Stream Of Consciousness While Analysing Code

Our excellent new coachineer Mary Rose Cook did a workshop on closures in Javascript and looking at how we analyse code. We were put in pairs and asked to log our thought process (stream of consciousness style) as we analysed a piece of code.

The observer could not help with the analysis but could only ask for more detail and clarity in the log. It was a lot of fun and a wake-up call as to how much more time I need to spend on my Javascript skills. I’m also not all that nice to myself in my head which I don’t think is helping me. Will also work on being kinder to myself. Acknowledging what you don’t know is a positive thing and I shouldn’t be seeing it as negative.

Here’s the code snippet and below is what I logged going through it all. Please ignore typos.

Code to Analyse

var variableA = 0;

function functionA() {
  // Can I access variableA on this line? For example, can I console.log it? Why?
};

functionA();

Analysis Log

Code sample 1

reading through the function to understand what will be retunred

variable is declared and assigned at line 1

function functionA() is declared on line 3

function currently only contains commented out code which will produce nothing

function is invoked on line 7 so function will run when file is run.

going to run without any changes in node

assumption is it will run in node but return nothing

assumption confirmed, ran with no errors and returning nothing

looking at commented out code, can i use variable.

lets see what happens if return variable A on line 4

added “variableA” to line 4 within function(){ }

assumption would be this will be callable as its declared unsure regarding scope

and not confident at all with that so will run again to see.

was thinking if we need to return but it should still give error, no it wont

would just give undefined and without returning we cannot see. in fact would

console.log be better?

will try console.log so we can see in nodei

so we got undefined which would imply that there is an issue. i would guess

scope myself.

in a hacky fashion i’d be tempted to add this prior to the variable if it is in

the global domain. i may have gone off on one though

line 4 now reads “this.variableA;” as hoping this will now call the variable in

the correct scope???????

no

incorrect this is not the correct way to do it. what are my next steps/

investigate scope further?

investigate hoisting perhaps?

question i would google, tyr to formulate that.

ycalling a variable from within a function javascript

i’m a dummy. never returned anything. oh how embarrassing

lets delete the this as that was not corerct and instead lets rertun something,

lets return variable A

added return to start of line 4 and removed this. “return variableA;

lets run node again expecting 0 to be returned when ran

HUZZAH

it was retunred

literally feel so stupid

This is part of my daily blog series while I attend Makers Academy coding bootcamp. If you’d like to read more you can find them here.

Makers Academy Week10 Day6