an error, or P2 might encounter an error, triggering E1 or E2.
Consider the following cases:
• We receive a successful response from the server in P1, but the data returned is not
correct, or there is no data available on the server (think empty array). In such a
case, for the next promise P2, it should trigger the error handler E2.
• We receive an error for promise P2, triggering E2. But inside the handler, we have
data from the cache, ensuring that the application can load as normal. In that case,
we might want to ensure that after E2, S3 is called.
So each time we write a success or an error handler, we need to make a call—given our
current function, is this promise a success or a failure for the next handler in the promise
chain?
If we want to trigger the success handler for the next promise in the chain, we can just
return a value from the success or the error handler
If, on the other hand, we want to trigger the error handler for the next promise in the
chain, we can do that using a deferred object and calling its reject() method
Now What is deferred object?
Deferred objects in jQuery represents a unit of work that will be
completed later, typically asynchronously. Once the unit of work
completes, the deferred object can be set to resolved or failed.
A deferred object contains a promise object. Via the promise object
you can specify what is to happen when the unit of work completes. You
do so by setting callback functions on the promise object.
Deferred objects in Jquery : https://api.jquery.com/jquery.deferred/
Deferred objects in AngularJs : https://docs.angularjs.org/api/ng/service/$q
then() function is related to "Javascript promises" that are used in some libraries or frameworks like jQuery or AngularJS.
A promise is a pattern for handling asynchronous operations. The promise allows you to call a method called "then" that lets you specify the function(s) to use as the callbacks.
For more information see: http://wildermuth.com/2013/8/3/JavaScript_Promises
And for Angular promises: http://liamkaufman.com/blog/2013/09/09/using-angularjs-promises/
As of ECMAScript6
The .then() method has been included with pure JavaScript with Promises.
From the Mozilla documentation:
The then() method returns a Promise. It takes two arguments: callback
functions for the success and failure cases of the Promise.
The Promise object, in turn, is defined as
The Promise object is used for deferred and asynchronous
computations. A Promise represents an operation that hasn't completed
yet, but is expected in the future.
That is, the Promise acts as a placeholder for a value that is not yet computed, but shall be resolved in the future. And the .then() function is used to associate the functions to be invoked on the Promise when it is resolved - either as a success or a failure.
Before ECMAScript6
To my knowledge, there isn't a built-in then() method in javascript (at the time of this writing).
It appears that whatever it is that doSome("task") is returning has a method called then.
If you log the return result of doSome() to the console, you should be able to see the properties of what was returned.
console.log( myObj.doSome("task") ); // Expand the returned object in the
// console to see its properties.
Here is a thing I made for myself to clear out how things work. I guess others too can find this concrete example useful:
doit().then(function() { log('Now finally done!') });
log('---- But notice where this ends up!');
// For pedagogical reasons I originally wrote the following doit()-function so that
// it was clear that it is a promise. That way wasn't really a normal way to do
// it though, and therefore Slikts edited my answer. I therefore now want to remind
// you here that the return value of the following function is a promise, because
// it is an async function (every async function returns a promise).
async function doit() {
log('Calling someTimeConsumingThing');
await someTimeConsumingThing();
log('Ready with someTimeConsumingThing');
}
function someTimeConsumingThing() {
return new Promise(function(resolve,reject) {
setTimeout(resolve, 2000);
})
}
function log(txt) {
document.getElementById('msg').innerHTML += txt + '<br>'
}
<div id='msg'></div>
Here is a small JS_Fiddle.
then is a method callback stack which is available after a promise is resolved it is part of library like jQuery but now it is available in native JavaScript and below is the detail explanation how it works
You can do a Promise in native JavaScript : just like there are promises in jQuery, Every promise can be stacked and then can be called with Resolve and Reject callbacks, This is how you can chain asynchronous calls.
I forked and Edited from MSDN Docs on Battery charging status..
What this does is try to find out if user laptop or device is charging battery. then is called and you can do your work post success.
navigator
.getBattery()
.then(function(battery) {
var charging = battery.charging;
alert(charging);
})
.then(function(){alert("YeoMan : SINGH is King !!");});
Another es6 Example
function fetchAsync (url, timeout, onData, onError) {
…
}
let fetchPromised = (url, timeout) => {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
fetchAsync(url, timeout, resolve, reject)
})
}
Promise.all([
fetchPromised("http://backend/foo.txt", 500),
fetchPromised("http://backend/bar.txt", 500),
fetchPromised("http://backend/baz.txt", 500)
]).then((data) => {
let [ foo, bar, baz ] = data
console.log(`success: foo=${foo} bar=${bar} baz=${baz}`)
}, (err) => {
console.log(`error: ${err}`)
})
Definition :: then is a method used to solve Asynchronous callbacks
this is introduced in ES6
Please find the proper documentation here Es6 Promises
.then returns a promise in async function.
Good Example would be:
var doSome = new Promise(function(resolve, reject){
resolve('I am doing something');
});
doSome.then(function(value){
console.log(value);
});
To add another logic to it, you can also add the reject('I am the rejected param') call the function and console.log it.
It's about the use of curly braces {} in our arrow functions:
Those 3 examples are doing the same thing (nothing, but have valid grammar, and are a valid Promise chain!)
new Promise(function(ok) {
ok(
/* myFunc1(param1, param2, ..) */
)
}).then(function(){
/* myFunc1 succeed */
/* Launch something else */
/* console.log(whateverparam1) */
/* myFunc2(whateverparam1, otherparam, ..) */
}).then(function(){
/* myFunc2 succeed */
/* Launch something else */
/* myFunc3(whatever38, ..) */
})
console.log("This code has no errors GG!")
The same logic using arrow functions shorthand without {}
new Promise((ok) =>
ok(
/* myFunc1(param1, param2, ..) */
).then(() =>
0 // HEY DID YOU NOTICE! A number that does nothing,
// but otherwise the parsing will fail!
// The code is pretty clean but have a major downside
// As arrow functions without {} can contains only one declaration
// console.log("something") will FAIL here
).then(() =>
"" // HEY DID YOU NOTICE! An empty string that does nothing,
// but otherwise the parsing will fail!
// As arrow functions without {} can contains only one declaration
// We can't add more code here, hence:
// console.log("something")
// Will break the whole promise
// This is likely the error in y(our) code ;)
))
console.log("This code has no errors GG!")
Arrow function with {}
new Promise( (ok) => {
ok(
/* myFunc1(param1, param2, ..) */
)
}).then( () => {
/* myFunc1 succeed */
/* Launch something else */
}).then( () => {
/* myFunc2 succeed */
/* Launch something else */
/* myFunc3(whatever38, ..) */
console.log("something")
/* More console logs! */
console.log("something else")
})
console.log("This code has no errors GG!")
I suspect doSome returns this, which is myObj, which also has a then method. Standard method chaining...
if doSome is not returning this, being the object on which doSome was executed, rest assured it is returning some object with a then method...
as #patrick points out, there is no then() for standard js
doSome("task")must be returning a promise object , and that promise always have a then function .So your code is just like this
promise.then(function(env) {
// logic
});
and you know this is just an ordinary call to member function .
In this case then() is a class method of the object returned by doSome() method.
The ".then()" function is wideley used for promised objects in Asynchoronus programming For Windows 8 Store Apps.
As far as i understood it works some way like a callback.
Find Details in this Documentantion
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh700330.aspx
Of Cause it could also be the name for any other defined function.
I am about 8 years late, well...anyways, I don't really know what then() does but maybe MDN might have an answer. Actually, I might actually understand it a little more.
This will show you all the information (hopefully), you need. Unless someone already posted this link.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Promise/then
The format is promise.prototype.then()
The promise and prototype are kind of like variables but not like variables in javascript, I mean like other things go there like navigator.getBattery().then() where this one actually exists but is barely used on the web, this one shows statuses about the battery of the device, more information and more on MDN if you are curious.

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