Also, more information on the call function (if you're not familiar with it) can be found here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Core_JavaScript_1.5_Reference/Objects/Function/call
<https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Core_JavaScript_1.5_Reference/Objects/Function/call>You could also use the apply function: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Core_JavaScript_1.5_Reference/Objects/Function/apply <https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Core_JavaScript_1.5_Reference/Objects/Function/apply>If you need any other help with that or don't understand my example, let me know. Thanks, Matt On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 7:04 PM, Matt Maxwell <leftwithoutli...@gmail.com>wrote: > Maybe try using something like: > > $.myplugin.fill.call( this, "red" ); > > On Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 6:47 PM, Tim Molendijk <taw.molend...@gmail.com>wrote: > >> Hey all, >> >> I've been developing jQuery plugins for quite some time now, and I >> like to think I got pretty good at it. One issue keeps nagging me >> though, and that is how to deal with private functions in a powerful >> yet elegant manner. >> >> My plugins generally look something like this: >> >> (function($) { >> >> $.fn.myplugin = function(...) { >> ... >> // some shared functionality, for example: >> this.css('background-color', 'green'); >> ... >> }; >> $.fn.mypluginAnotherPublicMethod = function(...) { >> ... >> // some shared functionality, for example: >> this.css('background-color', 'red'); >> ... >> }; >> >> }(jQuery); >> >> Now my question is: how to neatly DRY up that shared functionality? An >> obvious solution would be to put it in a function within the plugin's >> namespace: >> >> var fill = function($obj, color) { >> $obj.css('background-color', color); >> }; >> >> Although this solution is effective and nicely namespaced, I really >> dislike it. For one simple reason: I have to pass it the jQuery >> object. I.e. I have to call it like this: >> fill(this, 'red'); >> While I would like to call it like this: >> this.fill('red'); >> >> Of course we could achieve this result by simply putting 'fill' into >> jQuery.fn. But that feels very uncomfortable. Imagine having ten >> plugins developed based on this approach and each plugin putting five >> of those 'private' functions into the jQuery function namespace. It >> ends up in a big mess. We could mitigate by prefixing each of these >> functions with the name of the plugin they belong to, but that doesn't >> really make it more attractive. These functions are supposed to be >> private to the plugin, so we do not want to expose them to the outside >> world at all (at least not directly). >> >> So there's my question: does anyone of you have suggestions for how to >> get the best of both worlds. So being able to call 'private' plugin >> function in a way similar to this.fill('red') (or this.myplugin.fill >> ('red') or even this.myplugin().fill('red') etc.), while preventing >> jQuery function namespace pollution. And of course it should be light- >> weight, as these private functions might be called very frequently. >> >> Thanks for your ideas. >> >> Regards, >> Tim Molendijk >> > >
