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How to execute promises in series?

var promiseReturningFuncs = [];
for(var i = 0; i < 5; i++){
promiseReturningFuncs.push(askQuestion);
}
var programmers = [];
Promise.reduce(promiseReturningFuncs, function(resp, x) {
console.log(typeof resp);
if(typeof resp != "function") {
programmers.push(resp);
}
return x();
})
.then(function(resp) {
programmers.push(resp);
console.log(programmers);
});
My goal: execute the askQuestion function in series and resolve an array of objects created by that function. (this function must execute in series so that it can respond to user input)
So imagine that the askQuestion function returns a promise that resolves a object I want to add to an array.
This is my messy way of doing it.
I am looking to find a cleaner way of doing it, ideally, i wouldn't even need to push to an array, I would just have a final .then, where the response is an array.

Since you appear to be using the Bluebird promise library, you have a number of built-in options for sequencing your promise returning functions. You can use Promise.reduce(), Promise.map() with a concurrency value of 1, Promise.mapSeries or Promise.each(). If the iterator function returns a promise, all of these will wait for the next iteration until that promise resolves. Which to use depends more upon the mechanics of how your data is structured and what result you want (neither of which you actually show or describe).
Let's suppose you have an array of promise returning functions and you want to call them one at a time, waiting for the one to resolve before calling the next one. If you want all the results, then I'd suggest Promise.mapSeries():
let arrayOfPromiseReturningFunctions = [...];
// call all the promise returning functions in the array, one at a time
// wait for one to resolve before calling the next
Promise.mapSeries(arrayOfPromiseReturningFunctions, function(fn) {
return fn();
}).then(function(results) {
// results is an array of resolved results from all the promises
}).catch(function(err) {
// process error here
});
Promise.reduce() could also be used, but it would accumulate a single result, passing it from one to the next and end with one final result (like Array.prototype.reduce() does).
Promise.map() is a more general version of Promise.mapSeries() that lets you control the concurrency number (the number of async operations in flight at the same time).
Promise.each() will also sequence your functions, but does not accumulate a result. It assumes you either don't have a result or you are accumulating the result out-of-band or via side effects. I tend to not like to use Promise.each() because I don't like side effect programming.

You could solve this in pure JS using ES6 (ES2015) features:
function processArray(arr, fn) {
return arr.reduce(
(p, v) => p.then((a) => fn(v).then(r => a.concat([r]))),
Promise.resolve([])
);
}
It applies the function given to the array in series and resolves to an array of the results.
Usage:
const numbers = [0, 4, 20, 100];
const multiplyBy3 = (x) => new Promise(res => res(x * 3));
// Prints [ 0, 12, 60, 300 ]
processArray(numbers, multiplyBy3).then(console.log);
You'll want to double check browser compatibility but this works on reasonably current Chrome (v59), NodeJS (v8.1.2) and probably most others.

You can use recursion so that you can move to the next iteration in a then block.
function promiseToExecuteAllInOrder(promiseReturningFunctions /* array of functions */) {
var resolvedValues = [];
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
function executeNextFunction() {
var nextFunction = promiseReturningFunctions.pop();
if(nextFunction) {
nextFunction().then(function(result) {
resolvedValues.push(result);
executeNextFunction();
});
} else {
resolve(resolvedValues);
}
}
executeNextFunction();
}
}

Executing one after another using a recursive function( in a non promise way):
(function iterate(i,result,callback){
if( i>5 ) callback(result);askQuestion().then(res=>iterate(i+1,result.concat([res]),callback);
})(0,[],console.log);
For shure this can be wrapped in a promise:
function askFive(){
return new Promise(function(callback){
(function iterate(i,result){
if( i>5 ) callback(result);askQuestion().then(res=>iterate(i+1,result.concat([res]),callback);
})(0,[],console.log);
});
}
askFive().then(console.log);
Or:
function afteranother(i,promise){
return new Promise(function(resolve){
if(!i) return resolve([]);
afteranother(i-1,promise).then(val=>promise().then(val2=>resolve(val.concat([val2])));
});
}
afteranother(5,askQuestion).then(console.log);

Flattening promise chain with readable function name

I saw promise implementation in Handling multiple catches in promise chain which produce a very readable chain
return validateInput
.then(checkLoginPermission)
.then(checkDisableUser)
.then(changePassword);
However, in order to do this each function needs to return a value instead of a Promise? Since Promise can resolves to either value or a Promise so this is not a problem. My goal is to turn every function to have readable clear logic as such.
The problem occurs when trying to unwind the nested promise function
return validateInput
.then(function(resultA) {
return checkLoginPermission
.then (function(resultB) {
// Do something with resultA
})
});
Imagine the original implementation involves accessing the value from previous promise. With nested promise, it is easily achievable. But with flatten chain, I would need to break up each function like this
function validateInput = function (resultA ) {
return Promise.resolve({resultA : resultA, resultB :
}
function checkLoginPermission = function (mix ) {
let resultA = mix.resultA;
let resultB = mix.resultB
//Do something with resultA
...
}
This is worse when the last function in the chain rely on something from the very beginning. That means the value have to be passed down from the beginning of the chain even if it was not used.
So am I accidentally stepping on some kind of anti-pattern that might affect performance? How else can I achieve good readability without all these hassles?

This is actually where async and await come in. It's good when you need results across multiple asynchronous calls/promises to be in scope. If you can use that, I'd say try it.
async function foo () {
const input = await validateInput()
const hasPermission = await checkLoginPermission(input)
const result = await checkDisableUser(hasPermission)
return await changePassword(result)
}
Just pass the variables into what function as they need to be. Just showing an example there. I was also a bit unsure of how you're setting validateInput, i think you need to put await infront of the function call itself.
If you cannot use async/await, I usually go with your 2nd code snippet, or define the higher scope variables ontop:
let resultA
return validateInput
.then(function(result) {
resultA = result
return checkLoginPermission
.then (function(resultB) {
// Do something with resultA
})
});

Promises are pattern, related to functional programming, there direct passing data from one function to other is a basic (it's called compose, here examples: http://scott.sauyet.com/Javascript/Talk/Compose/2013-05-22/). So it's not anti-pattern by no means.
I can't see any problem in such pattern. You can pass any data you want to next Promises and in nested Promises grab what they need. It's preety transparent and clear:
function validateInput() {
return Promise.resolve({resultA: 1});
}
function checkLoginPermission(result) {
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
// ...
// code
// ...
result.resultB = 2;
return resolve(result);
});
}
function checkDisableUser(result) {
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
// grab some data from previous function
let resultB = result.resultB;
// ...
// code
// ...
result.resultC = 3;
return resolve(result);
});
}
function changePassword(result) {
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
// grab some data from previous functions
let resultB = result.resultB;
let resultC = result.resultC;
// ...
// code
// ...
result.resultD = resultB * resultC;
return resolve(result);
});
}
validateInput()
.then(checkLoginPermission)
.then(checkDisableUser)
.then(changePassword);
Also you can collect data in some variable, declared before Promises and so you will not have to pass result. But it will destroy functional nature of Promises.

The inner .then(/* ... */) callbacks can return either a primitive value or a Promise that resolves to some value. If it is another promise then the next .then won't start until the inner promise is resolved. Essentially, Promises always resolve to a non-promise type. If you resolve or return another Promise, it will be automatically unwrapped.

I would like to propose a solution using ramda.js#pipeP().
The good thing about this function is that it resolves promises sequentially.
We can rewrite your example using pipeP():
import pipeP from 'ramda/src/pipeP'
pipeP([
checkLoginPermission,
checkDisableUser,
changePassword
])(initialValue)
.then(responseChangePassword => { ... })
The results of a previous promise are passed to the following one.

Is this a good way to generate a chain of promises for an array?

I have an array of items that I want to insert into an SQL server. I am using promises for this and in order to execute each insert sequentially I wrote the following method:
var ForeachPromise = function (array, func) {
var promise = func(array[0]);
for (var i=1; i < array.length; i++) {
promise = promise.then(function() { return func(array[i]) });
}
return promise;
}
The idea is that when func is call it will return a promise, which will then be chained to the previous promise.
...
return ForeachPromise(type.subprocessen, function(subproces) {
return newSubproces(subproces, typeId, dienstId, createData, s + 1);
});
I haven't actually tested it yet, but I assume that something like this will work. My question however is am I using promises correctly? Promises are great but easily misunderstood and I just want to be sure that I'm not making any fundamental mistakes.

Yes, that approach is fine, and works well with promises. Two minor quibbles:
you should take care for the case of an empty array. Start your chain with Promise.resolve() (a promise fulfilled with undefined), and begin your loop at index 0.
As the then callback is asynchronous, your i variable has the wrong value - the classical closure in a loop fallacy.
Using the .reduce method does help with both problems:
function foreachPromise(array, func) {
return array.reduce(function(promise, elem, i) {
return promise.then(function() { return func(elem) });
}, Promise.resolve());
}

Javascript: How to transform for loop to use promises? [duplicate]

I am kind of new to promises and are stuck on the following exercise.
I have an array of values and I want to execute an async call on each one.
In the callback, I want to execute another call on the outcome of the first call.
Basically, my frustration is in the following:
The order of execution should be '1x2x3x' but the order is '123xxx'
In other words, the loop is already going to the next iteration when the sub/nested promise of the first promise is not fullfilled yet..
var values = ["1", "2", "3"];
function do(val) {
var deferred = Q.defer();
asyncCall(val)
.then( function( response ) {
console.log(val);
asyncCall(response)
.then( function ( response ) {
console.log('x');
deferred.resolve(true)
});
});
return deferred.promise;
}
var result = do(values[0]);
values.forEach( function(f) {
result = result.then(do(f));
}
There is probably an easy solution but I'm stuck on it.

You don't need the deferred, that's the deferred anti pattern you have there since promises chain.
Also, you have to return a promise from a .then handler if you want it to wait for it to resolve.
You can simply use a for loop:
function do(val) {
var q = Q();
for(var i = 0; i < val; i++){
q = q.then(asyncCall.bind(null,i))
.then(console.log.bind(console))
.then(console.log.bind(console,"x"));
}
return q; // in case you want to chain
}
fiddle.
Note: Bind just fixates the value for the function call. In this case since the first param (the this value) is null it acts like function(fn,arg){ return function(arg){ return fn(arg); }} that is, it translates a function call to a "partial application" - for more info see the MDN docs.

What does $.when.apply($, someArray) do?

I'm reading about Deferreds and Promises and keep coming across $.when.apply($, someArray). I'm a little unclear on what this does exactly, looking for an explanation that one line works exactly (not the entire code snippet). Here's some context:
var data = [1,2,3,4]; // the ids coming back from serviceA
var processItemsDeferred = [];
for(var i = 0; i < data.length; i++){
processItemsDeferred.push(processItem(data[i]));
}
$.when.apply($, processItemsDeferred).then(everythingDone);
function processItem(data) {
var dfd = $.Deferred();
console.log('called processItem');
//in the real world, this would probably make an AJAX call.
setTimeout(function() { dfd.resolve() }, 2000);
return dfd.promise();
}
function everythingDone(){
console.log('processed all items');
}

.apply is used to call a function with an array of arguments. It takes each element in the array, and uses each as a parameter to the function. .apply can also change the context (this) inside a function.
So, let's take $.when. It's used to say "when all these promises are resolved... do something". It takes an infinite (variable) number of parameters.
In your case, you have an array of promises; you don't know how many parameters you're passing to $.when. Passing the array itself to $.when wouldn't work, because it expects its parameters to be promises, not an array.
That's where .apply comes in. It takes the array, and calls $.when with each element as a parameter (and makes sure the this is set to jQuery/$), so then it all works :-)

$.when takes any number of parameters and resolves when all of these have resolved.
anyFunction.apply(thisValue, arrayParameters) calls the function anyFunction setting its context (thisValue will be the this within that function call) and passes all the objects in arrayParameters as individual parameters.
For example:
$.when.apply($, [def1, def2])
Is the same as:
$.when(def1, def2)
But the apply way of calling allows you to pass an array of unknown number of parameters. (In your code, you are saying that you data comes from a service, then that is the only way to call $.when)

Here, the code fully documented.
// 1. Declare an array of 4 elements
var data = [1,2,3,4]; // the ids coming back from serviceA
// 2. Declare an array of Deferred objects
var processItemsDeferred = [];
// 3. For each element of data, create a Deferred push push it to the array
for(var i = 0; i < data.length; i++){
processItemsDeferred.push(processItem(data[i]));
}
// 4. WHEN ALL Deferred objects in the array are resolved THEN call the function
// Note : same as $.when(processItemsDeferred[0], processItemsDeferred[1], ...).then(everythingDone);
$.when.apply($, processItemsDeferred).then(everythingDone);
// 3.1. Function called by the loop to create a Deferred object (data is numeric)
function processItem(data) {
// 3.1.1. Create the Deferred object and output some debug
var dfd = $.Deferred();
console.log('called processItem');
// 3.1.2. After some timeout, resolve the current Deferred
//in the real world, this would probably make an AJAX call.
setTimeout(function() { dfd.resolve() }, 2000);
// 3.1.3. Return that Deferred (to be inserted into the array)
return dfd.promise();
}
// 4.1. Function called when all deferred are resolved
function everythingDone(){
// 4.1.1. Do some debug trace
console.log('processed all items');
}

Unfortunately I can not agree with you guys.
$.when.apply($, processItemsDeferred).always(everythingDone);
Will call everythingDone as soon as one deferred gets rejected, even if there are other deferreds that are pending.
Heres the full script (I recommend http://jsfiddle.net/):
var data = [1,2,3,4]; // the ids coming back from serviceA
var processItemsDeferred = [];
for(var i = 0; i < data.length; i++){
processItemsDeferred.push(processItem(data[i]));
}
processItemsDeferred.push($.Deferred().reject());
//processItemsDeferred.push($.Deferred().resolve());
$.when.apply($, processItemsDeferred).always(everythingDone);
function processItem(data) {
var dfd = $.Deferred();
console.log('called processItem');
//in the real world, this would probably make an AJAX call.
setTimeout(function() { dfd.resolve(); }, 2000);
return dfd.promise();
}
function everythingDone(){
alert('processed all items');
}
It this a bug? I would like to use this like the gentleman above described it.

Maybe someone can find this useful:
$.when.apply($, processItemsDeferred).then(everythingDone).fail(noGood);
everythingDone isn't called in case of any reject

$.when alone makes it possible for a callback to be called when every promises passed to it are resolved/rejected. Normally, $.when takes a variable number of arguments, using .apply makes it possible to pass it an array of arguments, it's very powerful. For more info on .apply: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Function/apply

Thanks for your elegant solution:
var promise;
for(var i = 0; i < data.length; i++){
promise = $.when(promise, processItem(data[i]));
}
promise.then(everythingDone);
Just one point: When using resolveWith to get some parameters, it breaks because of the initial promise set to undefined. What i did to make it work:
// Start with an empty resolved promise - undefined does the same thing!
var promise;
for(var i = 0; i < data.length; i++){
if(i==0) promise = processItem(data[i]);
else promise = $.when(promise, processItem(data[i]));
}
promise.then(everythingDone);