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jQuery - .off() not working consistently

I am currently writing a program in JS using jQuery, which is basically a checkers game.
I am using jQuery's .on() and .off() functions to create events for each of the pieces. What happens is that the program will loop through each of the pieces and will set a function to be called when the piece is clicked. This function will then show the player the available moves that the piece can make.
This is setup using a for-loop and this code:
$("#" + String(playerPositions[i])).on('click', function() {movePiece(validMoves, this)});
This passes the valid moves of that piece as well as the id of that piece to the movePiece function which then deals with highlighting the moves.
The problem lies in my "clean up" function, where I want to remove the onClick handler from all the pieces once a move is made. I use this code:
var elements = $('.' + classToClean);
//clean off the onclick
elements.off("click"); <-- this doesn't work
//clean off the classes
elements.removeClass(classToClean);
The strange thing is that a) the .removeClass function works perfectly, and b) the onClick attribute only is removed from the piece that I have just moved.
I have tried using attaching an empty function to the piece, but this did not work. I also cannot use $('.validPieces').on('click', function () ... ) because I need to pass variables unique to the piece with each piece's onclick.
Thanks in advance for any help, and I apologise about the wall of text but I wanted to make sure everything was clear.

Using .off('click') should remove all event handlers of that type. If that doesn't work it is likely the element(s) you are removing from don't match the ones they were attached to.
If that removes more than you want, you will need to include a reference to your handler in the .off() call. To preserve the different validMoves variable for each call you will need to use a closure:
function move(validMoves) {
return function() {
movePiece(validMoves, this);
}
}
// within your for loop
keepMoveFn[i] = move(validMoves);
$("#" + String(playerPositions[i])).on('click', keepMoveFn[i] );
// elsewhere in your code:
//clean off the onclicks
keepMoveFn.forEach(function(fn) {
el.off("click", fn );
}
Note that you will need to either keep a reference to the move function or have access to it when you call the .off() function. In the snippet above I assume you are keeping an array of functions that you can then later iterate to remove the click events.

Clean way to pass parameters between JavaScript events?

I have values I would like to keep in memory when certain events fire, like when a user is dragging and I want to save the element index. The value is needed when another event might fire. I don't know if it will ever fire.
I am using global variables to keep these values around. It seems there are better ways to do this like putting these values in an object with a namespace. Benefits? Any other suggestions?

My alltime favorite is currying variables into event handlers. Curry is a function prototype and when called on a function it will return a version of the function with preset arguments:
Function.prototype.curry = function curry() {
var fn = this, args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
return function curryed() {
return fn.apply(this, args.concat(Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments)));
};
};
node.addEventListener('mousedown', handler.curry(var1,var2,etc));

You could bind the data to a parent element that is a relevant container for each value. So for example, say you have a #dragAndDropContainer, in which there are many drag and droppable items, then as soon as a drag event fires (i.e. a drag begins), you could (in jQuery), execute:
$('#dragAndDropContainer').data('lastDragged', $(this).attr('id'));
And then just query $('#dragAndDropContainer').data('lastDragged') every time you need to.

I like davin's solution, but here is an alternative if that doesn't suit you. You can create a closure around the event handler like so:
var data = { x: 1, y: 2 };
var handler = function() {
console.log(data);
}
if (node.addEventListener) {
node.addEventListener('mousedown', handler, false);
} else {
node.attachEvent('onmousedown', handler);
}

An alternative to using Function.bind (sometimes known as curry): You can control the scope of your shared variable. Here's some jQuery pseudo-code demonstrating it. Shared is accessible to those two handlers and nobody else.
$(function(){
var shared = {a:1, b:2};
$('#id-1').click(function() {
alert(shared.a);
});
$('#id-2').click(function() {
alert(shared.b);
});
});
If you're writing jQuery procedural code, the closure approach is much simpler. Since most everything I write is an object, I'd rather not get into too many levels of inner closures, so I prefer to setup a handler with binding/currying (like Martin's example) if a handler needs access to shared variables.

How to pass a variable by value to an anonymous javascript function?

The Objective
I want to dynamically assign event handlers to some divs on pages throughout a site.
My Method
Im using jQuery to bind anonymous functions as handlers for selected div events.
The Problem
The code iterates an array of div names and associated urls. The div name is used to set the binding target i.e. attach this event handler to this div event.
While the event handlers are successfully bound to each of the div events, the actions triggered by those event handlers only ever target the last item in the array.
So the idea is that if the user mouses over a given div, it should run a slide-out animation for that div. But instead, mousing over div1 (rangeTabAll) triggers a slide-out animation for div4 (rangeTabThm). The same is true for divs 2, 3, etc. The order is unimportant. Change the array elements around and events will always target the last element in the array, div4.
My Code - (Uses jQuery)
var curTab, curDiv;
var inlineRangeNavUrls=[['rangeTabAll','range_all.html'],['rangeTabRem','range_remedial.html'],
['rangeTabGym','range_gym.html'],['rangeTabThm','range_thermal.html']];
for (var i=0;i<inlineRangeNavUrls.length;i++)
{
curTab=(inlineRangeNavUrls[i][0]).toString();
curDiv='#' + curTab;
if ($(curDiv).length)
{
$(curDiv).bind("mouseover", function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, true);} );
$(curDiv).bind("mouseout", function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, false);} );
}
}
My Theory
I'm either not seeing a blindingly obvious syntax error or its a pass by reference problem.
Initially i had the following statement to set the value of curTab:
curTab=inlineRangeNavUrls[i][0];
So when the problem occured i figured that as i changed (via for loop iteration) the reference to curTab, i was in fact changing the reference for all previous anonymous function event handlers to the new curTab value as well.... which is why event handlers always targeted the last div.
So what i really needed to do was pass the curTab value to the anonymous function event handlers not the curTab object reference.
So i thought:
curTab=(inlineRangeNavUrls[i][0]).toString();
would fix the problem, but it doesn't. Same deal. So clearly im missing some key, and probably very basic, knowledge regarding the problem. Thanks.

You need to create a new variable on each pass through the loop, so that it'll get captured in the closures you're creating for the event handlers.
However, merely moving the variable declaration into the loop won't accomplish this, because JavaScript doesn't introduce a new scope for arbitrary blocks.
One easy way to force the introduction of a new scope is to use another anonymous function:
for (var i=0;i<inlineRangeNavUrls.length;i++)
{
curDiv='#' + inlineRangeNavUrls[i][1];
if ($(curDiv).length)
{
(function(curTab)
{
$(curDiv).bind("mouseover", function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, true);} );
$(curDiv).bind("mouseout", function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, false);} );
})(inlineRangeNavUrls[i][0]); // pass as argument to anonymous function - this will introduce a new scope
}
}
As Jason suggests, you can actually clean this up quite a bit using jQuery's built-in hover() function:
for (var i=0;i<inlineRangeNavUrls.length;i++)
{
(function(curTab) // introduce a new scope
{
$('#' + inlineRangeNavUrls[i][1])
.hover(
function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, true);},
function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, false);}
);
// establish per-loop variable by passsing as argument to anonymous function
})(inlineRangeNavUrls[i][0]);
}

what's going on here is that your anonmymous functions are forming a closure, and taking their outer scope with them. That means that when you reference curTab inside your anomymous function, when the event handler runs that function, it's going to look up the current value of curTab in your outer scope. That will be whatever you last assigned to curTab. (not what was assigned at the time you binded the function)
what you need to do is change this:
$(curDiv).bind("mouseover", function(){showHideRangeSlidingTabs(curTab, true);} );
to this:
$(curDiv).bind("mouseover",
(function (mylocalvariable) {
return function(){
showHideRangeSlidingTabs(mylocalvariable, true);
}
})(curTab)
);
this will copy the value of curTab into the scope of the outer function, which the inner function will take with it. This copying happens at the same time that you're binding the inner function to the event handler, so "mylocalvariable" reflects the value of curTab at that time. Then next time around the loop, a new outer function, with a new scope will be created, and the next value of curTab copied into it.
shog9's answer accomplishes basically the same thing, but his code is a little more austere.
it's kinda complicated, but it makes sense if you think about it. Closures are weird.
edit: oops, forgot to return the inner function. Fixed.

I think you're making this more complicated than it needs to be. If all you're doing is assigning a sliding effect on mouseover/out then try the hover effect with jquery.
$("#mytab").hover(function(){
$(this).next("div").slideDown("fast");},
function(){
$(this).next("div").slideUp("fast");
});
If you posted your full HTML I could tell you exactly how to do it :)

You can put your variable's value into a non existing tag, and later you can read them from there. This snippet is part of a loop body:
s = introduction.introductions[page * 6 + i][0]; //The variables content
$('#intro_img_'+i).attr('tag' , s); //Store them in a tag named tag
$('#intro_img_'+i).click( function() {introduction.selectTemplate(this, $(this).attr('tag'));} ); //retrieve the stored data

How to assign event callbacks iterating an array in javascript (jQuery)

I'm generating an unordered list through javascript (using jQuery). Each listitem must receive its own event listener for the 'click'-event. However, I'm having trouble getting the right callback attached to the right item. A (stripped) code sample might clear things up a bit:
for(class_id in classes) {
callback = function() { this.selectClass(class_id) };
li_item = jQuery('<li></li>')
.click(callback);
}
Actually, more is going on in this iteration, but I didn't think it was very relevant to the question. In any case, what's happening is that the callback function seems to be referenced rather than stored (& copied). End result? When a user clicks any of the list items, it will always execute the action for the last class_id in the classes array, as it uses the function stored in callback at that specific point.
I found dirty workarounds (such as parsing the href attribute in an enclosed a element), but I was wondering whether there is a way to achieve my goals in a 'clean' way. If my approach is horrifying, please say so, as long as you tell me why :-) Thanks!

This is a classic "you need a closure" problem. Here's how it usually plays out.
Iterate over some values
Define/assign a function in that iteration that uses iterated variables
You learn that every function uses only values from the last iteration.
WTF?
Again, when you see this pattern, it should immediately make you think "closure"
Extending your example, here's how you'd put in a closure
for ( class_id in classes )
{
callback = function( cid )
{
return function()
{
$(this).selectClass( cid );
}
}( class_id );
li_item = jQuery('<li></li>').click(callback);
}
However, in this specific instance of jQuery, you shouldn't need a closure - but I have to ask about the nature of your variable classes - is that an object? Because you iterate over with a for-in loop, which suggest object. And for me it begs the question, why aren't you storing this in an array? Because if you were, your code could just be this.
jQuery('<li></li>').click(function()
{
$(this).addClass( classes.join( ' ' ) );
});

Your code:
for(class_id in classes) {
callback = function() { this.selectClass(class_id) };
li_item = jQuery('<li></li>')
.click(callback);
}
This is mostly ok, just one problem. The variable callback is global; so every time you loop, you are overwriting it. Put the var keyword in front of it to scope it locally and you should be fine.
EDIT for comments: It might not be global as you say, but it's outside the scope of the for-loop. So the variable is the same reference each time round the loop. Putting var in the loop scopes it to the loop, making a new reference each time.

This is a better cleaner way of doing what you want.
Add the class_id info onto the element using .data().
Then use .live() to add a click handler to all the new elements, this avoids having x * click functions.
for(class_id in classes) {
li_item = jQuery('<li></li>').data('class_id', class_id).addClass('someClass');
}
//setup click handler on new li's
$('li.someClass').live('click', myFunction )
function myFunction(){
//get class_id
var classId = $(this).data('class_id');
//do something
}

My javascript fu is pretty weak but as I understand it closures reference local variables on the stack (and that stack frame is passed around with the function, again, very sketchy). Your example indeed doesn't work because each function keeps a reference to the same variable. Try instead creating a different function that creates the closure i.e.:
function createClosure(class_id) {
callback = function() { this.selectClass(class_id) };
return callback;
}
and then:
for(class_id in classes) {
callback = createClosure(class_id);
li_item = jQuery('<li></li>').click(callback);
}
It's a bit of a kludge of course, there's probably better ways.

why can't you generate them all and then call something like
$(".li_class").click(function(){ this.whatever() };
EDIT:
If you need to add more classes, just create a string in your loop with all the class names and use that as your selector.
$(".li_class1, .li_class2, etc").click(function(){ this.whatever() };

Or you can attach the class_id to the .data() of those list items.
$("<li />").data("class_id", class_id).click(function(){
alert("This item has class_id "+$(this).data("class_id"));
});
Be careful, though: You're creating the callback function anew for every $("<li />") call. I'm not sure about JavaScript implementation details, but this might be memory expensive.
Instead, you could do
function listItemCallback(){
alert("This item has class_id "+$(this).data("class_id"));
}
$("<li />").data("class_id", class_id).click(listItemCallback);

JavaScript mechanism for holding onto a value from a user action

I've created a JavaScript object to hold onto a value set by a user checking a checbox in a ColorBox.
I am relatively new to jQuery and programming JavaScript "the right way" and wanted to be sure that the below mechanism for capturing the users check action was a best practice for JavaScript in general. Further, since I am employing jQuery is there a simpler method to hold onto their action that I should be utilizing?
function Check() {
this.Checked = false;
}
obj = new Check;
$(document).ready(function() {
$('.cboxelement').colorbox({ html: '<input id="inactivate" type="checkbox" name="inactivatemachine"> <label for="inactivate">Inactivate Machine</label>' });
$(document).bind('cbox_cleanup', function() {
obj.Checked = $.fn.colorbox.getContent().children('#inactivate').is(':checked');
});
$(document).bind('cbox_closed', function() {
if ($($.fn.colorbox.element()).attr('id').match('Remove') && obj.Checked) {
var row = $($.fn.colorbox.element()).parents('tr');
row.fadeOut(1000, function() {
row.remove();
});
}
});
});

Personally, I would attach the value(s) to an object directly using jQuery's built-in data() method. I'm not really entirely sure what you are trying to do but, you can, for instance, attach values to a "namespace" in the DOM for use later one.
$('body').data('colorbox.checked',true);
Then you would retrieve the value later by:
var isChecked = $('body').data('colorbox.checked');
You run the data() method on any jquery object. I would say this is best-practice as far as jQuery goes.

You could capture the reference in a closure, which avoids global data and makes it easier to have multiple Checks. However, in this case it appears to be binding to the single colorbox, so I don't know that you could usefully have multiple instances.
function Check() {
this.Checked = false;
var obj = this; // 'this' doesn't get preserved in closures
$(document).ready(function() {
... as before
)};
}
var check = new Check; // Still need to store a reference somewhere.

$($.fn.colorbox.element()) is redundant. $.fn.colorbox.element() is already a jquery element.
It's common use (in the examples i watched, at least) to prepend a $ to variables referencing jquery elements.
So, var $rows = $.fn.colorbox.element().parents('tr'); gives instantly the idea that it is referencing jquery element(s).
I am afraid fadeOut won't work on rows in IE6 (if i recall correctly). You should be able to hide all the content inside the <tr> before removing it.
Can't help on the "simplify" thing because i don't know the colorbox's best uses.