When we are creating a method inside a closure it becomes private to that closure and can't be accessed until we expose it in some way.
How can it be exposed?
When we are creating a method inside a closure it becomes private to that closure and can't be accessed until we expose it in some way.
How can it be exposed?
You can return a reference to it...
var a = function() {
var b = function() {
// I'm private!
alert('go away!');
};
return {
b: b // Not anymore!
};
};
See it on jsFiddle.
You could also bind it to the window
object. But I prefer the method above, otherwise you are exposing it via a global variable (being a property of the window
object).
You need to pass it to the outside in some manner.
Example: http://jsfiddle.net/patrick_dw/T9vnn/1/
function someFunc() {
var privateFunc = function() {
alert('expose me!');
}
// Method 1: Directly assign it to an outer scope
window.exposed = privateFunc;
// Method 2: pass it out as a function argument
someOuterFunction( privateFunc );
// Method 3: return it
return privateFunc;
}
someFunc()(); // alerts "expose me!"
function someOuterFunction( fn ) {
fn(); // alerts "expose me!"
}
window.exposed(); // alerts "expose me!"
You expose functions or properties of a closure by internally declaring them in this scope (which can change depending on invocation).
function example(val) {
var value = val;
this.getVal = function() {
return value;
}
this.setVal = function(v) {
value = v;
}
}
var ex = new example(2);
ex.getVal(); // == 2
ex.setVal(4); // == null
ex.getVal(); // == 4
Methods declared in this can access variables declared using var, but not the other way 'round.
function example(val) {
var value = val;
var double = function(v) {
return 2 * v;
}
this.getDouble = function() {
return double(value);
}
}
var ex = new example(2);
ex.getDouble(); // == 4
The function closes over the scope. What you want to do is to return a reference to a function that has access to the scope you require so you can invoke it at a later point.
If you need to create a function that calls a specific method at some later point,
var ex = new example(2);
var delayed_call = function() {
return(ex.getDouble()); // == 4, when called
}
setTimeout(delayed_call, 1000);
If scoping is an issue,
var ex = new example(2);
var delayed_call = (function(ex_ref) {
return function() {
return(ex_ref.getDouble()); // == 4, when called
}
})(ex); // create a new scope and capture a reference to ex as ex_ref
setTimeout(delayed_call, 1000);
You can inline most of this with the less readable example of,
setTimeout((function(ex_ref) {
return function() {
return(ex_ref.getDouble()); // == 4, when called
})(new example(2)))
, 1000
);
setTimeout is just a convenient way of demonstrating execution in new scope.
var ex = new example(2);
var delayed_call = function() {
return(ex.getDouble());
}
delayed_call(); // == 4
For performance purposes you can invoke it this way:
var a = (function(){
function _a(){}
_a.prototype = (function(){
var _test = function(){ console.log("test"); };
return {
test: _test
}
}());
return new _a();
}());
// usage
var x = a;
x.test(); // "test"