JavaScript closure inside loops – simple practical example

Asked 2023-09-20 20:19:22 View 913,784

var funcs = [];
// let's create 3 functions
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  // and store them in funcs
  funcs[i] = function() {
    // each should log its value.
    console.log("My value:", i);
  };
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  // and now let's run each one to see
  funcs[j]();
}

It outputs this:

My value: 3
My value: 3
My value: 3

Whereas I'd like it to output:

My value: 0
My value: 1
My value: 2


The same problem occurs when the delay in running the function is caused by using event listeners:

var buttons = document.getElementsByTagName("button");
// let's create 3 functions
for (var i = 0; i < buttons.length; i++) {
  // as event listeners
  buttons[i].addEventListener("click", function() {
    // each should log its value.
    console.log("My value:", i);
  });
}
<button>0</button>
<br />
<button>1</button>
<br />
<button>2</button>

… or asynchronous code, e.g. using Promises:

// Some async wait function
const wait = (ms) => new Promise((resolve, reject) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));

for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  // Log `i` as soon as each promise resolves.
  wait(i * 100).then(() => console.log(i));
}

It is also apparent in for in and for of loops:

const arr = [1,2,3];
const fns = [];

for (var i in arr){
  fns.push(() => console.log("index:", i));
}

for (var v of arr){
  fns.push(() => console.log("value:", v));
}

for (const n of arr) {
  var obj = { number: n }; // or new MyLibObject({ ... })
  fns.push(() => console.log("n:", n, "|", "obj:", JSON.stringify(obj)));
}

for(var f of fns){
  f();
}

What’s the solution to this basic problem?

  • In ES6, a trivial solution is to declare the variable i with let, which is scoped to the body of the loop. - anyone
  • JS functions "close over" the scope they have access to upon declaration, and retain access to that scope even as variables in that scope change. Each function in the array above closes over the global scope (global, simply because that happens to be the scope they're declared in). Later those functions are invoked logging the most current value of i in the global scope. That's JS : ) let instead of var solves this by creating a new scope each time the loop runs, creating a separated scope for each function to close over. Various other techniques do the same thing with extra functions. - anyone

Answers

Well, the problem is that the variable i, within each of your anonymous functions, is bound to the same variable outside of the function.

ES6 solution: let

ECMAScript 6 (ES6) introduces new let and const keywords that are scoped differently than var-based variables. For example, in a loop with a let-based index, each iteration through the loop will have a new variable i with loop scope, so your code would work as you expect. There are many resources, but I'd recommend 2ality's block-scoping post as a great source of information.

for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  funcs[i] = function() {
    console.log("My value: " + i);
  };
}

Beware, though, that IE9-IE11 and Edge prior to Edge 14 support let but get the above wrong (they don't create a new i each time, so all the functions above would log 3 like they would if we used var). Edge 14 finally gets it right.


ES5.1 solution: forEach

With the relatively widespread availability of the Array.prototype.forEach function (in 2015), it's worth noting that in those situations involving iteration primarily over an array of values, .forEach() provides a clean, natural way to get a distinct closure for every iteration. That is, assuming you've got some sort of array containing values (DOM references, objects, whatever), and the problem arises of setting up callbacks specific to each element, you can do this:

var someArray = [ /* whatever */ ];
// ...
someArray.forEach(function(arrayElement) {
  // ... code code code for this one element
  someAsynchronousFunction(arrayElement, function() {
    arrayElement.doSomething();
  });
});

The idea is that each invocation of the callback function used with the .forEach loop will be its own closure. The parameter passed in to that handler is the array element specific to that particular step of the iteration. If it's used in an asynchronous callback, it won't collide with any of the other callbacks established at other steps of the iteration.

If you happen to be working in jQuery, the $.each() function gives you a similar capability.


Classic solution: Closures

What you want to do is bind the variable within each function to a separate, unchanging value outside of the function:

var funcs = [];

function createfunc(i) {
  return function() {
    console.log("My value: " + i);
  };
}

for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  funcs[i] = createfunc(i);
}

for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  // and now let's run each one to see
  funcs[j]();
}

Since there is no block scope in JavaScript - only function scope - by wrapping the function creation in a new function, you ensure that the value of "i" remains as you intended.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • isn't function createfunc(i) { return function() { console.log("My value: " + i); }; } still closure because it uses the variable i? - anyone
  • Unfortunately, this answer is outdated and nobody will see the correct answer at the bottom - using Function.bind() is definitely preferable by now, see stackoverflow.com/a/19323214/785541. - anyone
  • @Wladimir: Your suggestion that .bind() is "the correct answer" isn't right. They each have their own place. With .bind() you can't bind arguments without binding the this value. Also you get a copy of the i argument without the ability to mutate it between calls, which sometimes is needed. So they're quite different constructs, not to mention that .bind() implementations have been historically slow. Sure in the simple example either would work, but closures are an important concept to understand, and that's what the question was about. - anyone
  • Please stop using these for-return function hacks, use [].forEach or [].map instead because they avoid reusing the same scope variables. - anyone
  • @ChristianLandgren: That's only useful if you're iterating an Array. These techniques aren't "hacks". They're essential knowledge. - anyone

Try:

var funcs = [];
    
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    funcs[i] = (function(index) {
        return function() {
            console.log("My value: " + index);
        };
    }(i));
}

for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();
}

Edit (2014):

Personally I think @Aust's more recent answer about using .bind is the best way to do this kind of thing now. There's also lo-dash/underscore's _.partial when you don't need or want to mess with bind's thisArg.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • any explanation about the }(i)); ? - anyone
  • @aswzen I think it passes i as the argument index to the function. - anyone
  • it is actually creating local variable index. - anyone
  • Immediately Invoke Function Expression, aka IIFE. (i) is the argument to the anonymous function expression that is invoked immediately and index becomes set from i. - anyone

Another way that hasn't been mentioned yet is the use of Function.prototype.bind

var funcs = {};
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  funcs[i] = function(x) {
    console.log('My value: ' + x);
  }.bind(this, i);
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  funcs[j]();
}

UPDATE

As pointed out by @squint and @mekdev, you get better performance by creating the function outside the loop first and then binding the results within the loop.

function log(x) {
  console.log('My value: ' + x);
}

var funcs = [];

for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  funcs[i] = log.bind(this, i);
}

for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  funcs[j]();
}

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • This is what I do these days too, I also like lo-dash/underscore's _.partial - anyone
  • .bind() will be largely obsolete with ECMAScript 6 features. Besides, this actually creates two functions per iteration. First the anonymous, then the one generated by .bind(). Better use would be to create it outside the loop, then .bind() it inside. - anyone
  • @squint @mekdev - You both are correct. My initial example was written quickly to demonstrate how bind is used. I've added another example per your suggestions. - anyone
  • I think instead of wasting computation over two O(n) loops, just do for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) { log.call(this, i); } - anyone
  • .bind() does what the accepted answer suggests PLUS fiddles with this. - anyone

Using an Immediately-Invoked Function Expression, the simplest and most readable way to enclose an index variable:

for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {

    (function(index) {

        console.log('iterator: ' + index);
        //now you can also loop an ajax call here 
        //without losing track of the iterator value:   $.ajax({});
    
    })(i);

}

This sends the iterator i into the anonymous function of which we define as index. This creates a closure, where the variable i gets saved for later use in any asynchronous functionality within the IIFE.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • For further code readability and to avoid confusion as to which i is what, I'd rename the function parameter to index. - anyone
  • How would you use this technique to define the array funcs described in the original question? - anyone
  • @Nico The same way as shown in the original question, except you would use index instead of i. - anyone
  • @JLRishe var funcs = {}; for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) { funcs[i] = (function(index) { return function() {console.log('iterator: ' + index);}; })(i); }; for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) { funcs[j](); } - anyone
  • @Nico In OP's particular case, they're just iterating over numbers, so this wouldn't be a great case for .forEach(), but a lot of the time, when one is starting off with an array, forEach() is a good choice, like: var nums [4, 6, 7]; var funcs = {}; nums.forEach(function (num, i) { funcs[i] = function () { console.log(num); }; }); - anyone

Bit late to the party, but I was exploring this issue today and noticed that many of the answers don't completely address how Javascript treats scopes, which is essentially what this boils down to.

So as many others mentioned, the problem is that the inner function is referencing the same i variable. So why don't we just create a new local variable each iteration, and have the inner function reference that instead?

//overwrite console.log() so you can see the console output
console.log = function(msg) {document.body.innerHTML += '<p>' + msg + '</p>';};

var funcs = {};
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    var ilocal = i; //create a new local variable
    funcs[i] = function() {
        console.log("My value: " + ilocal); //each should reference its own local variable
    };
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();
}

Just like before, where each inner function outputted the last value assigned to i, now each inner function just outputs the last value assigned to ilocal. But shouldn't each iteration have it's own ilocal?

Turns out, that's the issue. Each iteration is sharing the same scope, so every iteration after the first is just overwriting ilocal. From MDN:

Important: JavaScript does not have block scope. Variables introduced with a block are scoped to the containing function or script, and the effects of setting them persist beyond the block itself. In other words, block statements do not introduce a scope. Although "standalone" blocks are valid syntax, you do not want to use standalone blocks in JavaScript, because they don't do what you think they do, if you think they do anything like such blocks in C or Java.

Reiterated for emphasis:

JavaScript does not have block scope. Variables introduced with a block are scoped to the containing function or script

We can see this by checking ilocal before we declare it in each iteration:

//overwrite console.log() so you can see the console output
console.log = function(msg) {document.body.innerHTML += '<p>' + msg + '</p>';};

var funcs = {};
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  console.log(ilocal);
  var ilocal = i;
}

This is exactly why this bug is so tricky. Even though you are redeclaring a variable, Javascript won't throw an error, and JSLint won't even throw a warning. This is also why the best way to solve this is to take advantage of closures, which is essentially the idea that in Javascript, inner functions have access to outer variables because inner scopes "enclose" outer scopes.

Closures

This also means that inner functions "hold onto" outer variables and keep them alive, even if the outer function returns. To utilize this, we create and call a wrapper function purely to make a new scope, declare ilocal in the new scope, and return an inner function that uses ilocal (more explanation below):

//overwrite console.log() so you can see the console output
console.log = function(msg) {document.body.innerHTML += '<p>' + msg + '</p>';};

var funcs = {};
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    funcs[i] = (function() { //create a new scope using a wrapper function
        var ilocal = i; //capture i into a local var
        return function() { //return the inner function
            console.log("My value: " + ilocal);
        };
    })(); //remember to run the wrapper function
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();
}

Creating the inner function inside a wrapper function gives the inner function a private environment that only it can access, a "closure". Thus, every time we call the wrapper function we create a new inner function with it's own separate environment, ensuring that the ilocal variables don't collide and overwrite each other. A few minor optimizations gives the final answer that many other SO users gave:

//overwrite console.log() so you can see the console output
console.log = function(msg) {document.body.innerHTML += '<p>' + msg + '</p>';};

var funcs = {};
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    funcs[i] = wrapper(i);
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();
}
//creates a separate environment for the inner function
function wrapper(ilocal) {
    return function() { //return the inner function
        console.log("My value: " + ilocal);
    };
}

Update

With ES6 now mainstream, we can now use the new let keyword to create block-scoped variables:

//overwrite console.log() so you can see the console output
console.log = function(msg) {document.body.innerHTML += '<p>' + msg + '</p>';};

var funcs = {};
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) { // use "let" to declare "i"
    funcs[i] = function() {
        console.log("My value: " + i); //each should reference its own local variable
    };
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) { // we can use "var" here without issue
    funcs[j]();
}

Look how easy it is now! For more information see this answer, which my info is based off of.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • There is now such a thing as block scoping in JavaScript using the let and const keywords. If this answer were to expand to include that, it would be much more globally useful in my opinion. - anyone
  • @TinyGiant sure thing, I added some info about let and linked a more complete explanation - anyone
  • @woojoo666 Could your answer also work for calling two alternating URL's in a loop like so: i=0; while(i < 100) { setTimeout(function(){ window.open("https://www.bbc.com","_self") }, 3000); setTimeout(function(){ window.open("https://www.cnn.com","_self") }, 3000); i++ }? (could replace window.open() with getelementbyid......) - anyone
  • @nuttyaboutnatty sorry about such a late reply. It doesn't seem like the code in your example already works. You aren't using i in your timeout functions, so you don't need a closure - anyone
  • whoops, sorry, meant to say "it seems like the code in your example already works" - anyone

With ES6 now widely supported, the best answer to this question has changed. ES6 provides the let and const keywords for this exact circumstance. Instead of messing around with closures, we can just use let to set a loop scope variable like this:

var funcs = [];

for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {          
    funcs[i] = function() {            
      console.log("My value: " + i); 
    };
}

val will then point to an object that is specific to that particular turn of the loop, and will return the correct value without the additional closure notation. This obviously significantly simplifies this problem.

const is similar to let with the additional restriction that the variable name can't be rebound to a new reference after initial assignment.

Browser support is now here for those targeting the latest versions of browsers. const/let are currently supported in the latest Firefox, Safari, Edge and Chrome. It also is supported in Node, and you can use it anywhere by taking advantage of build tools like Babel. You can see a working example here: http://jsfiddle.net/ben336/rbU4t/2/

Docs here:

Beware, though, that IE9-IE11 and Edge prior to Edge 14 support let but get the above wrong (they don't create a new i each time, so all the functions above would log 3 like they would if we used var). Edge 14 finally gets it right.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • Unfortunately, 'let' is still not fully supported, especially in mobile. developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/… - anyone
  • As of June '16, let is supported in all major browser versions except iOS Safari, Opera Mini and Safari 9. Evergreen browsers support it. Babel will transpile it correctly to keep the expected behaviour without high compliancy mode switched on. - anyone
  • @DanPantry yeah about time for an update :) Updated to better reflect the current state of things, including adding a mention of const, doc links and better compatibility info. - anyone
  • Isn't this why we use babel to transpile our code so browsers that don't support ES6/7 can understand what's going on? - anyone

Another way of saying it is that the i in your function is bound at the time of executing the function, not the time of creating the function.

When you create the closure, i is a reference to the variable defined in the outside scope, not a copy of it as it was when you created the closure. It will be evaluated at the time of execution.

Most of the other answers provide ways to work around by creating another variable that won't change the value for you.

Just thought I'd add an explanation for clarity. For a solution, personally, I'd go with Harto's since it is the most self-explanatory way of doing it from the answers here. Any of the code posted will work, but I'd opt for a closure factory over having to write a pile of comments to explain why I'm declaring a new variable(Freddy and 1800's) or have weird embedded closure syntax(apphacker).

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

What you need to understand is the scope of the variables in javascript is based on the function. This is an important difference than say c# where you have block scope, and just copying the variable to one inside the for will work.

Wrapping it in a function that evaluates returning the function like apphacker's answer will do the trick, as the variable now has the function scope.

There is also a let keyword instead of var, that would allow using the block scope rule. In that case defining a variable inside the for would do the trick. That said, the let keyword isn't a practical solution because of compatibility.

var funcs = {};

for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  let index = i; //add this
  funcs[i] = function() {
    console.log("My value: " + index); //change to the copy
  };
}

for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  funcs[j]();
}

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

Here's another variation on the technique, similar to Bjorn's (apphacker), which lets you assign the variable value inside the function rather than passing it as a parameter, which might be clearer sometimes:

var funcs = [];
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    funcs[i] = (function() {
        var index = i;
        return function() {
            console.log("My value: " + index);
        }
    })();
}

Note that whatever technique you use, the index variable becomes a sort of static variable, bound to the returned copy of the inner function. I.e., changes to its value are preserved between calls. It can be very handy.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • Thanks and your solution works. But i would like to ask why this works, but swapping the var line and the return line wouldn't work? Thanks! - anyone
  • @midnite If you swapped var and return then the variable wouldn't be assigned before it returned the inner function. - anyone

This describes the common mistake with using closures in JavaScript.

A function defines a new environment

Consider:

function makeCounter()
{
  var obj = {counter: 0};
  return {
    inc: function(){obj.counter ++;},
    get: function(){return obj.counter;}
  };
}

counter1 = makeCounter();
counter2 = makeCounter();

counter1.inc();

alert(counter1.get()); // returns 1
alert(counter2.get()); // returns 0

For each time makeCounter is invoked, {counter: 0} results in a new object being created. Also, a new copy of obj is created as well to reference the new object. Thus, counter1 and counter2 are independent of each other.

Closures in loops

Using a closure in a loop is tricky.

Consider:

var counters = [];

function makeCounters(num)
{
  for (var i = 0; i < num; i++)
  {
    var obj = {counter: 0};
    counters[i] = {
      inc: function(){obj.counter++;},
      get: function(){return obj.counter;}
    }; 
  }
}

makeCounters(2);

counters[0].inc();

alert(counters[0].get()); // returns 1
alert(counters[1].get()); // returns 1

Notice that counters[0] and counters[1] are not independent. In fact, they operate on the same obj!

This is because there is only one copy of obj shared across all iterations of the loop, perhaps for performance reasons. Even though {counter: 0} creates a new object in each iteration, the same copy of obj will just get updated with a reference to the newest object.

Solution is to use another helper function:

function makeHelper(obj)
{
  return {
    inc: function(){obj.counter++;},
    get: function(){return obj.counter;}
  }; 
}

function makeCounters(num)
{
  for (var i = 0; i < num; i++)
  {
    var obj = {counter: 0};
    counters[i] = makeHelper(obj);
  }
}

This works because local variables in the function scope directly, as well as function argument variables, are allocated new copies upon entry.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • Small clarification: In the first example of Closures in loops, counters[0] and counters[1] are not independent not because of performance reasons. The reason is that var obj = {counter: 0}; is evaluated before any code is executed as stated in: MDN var: var declarations, wherever they occur, are processed before any code is executed. - anyone

The most simple solution would be,

Instead of using:

var funcs = [];
for(var i =0; i<3; i++){
    funcs[i] = function(){
        alert(i);
    }
}

for(var j =0; j<3; j++){
    funcs[j]();
}

which alerts "2", for 3 times. This is because anonymous functions created in for loop, shares same closure, and in that closure, the value of i is the same. Use this to prevent shared closure:

var funcs = [];
for(var new_i =0; new_i<3; new_i++){
    (function(i){
        funcs[i] = function(){
            alert(i);
        }
    })(new_i);
}

for(var j =0; j<3; j++){
    funcs[j]();
}

The idea behind this is, encapsulating the entire body of the for loop with an IIFE (Immediately-Invoked Function Expression) and passing new_i as a parameter and capturing it as i. Since the anonymous function is executed immediately, the i value is different for each function defined inside the anonymous function.

This solution seems to fit any such problem since it will require minimal changes to the original code suffering from this issue. In fact, this is by design, it should not be an issue at all!

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • Read something similar in a book once. I prefer this, too, since you don't have to touch your existing code (as much) and it becomes obvious why you did it, once you've learned the self-calling function pattern: to trap that variable in the newly created scope. - anyone
  • @DanMan Thanks. Self calling anonymous functions are very good way to deal javascript's lack of block level variable scope. - anyone
  • Self-calling, or self-invoking is not the appropriate term for this technique, IIFE (Immediately-Invoked Function Expression) is more accurately. Ref: benalman.com/news/2010/11/… - anyone

Here's a simple solution that uses forEach (works back to IE9):

var funcs = [];
[0,1,2].forEach(function(i) {          // let's create 3 functions
    funcs[i] = function() {            // and store them in funcs
        console.log("My value: " + i); // each should log its value.
    };
})
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();                        // and now let's run each one to see
}

Prints:

My value: 0
My value: 1
My value: 2

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

try this shorter one

  • no array

  • no extra for loop


for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
    createfunc(i)();
}

function createfunc(i) {
    return function(){console.log("My value: " + i);};
}

http://jsfiddle.net/7P6EN/

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • Your solution seems to output correct but it unneccessarily uses functions, why not just console.log the output? The original question is about creation of anonymous functions that has same closure. The problem was, since they have a single closure, the value of i is same for each of them. I hope you got it. - anyone

The main issue with the code shown by the OP is that i is never read until the second loop. To demonstrate, imagine seeing an error inside of the code

funcs[i] = function() {            // and store them in funcs
    throw new Error("test");
    console.log("My value: " + i); // each should log its value.
};

The error actually does not occur until funcs[someIndex] is executed (). Using this same logic, it should be apparent that the value of i is also not collected until this point either. Once the original loop finishes, i++ brings i to the value of 3 which results in the condition i < 3 failing and the loop ending. At this point, i is 3 and so when funcs[someIndex]() is used, and i is evaluated, it is 3 - every time.

To get past this, you must evaluate i as it is encountered. Note that this has already happened in the form of funcs[i] (where there are 3 unique indexes). There are several ways to capture this value. One is to pass it in as a parameter to a function which is shown in several ways already here.

Another option is to construct a function object which will be able to close over the variable. That can be accomplished thusly

jsFiddle Demo

funcs[i] = new function() {   
    var closedVariable = i;
    return function(){
        console.log("My value: " + closedVariable); 
    };
};

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

JavaScript functions "close over" the scope they have access to upon declaration, and retain access to that scope even as variables in that scope change.

var funcs = []

for (var i = 0; i < 3; i += 1) {
  funcs[i] = function () {
    console.log(i)
  }
}

for (var k = 0; k < 3; k += 1) {
  funcs[k]()
}

Each function in the array above closes over the global scope (global, simply because that happens to be the scope they're declared in).

Later those functions are invoked logging the most current value of i in the global scope. That's the magic, and frustration, of closure.

"JavaScript Functions close over the scope they are declared in, and retain access to that scope even as variable values inside of that scope change."

Using let instead of var solves this by creating a new scope each time the for loop runs, creating a separated scope for each function to close over. Various other techniques do the same thing with extra functions.

var funcs = []

for (let i = 0; i < 3; i += 1) {
  funcs[i] = function () {
    console.log(i)
  }
}

for (var k = 0; k < 3; k += 1) {
  funcs[k]()
}

(let makes variables block scoped. Blocks are denoted by curly braces, but in the case of the for loop the initialization variable, i in our case, is considered to be declared in the braces.)

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • I struggled to understand this concept until I read this answer. It touches on a really important point – the value of i is being set to the global scope. When the for loop finishes running, the global value of i is now 3. Therefore, whenever that function is invoked in the array (using, say funcs[j]), the i in that function is referencing the global i variable (which is 3). - anyone

After reading through various solutions, I'd like to add that the reason those solutions work is to rely on the concept of scope chain. It's the way JavaScript resolve a variable during execution.

  • Each function definition forms a scope consisting of all the local variables declared by var and its arguments.
  • If we have inner function defined inside another (outer) function, this forms a chain, and will be used during execution
  • When a function gets executed, the runtime evaluates variables by searching the scope chain. If a variable can be found in a certain point of the chain it will stop searching and use it, otherwise it continues until the global scope reached which belongs to window.

In the initial code:

funcs = {};
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {         
  funcs[i] = function inner() {        // function inner's scope contains nothing
    console.log("My value: " + i);    
  };
}
console.log(window.i)                  // test value 'i', print 3

When funcs gets executed, the scope chain will be function inner -> global. Since the variable i cannot be found in function inner (neither declared using var nor passed as arguments), it continues to search, until the value of i is eventually found in the global scope which is window.i.

By wrapping it in an outer function either explicitly define a helper function like harto did or use an anonymous function like Bjorn did:

funcs = {};
function outer(i) {              // function outer's scope contains 'i'
  return function inner() {      // function inner, closure created
   console.log("My value: " + i);
  };
}
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
  funcs[i] = outer(i);
}
console.log(window.i)          // print 3 still

When funcs gets executed, now the scope chain will be function inner -> function outer. This time i can be found in the outer function's scope which is executed 3 times in the for loop, each time has value i bound correctly. It won't use the value of window.i when inner executed.

More detail can be found here
It includes the common mistake in creating closure in the loop as what we have here, as well as why we need closure and the performance consideration.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • We rarely write this code sample in real, but I think it serves a good example to understand the fundamental. Once we have the scope in mind and how they chained together, it's more clear to see why other 'modern' ways like Array.prototype.forEach(function callback(el) {}) naturally works: The callback that's passed in naturally forms the wrapping scope with el correctly bound in each iteration of forEach. So every inner function defined in callback will be able to use the right el value - anyone

With new features of ES6 block level scoping is managed:

var funcs = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {          // let's create 3 functions
    funcs[i] = function() {            // and store them in funcs
        console.log("My value: " + i); // each should log its value.
    };
}
for (let j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();                        // and now let's run each one to see
}

The code in OP's question is replaced with let instead of var.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • const provides the same result, and should be used when the value of a variable will not change. However, the use of const inside the initializer of the for loop is implemented incorrectly in Firefox and has yet to be fixed. Instead of being declared inside the block, it is declared outside the block, which results in a redeclaration to the variable, which in turn results in an error. The use of let inside the initializer is implemented correctly in Firefox, so no need to worry there. - anyone

We will check , what actually happens when you declare var and let one by one.

Case1 : using var

<script>
   var funcs = [];
   for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
     funcs[i] = function () {
        debugger;
        console.log("My value: " + i);
     };
   }
   console.log(funcs);
</script>

Now open your chrome console window by pressing F12 and refresh the page. Expend every 3 functions inside the array.You will see an property called [[Scopes]].Expand that one. You will see one array object called "Global",expand that one. You will find a property 'i' declared into the object which having value 3.

enter image description here

enter image description here

Conclusion:

  1. When you declare a variable using 'var' outside a function ,it becomes global variable(you can check by typing i or window.i in console window.It will return 3).
  2. The anonymous function you declared will not call and check the value inside the function unless you invoke the functions.
  3. When you invoke the function , console.log("My value: " + i) takes the value from its Global object and display the result.

CASE2 : using let

Now replace the 'var' with 'let'

<script>
    var funcs = [];
    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
        funcs[i] = function () {
           debugger;
           console.log("My value: " + i);
        };
    }
    console.log(funcs);
</script>

Do the same thing, Go to the scopes . Now you will see two objects "Block" and "Global". Now expand Block object , you will see 'i' is defined there , and the strange thing is that , for every functions , the value if i is different (0 , 1, 2).

enter image description here

Conclusion:

When you declare variable using 'let' even outside the function but inside the loop , this variable will not be a Global variable , it will become a Block level variable which is only available for the same function only.That is the reason , we are getting value of i different for each function when we invoke the functions.

For more detail about how closer works , please go through the awesome video tutorial https://youtu.be/71AtaJpJHw0

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

I'm surprised no one yet has suggested using the forEach function to better avoid (re)using local variables. In fact, I'm not using for(var i ...) at all anymore for this reason.

[0,2,3].forEach(function(i){ console.log('My value:', i); });
// My value: 0
// My value: 2
// My value: 3

// edited to use forEach instead of map.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • .forEach() is a much better option if you're not actually mapping anything, and Daryl suggested that 7 months before you posted, so there's nothing to be surprised about. - anyone
  • This question is not about loop over an array - anyone
  • Well, he wants to create an array of functions, this example shows how to do that without involving a global variable. - anyone

The reason your original example did not work is that all the closures you created in the loop referenced the same frame. In effect, having 3 methods on one object with only a single i variable. They all printed out the same value.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

This question really shows the history of JavaScript! Now we can avoid block scoping with arrow functions and handle loops directly from DOM nodes using Object methods.

const funcs = [1, 2, 3].map(i => () => console.log(i));
funcs.map(fn => fn())

const buttons = document.getElementsByTagName("button");
Object
  .keys(buttons)
  .map(i => buttons[i].addEventListener('click', () => console.log(i)));
<button>0</button><br>
<button>1</button><br>
<button>2</button>

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

First of all, understand what's wrong with this code:

var funcs = [];
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {          // let's create 3 functions
    funcs[i] = function() {            // and store them in funcs
        console.log("My value: " + i); // each should log its value.
    };
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();                        // and now let's run each one to see
}

Here when the funcs[] array is being initialized, i is being incremented, the funcs array is initialized and the size of func array becomes 3, so i = 3,. Now when the funcs[j]() is called, it is again using the variable i, which has already been incremented to 3.

Now to solve this, we have many options. Below are two of them:

  1. We can initialize i with let or initialize a new variable index with let and make it equal to i. So when the call is being made, index will be used and its scope will end after initialization. And for calling, index will be initialized again:

    var funcs = [];
    for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {          
        let index = i;
        funcs[i] = function() {            
            console.log("My value: " + index); 
        };
    }
    for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
        funcs[j]();                        
    }
    
  2. Other Option can be to introduce a tempFunc which returns the actual function:

    var funcs = [];
    function tempFunc(i){
        return function(){
            console.log("My value: " + i);
        };
    }
    for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {  
        funcs[i] = tempFunc(i);                                     
    }
    for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
        funcs[j]();                        
    }
    

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

Use closure structure, this would reduce your extra for loop. You can do it in a single for loop:

var funcs = [];
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {     
  (funcs[i] = function() {         
    console.log("My value: " + i); 
  })(i);
}

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

Till ES5, This problem can only be solved using closure.

But now in ES6, we have block level scope variables. Changing var to let in first for loop will solve the problem.

var funcs = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {      // let's create 3 functions
  funcs[i] = function() {          // and store them in funcs
    console.log("My value: " + i); // each should log its value.
  };
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  funcs[j]();                      // and now let's run each one to see
}

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

If you're having this sort of problem with a while loop, rather than a for loop, for example:

var i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
  setTimeout(function() {
    console.log(i);
  }, i * 1000);
  i++;
}

The technique to close over the current value is a bit different. Declare a block-scoped variable with const inside the while block, and assign the current i to it. Then, wherever the variable is being used asynchronously, replace i with the new block-scoped variable:

var i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
  const thisIterationI = i;
  setTimeout(function() {
    console.log(thisIterationI);
  }, i * 1000);
  i++;
}

For older browsers that don't support block-scoped variables, you can use an IIFE called with i:

var i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
  (function(innerI) {
    setTimeout(function() {
      console.log(innerI);
    }, innerI * 1000);
  })(i);
  i++;
}

If the asynchronous action to be invoked happens to be setTimeout like the above, you can also call setTimeout with a third parameter to indicate the argument to call the passed function with:

var i = 0;
while (i < 5) {
  setTimeout(
    (thisIterationI) => { // Callback
      console.log(thisIterationI);
    },
    i * 1000, // Delay
    i // Gets passed to the callback; becomes thisIterationI
  );
  i++;
}

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • It might be worth noting that the variable can also be declared using let instead of const. Both allow for block-scoped variables. - anyone
  • The IIFE is what I was looking for - anyone

You could use a declarative module for lists of data such as query-js(*). In these situations I personally find a declarative approach less surprising

var funcs = Query.range(0,3).each(function(i){
     return  function() {
        console.log("My value: " + i);
    };
});

You could then use your second loop and get the expected result or you could do

funcs.iterate(function(f){ f(); });

(*) I'm the author of query-js and therefor biased towards using it, so don't take my words as a recommendation for said library only for the declarative approach :)

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • I would love an explanation of the down vote. The code solves the problem at hand. It would be valuable to know how to potentially improve the code - anyone
  • What is Query.range(0,3)? This is not part of the tags for this question. Besides, if you use a third party library, you can provide the link of the documentation. - anyone
  • @jherax those are or course obvious improvements. Thanks for the comment. I could have sworn that there was already a link. With out that the post was pretty pointless I guess :). My initial idea of keeping it out was because I wasn't trying to push the use of my own library but more the declarative idea. However in hinsight I fully agree that the link should be there - anyone

I prefer to use forEach function, which has its own closure with creating a pseudo range:

var funcs = [];

new Array(3).fill(0).forEach(function (_, i) { // creating a range
    funcs[i] = function() {            
        // now i is safely incapsulated 
        console.log("My value: " + i);
    };
});

for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j](); // 0, 1, 2
}

That looks uglier than ranges in other languages, but IMHO less monstrous than other solutions.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

  • Prefer it to what? This seems to be a comment in reply to some other answer. It doesn't address the actual question at all (since you aren't assigning a function, to be called later, anywhere). - anyone
  • It's related exactly to the mentioned issue: how to iterate safely without closure problems - anyone
  • Now it doesn't seem significantly different from the accepted answer. - anyone
  • No. In the accepted answer it is suggested to use "some array", but we deal with a range in the answer, it's absolutely different things, which unfortunately don't have a good solution in js, so my answer is trying to solve the issue in a good and practice way - anyone
  • @Quentin I would recommend to investigate solution before minusing - anyone

And yet another solution: instead of creating another loop, just bind the this to the return function.

var funcs = [];

function createFunc(i) {
  return function() {
    console.log('My value: ' + i); //log value of i.
  }.call(this);
}

for (var i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {  //5 functions
  funcs[i] = createFunc(i);     // call createFunc() i=5 times
}

By binding this, solves the problem as well.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

Use let(blocked-scope) instead of var.

var funcs = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {      
  funcs[i] = function() {          
    console.log("My value: " + i); 
  };
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
  funcs[j]();                      
}

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22

Your code doesn't work, because what it does is:

Create variable `funcs` and assign it an empty array;  
Loop from 0 up until it is less than 3 and assign it to variable `i`;
    Push to variable `funcs` next function:  
        // Only push (save), but don't execute
        **Write to console current value of variable `i`;**

// First loop has ended, i = 3;

Loop from 0 up until it is less than 3 and assign it to variable `j`;
    Call `j`-th function from variable `funcs`:  
        **Write to console current value of variable `i`;**  
        // Ask yourself NOW! What is the value of i?

Now the question is, what is the value of variable i when the function is called? Because the first loop is created with the condition of i < 3, it stops immediately when the condition is false, so it is i = 3.

You need to understand that, in time when your functions are created, none of their code is executed, it is only saved for later. And so when they are called later, the interpreter executes them and asks: "What is the current value of i?"

So, your goal is to first save the value of i to function and only after that save the function to funcs. This could be done for example this way:

var funcs = [];
for (var i = 0; i < 3; i++) {          // let's create 3 functions
    funcs[i] = function(x) {            // and store them in funcs
        console.log("My value: " + x); // each should log its value.
    }.bind(null, i);
}
for (var j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
    funcs[j]();                        // and now let's run each one to see
}

This way, each function will have it's own variable x and we set this x to the value of i in each iteration.

This is only one of the multiple ways to solve this problem.

Answered   2023-09-20 20:19:22