Javascript 'colon' for labeling anonymous functions?
You are missing some code there, but I assume its part of an object declaration like this:
var obj = {
queryString: function() {
//some code
}
};
obj.queryString();
It assigns a function as a property of an object literal. It would be equivalent to this:
var obj = {};
obj.queryString = function() { ... };
obj.queryString();
In general, the object literal syntax looks like this:
{ key: value, otherKey: otherValue };
So the reason this didn't work in the console is that it was not enclosed in {}
characters, denoting an object literal. And this syntax is valid ONLY in an object literal.
This is probably inside a map/object declaration like so:
var obj = {
queryString: function() {
alert('here');
},
eggs: function() {
alert('another function');
}
};
obj.queryString();
It's a label https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/label
var i, j;
loop1:
for (i = 0; i < 3; i++) { //The first for statement is labeled "loop1"
loop2:
for (j = 0; j < 3; j++) { //The second for statement is labeled "loop2"
if (i == 1 && j == 1) {
continue loop1;
}
console.log("i = " + i + ", j = " + j);
}
}
// Output is:
// "i = 0, j = 0"
// "i = 0, j = 1"
// "i = 0, j = 2"
// "i = 1, j = 0"
// "i = 2, j = 0"
// "i = 2, j = 1"
// "i = 2, j = 2"
// Notice how it skips both "i = 1, j = 1" and "i = 1, j = 2"
The :
is used when defining an object and its properties.
var obj = {
queryString: function() {
//some code
}
}
Now obj.queryString
is your function.
What the
queryString: function() {
//some code
}
means is the you can use queryString() to call the function that it refers to. This kind referencing is generally used if you want to define a class(or a pseudo class ;P) in your javascript. Something like this,
var application= { namespace: {} };
application.namespace.class_name = function(){
function constructor(){
return {
exposed_property1 : property1,
exposed_property2 : property2,
...
...
}
}
//Write property/functions that you want to expose.
// Write rest of the function that you want private as function private(){}
};
So now at anyother part of the code you can create objects for class_name and use it to access the property1,property2 etc.,