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Using setInterval inside an object

Hello =)

I have an object which contains a method that should execute every x ms. I
can use setInterval inside the object construct like this -

self.setInterval('ObjectName.methodName()', this.pinginterval);

- but is there no way to do this without using the literal ObjectName? If I
write 'this.methodName()' I get "Line 1 Char 1: Object doesn't support this
property or method." in IE, and nothing happens in Firebird.

Thank you,
Daniel

Jul 20 '05 #1
28 20234
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
I have an object which contains a method that should execute every x ms. I
can use setInterval inside the object construct like this -

self.setInterval('ObjectName.methodName()', this.pinginterval);

- but is there no way to do this without using the literal ObjectName? If I
write 'this.methodName()' I get "Line 1 Char 1: Object doesn't support this
property or method." in IE, and nothing happens in Firebird.


Because the "this" keyword at the time of running doesn't refer to the
object. That is one reason to be weary about passing around code as
strings. Passing it around as a function value keeps the textual scope,
so the identifiers in the function refer to the ones that existed where
the function was written, not where it is executed.

I would write

var myself = this;
function callMethod() {
myself.methodName();
}
setInterval(callMethod, this.pinginterval)

That way you don't rely on any literals being the same when the code
is executed, but rely on the normal scope rules to keep the *value* of
myself in the function's scope chain.

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'
Jul 20 '05 #2
> You would need to store the object somehow in a variable that is
accessible from the code passed to setInterval
For example when you create objects store them in an Array
function AClass () {
this.id = AClass.instances.length;
AClass.instances[this.id] = this;
}
AClass.instances = new Array()
Then in your method you script
setInterval('AClass.instances[' + this.id + '].methodName();', delay)


I thought of this. Actually, I think you're responsible for me thinking
this, as I think you were the one who gave me a similar approach when I
asked about how to determine an object's run-time assigned name without
having to store it oneself =)
I'm gonna go with Lasse's solution, though (no offense ;), since that
requires no manual tracking of object names.

But thank you for your post =)

Daniel
Jul 20 '05 #3
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
PS: Er vi egentlig ikke landsmænd?


Jo, det er vi da :)
(and I would have answered in Danish if you had asked in the Danish
group <URL:news:dk.edb.internet.webdesign.clientside> :) )

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'
Jul 20 '05 #4
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
function myObject() {
var o = this;
o.intervalcheck = function() { // blahblah }
self.setInterval(o.intervalcheck, 2000);
}


This looks slightly misleading. It is equivalent to:

function myObject() {
var o = this;
var f = function() { // blahblah };
o.intervalcheck = f; // seems unused otherwise
self.setInterval(f, 2000);
}

Functions have several roles in Javascript. They act both as first
class values (which is what we use when passing a function reference
to setInterval) and as methods of objects (which is what we do when we
invoke them as "object.method()"). However, these two roles are not
compatible.

When you write "o.intervalcheck", what you get is the reference to the
function. There is nothing in this reference that can tell that the
function has been a method of the "o" object. Calling the function later
will not make the "this" keyword point to the "o" object.

If the "//blahblah" uses "this", then it is probably a mistake. If it uses
"o", then it probably works. In either case, there doesn't seem to be any
reason for making the function a property of the object.

(Incidentally, because I just read a book about it, the concept of
passing an object method as a first class value has been incorporated
into the C# language. It is called a "delegate", and it works like a
function while retaining the binding of the "this" keyword. They do
have an easier time than javascript, since functions aren't first
class values otherwise.)

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'
Jul 20 '05 #5
rh
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen <lr*@hotpop.com> wrote in message news:<y8**********@hotpop.com>...
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
function myObject() {
var o = this;
o.intervalcheck = function() { // blahblah }
self.setInterval(o.intervalcheck, 2000);
}
This looks slightly misleading. It is equivalent to:

function myObject() {
var o = this;
var f = function() { // blahblah };
o.intervalcheck = f; // seems unused otherwise
self.setInterval(f, 2000);
}


The two may be functionally equivalent, but the original is preferable
if a public function is desired. On the other hand a private function
may be more appropriate, in which case the "o.intervalcheck = f"
(which provides a public reference to the private function) should be
removed.

<snip>
When you write "o.intervalcheck", what you get is the reference to the
function. There is nothing in this reference that can tell that the
function has been a method of the "o" object. Calling the function later
will not make the "this" keyword point to the "o" object.

Agreed there's nothing perhaps in the reference that designates the
object, but there is something in the de-reference. Otherwise,
closures in Javascript wouldn't exist.

It's been noted elsewhere that it seems to be a deficiency in
Javascript that "this" doesn't refer to the object upon entry to a
closure. Nonetheless, both private and public properties of the object
are accessible within the closure. As is the object itself, provided a
reference to the object has been preserved during object construction
(e.g., var o = this).
If the "//blahblah" uses "this", then it is probably a mistake. If it uses
"o", then it probably works. In either case, there doesn't seem to be any
reason for making the function a property of the object.


If it uses "o", then it should do better than "probably works" :-).
It's reasonable to make the function a property of the object if
closure is one of the desired effects.

//rh
Jul 20 '05 #6
> When you write "o.intervalcheck", what you get is the reference to the
function. There is nothing in this reference that can tell that the
function has been a method of the "o" object. Calling the function later
will not make the "this" keyword point to the "o" object.
I'm a bit confused here as to what you mean... When I've stored the
reference to "this" in "o", is writing "o" then not equivalent to writing
"this" in regards to how Javascript interprets the code? So that writing
"o.intervalcheck" is effectively the same as "this.intervalcheck" in every
sense but the semantics?
If the "//blahblah" uses "this", then it is probably a mistake. If it uses
"o", then it probably works. In either case, there doesn't seem to be any
reason for making the function a property of the object.
The //blahblah doesn't use "this". Actually, this whole thing about handling
scope in Javascript which is rather different, I think, to Actionscript
which I'm more accustomed to, made me wonder if using "this" inside a method
of the object would be understood by Javascript as a reference to the method
and not its object parent. So, assigning the object's "this" to "o"
comforted me, because I could then stop worrying about what "this" would
actually be referring to ;) Is this bad programatical style? Won't "o" be
available to every method under the object?
(Incidentally, because I just read a book about it, the concept of
passing an object method as a first class value has been incorporated
into the C# language. It is called a "delegate", and it works like a
function while retaining the binding of the "this" keyword. They do
have an easier time than javascript, since functions aren't first
class values otherwise.)


Good to know. I was reading up on first-class values, and read about C's
functions not being first-class values; I was wondering if that applied to
C++/C# as well (gonna be doing some of that soon, as I'm starting the
datamatiker education August 1st ;).

Thanks,
Daniel =)
--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #7
> The two may be functionally equivalent, but the original is preferable
if a public function is desired. On the other hand a private function
may be more appropriate, in which case the "o.intervalcheck = f"
(which provides a public reference to the private function) should be
removed.
Okay, I think I'm getting what this is about! =) I didn't even think about
public and private in Javascript (I continue to underestimate what
Javascript can do, it's been a long walk from "Bah, that's just a simple
scripting language, can't take more than a couple of weeks to master" to
here, and the walk continues... ;)
If it uses "o", then it should do better than "probably works" :-).
It's reasonable to make the function a property of the object if
closure is one of the desired effects.
While closure wasn't something I intentionally aimed for, I don't see any
problems with it. The object is intended as an autonomous slave horse,
providing an abstraction layer between Javascript and PHP/MySQL. It is given
orders to get/update/delete data and return objects and/or statuses. The
intervalcheck function is supposed to do periodical keepalive stuff like
pinging the database, error-checking, and maintaining a queue of waiting
commands. It's not needed as a public method, like "object.intervalcheck()",
and as I understand, the way I've programmed it here, that won't be possible
anyway?
It's been noted elsewhere that it seems to be a deficiency in
Javascript that "this" doesn't refer to the object upon entry to a
closure. Nonetheless, both private and public properties of the object
are accessible within the closure. As is the object itself, provided a
reference to the object has been preserved during object construction
(e.g., var o = this).


This may be a lot to ask, but could you possibly explain this bit to me? Or
if you had a link that would be nice? This "entry to a closure" concept is
new to me...

I'll be reading up on objects in the Bible ;)

Thanks for your help, RH! =)

Daniel
--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #8
> My point being that the use of inner functions carries an overhead and
that makes me think that it would be best to restrict their use to
instances where the fact that they are inner functions, and thus in a
position to form and _exploit_ the resulting closures, has a manifest
advantage.

Lasse thinks that authoring convenience and ease of maintenance argue
against worrying about this aspect of inner functions to any significant
degree. I am a bit more obsessed with maximising performance. No one
else has expressed an opinion. Knowing the situation you can make up
your own mind about.


In this particular scenario, I will at any time have just one instance of
this object in a given document. So regarding the question of inner vs.
outer functions, the overhead by using inner functions would only be
theoretical, and for some reason I favour nesting code specific to just one
object inside the object. Not so much because of programatical reasons, but
more because I guess it "fits" better with the way my head understands it
(at least for the moment being ;)

As for the potential problem with circular references you describe, I'll
definitely have to take this into account. Your post was very informative,
and I probably wouldn't have realized this issue existed had it not been for
you, so thank you _very_ much for taking the time to write such an in-depth
reply! =)

Regards,
Daniel
--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #9

"Lasse Reichstein Nielsen" <lr*@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:8y**********@hotpop.com...
It depends. If called as a method, "this" refers to the object for
which the function is a method. If called as a function reference,
"this" refers to the global object (which is stupid design, but that's
a different story).
I definitely agree =) The way the "this" keyword is used in Javascript has
caused me quite a lot of confusion, it doesn't always make sense the way
it's used - sometimes it seems like things have been "patched up" to do some
kind of workaround that doesn't make programatical sense. Like when you
reference a form from within an element in the form using "this.form" - that
doesn't make sense, since that *should* indicate a form nested in the
element. I haven't seen the ECMA specs, but in Actionscript the equivalent
reference would have been "this._parent" which makes much more sense, both
logical and programatical (plus, it makes no assumption about what type of
object the parent is).
It is not bad style to assign the value of "this" to a local variable
to be able to capture it in closures. It is a well known way of doing
exactly that.
Great =)
Congratulatons :)


Actually, anyone with a B level in math and a highschool diploma gets in,
so... But thanks! =) Hehe ;)

Thanks to you, RH, and Richard, I'm beginning to get a really good
understanding of this. You guys rock! The time and effort you're spending
here really means a lot to me (and others!) =)

Thanks,
Daniel

PS: Jeg har kigget lidt på din side - den der random art-dippedut er helt
vildt cool =)

--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #10

"Lasse Reichstein Nielsen" <lr*@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:k7**********@hotpop.com...
It does make some sense. Each form element has a reference to the form
it is inside. The "onclick" handler is a function and a method of the
element (or rather the DOM node corresponding to it) that it is on, so
when it is called, they "this" keyword points to the form element.


OOOHH!!! It's just the way I've been reading it! I've read it as, literally,
a part of a path, when really the ".form" is a property of the object
referenced by "this" (an object, which in turn can be extended with
"paths" - properties - to address another object). ".form" could just as
well contain a reference the top document, giving us a whole different
scenario. And "_parent" in Actionscript is just a property as well. A path
is really nothing but a series of objects linked together, and that linkage
can be arbitrary, not necessarily hierarchical. Come to think of it, the
concept of hierarchy itself is a perception... I think I just had a small
wake-up call :P

Thanks! =)

Daniel
--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #11
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
<snip>
... , and for some reason I favour nesting code specific to just
one object inside the object. Not so much because of programatical
reasons, but more because I guess it "fits" better with the way my
head understands it (at least for the moment being ;)


There are many patterns for creating JavaScript object classes, looking
around Douglas Crockford's site (and following some of the links from
there) will expose several approaches.

I like the idea of grouping all code related to an object into one
structure in a way similar to Java. It is still feasible to do that with
JavaScript without creating a unique function object for each method of
each object instance.

The following executes a function expression as the file loads, that
function call returns a function that will act as a class constructor.
The resulting closure acts as a repository for private static members
but it can also server to group the code for the entire class into one
function body. However, because this constructor returning function is
only called once any inner functions assigned to the prototype of the
constructor will be shared by all instances of the class and that gives
you the clear object code structure while not creating more function
objects than is needed.
var MyObject = function(){
var counter = 0; //private static (class) member

function incrementCounter(){ //private static (class) method.
return counter++;
};

function constructor(id){ //class constructor.
this.id = id;
var self = this;

//call private static (class) method and assign the returned
//index to a private instance member.
var index = incrementCounter();

this.getIndex = function(){ //privileged instance method.
return index;
};
};

//privileged static (class) method (a property of the constructor)
constructor.getNoOfInsts = function(){
return counter;
};

//public instance method that is also privileged at the class
//level. It has no access to the closure formed when
//constructing new objects. The one function object is
//shared by all instances of the class as it has been assigned
//to the prototype of the constructor function.
constructor.prototype.getId = function(){
return this.id;
}

return constructor; //return the constructor.
}(); //simultaneously define and call (one-off)!

var test = new MyObject('anyId');

There is no need, but it also remains possible to extend the prototype
after the constructor has been returned from the one-off function
call.:-

MyObject.pubStatic = "anything" //public static (class) member

MyObject.prototype.pubInstVar = 8; //public instance member

Richard.

--

Example JavaScript DOM listings for: Opera 7.11,
Mozilla 1.2 and ICEbrowser 5.4
<URL: http://www.litotes.demon.co.uk/dom_root.html >
Jul 20 '05 #12

"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
PS: In case of the "read a book" reply, which one should I get?


I'm gonna order the Javascript Definitive Guide as Douglas suggests on
Amazon, so that's that question answered ;)
Jul 20 '05 #13
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
<snip>
var MyObject = function(){ ...
}(); //simultaneously define and call (one-off)!

var test = new MyObject('anyId');


This is really a brainteaser for me... I partially understand the
one-off concept here in that I can see how the "space"
MyObject owns[*] in the variable declaration becomes an
object constructor


The constructor (the inner function with the identifier "constructor")
is returned by the in-line execution of its outer function and a
reference to that inner function is assigned to the MyObject variable.
Thus the MyObject global variable becomes a reference to a function that
is an inner function of the closure formed by executing its outer
function in-line once, but that function can be used as a constructor
(that is actually true of all functions, though most of the time using a
random function as an object constructor would be pointless) and it has
already had an instance method assigned to its prototype.

The primary purpose of the inline execution of the outer function is to
provide a closure to contain private static (class) members. Variables
and functions local to the closure but also available to any other
function defined within the same closure. Which includes the constructor
and the closure formed when new objects of the class are created, their
privileged and private methods and their non-privileged public members.
However, the function expression that is executed in-line also serves as
an enclosing structure for the entire class definition. Resulting in a
more Java-like class definition.
that is immediately fired, and then assigns "test" an instance of that
object (which as I understand it, isn't really a "MyObject" instance,
but rather a "constructor" instance...
" A rose by any other name . ". If you execute - var myArray = Array; -
and then call - new myArray(); - the constructor called is the Array
function object. myArray only holds a reference to that function object,
but the global Array property also only holds a reference to that
function object. A genuine working Array object is the end result.

It is a MyObject instance because - if(test instanceof MyObject) - will
compare the reference to the function object that constructed - test -
with the with the function object referred to by the global MyObject
property. The identifier "constructor" is out of scope outside the
closure formed by executing its outer function in-line.
[*] This is my brain's way of expressing how expressions evaluate to
something else, like "now = theCurrentTime()" >>> theCurrentTime()'s "space" in that expression is replaced with whatever's returned by the function. I know it would be sufficient to just say "evaluate", but since I don't
understand this, I thought it would be a good idea to try to explain how my failing brain understands this term ;)

What exactly the MyObject function then is, I don't quite understand.
It is a mechanism to form a closure with the constructor function of a
class.
As it is not itself instantiated,
it can't see it anywhere existing as an object,
The closure formed when its inner function is returned implies the
preservation of at least the "variable" object from the execution
context of the outer function but the whole process is anonymous and
externally inaccessible (else how could the variables and function
definitions within the closure that represent private static members be
private?).
actually I can't see how the counter inside will keep its value
from one object construction to another, since it - in itself - is
just a function?
The outer function is executed once and once only. The function -
function incrementCounter(){ - is an inner function of that outer
function, as is the - constructor - function, they have equal status.
Object instances are constructed by a call to the - constructor -
function, via the reference to it that was returned by the in-line
execution of the outer function and assigned to the MyObject variable.
The execution of one inner function does not impact upon the existence
of another inner function within the same closure ( well it could, but
in this case (and most cases) it doesn't).
And why is it only called once?
Because a class only needs one constructor function object and only one
closure to act as a repository for its private static members.
As I see it it will be called every time you
do a "new MyObject()"...
The outer function is not called, it can never be called again because
there are not references to it left outside of the closure that was
formed when it was executed once. The outer function returned a
reference to its inner 'constructor' function and it is that function
that is invoked each time - new MyObject(); - is called.
Ofcourse it must be because I don't fully understand objects
(or functions) in Javascript but the Bible's explanations are
REALLY tame. (OT, I think I need to buy a better book - any
suggestions?)
JavaScript books are always a problem, many are out of date and most are
primarily concerned with scripting the browser DOM and don't go into the
more esoteric aspects of functions, closures or objects.

When I was first learning JavaScript "Javascript the Definitive Guide"
(then it its second edition) was the most useful book I had, but for its
DOM reference rather than its language coverage (which is still much
better than the other JavaScript books I have seen).

You will be lucky to find any reference to Douglas Crockford's
application of closures to provide JavaScript objects with private
instance members, or my application of his technique at the constructor
level to provide JavaScript classes with private static members. I even
have JavaScript books that assert that JavaScript objects cannot have
private members (of any type).

Incidentally, avoid books about JavaScritp 2. The next revision of the
ECMA Script language has not been finalised yet so anything about
JavaScript 2 is speculation based on proposals and one or two reference
implementations. It won't be practical for client-side use for at least
4 years anyway.
Or is the answer in the "new MyObject('anyId')" assignment?
No, that is the totally standard construction of a JavaScript object.
As I understand your code, it's a function that, when executed,
returns an object constructer that is also executed, all the while
keeping track of a counter (in a way I don't understand).
That "is also executed" worries me. The constructor that is returned is
only executed when - new MyObject() - is used. In my code the function
that is executed in-line is the outer function and its return value (the
constructor reference) is assigned to the variable MyObject.
Argh, I know it must be like dancing with an elephant to help
me here, so I'll definitely understand if you just tell me to go
read a book ;)


If I knew a book that would help I might [1] but this dance is more fun
than the "will you pleeeeeeeeease show us the ****** script" dance that
half the other posters insist on starting with.

Richard.

[1] If you feel like reading a book anyway, have your read "Godel,
Echer, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter yet?
Jul 20 '05 #14
I think I get it now... [This is how I get it:] At the time of declaring
"var MyObject = function(){...", scriptly speaking (hey, nice phrase ;), the
function is just a function like any other function. The fact that it
contains a constructor and that it's gonna "morph" to functionally "become"
this constructor is yet unknown, since at this time all the function does is
occupy memory.

Then, we have the first (and last) execution of *that particular* function
when we (if we read it literally (and I still do that a lot ;)) try to
instantiate it *as if it were* an object constructor. Javascript says, "you
want an instance of that object?" and checks to see what "that object" is,
i.e. the function is evaluated. The function starts its work and ends up
returning its inner constructor function, but not just that, because if it
did, you'd end up using the "new" keyword on an object constructor
*function* object, and not an object *constructor*. No, it uses that one-off
thingie to evaluate the function object to become the object constructor, so
that the assignment argument becomes valid, and the "test" var becomes an
instance of what the MyObject is *now*, which is the object constructor
inside the function is was before. I actually understand it as if the
constructor inside "MyObject" effectively hijacks the variable name and
reference to "MyObject", cutting its connection to the public while
retaining access to its properties and methods for its own members (the
closure).

Now, at every new MyObject instantiation, using "new" on "MyObject" doesn't
execute the orginial function (that reference is lost), but reaches straight
inside it to the object constructor class that provides all its instances
with access to its outer function's resources. (And it can keep track of the
counter since incrementCounter is now an outer function to itself :)

Did I get it? =)

On a side note, since English isn't exactly my mother tongue, and although I
believe I'm better at it than many of my fellow Danes (well, maybe not Lasse
, but others ;), I do have a tendency to mix up words and phrases, and
sometimes simply talk nonsense (also in the text above, I'm sure). Of course
it doesn't help either that I'm learning a programming language through a
foreign language (I mean, phrases like "The primary purpose of the inline
execution of the outer function is to provide a closure to contain private
static (class) members" I have to read a few times before they sink in,
hehe). I apologize for when this results in having to repeat and rephrase
things to me that should be clear the first time, and when it makes me seem
even more daft than I am ;)

That said, I have never understood objects better than I do right now! =)

Thank you, Richard! For your time, your patience, your links, and book tips
=)

Daniel

PS:
If you feel like reading a book anyway, have your read "Godel,
Echer, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter yet?

No, I haven't, and I don't even know what it is... I'll check it out on
amazon, see if it looks interesting to me :) Thanks!
--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #15

"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
If you feel like reading a book anyway, have your read "Godel,
Echer, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter yet?

No, I haven't, and I don't even know what it is... I'll check it out on
amazon, see if it looks interesting to me :) Thanks!


Just visited amazon, and it sounds incredibly interesting! I've actually
been missing something like this - last week I saw an animated movie called
"Waking Life" which is very philosophical, and it made me wish for some kind
of philosophical approach to programming, which often seems kind of "dry".
So you can imagine, I can't wait to read this book =)

But since I live in Denmark, the shipping is gonna cost me more than the
actual book, so I thought I might as well order a few books. So if you have
any suggestions to other good books you've read that one "simply must read",
I'd be glad to hear it :)

Thanks,
Daniel
PS: If you haven't seen "Waking Life", I heartily recommend it. It may turn
out to be pop philosophy, though (I don't have enough philosophy experience
to be a credible judge on that ;)

--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #16

"Richard Cornford" <Ri*****@litotes.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bd*******************@news.demon.co.uk...
function constructor(id){ //class constructor.
this.id = id;
var self = this;


Do you really mean this? I mean, "self" is a reference to the current
document...? And if you do mean this, couldn't this cause problems?
Jul 20 '05 #17
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
I think I get it now... [This is how I get it:] At the time
of declaring "var MyObject = function(){...", scriptly speaking
(hey, nice phrase ;), the function is just a function like any
other function. The fact that it contains a constructor and that
it's gonna "morph" to functionally "become" this constructor is
yet unknown, since at this time all the function does is occupy
memory.
It is getting there but you seem to be seeing a bit too much 'magic'.
"morph" and "become" imply some sort of transformation of the various
objects involved in this process. In practice none of the objects
involved ever change.

I will start by trying to clarify the role of the on-off function call.
Consider:-

function exampleFunction(){
return new Array();
}

var anObject = exampleFunction();

- In this case a function is defined separately and then called, its
return value (a new Array) assigned to the global variable - anObject -.
The assignment of a value to the - anObject - variable is the very last
operation in the process and - anObject - does not know anything abut
what is happening on the right hand side of the assignment operator (-
= -). Now consider:-

var anObject = funciton(){
return new Array();
}();
^- It is the pair of brackets after the function expression that
execute it (in-line and once only).

- The function has changed from a function definition and is now a
function expression but the only consequence of that is that the
resulting function object is now anonymous (as it now has no identifier
by which it can be referenced) and the function object itself is not
created prior to the execution of this line of code. Apart from that
nothing has changed. From the left hand side of the assignment
operator - anObject - sees no difference at all, it ends up holding a
reference to an Array. On the right hand side of the assignment the
process has not changed; a function is being executed and the value that
it returns (the reference to a new Array object) is the result of the
operation and is assigned to the left hand side of the - = -. The
difference is that the code that defines the function is now in-line but
the nature of the objects involved is identical.

The one-off function in my example class script is just a normal
function object, it is executed and it returns a value. That value just
happens to be a reference to a function object.

Function objects do not recognise a distinction between constructor
functions and non-constructors. That distinction is only in the mind of
the code's author, which will influence how they use the function. If
the - new - keyword is used when a function is invoked the interpreter
will internally create an Object and make a reference to that object be
the - this - value during the subsequent execution of the function, and
then, in the absence of any other - return - statements, it will return
that object. If the function is invoked without the - new - keyword
the - this - reference will be determined by the context in which the
function is called and the return value is undefined if no explicit -
return - statement is provided.

function exampleFunction2(){
var a = 'anyThing';
//but no explicit return value.
}

alert( typeof exampleFunction2 ); //not executed and alerts 'function'

alert( typeof exampleFunction2() ); //executed but alerts 'undefined'

alert( typeof new exampleFunction2() ); //called as a constructor and
// alerts 'object'

Obviously invoking a function that has a - return - value with the -
new - keyword is pointless as the Object that is internally constructed
and used as the - this - value is just wasted and gets thrown away at
the end of the function invocation.

function exampleFunction3(){
var a = 'anyThing';
return a;
}

alert( typeof exampleFunction3() ); //executed and alerts 'string'

alert( typeof new exampleFunction3() ); //called as a constructor but
// alerts 'string'
//The internally created object is thrown away.

So a constructor is just a normal function object, it is the use of
the - new - keyword that constructs a new Object and the way that the
function body is written that makes it suitable to be a constructor.
Then, we have the first (and last) execution of *that particular*
function when we (if we read it literally (and I still do that a
lot ;)) try to instantiate it *as if it were* an object constructor.
Javascript says, "you want an instance of that object?" and checks
to see what "that object" is, i.e. the function is evaluated.
The one-off execution of the outer function does not involve the use of
the - new - keyword so no attempt is made to create an instance of any
object at this point. Just the execution of a function that has a return
value, that happens to be a reference to a function object.
The function starts its work and ends up returning its
inner constructor function, but not just that, because if it
did, you'd end up using the "new" keyword on an object constructor
*function* object, and not an object *constructor*.
JavaScript only has one type of function object, it is the code within
the returned inner function body that makes it appropriate to use it as
a constructor.
No, it uses that one-off thingie to evaluate the function
object to become the object constructor, so that the
assignment argument becomes valid,
The one-off thingie returns a reference to a function object. Nothing
"becomes", the function object referred to is, was and always will be a
function object. It is just a function object that was written to be a
constructor (it contains appropriate code).
and the "test" var becomes an instance of what the MyObject is
*now*, which is the object constructor inside the function is
was before.
There is no "before" for the MyObject variable. The entire right hand
side of the assignment expression has finished prior to MyObject being
assigned the result (the reference to the inner function that can be
used as an object constructor).
I actually understand it as if the constructor inside "MyObject"
effectively hijacks the variable name and reference to "MyObject",
cutting its connection to the public while retaining access to its
properties and methods for its own members (the closure).
There is no "hijacking" of MyObject as it has never been aware of the
execution of the one-off function on the right hand side of the
assignment. It only ever holds a reference to one object, the function
object returned by the one-off function call.
Now, at every new MyObject instantiation, using "new" on "MyObject"
doesn't execute the orginial function (that reference is lost), but
reaches straight inside it to the object constructor class that
provides all its instances with access to its outer function's
resources. (And it can keep track of the counter since
incrementCounter is now an outer function to itself :)
I would not have put the word "class" at the end of "the object
constructor class" as it seems to confuse the relationship between
classes and their instances. The constructor, when invoked with the -
new -keyword, returns an instance of a Class. So, every new MyObject
instantiation, using "new" on "MyObject" reaches straight inside the
closure formed when the one-off function was executed to the Class
constructor and thus provides all its instances with access to the other
inner functions and variables of the outer function.
Did I get it? =)
You are getting closer and are not that far off now.

<snip> ..., since English isn't exactly my mother tongue, ...

<snip>

You should not worry about that. To date you have managed to communicate
in English better than many native English speakers that I have known,
and having to read a sentence about the details of a programming
language more than a couple of times before grasping it is something
that I have plenty of experience of.

It also won't take you a fraction of a second to guess how good my
Danish is (hint: zero).

Richard.
Jul 20 '05 #18

"Richard Cornford" <Ri*****@litotes.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bd*******************@news.demon.co.uk...
Current window (or global object) not document.
This is my Javascript Bible shining through, I guess, as it puts window
synonymous with document in most cases, since only one document can exist in
a given window, and a given window cannot be referenced within itself
without a document. I get it mixed up sometimes because of that =)
Browsers that provide a reference to the global object under the global
property name "self" also provide that reference under the property name
"window", so while the code within this object constructor cannot use
Are there any browsers that don't? Should I use window instead?
English
speaking programmers are burdened by the fact that the DOM properties
have been named with words relating to concepts in English. Danish
probably offers you a substitute variable name that would represent the
same concept but not risk causing any confusion with the DOM properties.
Yes, and a lot of people do use Danish phrases. I don't use Danish words
myself though, as I find the text more confusing (and less pretty) to read
with all the switching between languages. Besides, it would often require me
to substitute our special characters, æ, ø, and å, with their a-z
equivalents, ae, oe, and aa, which I definitely don't like ;) Besides, you
never know when a foreigner is hired to revise your code, in which case it
would be courteous to help out a little by making it universally
understandable.
I have been tending to deal with possible confusion from the other end
and creating my own reference to the global object with the identifier
"global" and using that instead of either "window" or "self" (though I
usually don't use it in code that I post because that really would be
confusing).


That's a good idea, one I think I'll adopt. =)

Thanks,
Daniel

--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #19
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
First, let me say that my use of words like "morph" and "become"
shouldn't be taken too literally, at least not in the programmatical
context; the context should be my way of putting my understanding
into human, easily digestible, words.
That is a step on the way to understanding, making the concepts fit
inside ones head. However, words that make sense in your mind, often
ends up making little or no sense when taken out of that context. :)

Or, as somebody once said: You haven't really understood something
before you can explain it clearly. (He was right!)
But still, I don't see the anonymity of the "original" MyObject function
being the result of function expression, since it isn't anonymous before
after it's been called. Up until that point it does exist as MyObject, as a
definition yes, but it still has a reference...
I think you are putting the parentheses in the wrong places. The code was

var anObject = function(){...} ();

I think you are reading it as

(var anObject = function(){...}) ();

i.e., assign the function value to the anObject variable first, then
call it. This is syntacitcally illegal, since the "var" keyword makes
it a declaration, and declarations have no value. The correct way of
reading it, however, is

var anObject = (function(){...} ());

i.e., create anonymous function, call it, and assign the return value to
the anObject variable.

I had to read it twice too, to be sure what happened. I would have put
the parentheses there to disambiguate.
To me, a truly anonymous function expression would be something like

myArray.sort(function(a,b){ return subCmp(a[label],b[label]); });

...And then you write this:
Indeed.
var anObject = funciton(){
return new Array();
}();
^- It is the pair of brackets after the function expression that
execute it (in-line and once only).


But how can that be true? As I see it, the (); calls whatever's returned by
the "anObject" function,


There is no "anObject" function. If you bound the function first, say using
(anObject = function(){...}) ();
(without the "var" so it is legal), then anObject would be a function, but
the "()" would call that function, not the value returned by it. The returned
value is actually lost.
And, if I write

var oneOff = function() {
document.write("1");
constructor = function() {
document.write(" 2");
}
return constructor
}();

var test = new oneOff();

- I get "1 2", which means oneOff is parsed before the inner function, yes?
The execution goes like this:

1 : create anonymous function (a "function expression"):
function() { document.write ... return constructor}
2 : call the function from 1
2.1 : execute document.write("1")
2.2 : create an anonymous function (a "function expression"):
function() {document.write(" 2");}
2.3 : assign the result of 2.2 to the new global variable "constructor".
2.4 : return the value of the global variable "constructor". This is the
result of 2.
3 : assign the result of 2 to the local variable "oneOff".
4 : use the value of the variable "oneOff" as a constructor with
no arguments (new ...()). That is, create a new object and
call the function with "this" pointing to the new object.
4.1 : execute document.write(" 2")
4.2 : since nothing is returned, the result of the "new"-expression (and
the result of 4) is the new object.
5 : assign the result of 4 to the variable "test".
So, as I see it, if,

var oneOff = function(){ /*code*/ }();
this is somehow similar to the pseudo-code:
var oneOff = /* code */ ;
except that code need not be an expression. It can contain statements and
local variable declarations. Writing
function () { ... }()
merely creates a local block and a scope.

.... What I meant by "object constructor *function* object" and "object
*constructor*" was this:

var blahblah = function() {
constructor = function() {
};
return constructor;
} var myconstructor = blahblah();
^ That would become my "object constructor *function* object"
I would just call it "constructor function"
var myinstance = new myconstructor();
^ And that would become my "object *constructor*"
I would just called it "object", "instance of myconstructor" or
"constructed object". Shorter is (sometimes) better :)
I confused myself there, actually =) I'm not used to classes, since in
Actionscript everything is essentially an object (or a prototype). I just
saw it in your code, and thought, well... Don't know what I thought, really
:P
That is much closer to Javascript than most languages then. Javascript
is a prototype based (as oppesed to class based) object oriented language.

I sometimes wish there was a clone method on all objects, but one can
make it oneself:

Object.prototype.clone = function () {
function myConstructor = function(){};
myConstructor.prototype = this;
return new myConstructor();
}

Man, I really want the next words you say to be, "Actually I think you *do*
get it, Daniel, but for God's sake, man, work on your ability to precisely
explain what you mean!" If nothing else, I truly understand why

alert(function(){ return function() { return true; }}()());

Gives me an alert box with "true" written in it.
In that case, I actually think you *do* get it (apart from a minor
detail about how function application and assignment associates),
Daniel, but for your own sake, work on your ability to precisely
explain what you mean!
Argh! :) It's tough work getting smarter. But FUN!!! PS: Richard, thank you for all this, it's really great to have my mind
challenged - it's been a while ;)!


You'll go far with that attitude :)

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'
Jul 20 '05 #20

"Lasse Reichstein Nielsen" <lr*@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:el**********@hotpop.com...
That is a step on the way to understanding, making the concepts fit
inside ones head. However, words that make sense in your mind, often
ends up making little or no sense when taken out of that context. :)
Tell me about it! Hehe =)
Or, as somebody once said: You haven't really understood something
before you can explain it clearly. (He was right!)
Come to think of it, that's pretty much how I know I've really understood
something, which is probably why I keep babbling and babbling on about this,
because I can't say that I'd be able to teach someone else this and know I
was telling the truth :) Also, I'm pretty sure I could use these skills now
without causing errors, but I guess the quest right now really is that I
want to be able to explain it clearly. So right on!
I think you are putting the parentheses in the wrong places. The code was

var anObject = function(){...} ();

I think you are reading it as

(var anObject = function(){...}) ();

i.e., assign the function value to the anObject variable first, then
call it. This is syntacitcally illegal, since the "var" keyword makes
it a declaration, and declarations have no value. The correct way of
reading it, however, is

var anObject = (function(){...} ());
GREAT way to put it! Actually, I think of the parentheses like this:

var anObject = (function(){...})();

with (function(){...}) being evaluated first, then the return value of that
being evaluated by (); then the return value of that being assigned to
anObject.

But that's not entirely true, because at the point of assigning anObject a
value, which, as I understand, is what is happening here, I don't see any
evaluation being made just yet, at that point I see it as you put it, that
is:

var anObject = (function(){...}();)

in the sense that at this particular instant in time, anObject holds a
reference to all definitions inside these parentheses, and these definitions
will stay "untouched" or "unexecuted" or "unevaluated" or "unprocessed" ;)
until anObject is called in another context. So when I say above that,
"...the return value of that being assigned to anObject", that would require
its invocation context to be simply:

anObject();

However, the way we use it, as an object construct -

var myInstance = new anObject();

- I see "...the return value of that being assigned to anObject", but
"anObject" in this context being nothing more than the courier of the
reference it holds inside, i.e. returns to an expression, i.e. assigns to
the given variable. In this context, to properly explain this with
parenthesis, I'd probably write a combination of the former two:

((function(){...})();)

- and lose the "var anObject" assignment part because that would be implied,
not as a variable holding the evaluated contents of the parentheses above,
but the yet unevaluated definition contents - the actual evaluation and
solution of the parentheses take place at that particular time and not
before.

That's pretty much how I understand that.
var anObject = funciton(){
return new Array();
}();
^- It is the pair of brackets after the function expression that
execute it (in-line and once only).


But how can that be true? As I see it, the (); calls whatever's returned by the "anObject" function,


There is no "anObject" function. If you bound the function first, say

using (anObject = function(){...}) ();
(without the "var" so it is legal), then anObject would be a function, but
the "()" would call that function, not the value returned by it. The returned value is actually lost.
I'm glad you write this, because that's actually exactly what I mean =) (See
why I say you're better at English than I am? ;)
And, if I write

var oneOff = function() {
document.write("1");
constructor = function() {
document.write(" 2");
}
return constructor
}();

var test = new oneOff();

- I get "1 2", which means oneOff is parsed before the inner function, yes?
The execution goes like this:

1 : create anonymous function (a "function expression"):
function() { document.write ... return constructor}
2 : call the function from 1
2.1 : execute document.write("1")
2.2 : create an anonymous function (a "function expression"):
function() {document.write(" 2");}
With you so far.
2.3 : assign the result of 2.2 to the new global variable "constructor".
Global? I thought it'd be a private member of oneOff?
2.4 : return the value of the global variable "constructor". This is the
result of 2.
3 : assign the result of 2 to the local variable "oneOff".
4 : use the value of the variable "oneOff" as a constructor with
no arguments (new ...()). That is, create a new object and
call the function with "this" pointing to the new object.
4.1 : execute document.write(" 2")
This is executed as a result of the instantiation of the constructor object,
right? Not Mr. One-Off?
4.2 : since nothing is returned, the result of the "new"-expression (and
the result of 4) is the new object.
5 : assign the result of 4 to the variable "test".
I'm with you all the way (except for the global constructor variable), and
thank you for putting it like this, because the sequence was a bit messy in
my head, seeing it like this makes it perfectly clear :)

<snip> I would just call it "constructor function" <snip> I would just called it "object", "instance of myconstructor" or
"constructed object". Shorter is (sometimes) better :) <snip>

Oh yes =)
That is much closer to Javascript than most languages then. Javascript
is a prototype based (as oppesed to class based) object oriented language.


That's what I thought, since they're both ECMA-based, but when I see "class"
being used, I suddenly start wondering... I do that a lot...
If nothing else, I truly understand why

alert(function(){ return function() { return true; }}()());

Gives me an alert box with "true" written in it.


In that case, I actually think you *do* get it (apart from a minor
detail about how function application and assignment associates),
Daniel, but for your own sake, work on your ability to precisely
explain what you mean!


Woohoooo!!! =)
Argh! :) It's tough work getting smarter. But FUN!!!

PS: Richard, thank you for all this, it's really great to have my mind
challenged - it's been a while ;)!


You'll go far with that attitude :)


You just wait and see, one day you guys will be asking ME for help! *L* ;)

Thanks mate!

Daniel
PS: I think this thread is getting really good reading for newbies trying to
understand stuff like this, don't you guys? Your expertise and my daftness
is a winning cocktail! We oughta write some books! ;)

--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #21
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
GREAT way to put it! Actually, I think of the parentheses like this:

var anObject = (function(){...})();

with (function(){...}) being evaluated first, then the return value of that
being evaluated by (); then the return value of that being assigned to
anObject.
Here you are using confuzing terminology (saying "return value" twice
even though there is only one function call). I'll try to be very
precise:

"function (){...}" is a function *expression* (a sequence of
characters that match a production of the grammar called "function
expression"). It is an expression (rather than, e.g., a statement), so
it can be evaluated to a value.

That value is a function *value* (you say "return value", but there is
nothing being returned yet, the body of the function is not evaluated
at this point). Functions in Javascript are objects which have an
internal method called "[[Call]]".

"(function(){...})()" is again an expression, in this case a function
application. It consists of two parts, the *expression* before the
parentheses, which should (if the program is correct) evaluate to a
function *value*, and the argument expressions og which there are zero
in this case.

To evaluate a function application, first evaluate the expression in
the function-position. In this case it is a function expression, so
it directly evaluates to an (anonymous) function value. Then evaluate
the arguments, in this case it is trivial. Finally, call the function with
the arguments. At this point, the body of the function is evaluated.
The reteurn value of *that* is the value of the application expression.

"var anObject = function(){...}();" is not an expression, it is a statement.
More precisely, it is a "variable declaration and initalization" statement.
The Javascript interpreter already noticed that "anObject" was declared
as a local variable, it checks that before executing anything, so the scope
of the variable can precede its declaration.

To find the effect of a statement, it is executed (not evaluated, as
it doesn't have to have a value). To execute an assignment (what an
initialization statement really is), you first evaluate the right-hand
side expression. In this case, it is the return value of calling the
anonymous function. Then, and only then, is the "anObject" variable
bound to that value. Until this, it has been undefined.

That value, the return value of the call to the anonymous function
(which we have no reference to otherwise[1], so it will never be
called again) just happens to be a function itself, a completely
different function.
But that's not entirely true, because at the point of assigning anObject a
value, which, as I understand, is what is happening here, I don't see any
evaluation being made just yet, at that point I see it as you put it, that
is:

var anObject = (function(){...}();)

in the sense that at this particular instant in time, anObject holds a
reference to all definitions inside these parentheses, and these definitions
will stay "untouched" or "unexecuted" or "unevaluated" or "unprocessed" ;)
until anObject is called in another context.
Not so. The parentheses (they are curved, not squiggly) are only grouping.
They don't delay the execution. Javascript is a strict language, so you don't
pass around unevaluated code just like that.
I'm glad you write this, because that's actually exactly what I mean =) (See
why I say you're better at English than I am? ;)


Years of practice writing academic English will do that to you. I can
talk for hours about closures, but I have little to no knowledge of
the names of kitchen utensils :)
2.3 : assign the result of 2.2 to the new global variable "constructor".


Global? I thought it'd be a private member of oneOff?


The constructor variable has not been declared local by a "var
constructor" declaration. Therefore it defaults to being global.
2.4 : return the value of the global variable "constructor". This is the
result of 2.
3 : assign the result of 2 to the local variable "oneOff".
4 : use the value of the variable "oneOff" as a constructor with
no arguments (new ...()). That is, create a new object and
call the function with "this" pointing to the new object.
4.1 : execute document.write(" 2")


This is executed as a result of the instantiation of the constructor object,
right? Not Mr. One-Off?


The value of the variable "oneOff" is a function. That function's body
contains 'document.write(" 2")'. When writing "new oneOff()" you use
that function as a constructor, but that includes calling it as a function.
The "document.write" is executed as part of the expression "new oneOff()".

That is much closer to Javascript than most languages then. Javascript
is a prototype based (as oppesed to class based) object oriented language.


That's what I thought, since they're both ECMA-based, but when I see "class"
being used, I suddenly start wondering... I do that a lot...


You can emulate classes in Javascript, and people sometimes refer to
elements created using the built in constructors (e.g., Array) as
"instances of the class Array". It is, however, people used to class
based languages that are trying to hammer in a screw.

Needless detail on how objects are created:

Objects are, obviously, an important datatype for Javascript. As I
said earlier, functions are objects with some extra functionality, and
so are Regular Expressions and a lot of other utility objects.

All objects have a property called "constructor". It refers to the
function that was (or could have been) used as a constructor to create
the object. If you write "var x={};" then "x" refers to a new,
(almost) empty object. The constructor for it is the one called
"Object". The constructor of an array is "Array", and so on.

Each function can be used as a constructor and therefore has a
property (remember, they are objects too) called "prototype". When you
look for a property of an object, it first checks if the object has
had that property assigned to it. If not, it checks if it is a
property of its prototype, and if not, it continues down the prototype
chain (I haven't checked where it ends, but probably at Object.prototype).

Quiz: What does the following do?
---
var x = new Object();
Object.prototype.foo = 42;
alert(x.foo);
---

When you call a function as a method of an object, the "this" keyword
will refer to that object. That is:
---
var x = new Object();
x.foo = function () {return this;};
alert(x == x.foo());
---
will alert "true".
It is the "." notation (or the equivalent []-notation) that marks a
function call as a method invocation. If you changed the above to:
---
var x = new Object();
x.foo = function () {return this;};
var bar = x.foo;
alert(x == bar());
---
it alerts "false", even though "x.foo" and "bar" both refer to the
exact same function object. It is the way the function is called that
sets the "this" keyword's value. When you call a function directly,
and not as part of an object, then the "this" keyword refers to the
global object, where the global variables live.
Since there are no classes in Javascript, the term "constructor" might
also be a little misleading. As I said, any function can be used as a
constructor. What happens when you write
new foo(42);
is that you call the function "foo" with the argument "42". However,
where a normal function call of that kind would have set the "this"
reference to the global object, and a method invocation would set
"this" to the object of the method, the "new" makes sure that the
"this" keyword refers to an entirely new object. If the foo function
doesn't return something (or if it returns something that is not an
object), that new object is the value of the entire expression. If
it returns another object, they object will be the value of the "new"
expression.

---
function foo(x) {
this.n=x;
}

foo(37); /* sets this.n = 37 with this == global object */

var o1 = new Object();
o1.bar = foo;
o1.bar(42); /* sets this.n = 42 with this == o1 */

var o2 = new foo(87); /* sets this.n = 87 with this == new object == o2 */

alert(n +","+ o1.n +","+ o2.n); /* alerts "37,42,87" */
---

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'
Jul 20 '05 #22
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
<snip>
That said, I did mean that the object was changed somehow,
but I see your point that everything stays the same (except
from variable values, ofcourse).

But still, I don't see the anonymity of the "original" MyObject functionbeing the result of function expression, since it isn't anonymous beforeafter it's been called. Up until that point it does exist as MyObject, as adefinition yes, but it still has a reference... To me, a truly anonymousfunction expression would be something like

myArray.sort(function(a,b){ return subCmp(a[label],b[label]); });

...And then you write this:
var anObject = funciton(){
return new Array();
}();
^- It is the pair of brackets after the function
expression that execute it (in-line and once only).
<snip>... "object doesn't support this action", ... <snip>

Ops, that's my fault. If you look closely at the way I have spelled
function you will notice that the t and the i have been transposed. One
of the hazards of touch typing into a word processor instead of a
syntax-highlighting text editor. Though I am surprised that I did not
notice Word complaining about the spelling, but there is a tendency to
ignore highlighted spelling mistakes when entering code in Word. Sorry
if that was confusion, correct the spelling an it will work as
advertised.

<snip>
... . I can see that the "hijacking" term is bad because it indicates
that it's the same reference that's been "unplugged" from "oneOff"
and "plugged into" the "constructor" function, which probably isn't
the case. But "oneOff" used to hold a reference to a function definition,and now, after evaluating that definition, it holds a reference to
something else... Hm... <snip>

My reason for stressing that the assignment operation had a left hand
side (var MyObject) and a right hand side (all the rest of the
statement) was to try and explain how MyObject was only ever assigned
the end result of the right hand side. There is not "hijacking" because
the only value that is ever associated with the MyObject variable is a
reference to a function object that was originally created as the inner
function "constructor" within the execution context of the one-off
function execution.

You seem to be seeing too much happening at once and Lasse is right,
parenthesising the original statement should make the real sequence of
events clearer.

ECMA script assigns precedence to various operations, so while:-

alert( 1 + 2 * 4 );

- could alert 12 or 9 in practice it always alerts 9 because the - * -
operator has higher precedence than the - + - operator. The order of
evaluation of an expression can be altered by using parentheses to
bracket the addition operation - alert( (1 + 2) * 4 ); - which alerts 12
because the addition Is forced to happen before the multiplication
instead of after. Because ECMA Script defines precedence for operations
the original alert statement can be bracketed as - alert( 1 + (2 *
4) ); - and still produce the original result 9. That arrangement of
brackets can be considered the "natural" parenthesising of the
expression. So:-

var MyObject = function(){ . . . }();

- (as a shorthand form of the original example) can "naturally" be
parenthesised as:-

var MyObject = ( ( function(){ . . . } )() );
^- notice that the
statement terminating semicolon must be
outside of the parentheses for this to
remain legal JavaScript syntax. In the
same way as the - var - cannot be placed
within parentheses.

For the interpreter to discover what value to assign to the MyObject
variable it must evaluate the whole of the expression on the right hand
side of the - = -, the contents of the outer set of brackets. The
evaluation of the contents of the outer set of brackets must start with
the contents of the innermost brackets, which contain - function(){ . .
.. } -, a truly anonymous function expression. Anonymous because once the
function object has been created the _only_ reference to it is the
result of the evaluation of the innermost bracketed expression. If we
refer to the result of the evaluation of the innermost set of brackets
as - temporaryInternalFunctionReference - and replace those brackets
with that we get:-

var MyObject = ( temporaryInternalFunctionReference() );

The next stage in the process is the evaluation of the contents of the
remaining set of brackets. That step is the execution of the function
object referred to by the result of the evaluation of the contents of
the inner set of brackets. That function is the outer function so the
result of executing it is its return value, the inner function
"constructor" that may later be used as an object constructor.

Having fully resolved the right hand side of the assignment operator,
and acquired the reference to the inner "constructor" function as the
result, The last part of the process is to assign that value to the
MyObject variable.

Up until that final assignment of the reference to the inner
"constructor" function object MyObject has not referred to anything. It
has also never known anything about what is going on to the right of
the - = - operator.
From that point on MyObject can be used with the - new - keyword to
construct objects because it refers to a function object, and because
that function object has been created with code that is appropriate to
an object constructor (and has had additional methods assigned to its
prototype) using - new MyObject("anyString"); - is a reasonable thing to
do and will create a usable object.

<snip> ... I.e. it starts reading, and says

1) var : "Aha, you want a variable, what should we call it?"
2) objectInstance : "Great name!"
3) = : "Okay, sure, let's assign it a value right away"
4) new : "Oh, so you want an instance of an object, do you? Let's
see what that object could be."
5) MyObject(); : "Well, I'll just evaluate that and get back to
you" [evaluating, finding the one-off function, evaluating it, doing
parser stuff, returning the constructor](*) "Okay, I have the guidelinesnow, let's make that instance" [making an instance of the constructor,
then assigning it to "objectInstance"]
At the point of executing:-

var objectInstance = MyObject();

- the MyObject variable already contains a reference to the inner
function that was defined with the name "constructor". The one-off
function has already been executed and done its work, At this point The
one-off function has no accessible references and will never be executed
again.

<snip> ... I'm not used to classes, since in Actionscript everything
is essentially an object (or a prototype). I just saw it in your
code, and thought, well... Don't know what I thought, really
As Actionscript is an ECMA implementation everything that we have been
discussing to date will apply equally to Actionscript.

Classes are a concept that is explicit in other object orientated
languages like Java but there is nothing within ECMA Script that
explicitly represents a class.

For comparison, if my original MyObject Class was defined in Java it
would look something like:-

public class MyObject{
private static int counter = 0;
private static void incrementCounter(){
return MyObject.counter++;
}
public String id;
private MyObject self;
private int index;
/* class constructor. */
public MyObject(String id){
this.id = id;
this.self = this; //not needed in Java!
this.index = MyObject.incrementCounter();
};
public int getIndex(){
return this.index;
}
public static int getNoOfInsts(){
return MyObject.counter;
}
public String getId(){
return this.id;
}
}

- As you can see the class is a very concrete structure. It is also a
very final structure, once defined and compiled this class structure
specifies an exact template with which all instances of the Java
MyObject class will be drawn.

The template for an ECMA Script object is much more loosely defined, and
it is also mutable (though you wouldn't often want to do that). If my
original class was defined in the more traditional JavaScript way, as a
separate constructor function and as properties of that function and its
prototype object (the private members must now be public members as
there are no closures to contain them), the results would look like:-

function MyObject(){
this.id = id;
this.self = this; //pointless in an object with no inner functions
this.index = MyObject.incrementCounter();
}
MyObject.prototype.getIndex = function(){
return this.index;
}
MyObject.counter = 0;
MyObject.incrementCounter = function(){
MyObject.counter++;
}
MyObject.getNoOfInsts = function(){
return counter;
}
MyObject.prototype.getId = function(){
return this.id;
}

It is not a single structure but a sequence of statements. Its whole
does still act as a template with which all instances of MyObject are
created. That makes this combined definition of the MyObject
constructor, its properties and the properties of its prototype
analogous to the explicit class definition in Java. However, that
analogy is not explicit in the code, 'Class' is only a convenient
description for all of the interrelated code that is used to specify the
nature of a new object of that 'Class' created with the MyObject
function and the - new - keyword.

It is convenient for programmers who are familiar with object orientated
languages that explicitly define "Class" structures (such as Java) to
apply that term as a label for the totality of JavaScript code that will
be used to create object instances and to extend that label to include
the concept of an object being an instance *of* a particular Class (it
was created with a single set of instance defining code). So "Class" is
also used as a label for the "type" of an object (though JavaScript,
unlike Java, is loosely typed so the "type" that is named by the "Class"
is in the programmers understanding of the code and not a part of the
ECMA Script language, Internally it is just another Object).
Man, I really want the next words you say to be, "Actually I think
you *do* get it, Daniel, but for God's sake, man, work on your
ability to precisely explain what you mean!"
Sorry, I am not going to say that until I can see that you have
understood the behaviour of the in-line one-off function call. You are
getting close and Lasse has posted a very explicit description so I am
confident that you will have it under your belt next time.

As far as precise explanations, that goes both ways. If I was better at
explaining then you might find understanding easier. Seeing where I fail
to get my point across helps me to refine my explanation, which makes
this whole exchange worthwhile in itself. I think that you are doing
your half of the conversation very well. In describing your
understanding at every stage I think that I can see which aspects of the
process I am failing to properly convey.
If nothing else, I truly understand why

alert(function(){ return function() { return true; }}()());

Gives me an alert box with "true" written in it.


Excellent! One more small step and your there.

Richard.
Jul 20 '05 #23

"Lasse Reichstein Nielsen" <lr*@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:vf**********@hotpop.com...
Years of practice writing academic English will do that to you. I can
talk for hours about closures, but I have little to no knowledge of
Ah, that explains it then =)
Global? I thought it'd be a private member of oneOff?


The constructor variable has not been declared local by a "var
constructor" declaration. Therefore it defaults to being global.


Ofcourse =)
This is executed as a result of the instantiation of the constructor object, right? Not Mr. One-Off?


The value of the variable "oneOff" is a function. That function's body
contains 'document.write(" 2")'. When writing "new oneOff()" you use
that function as a constructor, but that includes calling it as a

function. The "document.write" is executed as part of the expression "new oneOff()".
So yes.
Needless detail on how objects are created:
Never needless =) But most of it wasn't news to me. One thing seems a bit
odd to me, though:
Since there are no classes in Javascript, the term "constructor" might
also be a little misleading. As I said, any function can be used as a
constructor. What happens when you write
new foo(42);
is that you call the function "foo" with the argument "42". However,
where a normal function call of that kind would have set the "this"
reference to the global object, and a method invocation would set
"this" to the object of the method, the "new" makes sure that the
"this" keyword refers to an entirely new object. If the foo function
doesn't return something (or if it returns something that is not an
object), that new object is the value of the entire expression. If
it returns another object, they object will be the value of the "new"
expression.

---
function foo(x) {
this.n=x;
}

foo(37); /* sets this.n = 37 with this == global object */


What purpose could this global object serve? And exactly where does it
exist? Since its properties are accessible without a suffix, i.e. global,
It'd be tempting to think of it as a part of the window.document object. Or
are global objects not bound to the window.document object either - are only
objects created with "var blahblah" or "self.blahblah" bound to
window.document? With frames, for example, I can access global variables in
another frame via the document path.

Jul 20 '05 #24
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> writes:
What purpose could this global object serve?
The global object is the repository of global variables. As such, it is
effectively the top of all scope chains, so it is always in scope. That
is what makes global variables possible at all.
And exactly where does it exist?
Inside the Javascript interpreter. The existence of the global object
is given by the ECMAscript standard, and all Javascript code is executed
in the context of one global object.

For each function call, the interpreter creates a local scope, the
so-called "variable object", where the parameters and local variables
are properties. These variable objects are not accessible from
javascript, so you cannot use them as objects in your code, they are
merely described as objects in the specification. That allows
implementations to optimize these objects.

The global object is different, since it can be, and typically is,
visible to the javascript code.
Since its properties are accessible without a suffix, i.e. global,
It'd be tempting to think of it as a part of the window.document
object.
Quite the opposite.

One of the properties of the global object in browsers has the name
"window". That is why you can write "window" directly in Javascript -
it is a global variable, i.e., a property of the global object.

The value of the "window" property is a reference to an object. It
is in fact a reference to the global object itself. So is the "self"
property, and in some cases also "parent" and "top". The global object
would survive, even if you changed what all these references points
to.
Or are global objects not bound to the window.document
object either - are only objects created with "var blahblah" or
"self.blahblah" bound to window.document?
The global object is the base scope for for javascript executed as a
"Program" (as opposed to a "function body" or "eval block"). That
means that top-level variable declarations end up in the global
object, just like local variable declarations of function bodies end
up in the variable object of the function application. Ditto for
function declarations.

If you write
x=y;
and neither are declared as local or global variables, then you get an
error. When no variables are declared, the "y" is checked in the global
object, and it doesn't exist, so you can't find its value. That is an error.

You could write "window.y" which would merely give "undefined", because
that is property access, not variable lookup, even though the resulting
property would be the same.

If "y" was defined, but "x" wasn't, then "x" would also be searched
for in the global object. However, it is not an error that it is
undefined, since we don't attempt to read it. Instead a new property
called "x" of the global object is created, and the value of "y" is
stored in it.
With frames, for example, I can access global variables in another
frame via the document path.


That is correct. The global objects of one execution context might be
accessible as a normal object in another execution context. That
doesn't change that each execution has only one global object.

When javascript code is evaluated, the global object is the "window"
object (or really the opposite: the "window" object is the global
object) of the window from which the code was called.

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'
Jul 20 '05 #25

"Richard Cornford" <Ri*****@litotes.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:be*******************@news.demon.co.uk...
Ops, that's my fault. If you look closely at the way I have spelled
function you will notice that the t and the i have been transposed. One
of the hazards of touch typing into a word processor instead of a
syntax-highlighting text editor. Though I am surprised that I did not
notice Word complaining about the spelling, but there is a tendency to
ignore highlighted spelling mistakes when entering code in Word. Sorry
if that was confusion, correct the spelling an it will work as
advertised.
No, actually it's my fault ;) I did see the typo and fixed it (I usually
write "functino" myself), but I called it using "new" which was obviously a
mistake.
My reason for stressing that the assignment operation had a left hand
side (var MyObject) and a right hand side (all the rest of the
statement) was to try and explain how MyObject was only ever assigned
the end result of the right hand side. There is not "hijacking" because
the only value that is ever associated with the MyObject variable is a
reference to a function object that was originally created as the inner
function "constructor" within the execution context of the one-off
function execution.
And that's *almost* how I saw it. I didn't see a sequence of assignments
going on, but a sequence of evaluations, with one final assignment. I simply
needed to visualize the "intermediate results" to properly conceive the
sequence and the final effect :P I just couldn't see that the Mr. One-Off
and his trail of closure came into play at the moment of assigning MyObject
its value. I wanted Mr. One-Off to come along for the ride =)

In other words, the final knot I needed to tie (should've been the first
knot) was that after something like this -

var blahblah = function() {
constructor = function() {
};
return constructor;
}();

- blahblah already holds the reference to constructor, and I wanted it to
hold a reference to the function expression until blahblah was called for
the first time. Which is also why the hijacking term was not only confusing
but plain out wrong - there's no reference to hijack =)

I also think that I held on to that illusion so long because I couldn't see
anything functionally proving it to be false, the difference between
illusion and fact was essentially the point of time the anonymous function
was "evaluated" or "executed", and delaying the evaluation demanded that a
ficticious reference to the function expression had to exist. If such a
reference did indeed exist, and it worked the way I wanted it too, I don't
think it would've caused any programmatical problems (at least not in this
context), it would probably just require a rewrite of the Javascript
specifications ;)

The facts are much more logic and easier to understand - it's kinda funny
(or, very irritating ;) that I didn't see them the first time.
You seem to be seeing too much happening at once and Lasse is right,
parenthesising the original statement should make the real sequence of
events clearer.
Which is also what you say here =)

And here:
At the point of executing:-

var objectInstance = MyObject();

- the MyObject variable already contains a reference to the inner
function that was defined with the name "constructor". The one-off
function has already been executed and done its work, At this point The
one-off function has no accessible references and will never be executed
again.
....
The template for an ECMA Script object is much more loosely defined, and
it is also mutable (though you wouldn't often want to do that). If my
Don't want to start another long thread that should have its own topic, but
what's "mutable"?
original class was defined in the more traditional JavaScript way, as a
separate constructor function and as properties of that function and its
prototype object (the private members must now be public members as
there are no closures to contain them), the results would look like:-

function MyObject(){
this.id = id;
this.self = this; //pointless in an object with no inner functions
this.index = MyObject.incrementCounter();
}
MyObject.prototype.getIndex = function(){
return this.index;
}
MyObject.counter = 0;
MyObject.incrementCounter = function(){
MyObject.counter++;
}
MyObject.getNoOfInsts = function(){
return counter;
}
MyObject.prototype.getId = function(){
return this.id;
}
It's really nice to see it like this, very familiar =)
Man, I really want the next words you say to be, "Actually I think
you *do* get it, Daniel, but for God's sake, man, work on your
ability to precisely explain what you mean!"


Sorry, I am not going to say that until I can see that you have
understood the behaviour of the in-line one-off function call. You are
getting close and Lasse has posted a very explicit description so I am
confident that you will have it under your belt next time.


How about now? =)
As far as precise explanations, that goes both ways. If I was better at
explaining then you might find understanding easier. Seeing where I fail
to get my point across helps me to refine my explanation, which makes
this whole exchange worthwhile in itself. I think that you are doing
your half of the conversation very well. In describing your
understanding at every stage I think that I can see which aspects of the
process I am failing to properly convey.


Good to hear this is not just to my benifit. =)
If nothing else, I truly understand why

alert(function(){ return function() { return true; }}()());

Gives me an alert box with "true" written in it.


Excellent! One more small step and your there.


Actually, when I said I understood that, I must have been either lying or
already "there" but too daft to realize it, because if I truly understood
that as I understood (read: misunderstood) the real issue, then I would have
had to believe that the alert box would write out "function" (at least if
suffixed by a typeof), since that would have been the "reference to hijack"
according to my illusion! Or maybe I just had to connect the simple with the
advanced :)

At least now, I TRULY truly understand it ;)

Thank you, both of you!

Daniel


--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #26

"Lasse Reichstein Nielsen" <lr*@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:is**********@hotpop.com...
What purpose could this global object serve?
The global object is the repository of global variables. As such, it is
effectively the top of all scope chains, so it is always in scope. That
is what makes global variables possible at all.


Oooookayyy... When you wrote -
function foo(x) {
this.n=x;
}

foo(37); /* sets this.n = 37 with this == global object */
- I read foo as "becoming a global object", but ofcourse, since foo is
called without "new", there's no object instantiation, foo acts as a
function only, and "this" references *the* global object. Sloppy me! =)
Since its properties are accessible without a suffix, i.e. global,
It'd be tempting to think of it as a part of the window.document
object.


Quite the opposite.

< ... > The value of the "window" property is a reference to an object. It
is in fact a reference to the global object itself. So is the "self"
property, and in some cases also "parent" and "top". The global object
would survive, even if you changed what all these references points
to.


Ah, this explains why global object values are accessible from other frames
with path dot notation AND locally without, since that's how any other
object works.

Thanks for this, I've really learned alot these few days =) This shouldn't
be called a newsgroup, it should be a class-is-in-session-group ;)

I think I'm about ready for a nice, long weekend =)
Daniel

--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #27
"Daniel" <so************@i-get-virus-and-spam.com> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread12.news.tele.d k...
<snip>
The template for an ECMA Script object is much more loosely
defined, and it is also mutable (though you wouldn't often
want to do that). ...
Don't want to start another long thread that should have its
own topic, but what's "mutable"?
The opposite of immutable (which will be in your dictionary and means:
unchanging, unalterable, ageless.). Consider:-

function TestObject(){
this.getIndex = getIndex_TO;
}

TestObject.prototype.index = 0;

TestObject.prototype.incIndex = function(){
this.index = this.index + 1;
}

var getIndex_TO = function(){
return this.index + 1;
}

- if you created 50 objects with that constructor they would all be
created with the same template and exhibit the same behaviour. But if
you then executed:-

getIndex_TO = function(){
return this.index * 4;
}

- the next 50 objects would behave differently from the first 50. With
Java all objects of the same Class are created with the same code but in
JavaScript it is possible to make all sorts of changes to the code that
can be used to define a new object while your program is executing.

It would be reasonable to say that the first 50 TestObject instances are
not the same "Class" as the next 50, or to say that the "Class" has
changed. It is more likely the case that if you don't treat your object
defining code as immutable then the whole "Class" concept does not
really fit in with JavaScript at all.

Under the vast majority of circumstances modifying the code that will be
used to define a new Object of a particular "Class" is not something
that you would want to do. So "Class" as a concept will fit with
JavaScript. On the other hand, being able to modify it introduces some
interesting and potentially useful possibilities. Consider executing:-

var a = new TestObject();
var b = new TestObject();
a.incIndex();
TestObject.prototype.index = 5;
var c = new TestObject();
alert('a.index = '+a.index+
' b.index = '+b.index+
' c.index = '+c.index)

- with the original TestObject code. When initially reading the -
this.index - value the objects are reading the value from their
prototype. When the - incIndex - method increments the index it will set
a property of the object with the name "index" (masking the value on the
prototype). So changes to the value on the prototype impact upon objects
created before the change was made, but only if they have not already
executed their - incIndex - method and cut themselves of from reading
the value on the prototype.

Of course it is not going to be easy to usefully exploit the fact that
JavaScript offers that level of flexibility.

<snip>
Man, I really want the next words you say to be, "Actually I
think you *do* get it, Daniel, but for God's sake, man,
work on your ability to precisely explain what you mean!"


Sorry, I am not going to say that until I can see that you
have understood the behaviour of the in-line one-off function
call. You are getting close and Lasse has posted a very
explicit description so I am confident that you will have it
under your belt next time.


How about now? =)


yes I actually do think that you get it. :)

<snip>
.. I think that I can see which aspects of the
process I am failing to properly convey.


Good to hear this is not just to my benifit. =)


There is very little that appears altruistic that is not in reality at
least slightly selfish. During this exchange I have clarified various
details of the process of creating private static members in JavaScript
and improved my ability to explain it clearly. I have also had one of my
misconceptions corrected (thank you Lasse :). Lasse has also sparked a
completely new idea in my mind (that I will be responding to later).

<snip> Thank you, both of you!


You are welcome.

Richard.
--

Example JavaScript DOM listings for: Opera 7.11,
Mozilla 1.2 and ICEbrowser 5.4
<URL: http://www.litotes.demon.co.uk/dom_root.html >
Jul 20 '05 #28
Don't want to start another long thread that should have its
own topic, but what's "mutable"?


The opposite of immutable (which will be in your dictionary and means:
unchanging, unalterable, ageless.). Consider:-

<code & explanations>

This is actually the object behaviour I know from Actionscript (although I
didn't understand it as thoroughly before this thread), so I'm really glad
to see it's the same behaviour :)
How about now? =)


yes I actually do think that you get it. :)


YAY! :P

Good to have my weekend with that one over :)

Have a good one!

Daniel

--
There are 10 kinds of people: Those who know binary and those who don't.
Jul 20 '05 #29

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Simple question, I think... I'm storing an object in the Session object. In the code behind I read that object: trx = CType(Session("Transaction"), BOCSTransaction) If I change any...
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by: Joel Byrd | last post by:
I've been using an eval() statement, which has been working fine until I put it inside of a function. Is this a known problem, and is there a known solution/work-around to this?
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by: Terry | last post by:
Hi folks. I tried to use setInterval like this but it did not work setInterval ( removeitem (theitem) { theitem.style.display= "none"; }, 1000 ); the function without the setInterval is
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by: Shani Aulakh | last post by:
Hi there, I have a FolderWatcher.cs class that will monitor a given folder and delete files older than X number of days. I have the following methods. I need to add/show delete mothod using date...
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by: DolphinDB | last post by:
The formulas of 101 quantitative trading alphas used by WorldQuant were presented in the paper 101 Formulaic Alphas. However, some formulas are complex, leading to challenges in calculation. Take...
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by: DolphinDB | last post by:
Tired of spending countless mintues downsampling your data? Look no further! In this article, you’ll learn how to efficiently downsample 6.48 billion high-frequency records to 61 million...
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by: Aftab Ahmad | last post by:
Hello Experts! I have written a code in MS Access for a cmd called "WhatsApp Message" to open WhatsApp using that very code but the problem is that it gives a popup message everytime I clicked on...
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by: Aftab Ahmad | last post by:
So, I have written a code for a cmd called "Send WhatsApp Message" to open and send WhatsApp messaage. The code is given below. Dim IE As Object Set IE =...
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by: ryjfgjl | last post by:
ExcelToDatabase: batch import excel into database automatically...
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by: marcoviolo | last post by:
Dear all, I would like to implement on my worksheet an vlookup dynamic , that consider a change of pivot excel via win32com, from an external excel (without open it) and save the new file into a...
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by: jfyes | last post by:
As a hardware engineer, after seeing that CEIWEI recently released a new tool for Modbus RTU Over TCP/UDP filtering and monitoring, I actively went to its official website to take a look. It turned...
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by: ArrayDB | last post by:
The error message I've encountered is; ERROR:root:Error generating model response: exception: access violation writing 0x0000000000005140, which seems to be indicative of an access violation...
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by: PapaRatzi | last post by:
Hello, I am teaching myself MS Access forms design and Visual Basic. I've created a table to capture a list of Top 30 singles and forms to capture new entries. The final step is a form (unbound)...

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