I have some code that I absolutely must implement using goto
. For example, I want to write a program like this:
start:
alert("RINSE");
alert("LATHER");
repeat: goto start
Is there a way to do that in Javascript?
gotojavascript
I have some code that I absolutely must implement using goto
. For example, I want to write a program like this:
start:
alert("RINSE");
alert("LATHER");
repeat: goto start
Is there a way to do that in Javascript?
A closure is a pairing of:
A lexical environment is part of every execution context (stack frame) and is a map between identifiers (ie. local variable names) and values.
Every function in JavaScript maintains a reference to its outer lexical environment. This reference is used to configure the execution context created when a function is invoked. This reference enables code inside the function to "see" variables declared outside the function, regardless of when and where the function is called.
If a function was called by a function, which in turn was called by another function, then a chain of references to outer lexical environments is created. This chain is called the scope chain.
In the following code, inner
forms a closure with the lexical environment of the execution context created when foo
is invoked, closing over variable secret
:
function foo() {
const secret = Math.trunc(Math.random()*100)
return function inner() {
console.log(`The secret number is ${secret}.`)
}
}
const f = foo() // `secret` is not directly accessible from outside `foo`
f() // The only way to retrieve `secret`, is to invoke `f`
In other words: in JavaScript, functions carry a reference to a private "box of state", to which only they (and any other functions declared within the same lexical environment) have access. This box of the state is invisible to the caller of the function, delivering an excellent mechanism for data-hiding and encapsulation.
And remember: functions in JavaScript can be passed around like variables (first-class functions), meaning these pairings of functionality and state can be passed around your program: similar to how you might pass an instance of a class around in C++.
If JavaScript did not have closures, then more states would have to be passed between functions explicitly, making parameter lists longer and code noisier.
So, if you want a function to always have access to a private piece of state, you can use a closure.
...and frequently we do want to associate the state with a function. For example, in Java or C++, when you add a private instance variable and a method to a class, you are associating state with functionality.
In C and most other common languages, after a function returns, all the local variables are no longer accessible because the stack-frame is destroyed. In JavaScript, if you declare a function within another function, then the local variables of the outer function can remain accessible after returning from it. In this way, in the code above, secret
remains available to the function object inner
, after it has been returned from foo
.
Closures are useful whenever you need a private state associated with a function. This is a very common scenario - and remember: JavaScript did not have a class syntax until 2015, and it still does not have a private field syntax. Closures meet this need.
In the following code, the function toString
closes over the details of the car.
function Car(manufacturer, model, year, color) {
return {
toString() {
return `${manufacturer} ${model} (${year}, ${color})`
}
}
}
const car = new Car('Aston Martin','V8 Vantage','2012','Quantum Silver')
console.log(car.toString())
In the following code, the function inner
closes over both fn
and args
.
function curry(fn) {
const args = []
return function inner(arg) {
if(args.length === fn.length) return fn(...args)
args.push(arg)
return inner
}
}
function add(a, b) {
return a + b
}
const curriedAdd = curry(add)
console.log(curriedAdd(2)(3)()) // 5
In the following code, function onClick
closes over variable BACKGROUND_COLOR
.
const $ = document.querySelector.bind(document)
const BACKGROUND_COLOR = 'rgba(200,200,242,1)'
function onClick() {
$('body').style.background = BACKGROUND_COLOR
}
$('button').addEventListener('click', onClick)
<button>Set background color</button>
In the following example, all the implementation details are hidden inside an immediately executed function expression. The functions tick
and toString
close over the private state and functions they need to complete their work. Closures have enabled us to modularise and encapsulate our code.
let namespace = {};
(function foo(n) {
let numbers = []
function format(n) {
return Math.trunc(n)
}
function tick() {
numbers.push(Math.random() * 100)
}
function toString() {
return numbers.map(format)
}
n.counter = {
tick,
toString
}
}(namespace))
const counter = namespace.counter
counter.tick()
counter.tick()
console.log(counter.toString())
This example shows that the local variables are not copied in the closure: the closure maintains a reference to the original variables themselves. It is as though the stack-frame stays alive in memory even after the outer function exits.
function foo() {
let x = 42
let inner = function() { console.log(x) }
x = x+1
return inner
}
var f = foo()
f() // logs 43
In the following code, three methods log
, increment
, and update
all close over the same lexical environment.
And every time createObject
is called, a new execution context (stack frame) is created and a completely new variable x
, and a new set of functions (log
etc.) are created, that close over this new variable.
function createObject() {
let x = 42;
return {
log() { console.log(x) },
increment() { x++ },
update(value) { x = value }
}
}
const o = createObject()
o.increment()
o.log() // 43
o.update(5)
o.log() // 5
const p = createObject()
p.log() // 42
If you are using variables declared using var
, be careful you understand which variable you are closing over. Variables declared using var
are hoisted. This is much less of a problem in modern JavaScript due to the introduction of let
and const
.
In the following code, each time around the loop, a new function inner
is created, which closes over i
. But because var i
is hoisted outside the loop, all of these inner functions close over the same variable, meaning that the final value of i
(3) is printed, three times.
function foo() {
var result = []
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
result.push(function inner() { console.log(i) } )
}
return result
}
const result = foo()
// The following will print `3`, three times...
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
result[i]()
}
function
from inside another function is the classic example of closure, because the state inside the outer function is implicitly available to the returned inner function, even after the outer function has completed execution.eval()
inside a function, a closure is used. The text you eval
can reference local variables of the function, and in the non-strict mode, you can even create new local variables by using eval('var foo = …')
.new Function(…)
(the Function constructor) inside a function, it does not close over its lexical environment: it closes over the global context instead. The new function cannot reference the local variables of the outer function.ECMAScript 2018 Standard Method
You would use object spread:
let merged = {...obj1, ...obj2};
merged
is now the union of obj1
and obj2
. Properties in obj2
will overwrite those in obj1
.
/** There's no limit to the number of objects you can merge.
* Later properties overwrite earlier properties with the same name. */
const allRules = {...obj1, ...obj2, ...obj3};
Here is also the MDN documentation for this syntax. If you're using babel you'll need the babel-plugin-transform-object-rest-spread plugin for it to work.
ECMAScript 2015 (ES6) Standard Method
/* For the case in question, you would do: */
Object.assign(obj1, obj2);
/** There's no limit to the number of objects you can merge.
* All objects get merged into the first object.
* Only the object in the first argument is mutated and returned.
* Later properties overwrite earlier properties with the same name. */
const allRules = Object.assign({}, obj1, obj2, obj3, etc);
(see MDN JavaScript Reference)
Method for ES5 and Earlier
for (var attrname in obj2) { obj1[attrname] = obj2[attrname]; }
Note that this will simply add all attributes of obj2
to obj1
which might not be what you want if you still want to use the unmodified obj1
.
If you're using a framework that craps all over your prototypes then you have to get fancier with checks like hasOwnProperty
, but that code will work for 99% of cases.
Example function:
/**
* Overwrites obj1's values with obj2's and adds obj2's if non existent in obj1
* @param obj1
* @param obj2
* @returns obj3 a new object based on obj1 and obj2
*/
function merge_options(obj1,obj2){
var obj3 = {};
for (var attrname in obj1) { obj3[attrname] = obj1[attrname]; }
for (var attrname in obj2) { obj3[attrname] = obj2[attrname]; }
return obj3;
}
Best Answer
Absolutely! There is a project called Summer of Goto that allows you use JavaScript at its fullest potential and will revolutionize the way you can write your code.
This JavaScript preprocessing tool allows you to create a label and then goto it using this syntax:
For example, the example in the question can be written as follows:
Note that you are not just limited to simple trivial programs like an endless
LATHER
RINSE
repeat cycle—the possibilities afforded bygoto
are endless and you can even make aHello, world!
message to the JavaScript console 538 times, like this:You can read more about how goto is implemented, but basically, it does some JavaScript preprocessing that takes advantage of the fact that you can simulate a goto with a labelled
while
loop. So, when you write the "Hello, world!" program above, it gets translated to something like this:There are some limitations to this preprocessing process, because while loops cannot stretch across multiple functions or blocks. That's not a big deal, though—I'm sure the benefits of being able to take advantage of
goto
in JavaScript will absolutely overwhelm you.All above link that lead to goto.js library is ALL DEAD, here is links needed:
goto.js (uncompressed) --- parseScripts.js (uncompressed)
From Goto.js: