How to pass an integer to create new variable name? - javascript

I have 50 svg animations named animation0, animation1, animation2 etc. and I want to load them when the integer 0 to 49 is passed to this function:
function loadAnimation(value){
var whichswiffy = "animation" + value;
var stage = new swiffy.Stage(document.getElementById('swiffycontainer'), whichswiffy);
stage.start();
}
It doesn't work at the moment, maybe it's passing 'whichswiffy' rather than animation10?
Any ideas?

"I have 50 svg animations named animation0, animation1, animation2 etc."
Using global variables
I assume this means you have variables. If they're global variables, you can access them as a property of the global object.
var whichswiffy = window["animation" + value];
Using an Object instead of variables
But if they're not global variables (or even if they are), you'd be better off storing them in an Object...
var animations = {
animation0: your first value,
animation1: your second value,
/* and so on */
}
...and then access them as properties of that object...
var whichswiffy = animations["animation" + value];
Using an Array instead of variables
Or better, just use an Array since the only differentiation is the number...
var animations = [
your first value,
your second value,
/* and so on */
]
then just use the index...
var whichswiffy = animations[value];

If your variables are global, you could do
var stage = new swiffy.Stage(document.getElementById('swiffycontainer'), window[whichswiffy]);

Related

JavaScript Array with multiple items

I am trying to create a array with multiple fields in it.
For Example:
var person1 = {firstname:"Bob", lastname:"Smith", middlename:"happy"};
The problem I have is that I have 5000 variables I want to create so it would become:
var person1 = {firstname:"Bob", lastname:"Smith", middlename:"happy"};
var person2 = {firstname:"John", lastname:"Jones", middlename:"Long"};
..
var person5000 = {firstname:"Jim", lastname:"Cook", middlename:"Shorty"};
I think it would be silly to have 5000 lines of code to declare the variables.
So I want to be able to declare the variables on page load and then later assign the values to each.
I was trying to do this using the following code but I am guessing I am doing something wrong.
(I am loading some dummy data into the variables for testing)
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
var person = new Array (firstName:"", lastName:"", middleName:"");
for (var i = 0; i < 5000; ++i) {
person[i] = {firstName:"First"+i, lastName:"Last"+i, middlename:"Middle"+i};
}
alert(person1["firstName"]); // should alert First1
alert(person6["lastname"]); // should alert Last6
</script>
</body>
</html>
I was hoping to later in my code set the value using:
(I am pretty sure this code should work, but can't test it since I can't declare the variables correctly)
person1[firstname] = "Terry"; // should replace First1 with Terry
And then to receive a value using:
alert(person1[firstname]); // should alert Terry since it was changed
Anyone know what is wrong with my code since it's not returning the value ?
I am guessing I am declaring the variables wrong? If so how should I declare them ?
You appear to be confused about the difference between arrays and objects in Javascript. Arrays have numeric indexes, objects have named properties. So the initialization
new Array(firstName:"", lastName:"", middleName:"");
makes no sense. Not to mention, it's not valid Javascript syntax; property: value pairs can only be used in object literals, not in argument lists. If you use new Array(...), the argument should either be a single number, which is the size of the array to allocate, or a list of initial array element (with no property: prefixes. But the preferred way to create a new array is simply with the [] literal for an empty array; it will grow as necessary when you assign to it.
When you create an array, you don't get separate variables for each element. You access them using array[n] notation.
// Create an empty array
var person = [];
// Fill up the array
for (var i = 0; i < 5000; ++i) {
person[i] = {firstName:"First"+i, lastName:"Last"+i, middlename:"Middle"+i};
}
// Access elements
alert(person[1].firstName);
alert(person[6].middleName);
// Change elements
person[1].firstName = "Terry";
I believe this should work as you intended:
var person = new Array();
for (var i = 0; i < 5000; ++i) {
person[i] = {firstName:"First"+i, lastName:"Last"+i, middleName:"Middle"+i};
}
alert(person[1]["firstName"]);
alert(person[6]["lastName"]);
As pointed out by others, the person array is filled with objects, not arrays. You can use either property or associative array syntax with them.

using a string to create a variable

I'm trying to create variables using strings.
I'm writing a script that will load images from a array of strings and I want to store those images in variables with the name of the used string.
This is the code so far:
var images = ["CrazyWolf.jpg", "CrazyWolf.jpg", "CrazyWolf.jpg", "CrazyWolf.jpg"];
var name = "";
function preload(path)
{
img = new Image();
img.src = path;
img.onload = imageLoaded;
return img;
};
function makeImages()
{
for(var i = images.length; i > 0; i--)
{
source = images.shift();
preload(source);
var name = source.replace(".jpg", "Image");
console.log(name);
//make vars with as name, var name
//Console.log(name); returns: CrazyWolfImage
if(i==0) console.log("Loop ended");
}
}
How do I use this name to create variables out of it?
Any help would be greatly apreciated!
Thanks!
What you ask for is quite easy. You can store the image as a property in the window object, and it can be accessed as a global variable:
function makeImages() {
while (images.length) {
source = images.shift();
var name = source.replace(".jpg", "Image");
window[name] = preload(source);
}
}
However, creating variables dynamically isn't very useful, and it can have unforseen side effects. The code to use the variables either has to blindy use some variables depending on them being created, or access them dynamically which makes it pointless to have them as variables in the first place. The global namespace is already full of identifiers, so there is a risk that you use a name that already exists.
Instead of using the global namespace, create an object where you store the images by name. That way they are isolated from the global namespace and its existing identifiers. You don't even have to manipulate the name to make a valid identifier, a name like CrazyWolf.jpg works just fine to access properties:
var img = {};
function makeImages() {
while (images.length) {
source = images.shift();
img[source] = preload(source);
}
}
Now you can access the images dynamically from the object. Example:
document.getElementById('#ShowImage').src = img['CrazyWolf.jpg'].src;
You can also loop through the images in the object, which would not be possible if they were variables among all the existing in the global namespace:
for (image in img) {
image.style.width = '200px';
}
Note: When looping through the properties in an object you can't rely on the order that they are processed. You would use an array instead of an object if you want to retain a specific order.
you can say something like this:-
eval("var number = 5");
console.log(number);
It'll print 5 as answer.
I think it will be helpful.
You can't create non-global variables with constructed names without using eval() (which would be a pretty bad idea), but you can create object properties:
var imgs = {};
for(var i = images.length; i > 0; i--)
{
source = images.shift();
preload(source);
var name = source.replace(".jpg", "Image");
console.log(name);
imgs[name] = whatever;
}
eval() should be avoided because it makes internal code optimization impossible, if not for oft-discussed aesthetic reasons.
Global variables are properties of the global context (window) so if you want global variables (why?) you can use that instead of a local object.

Alternative to using eval()

I've heard a lot of rumblings about how "evil" or even "misunderstood" the eval function is, so I've decided to remove it from my code. The problem is I don't know what to replace it with.
Here's a quick rundown of my current code. I have a series of arrays (just 2 for the example below) declared at the beginning, and then based on a button click one of them gets loaded into a variable that is passed into a function.
Here's some basic HTML
<div class="button" data-name="button1">Button1</div>
<div class="button" data-name="button2">Button2</div>
and the JS (with jQuery)
var butName = null;
var eArray = null;
var button1Logo = ["..path/to/pic1.png","..path/to/pic2.png"];
var button2Logo = ["..path/to/pic3.png","..path/to/pic4.png"];
$(".button").mouseup(function(){
/*give a butName*/
butName = $(this).attr("data-name");
/*give the array from the button*/
eArray = eval(butName + "Logo");
});
Doing it this way assigns the array to the variable and not just a string that says "butnameLogo" which is why I used eval. But I'm looking to get away from that.
I know I can add a new attribute to the html and just retrieve that for the variable but I don't want to add more html when I can possibly do it with JS.
I've also tried making an object with strings loaded into it as seen in this answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/16038097/1621380 but that resulted in just a string again, and not assigning a variable.
Wondering if you smart people have any better suggestions!
Replace
var button1Logo = ["..path/to/pic1.png","..path/to/pic2.png"];
var button2Logo = ["..path/to/pic3.png","..path/to/pic4.png"];
with an object, where the keys are your button names:
var buttonLogos = {
button1: ["..path/to/pic1.png","..path/to/pic2.png"],
button2: ["..path/to/pic3.png","..path/to/pic4.png"]
};
Then instead of the eval you can simply do
eArray = buttonLogos[butName]
(or buttonLogos[butName + "Logo"] if you want to call the keys button1Logo and button2Logo, but I can't really see the point now that they are nicely contained within a buttonLogos object)
Use an object:
var butName = null;
var buttonsLogos = {
button1: ["..path/to/pic1.png", "..path/to/pic2.png"],
button2: ["..path/to/pic3.png", "..path/to/pic4.png"]
};
$(".button").mouseup(function(){
/*give a butName*/
butName = $(this).attr("data-name");
/*give the array from the button*/
eArray = buttonsLogos[butName];
});
Consider making the data available as properties of an object, then you can control access to the object through scope and only need one (global?) variable for all such data.
If global scope is needed, then:
var dataObj = {
button1Logo: ["..path/to/pic1.png","..path/to/pic2.png"],
button2Logo: ["..path/to/pic3.png","..path/to/pic4.png"]
}
and later:
var eArray = dataObj[this.data-name + 'Logo'];
You may want to call the data object something more meaningful than dataObj though.
The best option is to define an object which holds all our button paths:
var buttons = {
"1": ["..path/to/pic1.png", "..path/to/pic2.png"],
"2": ["..path/to/pic3.png", "..path/to/pic4.png"]
};
$(".button").mouseup(function(){
/* give a butName */
var butName = $(this).attr("data-name");
/* give the array from the button */
var eArray = buttons[butName];
});
If your variables reside in the global scope, you could use the bracket notation to access them:
eArray = window[butName + "Logo"];
Note that this solution is not recommended. The first code sample is much cleaner and more maintainable.
Imagine a situation where you would have to move all the code into a 'deeper' context (!= global context). Nothing would work anymore.
You can do this very nicely with arrays and array indexes. You needn't find and use variable names at all. Even your data- attributes are unnecessary.
var eArray;
var buttonLogos = [
["..path/to/pic1.png","..path/to/pic2.png"],
["..path/to/pic3.png","..path/to/pic4.png"]
];
var buttons = $(".button").mouseup(function(){
var idx = buttons.index(this);
eArray = buttonLogos[idx];
});
The key line in this is buttons.index(this). This method call gets the position of the current element among all the elements matched by $(".button"). We then use this index to select the relevant element from the buttonLogos array.
You're taking a very circuitous route by using eval here.
You'd be much better off doing something like this:
var paths = {
button1: ["..path/to/pic1.png","..path/to/pic2.png"],
button2: ["..path/to/pic3.png","..path/to/pic4.png"]
};
$(".button").mouseup(function(){
/*give the array from the button*/
eArray = paths[$(this).attr("data-name")];
});
eval should only be used if you need to execute code (usually from a 3rd party source), and even that is rare. If you ever find yourself saying "i should use eval here", there's almost definitely a better alternative, and you should try and find it.

Object within object add property with JavaScript

I have an object within an object. It looks like this.
var myLib = {
object1: {}
}
My basic problem is that I wanted to end up like this. So I would like to do this dynamically I will not know the property's or additional objects until run time.
var myLib = {
object1: ({"A1":({"Color":"Blue",
"height":50})
})
}
From reading here on Stack Overflow I know that I can create an object within an object by simply going like this:
myLib.Object1["A1"] = "Something"
But this does not produce what I'm looking for.
I tried this syntax which I know is wrong but basically
mylib.Object1["A1"].["color"]="Blue";
so basically here is the question. I would like to create object "A1" under "mylib.Object" and immediately add property color = "blue" to "A1". I would need to do this for several other properties, but if I can figure out how to do this for one, I can figure it out for the rest. How can I accomplish this task?
No jQuery, please. Just plain old JavaScript is what I'm looking for.**
Once I create the object and properties I would imagine I can just use a for loop to loop through the properties for that object. Like so:
for(key in mylib.Object1["A1"]){}
Right?
You can create it all from scratch like this:
var myLib = {};
myLib.object1 = {};
// assuming you get this value from your code somewhere
var x = "A1";
myLib.object1[x] = {Color: "Blue", height: 50};
Or, if all values are in variables:
var myLib = {};
myLib.object1 = {};
// assuming you get this value from your code somewhere
var x = "A1";
var colorProp = "Color";
var colorPropValue = "Blue";
var heightProp = "height";
var heightPropValue = 50;
myLib.object1[x] = {}; // create empty object so we can then add properties to it
myLib.object1[x][colorProp] = colorPropValue; // add one property
myLib.object1[x][heightProp] = heightPropValue; // add another property
These syntaxes create identical results:
myLib.object1.A1 = {};
var x = "A1";
myLib.object1[x] = {};
The first can only be used when the property name is known when you write the code and when the property name follows the proper rules for a javascript identifier. The second can be used any time, but is typically used when the property name is in a variable or when it doesn't follow the rules for a javascript identifier (like it starts with a digit).

Global var in JavaScript

This is annoying me.
I'm setting an array in beginning of the doc:
var idPartner;
var myar = new Array();
myar[0] = "http://example.com/"+idPartner;
And I'm getting a number over the address, which is the id of partner. Great. But I'm trying to set it without success:
$.address.change(function(event) {
idPartner = 3;
alert(idPartner);
}
Ok. The alert is giving me the right number, but isn't setting it.
What's wrong?
Changing the value of the variable does not re-set the values within the array. That is just something javascript can't do automatically. You would have to re-generate the array for it to have the new id. Could you add the id to the value where you use the array instead of pre-setting the values in the array containing the id?
Edit: For example, you would do:
var myArray = [];
var myId = 0;
myArray[0] = "http://foo.com/id/";
and when you need to use a value from the array, you would do this:
var theVal = myArray[0] + myId;
Try this:
var myvar = ["http://site.com/"];
$.address.change(function(event) {
myvar[1] = 3;
}
then use myvar.join () where you need the full url.
The problem here is that at the line
myar[0] = "http://site.com/"+idPartner;
..you perform a string concatenation, meaning you copy the resulting string into the array at index position 0.
Hence, when later setting idPartnerit won't have any effect on the previously copied string. To avoid such effect you can either always construct the string again when the idPartnervariable updates or you create an object and you evaluate it when you need it like...
var MyObject = function(){
this.idPartner = 0; //default value
};
MyObject.prototype.getUrl = function(){
return "http://site.com/" + this.idPartner;
};
In this way you could use it like
var myGlblUrlObj = new MyObject();
$.address.change(function(event){
myGlblUrlObj.idPartner = ... /setting it here
});
at some later point you can then always get the correct url using
myGlblUrlObj.getUrl();
Now obviously it depends on the complexity of your situation. Maybe the suggested array solution might work as well, although I prefer having it encapsulated somewhere in an object for better reusability.
myar[0] = "http://site.com/" + idPartner;
After this line, myar[0] = "http://site.com/undefined" and it has nothing to do with the variable idPartner no more.
So, after that changing the value of idPartner will affect the value of myar[0].
You need to change the value of myar[0] itself.

Categories