JavaScript functions are executed in the sequence they are called. Not in the sequence they are defined. This example will end up displaying "Goodbye": Examplefunction myFirst() { function mySecond() { myFirst(); Try it Yourself » This example will end up displaying "Hello": Examplefunction myFirst() { function mySecond() { mySecond(); Try it Yourself » Sequence ControlSometimes you would like to have better control over when to execute a function. Suppose you want to do a calculation, and then display the result. You could call a calculator function ( Examplefunction myDisplayer(some) { function myCalculator(num1, num2) { let result = myCalculator(5, 5); Try it Yourself » Or, you could call a calculator function ( Examplefunction myDisplayer(some) { function myCalculator(num1, num2) { myCalculator(5, 5); Try it Yourself » The problem with the first example above, is that you have to call two functions to display the result. The problem with the second example, is that you cannot prevent the calculator function from displaying the result. Now it is time to bring in a callback. A callback is a function passed as an argument to another function. Using a callback, you could call the calculator function ( Examplefunction myDisplayer(some) { function myCalculator(num1, num2, myCallback) { myCalculator(5, 5, myDisplayer); Try it Yourself »In the example above, It is passed to NoteWhen you pass a function as an argument, remember not to use parenthesis. Right: myCalculator(5, 5, myDisplayer); Wrong: myCalculator(5, 5, myDisplayer()); Example// Create an Array // Call removeNeg with a callback // Display Result // Keep only positive numbers In the example above, It is passed to When to Use a Callback?The examples above are not very exciting. They are simplified to teach you the callback syntax. Where callbacks really shine are in asynchronous functions, where one function has to wait for another function (like waiting for a file to load). An arrow function expression is a compact alternative to a traditional function expression, with some semantic differences and deliberate limitations in usage:
Rest parameters, default parameters, and destructuring within params are supported, and always require parentheses:
Arrow functions can be 3 by prefixing the expression with the 3 keyword.
Let's decompose a traditional anonymous function down to the simplest arrow function step-by-step. Each step along the way is a valid arrow function. Note: Traditional function expressions and arrow functions have more differences than their syntax. We will introduce their behavior differences in more detail in the next few subsections.
In the example above, both the parentheses around the parameter and the braces around the function body may be omitted. However, they can only be omitted in certain cases. The parentheses can only be omitted if the function has a single simple parameter. If it has multiple parameters, no parameters, or default, destructured, or rest parameters, the parentheses around the parameter list are required.
The braces can only be omitted if the function directly returns an expression. If the body has additional lines of processing, the braces are required — and so is the 5 keyword. Arrow functions cannot guess what or when you want to return.
Arrow functions are always unnamed. If the arrow function needs to call itself, use a named function expression instead. You can also assign the arrow function to a variable so it has a name.
Arrow functions can have either a concise body or the usual block body. In a concise body, only a single expression is specified, which becomes the implicit return value. In a block body, you must use an explicit 5 statement.
Returning object literals using the concise body syntax 7 does not work as expected.
This is because JavaScript only sees the arrow function as having a concise body if the token following the arrow is not a left brace, so the code inside braces ({}) is parsed as a sequence of statements, where 8 is a label, not a key in an object literal.To fix this, wrap the object literal in parentheses:
Arrow function expressions should only be used for non-method functions because they do not have their own 6. Let's see what happens when we try to use them as methods: 0Another example involving 0: 1Because a class's body has a 6 context, arrow functions as class fields close over the class's 6 context, and the 6 inside the arrow function's body will correctly point to the instance (or the class itself, for static fields). However, because it is a closure, not the function's own binding, the value of 6 will not change based on the execution context. 2Arrow function properties are often said to be "auto-bound methods", because the equivalent with normal methods is: 3Note: Class fields are defined on the instance, not on the prototype, so every instance creation would create a new function reference and allocate a new closure, potentially leading to more memory usage than a normal unbound method. For similar reasons, the 5, 6, and 7 methods are not useful when called on arrow functions, because arrow functions establish 6 based on the scope the arrow function is defined within, and the 6 value does not change based on how the function is invoked.Arrow functions do not have their own 7 object. Thus, in this example, 7 is a reference to the arguments of the enclosing scope: 4Note: You cannot declare a variable called 7 in , so the code above would be a syntax error. This makes the scoping effect of 7 much easier to comprehend.In most cases, using rest parameters is a good alternative to using an 7 object. 5Arrow functions cannot be used as constructors and will throw an error when called with 9. They also do not have a 6 property. 6The 2 keyword cannot be used in an arrow function's body (except when used within generator functions further nested within the arrow function). As a consequence, arrow functions cannot be used as generators.An arrow function cannot contain a line break between its parameters and its arrow. 7For the purpose of formatting, you may put the line break after the arrow or use parentheses/braces around the function body, as shown below. You can also put line breaks between parameters. 8Although the arrow in an arrow function is not an operator, arrow functions have special parsing rules that interact differently with operator precedence compared to regular functions. 9Because 8 has a lower precedence than most operators, parentheses are necessary to avoid 9 being parsed as the arguments list of the arrow function. 0 1The 5, 6, and 7 methods work as expected with traditional functions, because we establish the scope for each of the methods: 2With arrow functions, since our 3 function is essentially created on the 4 (global) scope, it will assume 6 is the 4. 3Perhaps the greatest benefit of using arrow functions is with methods like 7 and 8 that usually require some kind of closure, 5, 6, or 7 to ensure that the function is executed in the proper scope. |