JavaScript function calling from link click

Question

I have a piece of JS code as follows:

window.onbeforeunload = function saveFav() {
//Some JS code
}

Now this same function needs to be called from a link click handler, so I am just directly calling the function as:

$("#someLink").click(function() {
   saveFav();
});

But for some reasons saveFav() is not getting called from link click. Is there some syntax issue OR will the function be called only on page unload?

I do not want to replicate the code as it is same on both unload and link click.

Please help me.

Although the function has a name, using a function expression won't generate a symbol for that name. — Felix Kling
– Felix Kling, Commented Sep 15, 2011 at 10:15
@Felix Right, the only purpose to giving a function name in a function expression is for recursion. — Jacob Relkin
– Jacob Relkin, Commented Sep 15, 2011 at 10:16
@Jacob: Exactly, the name is only accessible from inside the function. But named function expressions are not a good idea anyways due to bugs in IE (creating two instances of the same function). — Felix Kling
– Felix Kling, Commented Sep 15, 2011 at 10:20

Jacob Relkin · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-15 10:27:20Z

7

Really simple, define the function once like so:

function saveFav() {
   //...
}

Then assign it to the appropriate handlers:

window.onbeforeunload = saveFav;
$("#someLink").click(saveFav);

The reasoning behind why your code does not work is because creating a named function expression does not create a symbol in the current scope with the function's name, rather the name only exists within the scope of the function itself, for the sole purpose of the function to have the ability to call itself recursively.

edited Sep 15, 2011 at 10:27

answered Sep 15, 2011 at 10:14

Jacob Relkin

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Comments

asc99c · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-15 10:17:10Z

2

You just want to define your function, and then assign it to both:

function saveFav() {
  //Some JS code
}

window.onbeforeunload = saveFav;
$("#somelink").click( saveFav );

You can of course assign either of these events to call an anonymous function which does some other stuff, and then calls saveFav, but it is not necessary to define an anonymous function that only calls saveFav.

answered Sep 15, 2011 at 10:17

asc99c

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Comments

Bernie White · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-15 11:14:12Z

0

You should define your saveFav function before assigning it to onbeforeunload if you want to call it in this way.

edited Sep 15, 2011 at 11:14

answered Sep 15, 2011 at 10:17

Bernie White

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1 Comment

Felix Kling Over a year ago

To be correct, the saveFav is the beforeunload event handler. It is not defined inside of it.

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