jqueryjquery-deferredeachjquery-callbackjquery-delegate

If function_1 contains $.each() functions and an on("load") function, how to make function_2 run afterwards?


I've spent the day reading about deferred, done, promise and callbacks as they seemed relevant to my problem, as well as the many posts on 'how do i run function_2 after function_1' etc.

So I understand the concept that when things happen asynchronously, you need to handle them specifically with one of the above approaches.

In my scenario, function_1 contains $.each() loops and an on.("load"...) function.

I want to run function_2 when function_1 has finished.

If I simply call:

function_1();
function_2();

They don't run sequentially and I am guessing because either $.each or on.("load"...) works asynchronously.

If I try to call function_2 with:

function_1.done(function_2());

I get:

TypeError: function_1.done is not a function.

This leads me to think (and I could be completely off track by this point), that function_1 does not have that method available.

So my questions, possibly based on incorrect assumptions, are:

jsFiddle

As well as the above approach using done(), I tried using a callback which didn't work, although perhaps my method of replicating something that takes time was not correct:

http://jsfiddle.net/rwone/xFX8a/2/

// function 1
function function_1(callback) {
// replicating something that takes a while
// alert("1");
setTimeout(function() {
$("p").append("This should happen first.");
}, 300);
callback();
}

//function 2
// only do this when function one has finished
function function_2() {
alert("This should happen second.");   
};

// the call
function_1(function_2);

Solution

  • Your callback solution would work perfectly, except you're calling the callback in the wrong place:

    // function 1
    function function_1(callback) {
        // replicating something that takes a while
        // alert("1");
        setTimeout(function() {
            $("p").append("This should happen first.");
            callback(); // <=== Here, when the thing is done
        }, 300);
        // callback();  // <=== Not here, when you've only started it and it's not done yet
    }
    

    If you want to use promises instead of an explicit callback, you can do that too. Promises are not part of the JavaScript language; JavaScript functions do not make promises available by themselves, which is why function_1.done didn't work. You create the promise (with jQuery, in the form of a Deferred object) and return it from the function, then use it with the other function:

    // function 1
    function function_1() {
        var d = new $.Deferred();
    
        setTimeout(function() {
            $("p").append("This should happen first.");
            d.resolve();    // <=== Resolve the deferred, now that the action is complete
        }, 300);
        return d.promise(); // <=== Return the Promise for the Deferred
    }
    
    //function 2
    // only do this when function one has finished
    function function_2() {
        alert("This should happen second.");   
    };
    
    // the call
    function_1().done(function_2);