Content: Properties of a function
Function Properties
Function Property | Purpose |
---|---|
arguments | Collection of actual arguments |
length | Number of formal parameters |
caller | The caller of the function |
name | The name of the function |
Detailed Explanation:
- The
arguments
object is an array-like object that can capture passed arguments even if no formal parameters are defined; - The use of
arguments
is discouraged as it can be resource-intensive; arguments.callee
refers to the function itself, but its use is also discouraged;
1 | function foo(a, b) { |
Additional Context:
- The
arguments
object provides a way to use the actual parameters passed to a function, which is especially useful in functions that are meant to handle a variable number of arguments. - The
length
property of a function is often used in the definition of currying and partial application functions, as it provides a reliable way to get the arity of the function - that is, how many arguments the function is designed to accept. - The
caller
property, although not standard and not recommended for use in new code, can be useful for debugging purposes as it tells you which function called the current function. - The
name
property is a string that contains the name of the function. Anonymous functions will have an empty string for thename
property. This can be useful for debugging and function identification purposes.