Javascript: Cannot call method of undefined - javascript

This may be a common error, but I can't find another way of doing this. I'm creating a timeline showing multiple projects using timeline.js with the following code
function createTimeline(){
for(var length = data.section.length,i = 0; i < length; i++){
var divWrapper = document.createElement("div");
if(i != data.section.length - 1)
divWrapper.setAttribute('class','timelineWrapper');
$('body').append(divWrapper);
layer[i] = new links.Timeline(divWrapper);
links.events.addListener(layer[i], 'rangechange',
function(){
var that = this;
var range = layer[i].getVisibleChartRange();
for (var j = 0; j < layer.length; j++){
if(j != i){
layer[j].setVisibleChartRange(range.start, range.end);
}
}
}
);
layer[i].draw(data.section[i].project, options);
}
}
It gives the error Cannot call method 'getVisibleChartRange' of undefined .
What is the problem here? Why is layer[i] undefined? It is not being detected during the event rangechange itself.

You must bind i within a closure to save its value for your addListener call, as i is undefined when the function in your addListener later gets called. Try replacing the third argument of your addListener call with the below:
(function(i) {
return function() {
var that = this;
var range = layer[i].getVisibleChartRange();
// Rest of code
};
}(i)); // Anonymous function binds i in a closure

The issue is caused because the unnamed function used as event handler uses its parent scope's i variable.
At the end of your loop, i==data.section.length in this scope.
This is also the i value for all your events handlers. Because of this, layer[i] is undefined, and this is causing the error message.
The easiest way to address this issue is to create a functionBuilder function taking i as parameter and returning a new function (your handler).
In this returned handler's direct parent's scope, i value will be the parameter you passed to the functionBuilder function.
I'll post some code example later today, as soon as I have access to a pc (no way I can type that from a tablet :o) )
EDIT: I've been too slow... mc10 posted more or less what I wanted to post :o)
In case you don't understand why this works, or what closures, scopes or bind means, here is an old but complete explanation:
http://blog.niftysnippets.org/2008/02/closures-are-not-complicated.html

Related

Why are objects' values captured inside function calls?

This code is supposed to pop up an alert with the number of the image when you click it:
for(var i=0; i<10; i++) {
$("#img" + i).click(
function () { alert(i); }
);
}
You can see it not working at http://jsfiddle.net/upFaJ/. I know that this is because all of the click-handler closures are referring to the same object i, so every single handler pops up "10" when it's triggered.
However, when I do this, it works fine:
for(var i=0; i<10; i++) {
(function (i2) {
$("#img" + i2).click(
function () { alert(i2); }
);
})(i);
}
You can see it working at http://jsfiddle.net/v4sSD/.
Why does it work? There's still only one i object in memory, right? Objects are always passed by reference, not copied, so the self-executing function call should make no difference. The output of the two code snippets should be identical. So why is the i object being copied 10 times? Why does it work?
I think it's interesting that this version doesn't work:
for(var i=0; i<10; i++) {
(function () {
$("#img" + i).click(
function () { alert(i); }
);
})();
}
It seems that the passing of the object as a function parameter makes all the difference.
EDIT: OK, so the previous example can be explained by primitives (i) being passed by value to the function call. But what about this example, which uses real objects?
for(var i=0; i<5; i++) {
var toggler = $("<img/>", { "src": "http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/icons/cross.png" });
toggler.click(function () { toggler.attr("src", "http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/icons/tick.png"); });
$("#container").append(toggler);
}
Not working: http://jsfiddle.net/Zpwku/
for(var i=0; i<5; i++) {
var toggler = $("<img/>", { "src": "http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/icons/cross.png" });
(function (t) {
t.click(function () { t.attr("src", "http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/icons/tick.png"); });
$("#container").append(t);
})(toggler);
}
Working: http://jsfiddle.net/YLSn6/
Most of the answers are correct in that passing an object as a function parameter breaks a closure and thus allow us to assign things to functions from within a loop. But I'd like to point out why this is the case, and it's not just a special case for closures.
You see, the way javascript passes parameters to functions is a bit different form other languages. Firstly, it seems to have two ways of doing it depending on weather it's a primitive value or an object. For primitive values it seems to pass by value and for objects it seems to pass by reference.
How javascript passes function arguments
Actually, the real explanation of what javascript does explains both situations, as well as why it breaks closures, using just a single mechanism.
What javascript does is actually it passes parameters by copy of reference. That is to say, it creates another reference to the parameter and passes that new reference into the function.
Pass by value?
Assume that all variables in javascript are references. In other languages, when we say a variable is a reference, we expect it to behave like this:
var i = 1;
function increment (n) { n = n+1 };
increment(i); // we would expect i to be 2 if i is a reference
But in javascript, it's not the case:
console.log(i); // i is still 1
That's a classic pass by value isn't it?
Pass by reference?
But wait, for objects it's a different story:
var o = {a:1,b:2}
function foo (x) {
x.c = 3;
}
foo(o);
If parameters were passed by value we'd expect the o object to be unchanged but:
console.log(o); // outputs {a:1,b:2,c:3}
That's classic pass by reference there. So we have two behaviors depending on weather we're passing a primitive type or an object.
Wait, what?
But wait a second, check this out:
var o = {a:1,b:2,c:3}
function bar (x) {
x = {a:2,b:4,c:6}
}
bar(o);
Now see what happens:
console.log(o); // outputs {a:1,b:2,c:3}
What! That's not passing by reference! The values are unchanged!
Which is why I call it pass by copy of reference. If we think about it this way, everything makes sense. We don't need to think of primitives as having special behavior when passed into a function because objects behave the same way. If we try to modify the object the variable points to then it works like pass by reference but if we try to modify the reference itself then it works like pass by value.
This also explains why closures are broken by passing a variable as a function parameter. Because the function call will create another reference that is not bound by the closure like the original variable.
Epilogue: I lied
One more thing before we end this. I said before that this unifies the behavior of primitive types and objects. Actually no, primitive types are still different:
var i = 1;
function bat (n) { n.hello = 'world' };
bat(i);
console.log(i.hello); // undefined, i is unchanged
I give up. There's no making sense of this. It's just the way it is.
It's because you are calling a function, passing it a value.
for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
alert(i);
}
You expect this to alert different values, right? Because you are passing the current value of i to alert.
function attachClick(val) {
$("#img" + val).click(
function () { alert(val); }
);
}
With this function, you'd expect it to alert whatever val was passed into it, right? That also works when calling it in a loop:
for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
attachClick(i);
}
This:
for (var i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
(function (val) {
$("#img" + val).click(
function () { alert(val); }
);
})(i);
}
is just an inline declaration of the above. You are declaring an anonymous function with the same characteristics as attachClick above and you call it immediately. The act of passing a value through a function parameter breaks any references to the i variable.
upvoted deceze's answer, but thought I'd try a simpler explanation. The reason the closure works is that variables in javascript are function scoped. The closure creates a new scope, and by passing the value of i in as a parameter, you are defining a local variable i in the new scope. without the closure, all of the click handlers you define are in the same scope, using the same i. the reason that your last code snippet doesn't work is because there is no local i, so all click handlers are looking to the nearest parent context with i defined.
I think the other thing that might be confusing you is this comment
Objects are always passed by reference, not copied, so the self-executing function call should make no difference.
this is true for objects, but not primitive values (numbers, for example). This is why a new local i can be defined. To demonstrate, if you did something weird like wrapping the value of i in an array, the closure would not work, because arrays are passed by reference.
// doesn't work
for(var i=[0]; i[0]<10; i[0]++) {
(function (i2) {
$("#img" + i2[0]).click(
function () { alert(i2[0]); }
);
})(i);
}
In the first example, there is only one value of i and it's the one used in the for loop. This, all event handlers will show the value of i when the for loop ends, not the desired value.
In the second example, the value of i at the time the event handler is installed is copied to the i2 function argument and there is a separate copy of that for each invocation of the function and thus for each event handler.
So, this:
(function (i2) {
$("#img" + i2).click(
function () { alert(i2); }
);
})(i);
Creates a new variable i2 that has it's own value for each separate invocation of the function. Because of closures in javascript, each separate copy of i2 is preserved for each separate event handler - thus solving your problem.
In the third example, no new copy of i is made (they all refer to the same i from the for loop) so it works the same as the first example.
Code 1 and Code 3 didn't work because i is a variable and values are changed in each loop. At the end of loop 10 will be assigned to i.
For more clear, take a look at this example,
for(var i=0; i<10; i++) {
}
alert(i)
http://jsfiddle.net/muthkum/t4Ur5/
You can see I put a alert after the loop and it will show show alert box with value 10.
This is what happening to Code 1 and Code 3.
Run the next example:
for(var i=0; i<10; i++) {
$("#img" + i).click(
function () { alert(i); }
);
}
i++;
You'll see that now, 11 is being alerted.
Therefore, you need to avoid the reference to i, by sending it as a function parameter, by it's value. You have already found the solution.
One thing that the other answers didn't mention is why this example that I gave in the question doesn't work:
for(var i=0; i<5; i++) {
var toggler = $("<img/>", { "src": "http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/icons/cross.png" });
toggler.click(function () { toggler.attr("src", "http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/icons/tick.png"); });
$("#container").append(toggler);
}
Coming back to the question months later with a better understanding of JavaScript, the reason it doesn't work can be understood as follows:
The var toggler declaration is hoisted to the top of the function call. All references to toggler are to the same actual identifier.
The closure referenced in the anonymous function is the same (not a shallow copy) of the one containing toggler, which is being updated for each iteration of the loop.
#2 is quite surprising. This alerts "5" for example:
var o;
setTimeout(function () { o = {value: 5}; }, 100);
setTimeout(function () { alert(o.value) }, 1000);

Why does my anonymous function not have the context of the current object in this example?

When I run this sample code in Google Chrome, the intended behavior--loading an image within a placeholder image tag on the current page--does not occur. I checked the value of currPic when showPic() is called, and it is "undefined." I know if I change the parameter to showPic from 'anchors[i]' to 'this', then it will work, but was trying to understand why this is so.
function showPic(currPic) {
var srcLoc = currPic.getAttribute("href");
var placeHolder = document.getElementById("placeholder");
placeHolder.setAttribute("src", srcLoc);
var imgLabel = document.getElementById("imglabel");
var currLinkTitle = currPic.getAttribute("title");
imgLabel.firstChild.nodeValue = currLinkTitle;
}
function prepareGallery() {
if(!(document.getElementsByTagName && document.getElementById)) return false;
var imgGallery = document.getElementById("imagegallery");
if(imgGallery) {
var anchors = imgGallery.getElementsByTagName("a");
var i;
for(i = 0; i < anchors.length; i++) {
anchors[i].onclick = function() {
showPic(anchors[i]);
return false;
}
}
}
}
Inside the anonymous function, anchors[i] provides a runtime reference. At the time the click occurs, anchors[i] no longer exists. While it existed at the time the assignment was made, it falls out of scope at the time of the click (since it's just an array reference). However, using this provides a solid reference to the immediate object that is always available at the time of the click.
More succinctly, anchors[i] is a reference to a position in an array (which leaves scope once the for loop exits). this is a reference to the dom element itself.
Because this would also work: showPic(document.getElementById(anchors[i].id)); - do you "get" it now (pun very much intended)?
Didn't see the obvious statement regarding how closures work, so here's my take on it.
var i;
for(i = 0; i < anchors.length; i++) {
anchors[i].onclick = function() {
showPic(anchors[i]);
return false;
}
}
Notice how you reference the i variable inside the loop? By the end of your loop, the value of i equals anchors.length.
So, when any of your onclick function is executed, that reference to i now points one position past the last index of anchors; this is why you see currPic is undefined.
One solution to this problem has been given in other answers: use this to reference the current anchor and don't pass anchors[i] to the onclick function.
As you may encounter similar situations, I'll show you another solution by closing over the value of i like so:
var i;
for(i = 0; i < anchors.length; i++) {
anchors[i].onclick = (function(i) {
// inside this function, i is closed over and won't change anymore
return function() {
showPic(anchors[i]);
return false;
}
}(i));
}

Last Object is always getting updated?

function createTextFields(obj) {
for (var i = 0; i < obj.length; i++) {
dataDump = {};
for (var key in obj[i]) {
dataDump[key] = textField.value;
var callback = function (vbKey) {
return function (e) {
dataDump[vbKey] = e.source.value;
};
}(key);
}
}
globalData.push(dataDump);
}
I create textFields on click of button, each time a new one is created from the object. When i change the First or Second or Third TextFields and click on update... the value get's updated on the fourth or the last TextFields TextField's Object...
The callback is called on change of the TextFields
It's hard to tell without context, but assuming that different instances of callback are called on change of set text fields, then the problem with closure context of callback.
Callback function holds reference on global dataDump object which is re-assigned on each cycle of the iteration. So, at the end of the for loop all callbacks would reference only one (latest) dataDump object.
Try to add "var" to assignment line.
var dataDump = {};
You are using window.dataDump in this bit of code, so all your callback functions and such are using this same global variable.
Try var dataDump = {}; instead. You'll probably also want to move your globalData.push(dataDump); inside the loop.

JS onclick not firing correctly

I have the following function. The problem is that instead of waiting for the user to click the image as expected, the function immediately fires the imgReplace function for each element in the images array.
Have I done something wrong?
Could the fact I'm using a separate Javascript routine based on Jquery be relevant here?
function setup () {
var images = document.getElementById("mycarousel");
images = images.getElementsByTagName("img");
for (var i = 0; i< images.length; i++) {
images[i].onclick = imgReplace (images[i]);
}
}
Wow I just fixed this embarrassing bug in some of my own code. Everybody else has gotten it wrong:
images[i].onclick = function() {imgReplace(images[i]);};
won't work. Instead, it should be:
images[i].onclick = (function(i) { return function() { imgReplace(images[i]); }; })(i);
Paul Alexander's answer is on the right track, but you can't fix the problem by introducing another local variable like that. JavaScript blocks (like the {} block in the "for" loop) don't create new scopes, which is a significant (and non-obvious) difference from Java or C++. Only functions create scope (setting aside some new ES5 features), so that's why another function is introduced above. The "i" variable from the loop is passed in as a parameter to an anonymous function. That function returns the actual event handler function, but now the "i" it references will be the distinct parameter of the outer function's scope. Each loop iteration will therefore create a new scope devoted to that single value of "i".
Your assigning the result of the call to imageReplace to the onclick handler. Instead wrap the call to imageReplace in it's own function
images[i].click = function(){ imgReplace( images[i] ) }
However, doing so will always replace the last image. You need to create a new variable to enclose the index
for (var i = 0; i< images.length; i++) {
var imageIndex = i;
images[i].onclick = function(){ imgReplace (images[imageIndex]); }
}
What you want to do here is:
images[i].onclick = function() {imgReplace(images[i]);}
try that.
Cheers

jQuery, hover method and closure

Have been struggling with Javascript closure for a while trying to wrap brain around function scopes, but I think they're wrapping around me instead. I've looked at a number of posts (Nyman's was the most helpful) but obviously still don't get it. Trying to run a loop over the hover method in jQuery. Need hover functions to ultimate trigger more than one action each, but would be happy to get them working with a single image swap each for now.
$(document).ready(function() {
imageSource = [];
imageSource[0] = 'images/img0.png' //load 0 position with "empty" png
imgArea = [];
for (var i=1; i<11; i++) {
(function( ){ //anonymous function for scope
imageSource[i] = 'images/img' + i + '.png';
imgArea[i] = '#areamap_Img' + i;
// running console.log here gives expected values for both
$(imgArea[i]).hover( //imgArea[i] (selector) works correctly here
function() {
$('#imgSwap').attr('src',imageSource[i]); // imageSource[i] is undefined here
},
function() {
$('#imgSwap').attr('src','images/img0.png');
});
})(); // end anonymous function and execute
}; // for loop
});
Tried the idea of using an anonymous function for scoping from another jQuery post. Seems to work OK but throws an undefined for the array value in the first hover function, I guess because it's an inside function (hardcoded image sources work correctly there).
There is indeed a problem with your closures, and it has to do with your usage of the var i. Since your anonymous function has no local version of i, it's using the version of the function above it. However, when it tries to access i at a later date, i == 11 (since that's what made the loop terminate). To fix this, you need to declare a local version of i in each anonymous function, like this:
for (var i=1; i<11; i++) {
(function( ){ //anonymous function for scope
var index = i; // The important part!
// It's not technically necessary to use 'index' here, but for good measure...
imageSource[index] = 'images/img' + index + '.png';
imgArea[index] = '#areamap_Img' + index;
$(imgArea[index]).hover(
function() {
$('#imgSwap').attr('src',imageSource[index]); // Here's where `index` is necesssary.
},
function() {
$('#imgSwap').attr('src','images/img0.png');
});
})(); // end anonymous function and execute
}; // for loop
Additionally, there's a small problem in your code you should fix just for good measure. You're not accessing your local variables correctly; you should use:
var imageSource = [];
var imageSource[0] = 'images/img0.png' //load 0 position with "empty" png
var imgArea = []
Without the "var", you're declaring and accessing global variables. (If this is your intended behavior then I apologize.)

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