Med Java

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====== Java Script Function Context ======

===== This =====

**this** keyword relates to the context on which it is run. \\ 
**person**.sayHello() => context here is person \\ 
person.**spouse**.sayHello(); => context is spouse \\ 
sayHello() => context is **window** for web browsers, **globalThis** for Node.js >=12 or **global** for Node.js < 12. \\ 

Given this example:

<code javascript function-context-this.js>
function sayHello() {
  console.log(this.name, this.age);
}

const person = {
  name: 'Alice',
  age: 30,
  sayHello: sayHello,
  spouse: {
    age: 32,
    sayHello: sayHello
  }
};

person.sayHello(); // Alice, 30
person.spouse.sayHello(); // undefined, 32
sayHello(); // undefined, undefined
</code>

When you call **person.spouse.sayHello()**, **this.name** evaluates to **undefined** since there's no **name** property on the **spouse** object, and this.age evaluates to 32. \\ 

In **non-strict mode**, **this** refers to the global object, and since there's no name or age property on the global object, both will be undefined. \\
So sayHello(); in non strict mode will display undefined, undefined. But in strict mode, it will throw an error.

<note warning>
In [[java-script:strict-mode|strict mode]], **this** inside the sayHello function will be undefined when called without an object, leading to a **TypeError** when attempting to access properties on it:
<code javascript>
"use strict";

function sayHello() {
  console.log(this.name, this.age);
}

// ... rest of the code ...

sayHello(); // TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'name')
</code>
</note>

===== New =====

The **new** operator in JavaScript is used to create a new instance of an object that's based on a constructor function. When a function is called with the new operator, the **context of this inside the function is set to the newly created object**. \\ 
Example:
<code javascript>
function Person(name, age) {
  this.name = name;
  this.age = age;
  this.sayHello = function() {
    console.log('Hello, my name is ' + this.name + ' and I am ' + this.age + ' years old.');
  };
}

const alice = new Person('Alice', 30);
const bob = new Person('Bob', 32);

alice.sayHello(); // Hello, my name is Alice and I am 30 years old.
bob.sayHello();   // Hello, my name is Bob and I am 32 years old.

</code>

When **new Person('Alice', 30)** is called, a new object is created, and the context of **this** inside the **Person** function is set to that new object. The properties name, age, and sayHello are then added to the new object. \\ 
The result is two distinct objects alice and bob, each with their own properties and methods. When the sayHello method is called on one of these objects, the context of this inside the method is set to the object on which the method was called.
<note tip>
Using the **new** operator in this way allows you to create reusable constructor functions that can create objects with similar properties and methods, but with different values for those properties. It's a powerful feature that enables object-oriented programming patterns in JavaScript.
</note>

===== Call, Apply, Bind =====

The **call**, **apply**, and **bind** methods in JavaScript are used to control the value of **this** inside a function. \\ They allow you to call a function with a specific context for this, and also pass arguments to the function. \\ 
By using call, apply, or bind, you can ensure that the function behaves correctly regardless of how it's called. \\ 
We'll use this code to show how these functions are called:
<code javascript>
function sayHello(greeting, punctuation) {
  console.log(greeting, this.name, punctuation, this.age);
}

const person = {
  name: 'Alice',
  age: 30
};

const spouse = {
  name: 'Bob',
  age: 32
};
</code>

==== Call ====

The **call** method allows you to pass **individual arguments after specifying the value for this**.

<code javascript>
sayHello.call(person, 'Hello', '!'); // Hello Alice ! 30
sayHello.call(spouse, 'Hi', '...'); // Hi Bob ... 32
</code>

==== Apply ====

The **apply** method is similar to call, but it **takes an array-like object for the arguments, instead of individual arguments.**

<code javascript>
sayHello.apply(person, ['Hello', '!']); // Hello Alice ! 30
sayHello.apply(spouse, ['Hi', '...']); // Hi Bob ... 32
</code>

==== Bind ====

The **bind** method allows you to **create a new function with a bound context for this, and you can then call that function with any arguments you like.**

<code javascript>
const sayHelloToPerson = sayHello.bind(person);
const sayHelloToSpouse = sayHello.bind(spouse);

sayHelloToPerson('Hello', '!'); // Hello Alice ! 30
sayHelloToSpouse('Hi', '...'); // Hi Bob ... 32
</code>

<note tip>
These methods are particularly useful when working with functions that rely on a specific context for this, such as event handlers or methods that need to be reused with different objects. 

Imagine you have two buttons on a web page, each representing different users, and you want to greet the user with their name when the button is clicked. \\ 
HTML:
<code html>
<button id="buttonAlice">Greet Alice</button>
<button id="buttonBob">Greet Bob</button>
</code>

JAVA SCRIPT:
<code javascript>
function greetUser(greeting) {
  alert(greeting + ' ' + this.name + '!');
}

const userAlice = {
  name: 'Alice'
};

const userBob = {
  name: 'Bob'
};

// Using bind to create functions with the correct context for this
const greetAlice = greetUser.bind(userAlice, 'Hello');
const greetBob = greetUser.bind(userBob, 'Hi');

// Adding event listeners
document.getElementById('buttonAlice').addEventListener('click', greetAlice);
document.getElementById('buttonBob').addEventListener('click', greetBob);

</code>

Here, we're using the **bind** method to create two new functions, **greetAlice** and **greetBob**, with the correct context for **this** and a specific greeting. When the corresponding button is clicked, the user is greeted with their name. \\ 
This example illustrates how the **bind** method can be used to create reusable functions with different contexts for **this**, allowing you to write more modular and maintainable code. \\ 
Similar principles apply when using **call** and **apply** to control the context of **this** in other situations.
</note>

===== Arrow Functions Context =====

<note important>
Unlike normal (or named functions), the arrow functions does not have their own context, they're enclosed in the surrounding context. \\ \\ 

In regular functions, the value of this is determined by how the function is called, while **in arrow functions**, **this** is lexically bound, meaning it **retains the value of this from the surrounding code where the arrow function was defined**.
</note>

Example:
<code javascript ArrowFunctionContext.html>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Arrow Functions Context</title>
</head>
<body>
<div id="text1"> <br /> </div>
<div id="text2"></div>
<script>
    let person = {
        name: 'Preston',
        sayHello: () => {
            return `Hello - ${this.name}`;
        }
    };

    document.getElementById('text1').innerHTML = person.sayHello(); // Hello - 

    person = {
        name: 'Preston',
        sayHello: function() {
            return `Hello - ${this.name}`;
        }
    };

    document.getElementById('text2').innerHTML = person.sayHello(); // Hello - Preston

</script>
</body>
</html>
</code>

<note>
In the first part, we have defined sayHello as an arrow function. **Arrow functions don't have their own this**, so the this keyword inside the arrow function refers to the lexical context, which in the case of a script running in a browser would be the global window object. Since window.name is undefined, the first div (text1) will have the content "**Hello -** ".
</note>

<note>
In the second example, we have defined sayHello as a regular function. **Regular functions have their own this** context, which refers to the object they are called on. So, when we call person.sayHello(), this inside the sayHello method refers to the person object, and this.name evaluates to 'Preston'. The second div (text2) will have the content "**Hello - Preston**".
</note>

==== How to access the context of a parent object inside a nested (child) named function ====

Here we'll need to assign the context of the parent object to a variable that the nested function can access. \\ This is commonly done by **assigning this to a variable, often named self or that**, in the parent object's scope.

Example:
<code javascript>
const parentObject = {
  parentValue: 'Hello from parent!',
  childFunction: function() {
    const self = this; // Storing parent's context

    function namedFunction() {
      // Accessing parent's context through 'self'
      console.log(self.parentValue);
    }

    namedFunction();
  }
};

parentObject.childFunction(); // Outputs: Hello from parent!
</code>

==== How to access the context of a parent object inside a nested (child) arrow function ====

Using an **arrow function** can simplify the code because arrow functions **don't have their own this** context; they inherit it from the enclosing function. This means you don't need to store the parent's context in a separate variable. \\ 
Same example with arrow function:

<code javascript>
const parentObject = {
  parentValue: 'Hello from parent!',
  childFunction: function() {
    const arrowFunction = () => {
      // Accessing parent's context through 'this' directly
      console.log(this.parentValue);
    };

    arrowFunction();
  }
};

parentObject.childFunction(); // Outputs: Hello from parent!
</code>

By using an arrow function for the inner function, we automatically capture the value of this from the enclosing childFunction method. This allows the inner function to access the properties and methods of the parentObject without needing to assign this to a separate variable. 
\\ It's a cleaner and more concise way to write code that depends on maintaining the context of this across different levels of nested functions.