title_ Namaste JavaScript
title_ Namaste JavaScript
In the container the first component is memory component and the 2nd one is code
component
Memory component has all the variables and functions in key value pairs. It is also called
Variable environment.
Code component is the place where code is executed one line at a time. It is also called the
Thread of Execution.
var n = 2;
function square(num) {
var ans = num * num;
return ans;
}
var square2 = square(n);
var square4 = square(4);
The very first thing which JS does is memory creation phase, so it goes to line one of above
code snippet, and allocates a memory space for variable 'n' and then goes to line two, and
allocates a memory space for function 'square'. When allocating memory for n it stores
'undefined', a special value for 'n'. For 'square', it stores the whole code of the function inside
its memory space. Then, as square2 and square4 are variables as well, it allocates memory
and stores 'undefined' for them, and this is the end of first phase i.e. memory creation phase.
Coming to line 6 i.e. var square2 = square(n), here functions are a bit different than any other
language. A new execution context is created altogether. Again in this new execution context,
in memory creation phase, we allocate memory to num and ans the two variables. And
undefined is placed in them. Now, in code execution phase of this execution context, first 2 is
assigned to num. Then var ans = num * num will store 4 in ans. After that, return ans returns
the control of program back to where this function was invoked from.
When return keyword is encountered, It returns the control to the called line and also the
function execution context is deleted. Same thing will be repeated for square4 and then after
that is finished, the global execution context will be destroyed. So the final diagram before
deletion would look something like:
Javascript manages code execution context creation and deletion with the the help of Call
Stack.
Call Stack is a mechanism to keep track of its place in script that calls multiple function.
Call Stack maintains the order of execution of execution contexts. It is also known as
Program Stack, Control Stack, Runtime stack, Machine Stack, Execution context stack.
It should have been an outright error in many other languages, as it is not possible to even
access something which is not even created (defined) yet But in JS, We know that in
memory creation phase it assigns undefined and puts the content of function to function's
memory. And in execution, it then executes whatever is asked. Here, as execution goes line
by line and not after compiling, it could only print undefined and nothing else. This
phenomenon, is not an error. However, if we remove var x = 7; then it gives error. Uncaught
ReferenceError: x is not defined
Hoisting is a concept which enables us to extract values of variables and functions even
before initialising/assigning value without getting error and this is happening due to the 1st
phase (memory creation phase) of the Execution Context.
So in previous lecture, we learnt that execution context gets created in two phase, so even
before code execution, memory is created so in case of variable, it will be initialized as
undefined while in case of function the whole function code is placed in the memory.
Example:
Now let's observe a different example and try to understand the output.
function a() {
var x = 10; // local scope because of separate execution context
console.log(x);
}
function b() {
var x = 100;
console.log(x);
}
Outputs:
10
100
In first phase of GEC (memory phase), variable x:undefined and a and b have their entire
function code as value initialized
In second phase of GEC (execution phase), when the function is called, a new local
Execution Context is created. After x = 1 assigned to GEC x, a() is called. So local EC for a is
made inside code part of GEC.
For local EC, a totally different x variable assigned undefined(x inside a()) in phase 1 , and in
phase 2 it is assigned 10 and printed in console log. After printing, no more commands to
run, so a() local EC is removed from both GEC and from Call stack
Call Stack :[GEC, b()] -> GEC (after printing yet another totally different x value as 100 in
console log)
Finally GEC is deleted and also removed from call stack. Program ends.
reference:
eg:
var x = 10;
console.log(x); // 10
console.log(this.x); // 10
console.log(window.x); // 10
When variable is declared but not assigned value, its current value is undefined. But when
the variable itself is not declared but called in code, then it is not defined.
console.log(x); // undefined
var x = 25;
console.log(x); // 25
console.log(a); // Uncaught ReferenceError: a is not defined
JS is a loosely typed / weakly typed language. It doesn't attach variables to any datatype.
We can say var a = 5, and then change the value to boolean a = true or string a = 'hello' later
on.
Never assign undefined to a variable manually. Let it happen on it's own accord.
// CASE 1
function a() {
console.log(b); // 10
// Instead of printing undefined it prints 10, So somehow this a function
could access the variable b outside the function scope.
}
var b = 10;
a();
// CASE 2
function a() {
c();
function c() {
console.log(b); // 10
}
}
var b = 10;
a();
// CASE 3
function a() {
c();
function c() {
var b = 100;
console.log(b); // 100
}
}
var b = 10;
a();
// CASE 4
function a() {
var b = 10;
c();
function c() {
console.log(b); // 10
}
}
a();
console.log(b); // Error, Not Defined
function a() {
function c() {
// logic here
}
c(); // c is lexically inside a
} // a is lexically inside global execution
Lexical or Static scope refers to the accessibility of variables, functions and object based on
physical location in source code.
Global {
Outer {
Inner
}
}
// Inner is surrounded by lexical scope of Outer
TLDR; An inner function can access variables which are in outer functions even if inner
function is nested deep. In any other case, a function can't access variables not in its scope.
Both a and b are actually initialized as undefined in hoisting stage. But var b is inside the
storage space of GLOBAL, and a is in a separate memory object called script, where it can be
accessed only after assigning some value to it first ie. one can access 'a' only if it is
assigned. Thus, it throws error.
Temporal Dead Zone : Time since when the let variable was hoisted until it is initialized
some value.
let a = 10;
let a = 100; //this code is rejected upfront as SyntaxError. (duplicate
declaration)
------------------
let a = 10;
var a = 100; // this code also rejected upfront as SyntaxError. (can't use
same name in same scope)
Let is a stricter version of var. Now, const is even more stricter than let.
let a;
a = 10;
console.log(a) // 10. Note declaration and assigning of a is in different
lines.
------------------
const b;
b = 10;
console.log(b); // SyntaxError: Missing initializer in const declaration.
(This type of declaration won't work with const. const b = 10 only will
work)
------------------
const b = 100;
b = 1000; //this gives us TypeError: Assignment to constant variable.
This Error signifies that x has never been in the scope of the program. This literally
means that x was never defined/declared and is being tried to be accesed.
Uncaught ReferenceError: cannot access 'a' before initialization
This Error signifies that 'a' cannot be accessed because it is declared as 'let' and
since it is not assigned a value, it is its Temporal Dead Zone. Thus, this error occurs.
Uncaught SyntaxError: Identifier 'a' has already been declared
This Error signifies that we are redeclaring a variable that is 'let' declared. No
execution will take place.
Uncaught SyntaxError: Missing initializer in const declaration
Block aka compound statement is used to group JS statements together into 1 group. We
group them within {...}
{
var a = 10;
let b = 20;
const c = 30;
// Here let and const are hoisted in Block scope,
// While, var is hoisted in Global scope.
}
{
var a = 10;
let b = 20;
const c = 30;
}
console.log(a); // 10
console.log(b); // Uncaught ReferenceError: b is not defined
* Reason?
* In the BLOCK SCOPE; we get b and c inside it initialized as
*undefined* as a part of hoisting (in a seperate memory space called
**block**)
* While, a is stored inside a GLOBAL scope.
* Thus we say, *let* and *const* are BLOCK SCOPED. They are stored in a
separate mem space which is reserved for this block. Also, they can't be
accessed outside this block. But var a can be accessed anywhere as it is in
global scope. Thus, we can't access them outside the Block.
What is Shadowing?
var a = 100;
{
var a = 10; // same name as global var
let b = 20;
const c = 30;
console.log(a); // 10
console.log(b); // 20
console.log(c); // 30
}
console.log(a); // 10, instead of the 100 we were expecting. So block "a"
modified val of global "a" as well. In console, only b and c are in block
space. a initially is in global space(a = 100), and when a = 10 line is
run, a is not created in block space, but replaces 100 with 10 in global
space itself.
So, If one has same named variable outside the block, the variable inside the block shadows
the outside variable. This happens only for var
Let's observe the behaviour in case of let and const and understand it's reason.
let b = 100;
{
var a = 10;
let b = 20;
const c = 30;
console.log(b); // 20
}
console.log(b); // 100, Both b's are in separate spaces (one in Block(20)
and one in Script(another arbitrary mem space)(100)). Same is also true for
*const* declarations.
const c = 100;
function x() {
const c = 10;
console.log(c); // 10
}
x();
console.log(c); // 100
let a = 20;
{
var a = 20;
}
// Uncaught SyntaxError: Identifier 'a' has already been declared
We cannot shadow let with var. But it is valid to shadow a let using a let. However, we can
shadow var with let.
All scope rules that work in function are same in arrow functions too.
Since var is function scoped, it is not a problem with the code below.
let a = 20;
function x() {
var a = 20;
}
Episode 10 : Closures in JS
Function bundled along with it's lexical scope is closure.
JavaScript has a lexcial scope environment. If a function needs to access a variable, it first
goes to its local memory. When it does not find it there, it goes to the memory of its lexical
parent. See Below code, Over here function y along with its lexical scope i.e. (function x)
would be called a closure.
function x() {
var a = 7;
function y() {
console.log(a);
}
return y;
}
var z = x();
console.log(z); // value of z is entire code of function y.
In above code, When y is returned, not only is the function returned but the entire closure
(fun y + its lexical scope) is returned and put inside z. So when z is used somewhere else
in program, it still remembers var a inside x()
Another Example
function z() {
var b = 900;
function x() {
var a = 7;
function y() {
console.log(a, b);
}
y();
}
x();
}
z(); // 7 900
*A closure is a function that has access to its outer function scope even after the
function has returned. Meaning, A closure can remember and access variables and
arguments reference of its outer function even after the function has returned.*
Advantages of Closure:
Certainly! Let's explore examples for each of the advantages you've mentioned:
function logout() {
loggedInUser = null;
}
function getUserInfo() {
return loggedInUser;
}
return {
login,
logout,
getUserInfo,
};
})();
// Usage
authModule.login('john_doe', 'secret');
console.log(authModule.getUserInfo()); // 'john_doe'
2. Currying:
3. Memoization:
Memoization optimizes expensive function calls by caching their results. It's useful
for recursive or repetitive computations.
Example: Implement a memoized Fibonacci function.
console.log(fibonacci(10)); // 55
class Person {
#name; // Private field
constructor(name) {
this.#name = name;
}
getName() {
return this.#name;
}
}
5. setTimeouts:
function x() {
var i = 1;
setTimeout(function () {
console.log(i);
}, 3000);
console.log("Namaste Javascript");
}
x();
// Output:
// Namaste Javascript
// 1 // after waiting 3 seconds
We expect JS to wait 3 sec, print 1 and then go down and print the string. But JS prints string
immediately, waits 3 sec and then prints 1.
The function inside setTimeout forms a closure (remembers reference to i). So wherever
function goes it carries this ref along with it.
setTimeout takes this callback function & attaches timer of 3000ms and stores it. Goes to
next line without waiting and prints string.
After 3000ms runs out, JS takes function, puts it into call stack and runs it.
Q: Print 1 after 1 sec, 2 after 2 sec till 5 : Tricky interview question
Reason?
This happens because of closures. When setTimeout stores the function somewhere
and attaches timer to it, the function remembers its reference to i, not value of i. All 5
copies of function point to same reference of i. JS stores these 5 functions, prints
string and then comes back to the functions. By then the timer has run fully. And due
to looping, the i value became 6. And when the callback fun runs the variable i = 6. So
same 6 is printed in each log
To avoid this, we can use let instead of var as let has Block scope. For each iteration,
the i is a new variable altogether(new copy of i). Everytime setTimeout is run, the
inside function forms closure with new variable i
But what if interviewer ask us to implement using var?
function x() {
for (var i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
function close(i) {
setTimeout(function () {
console.log(i);
}, i * 1000);
// put the setT function inside new function close()
}
close(i); // everytime you call close(i) it creates new copy of i. Only
this time, it is with var itself!
}
console.log("Namaste Javascript");
}
x();
function outer() {
var a = 10;
function inner() {
console.log(a);
} // inner forms a closure with outer
return inner;
}
outer()(); // 10 // over here first `()` will return inner function and
then using second `()` to call inner function
function outer() {
function inner() {
console.log(a);
}
var a = 10;
return inner;
}
outer()(); // 10
Ans: Yes, because inner function forms a closure with its outer environment so sequence
doesn't matter.
function outer() {
let a = 10;
function inner() {
console.log(a);
}
return inner;
}
outer()(); // 10
Q4: Will inner function have the access to outer function argument?
function outer(str) {
let a = 10;
function inner() {
console.log(a, str);
}
return inner;
}
outer("Hello There")(); // 10 "Hello There"
Ans: Inner function will now form closure and will have access to both a and str.
function outest() {
var c = 20;
function outer(str) {
let a = 10;
function inner() {
console.log(a, c, str);
}
return inner;
}
return outer;
}
outest()("Hello There")(); // 10 20 "Hello There"
Ans: Yes, inner will have access to all its outer environment.
Ans: Still the same output, the inner function will have reference to inner a, so conflicting name
won't matter here. If it wouldn't have find a inside outer function then it would have went more
outer to find a and thus have printed 100. So, it try to resolve variable in scope chain and if a
wouldn't have been found it would have given reference error.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
*************************
// Above code is not good and scalable for say, when you plan to implement
decrement counter at a later stage.
// To address this issue, we use *constructors*
Garbage collector : Program in JS engine or browser that frees up unused memory. In highlevel
languages like C++ or JAVA, garbage collection is left to the programmer, but in JS engine its
done implicitly.
function a() {
var x = 0;
return function b() {
console.log(x);
};
}
function a() {
console.log("Hello");
}
a(); // Hello
var b = function () {
console.log("Hello");
};
b();
function () {
They don't have their own identity. So an anonymous function without code inside it results
in an error.
Anonymous functions are used when functions are used as values eg. the code sample for
function expression above.
Q: Parameters vs Arguments?
Functions are first class citizens ie. take a function A and pass it to another function B. Here,
A is a callback function. So basically I am giving access to function B to call function A. This
callback function gives us the access to whole Asynchronous world in Synchronous world.
setTimeout(function () {
console.log("Timer");
}, 1000); // first argument is callback function and second is timer.
JS is a synchronous and single threaded language. But due to callbacks, we can do async
things in JS.
setTimeout(function () {
console.log("timer");
}, 5000);
function x(y) {
console.log("x");
y();
}
x(function y() {
console.log("y");
});
// x y timer
In the call stack, first x and y are present. After code execution, they go away and stack is
empty. Then after 5 seconds (from beginning) anonymous suddenly appear up in stack ie.
setTimeout
All 3 functions are executed through call stack. If any operation blocks the call stack, its
called blocking the main thread.
Say if x() takes 30 sec to run, then JS has to wait for it to finish as it has only 1 call stack/1
main thread. Never block main thread.
Always use async for functions that take time eg. setTimeout
Event Listener
// index.html
<button id="clickMe">Click Me!</button>;
// in index.js
document.getElementById("clickMe").addEventListener("click", function xyz()
{
//when event click occurs, this callback function (xyz) is called into
callstack
console.log("Button clicked");
});
let count = 0;
document
.getElementById("clickMe")
.addEventListener("click", function xyz() {
console.log("Button clicked", ++count);
});
Event listeners are heavy as they form closures. So even when call stack is empty,
EventListener won't free up memory allocated to count as it doesn't know when it may need
count again. So we remove event listeners when we don't need them (garbage collected)
onClick, onHover, onScroll all in a page can slow it down heavily.
Browser has JS Engine which has Call Stack which has Global execution context, local
execution context etc.
But browser has many other superpowers - Local storage space, Timer, place to enter
URL, Bluetooth access, Geolocation access and so on.
Now JS needs some way to connect the callstack with all these superpowers. This is
done using Web APIs.
WebAPIs
None of the below are part of Javascript! These are extra superpowers that browser has.
Browser gives access to JS callstack to use these powers.
setTimeout(), DOM APIs, fetch(), localstorage, console (yes, even console.log is not JS!!),
location and so many more.
cb() cannot simply directly go to callstack to be execeuted. It goes through the callback
queue when timer expires.
Event loop keep checking the callback queue, and see if it has any element to puts it into call
stack. It is like a gate keeper.
Once cb() is in callback queue, eventloop pushes it to callstack to run. Console API is used
and log printed
Explaination?
console.log("Start");
document.getElementById("btn").addEventListener("click", function cb() {
// cb() registered inside webapi environment and event(click) attached to it.
i.e. REGISTERING CALLBACK AND ATTACHING EVENT TO IT.
console.log("Callback");
});
console.log("End"); // calls console api and logs in console window. After this
GEC get removed from call stack.
// In above code, even after console prints "Start" and "End" and pops GEC out,
the eventListener stays in webapi env(with hope that user may click it some day)
until explicitly removed, or the browser is closed.
Eventloop has just one job to keep checking callback queue and if found something push it
to call stack and delete from callback queue.
Ans: Suppose user clciks button x6 times. So 6 cb() are put inside callback queue. Event loop
sees if call stack is empty/has space and whether callback queue is not empty(6 elements
here). Elements of callback queue popped off, put in callstack, executed and then popped off
from call stack.
Code Explaination:
* Same steps for everything before fetch() in above code.
* fetch registers cbF into webapi environment along with existing cbT.
* cbT is waiting for 5000ms to end so that it can be put inside callback
queue. cbF is waiting for data to be returned from Netflix servers gonna
take 2 seconds.
* After this millions of lines of code is running, by the time millions
line of code will execute, 5 seconds has finished and now the timer has
expired and response from Netflix server is ready.
* Data back from cbF ready to be executed gets stored into something called
a Microtask Queue.
* Also after expiration of timer, cbT is ready to execute in Callback
Queue.
* Microtask Queue is exactly same as Callback Queue, but it has higher
priority. Functions in Microtask Queue are executed earlier than Callback
Queue.
* In console, first Start and End are printed in console. First cbF goes in
callstack and "CB Netflix" is printed. cbF popped from callstack. Next cbT
is removed from callback Queue, put in Call Stack, "CB Timeout" is printed,
and cbT removed from callstack.
* See below Image for more understanding
All the callback functions that come through promises go in microtask Queue.
Mutation Observer : Keeps on checking whether there is mutation in DOM tree or not, and if
there, then it execeutes some callback function.
Callback functions that come through promises and mutation observer go inside Microtask
Queue.
All the rest goes inside Callback Queue aka. Task Queue.
If the task in microtask Queue keeps creating new tasks in the queue, element in callback
queue never gets chance to be run. This is called starvation
1. When does the event loop actually start ? - Event loop, as the name suggests, is a single-
thread, loop that is almost infinite. It's always running and doing its job.
2. Are only asynchronous web api callbacks are registered in web api environment? - YES,
the synchronous callback functions like what we pass inside map, filter and reduce aren't
registered in the Web API environment. It's just those async callback functions which go
through all this.
3. Does the web API environment stores only the callback function and pushes the same
callback to queue/microtask queue? - Yes, the callback functions are stored, and a
reference is scheduled in the queues. Moreover, in the case of event listeners(for example
click handlers), the original callbacks stay in the web API environment forever, that's why
it's adviced to explicitly remove the listeners when not in use so that the garbage collector
does its job.
😅
4. How does it matter if we delay for setTimeout would be 0ms. Then callback will move to
queue without any wait ? - No, there are trust issues with setTimeout() . The callback
function needs to wait until the Call Stack is empty. So the 0 ms callback might have to
wait for 100ms also if the stack is busy.
1. Parsing - Code is broken down into tokens. In "let a = 7" -> let, a, =, 7 are all tokens. Also
we have a syntax parser that takes code and converts it into an AST (Abstract Syntax
Tree) which is a JSON with all key values like type, start, end, body etc (looks like
package.json but for a line of code in JS. Kinda unimportant)(Check out astexplorer.net -
> converts line of code into AST).
2. Compilation - JS has something called Just-in-time(JIT) Compilation - uses both
interpreter & compiler. Also compilation and execution both go hand in hand. The AST
from previous step goes to interpreter which converts hi-level code to byte code and
moves to execeution. While interpreting, compiler also works hand in hand to compile
and form optimized code during runtime. Does JavaScript really Compiles? The answer
is a loud YES. More info at: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3. JS used to be only interpreter in old
times, but now has both to compile and interpreter code and this make JS a JIT
compiled language, its like best of both world.
3. Execution - Needs 2 components ie. Memory heap(place where all memory is stored)
and Call Stack(same call stack from prev episodes). There is also a garbage collector. It
uses an algo called Mark and Sweep.
GiF Demo
Companies use different JS engines and each try to make theirs the best.
v8 of Google has Interpreter called Ignition, a compiler called Turbo Fan and garbage
collector called Orinoco
v8 architecture:
// o/p: Over here setTimeout exactly doesn't guarantee that the callback
function will be called exactly after 5s. Maybe 6,7 or even 10! It all depends
on callstack. Why?
Reason?
console.log("Start");
setTimeout(function cb() {
console.log("Callback");
}, 0);
console.log("End");
// Even though timer = 0s, the cb() has to go through the queue. Registers
calback in webapi's env , moves to callback queue, and execute once callstack is
empty.
// O/p - Start End Callback
// This method of putting timer = 0, can be used to defer a less imp function by
a little so the more important function(here printing "End") can take place
Let's try to understand how we should approach solution in interview. I have an array of radius
and I have to calculate area using these radius and store in an array.
First Approach:
The above solution works perfectly fine but what if we have now requirement to calculate array
of circumference. Code now be like
But over here we are violating some principle like DRY Principle, now lets observe the better
approach.
const radiusArr = [1, 2, 3, 4];
Polyfill of map
// Over here calculate is nothing but polyfill of map function
// console.log(radiusArr.map(area)) == console.log(calculate(radiusArr,
area));
***************************************************
Lets convert above calculate function as map function and try to use. So,
Array.prototype.calculate = function(operation) {
const output = [];
for (let i = 0; i < this.length; i++) {
output.push(operation(this[i]));
}
return output;
}
console.log(radiusArr.calculate(area))
Map function
It is basically used to transform a array. The map() method creates a new array with the results
of calling a function for every array element.
const output = arr.map(function) // this function tells map that what transformation I want on
each element of array
So basically map function is mapping each and every value and transforming it based on given
condition.
Filter function
Filter function is basically used to filter the value inside an array. The arr.filter() method is used
to create a new array from a given array consisting of only those elements from the given array
which satisfy a condition set by the argument method.
Filter function creates an array and store only those values which evaluates to true.
Reduce function
It is a function which take all the values of array and gives a single output of it. It reduces the
array to give a single output.
const array = [5, 1, 3, 2, 6];
// Calculate sum of elements of array - Non functional programming way
function findSum(arr) {
let sum = 0;
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
sum = sum + arr[i];
}
return sum;
}
console.log(findSum(array)); // 17
// using reduce
const output = arr.reduce((acc, current) => {
if (current > acc ) {
acc = current;
}
return acc;
}, 0);
console.log(output); // 6
// acc is just a label which represent the accumulated value till now,
// so we can also label it as max in this case
const output = arr.reduce((max, current) => {
if (current > max) {
max= current;
}
return max;
}, 0);
console.log(output); // 6
Tricky MAP
const users = [
{ firstName: "Alok", lastName: "Raj", age: 23 },
{ firstName: "Ashish", lastName: "Kumar", age: 29 },
{ firstName: "Ankit", lastName: "Roy", age: 29 },
{ firstName: "Pranav", lastName: "Mukherjee", age: 50 },
];
// Get array of full name : ["Alok Raj", "Ashish Kumar", ...]
const fullNameArr = users.map((user) => user.firstName + " " +
user.lastName);
console.log(fullNameArr); // ["Alok Raj", "Ashish Kumar", ...]
----------------------------------------------------------
// Get the count/report of how many unique people with unique age are there
// like: {29 : 2, 75 : 1, 50 : 1}
// We should use reduce, why? we want to deduce some information from the
array. Basically we want to get a single object as output
const report = users.reduce((acc, curr) => {
if(acc[curr.age]) {
acc[curr.age] = ++ acc[curr.age] ;
} else {
acc[curr.age] = 1;
}
return acc; //to every time return update object
}, {})
console.log(report) // {29 : 2, 75 : 1, 50 : 1}
Function Chaining
// First name of all people whose age is less than 30
const users = [
{ firstName: "Alok", lastName: "Raj", age: 23 },
{ firstName: "Ashish", lastName: "Kumar", age: 29 },
{ firstName: "Ankit", lastName: "Roy", age: 29 },
{ firstName: "Pranav", lastName: "Mukherjee", age: 50 },
];
// function chaining
const output = users
.filter((user) => user.age < 30)
.map((user) => user.firstName);
console.log(output); // ["Alok", "Ashish", "Ankit"]
1. Good Part of callback - Callback are super important while writing asynchronous code in
JS
2. Bad Part of Callback - Using callback we can face issue:
Callback Hell
Inversion of control
Understanding of Bad part of callback is super important to learn Promise in next lecture.
💡 JavaScript is synchronous, single threaded language. It can Just do one thing at a time,
it has just one call-stack and it can execute one thing at a time. Whatever code we give to
Javascript will be quickly executed by Javascript engine, it does not wait.
console.log("Namaste");
console.log("JavaScript");
console.log("Season 2");
// Namaste
// JavaScript
// Season 2
But what if we have to delay execution of any line, we could utilize callback, How?
console.log("Namaste");
setTimeout(function () {
console.log("JavaScript");
}, 5000);
console.log("Season 2");
// Namaste
// Season 2
// JavaScript
Assumption, once order is created then only we can proceed to payment, so there is a
dependency. So How to manage this dependency. Callback can come as rescue, How?
api.createOrder(cart, function () {
api.proceedToPayment();
});
// 💡 Over here `createOrder` api is first creating a order then it is
responsible to call `api.proceedToPayment()` as part of callback approach.
To make it a bit complicated, what if after payment is done, you have to show Order summary
by calling api.showOrderSummary() and now it has dependency on
api.proceedToPayment() Now my code should look something like this:
api.createOrder(cart, function () {
api.proceedToPayment(function () {
api.showOrderSummary();
});
});
Now what if we have to update the wallet, now this will have a dependency over
showOrderSummary
api.createOrder(cart, function () {
api.proceedToPayment(function () {
api.showOrderSummary(function () {
api.updateWallet();
});
});
});
// 💡 Callback Hell
When we have a large codebase and multiple apis and have dependency on each other, then
we fall into callback hell. These codes are tough to maintain. These callback hell structure is
also known as Pyramid of Doom.
Till this point we are comfortable with concept of callback hell but now lets discuss about
Inversion of Control . It is very important to understand in order to get comfortable around
the concept of promise.
💡 Inversion of control is like that you lose the control of code when we are using callback.
Let's understand with the help of example code and comments:
api.createOrder(cart, function () {
api.proceedToPayment();
});
We will discuss with code example that how things used to work before Promises and then
how it works after Promises
Now, we will make createOrder function return a promise and we will capture that promise
into a variable
Promise is nothing but we can assume it to be empty object with some data value in it, and
this data value will hold whatever this createOrder function will return.
Since createOrder function is an async function and we don't know how much time will it
take to finish execution.
So the moment createOrder will get executed, it will return you a undefined value. Let's say
after 5 secs execution finished so now orderId is ready so, it will fill the undefined value with
the orderId .
In short, When createOrder get executed, it immediately returns a promise object with
undefined value. then javascript will continue to execute with other lines of code. After
sometime when createOrder has finished execution and orderId is ready then that will
automatically be assigned to our returned promise which was earlier undefined .
// {data: undefined}
// Initially it will be undefined so below code won't trigger
// After some time, when execution has finished and promiseRef has the data
then automatically the below line will get triggered.
promiseRef.then(function () {
proceedToPayment(orderId);
});
In Earlier solution we used to pass the function and then used to trust the function to execute
the callback.
There is difference between these words, passing a function and attaching a function.
Promise guarantee, it will callback the attached function once it has the fulfilled data. And it
will call it only once. Just once.
Earlier we talked about promise are object with empty data but that's not entirely true, Promise
are much more than that.
fetch is a web-api which is utilized to make api call and it returns a promise.
/** OBSERVATIONS:
* If we will deep dive and see, this `promise` object has 3 things
* `prototype`, `promiseState` & `promiseResult`
* & this `promiseResult` is the same data which we talked earlier as data
* & initially `promiseResult` is `undefined`
*
* `promiseResult` will store data returned from API call
* `promiseState` will tell in which state the promise is currently,
initially it will be in `pending` state and later it will become
`fulfilled`
*/
/**
* When above line is executed, `fetch` makes API call and return a
`promise` instantly which is in `Pending` state and Javascript doesn't wait
to get it `fulfilled`
* And in next line it console out the `pending promise`.
* NOTE: chrome browser has some in-consistency, the moment console happens
it shows in pending state but if you will expand that it will show
fulfilled because chrome updated the log when promise get fulfilled.
* Once fulfilled data is there in promiseResult and it is inside body in
ReadableStream format and there is a way to extract data.
*/
Using .then
user.then(function (data) {
console.log(data);
});
// And this is how Promise is used.
// It guarantees that it could be resolved only once, either it could be
`success` or `failure`
/**
A Promise is in one of these states:
Interview Guide
💡What is Promise?
-> Promise object is a placeholder for certain period of time until we receive value from
asynchronous operation.
We are now done solving one issue of callback i.e. Inversion of Control
// ⚠️ Common PitFall
// We forget to return promise in Promise Chaining
// The idea is promise/data returned from one .then become data for next
.then
// So,
createOrder(cart)
.then(function (orderId) {
return proceedToPayment(orderId);
})
.then(function (paymentInf) {
return showOrderSummary(paymentInf);
})
.then(function (balance) {
return updateWalletBalance(balance);
});
promise.then(function (orderId) {
proceedToPayment(orderId);
});
Over above, if your validateCart is returning true, so the above promise will be resolved
(success),
const cart = ["shoes", "pants", "kurta"];
promise.then(function (orderId) {
proceedToPayment(orderId);
});
function createOrder(cart) {
const promise = new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
if (!validateCart(cart)) {
const err = new Error("Cart is not Valid");
reject(err);
}
const orderId = "12345";
if (orderId) {
resolve(orderId);
}
});
return promise;
}
Now let's see if there was some error and we are rejecting the promise, how we could catch
that?
-> Using .catch
const cart = ["shoes", "pants", "kurta"];
// Here we are consuming Promise and will try to catch promise error
promise
.then(function (orderId) {
// ✅ success aka resolved promise handling
proceedToPayment(orderId);
})
.catch(function (err) {
// ⚠️ failure aka reject handling
console.log(err);
});
createOrder(cart)
.then(function (orderId) {
// ✅ success aka resolved promise handling
// 💡 we have return data or promise so that we can keep chaining the
promises, here we are returning data
console.log(orderId);
return orderId;
})
.then(function (orderId) {
// Promise chaining
// 💡 we will make sure that `proceedToPayment` returns a promise too
return proceedToPayment(orderId);
})
.then(function (paymentInfo) {
// from above, `proceedToPayment` is returning a promise so we can
consume using `.then`
console.log(paymentInfo);
})
.catch(function (err) {
// ⚠️ failure aka reject handling
console.log(err);
});
function proceedToPayment(cart) {
return new Promise(function (resolve, reject) {
// For time being, we are simply `resolving` promise
resolve("Payment Successful");
});
}
Q: What if we want to continue execution even if any of my promise is failing, how to achieve
this?
-> By placing the .catch block at some level after which we are not concerned with failure.
-> There could be multiple .catch too. Eg:
createOrder(cart)
.then(function (orderId) {
// ✅ success aka resolved promise handling
// 💡 we have return data or promise so that we can keep chaining the
promises, here we are returning data
console.log(orderId);
return orderId;
})
.catch(function (err) {
// ⚠️ Whatever fails below it, catch wont care
// this block is responsible for code block above it.
console.log(err);
});
.then(function (orderId) {
// Promise chaining
// 💡 we will make sure that `proceedToPayment` returns a promise too
return proceedToPayment(orderId);
})
.then(function (paymentInfo) {
// from above, `proceedToPayment` is returning a promise so we can
consume using `.then`
console.log(paymentInfo);
})
Q: What is async?
A: Async is a keyword that is used before a function to create a async function.
// ❓How to extract data from above promise? One way is using promise .then
dataPromise.then(res => console.log(res)); // Namaste JavaScript
But Question is how we used to handle promises earlier and why we even need async/await?
const p = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
resolve('Promise resolved value!!');
})
function getData() {
p.then(res => console.log(res));
}
// 📌 Promise.then/.catch way
function getData() {
// JS engine will not wait for promise to be resolved
p.then(res => console.log(res));
console.log('Hello There!');
}
getData(); // First `Hello There!` would be printed and then after 3 secs
'Promise resolved value!!' will be printed.
// Above happened as Javascript wait for none, so it will register this
promise and take this callback function and register separately then js
will move on and execute the following console and later once promise is
resolved, following console will be printed.
// ❓ Problem: Normally one used to get confused that JS will wait for
promise to be resolved before executing following lines.
// 📌 async-wait way:
async function handlePromise() {
// JS Engine will waiting for promise to resolve.
const val = await p;
console.log('Hello There!');
console.log(val);
}
handlePromise(); // This time `Hello There!` won't be printed immediately
instead after 3 secs `Hello There!` will be printed followed by 'Promise
resolved value!!'
// 💡 So basically code was waiting at `await` line to get the promise
resolve before moving on to next line.
// Let's create one promise and then resolve two different promise.
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('Promise resolved value by p2!!');
}, 2000);
})
// Now let's reverse the order execution of promise and observe response.
async function handlePromise() {
console.log('Hi');
const val = await p2;
console.log('Hello There!');
console.log(val);
// call stack flow -> handlePromise() is pushed -> It will log `Hi` to
console -> Next it sees we have await where promise is suppose to be
resolved -> So will it wait for promise to resolve and block call stack? No
-> thus handlePromise() execution get suspended and moved out of call stack
-> So when JS sees await keyword it suspend the execution of function till
promise is resolved -> So `p` will get resolved after 5 secs so
handlePromise() will be pushed to call-stack again after 5 secs. -> But
this time it will start executing from where it had left. -> Now it will
log 'Hello There!' and 'Promise resolved value!!' -> then it will check
whether `p2` is resolved or not -> It will find since `p2` will take 10
secs to resolve so the same above process will repeat -> execution will be
suspended until promise is resolved.
Error Handling
While we were using normal Promise we were using .catch to handle error, now in
async-await we would be using try-catch block to handle error.
// In above whenever any error will occur the execution will move to catch
block. One could try above with bad url which will result in error.
A promise is a placeholder for a value that's going to be available sometime later. The
promise helps handle asynchronous operations. JavaScript provides a helper function
Promise.all(promisesArrayOrIterable) to handle multiple promises at once, in parallel, and
get the results in a single aggregate array.
Promise.all([p1, p2, p3]) -> Lets assume we are making 3 API call to fetch data. Also assume
p1 takes 3 seconds, p2 takes 1 second, p3 takes 2 seconds.
In first scenario let's assume all 3 promises are successful. So Promise.all will take 3secs and
will give promise value of result like [val1, val2, val3]. It will wait for all of them to finish then it
will collect the results and give array as output.
What if any of the promise gets rejected, for eg: Promise.all([p1, p2, p3]). But this time, p2 get
rejected after 1 sec. Thus Promise.all will throw same error as p2 immediately as soon as error
happened. It will not wait for other promise to either become success or failure. Moreover, p1
and p2 wont get cancelled as they are already triggered so it may result in success or failure
depending upon their fate but Promise.all wont care. So its a situation of or/null.
💡 To conclude, the Promise.all() waits for all the input promises to resolve and returns a new
promise that resolves to an array containing the results of the input promises. If one of the
input promises is rejected, the Promise.all() method immediately returns a promise that is
rejected with an error of the first rejected promise.
Promise.allSettled()
Promise.allSettled() method that accepts a list of Promises and returns a new promise that
resolves after all the input promises have settled, either resolved or rejected.
Promise.allSettled([p1, p2, p3]) -> Lets assume we are making 3 API call to fetch data. Also
assume p1 takes 3 seconds, p2 takes 1 second, p3 takes 2 seconds.
In first scenario let's assume all 3 promises are successful. So Promise.allSettled will take
3secs and will give promise value of result like [val1, val2, val3]. It will wait for all of them to
finish then it will collect the results and give array as output.
What if any of the promise gets rejected, for eg: Promise.all([p1, p2, p3]). But this time, p2 get
rejected after 1 sec. Thus Promise.allSettled will still wait for all promises to get settled. So
After 3 secs, it will be [val1, err, val3]
The Promise.race() static method accepts a list of promises as an iterable object and
returns a new promise that fulfills or rejects as soon as there is one promise that fulfills or
rejects, with the value or reason from that promise. The name of Promise.race() implies
that all the promises race against each other with a single winner, either resolved or
rejected.
Promise.race([p1, p2, p3]) -> Lets assume we are making 3 API call to fetch data. Also assume
p1 takes 3 seconds, p2 takes 1 second, p3 takes 2 seconds. So as soon as first promise will
resolve or reject, it will give the output.
So in Happy scenario, Promise.race will give (val2) as output after 1sec as p2 got resolved at
the earliest. Whereas if it would have been failed Promise.race would have still given output
after 1 sec but this time with error.
Promise.any()
The Promise.any() method accepts a list of Promise objects as an iterable object. If one of
the promises in the iterable object is fulfilled, the Promise.any() returns a single promise
that resolves to a value which is the result of the fulfilled promise.
Promise.any([p1, p2, p3]) -> Lets assume we are making 3 API call to fetch data. Also assume
p1 takes 3 seconds, p2 takes 1 second, p3 takes 2 seconds. So as soon as first promise will be
successful, it will give the output.
If in above situation what if p2 got rejected, nothing will happen as Promise.any seek for
success, so the moment first success will happen that will become the result.
❓ But what if all promises got failed, so the returned result will be aggregated error i.e. [err1,
err2, err3].
Code Examples:
Promise.all()
// 📌 First Scenario
const p1 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P1 Success');
}, 3000);
});
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P2 Success');
}, 1000);
});
const p3 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P3 Success');
}, 2000);
});
// 📌 Second Scenario
const p1 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P1 Success');
}, 3000);
});
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
reject('P2 Fail');
}, 1000);
});
const p3 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P3 Success');
}, 2000);
});
💡
Promise.allSettled()
This is safest among all Promises API.
const p1 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P1 Success');
}, 3000);
});
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P2 Success');
}, 1000);
});
const p3 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
reject('P3 Fail');
}, 2000);
});
Promise.race()
// 📌 First Scenario
const p1 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P1 Success');
}, 3000);
});
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P2 Success');
}, 1000);
});
const p3 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
reject('P3 Fail');
}, 2000);
});
Notes:
Once promise is settled, it means -> got the result. Moreover, settled is broadly divided into
two categories:
Promise.any()
// 📌 First Scenario
const p1 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P1 Success');
}, 3000);
});
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P2 Success');
}, 5000);
});
const p3 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
reject('P3 Fail');
}, 2000);
});
// 📌 Second Scenario
const p1 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
reject('P1 Fail');
}, 3000);
});
const p2 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
resolve('P2 Success');
}, 5000);
});
const p3 = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
reject('P3 Fail');
}, 2000);
});
Summary
There are 6 static methods of Promise class:
Promise.all(promises) – waits for all promises to resolve and returns an array of their
results. If any of the given promises rejects, it becomes the error of Promise.all, and all
other results are ignored.
Promise.race(promises) – waits for the first promise to settle, and its result/error becomes
the outcome.
Promise.any(promises) (recently added method) – waits for the first promise to fulfill, and
its result becomes the outcome. If all of the given promises are rejected, AggregateError
becomes the error of Promise.any.
Promise.reject(error) – makes a rejected promise with the given error. Of all these,
Promise.all is probably the most common in practice.
// The moment you make JS run in strict mode by using: "use strict" at the
top, `this` keyword inside function returns `undefined` whereas global
space will still refers to global window object
this substitution -> According to this substitution, if the value of this keyword is
null/undefined , it will be replaced by globalObject only in non-strict mode. This is the reason
why this refers to global window object inside function in non-strict mode.
💡 So to summarize, the value of this keyword inside function is undefined , but because of
this substitution in non-strict mode this keyword refers to globalWindowObject and in
strict mode it will still be undefined
this keyword value depends on how the function is called. For eg:
In strict mode:
x(); // undefined
window.x(); // global window object
const student2 = {
name: 'Kajal',
}
student2.printName(); // throw error
// So, call, bind and apply is used to set the value of this keyword.
const obj = {
a: 10,
x: () => {
console.log(this); // window object
// Above the value of `this` won't be obj anymore instead it will
be enclosing lexical context i.e. window object in current scenario.
}
}
obj.x();
const obj2 = {
a: 10,
x: function () {
const y = () => {
console.log(this);
// Above the value of `this` will be obj2 as function y's
enclosing lexical context is function `x`.
};
y();
}
}
obj2.x();
To Be Continued...