Overriding a JavaScript function while referencing the original

user_16777 0
Viewed 208660

I have a function, a(), that I want to override, but also have the original a() be performed in an order depending on the context. For example, sometimes when I'm generating a page I'll want to override like this:

function a() {
    new_code();
    original_a();
}

and sometimes like this:

function a() {
    original_a();
    other_new_code();
}

How do I get that original_a() from within the over-riding a()? Is it even possible?

Please don't suggest alternatives to over-riding in this way, I know of many. I'm asking about this way specifically.

user-defined-functions overriding javascript
12 Answers

You could do something like this:

var a = (function() {
    var original_a = a;

    if (condition) {
        return function() {
            new_code();
            original_a();
        }
    } else {
        return function() {
            original_a();
            other_new_code();
        }
    }
})();

Declaring original_a inside an anonymous function keeps it from cluttering the global namespace, but it's available in the inner functions.

Like Nerdmaster mentioned in the comments, be sure to include the () at the end. You want to call the outer function and store the result (one of the two inner functions) in a, not store the outer function itself in a.

user_22140

The Proxy pattern might help you:

(function() {
    // log all calls to setArray
    var proxied = jQuery.fn.setArray;
    jQuery.fn.setArray = function() {
        console.log( this, arguments );
        return proxied.apply( this, arguments );
    };
})();

The above wraps its code in a function to hide the "proxied"-variable. It saves jQuery's setArray-method in a closure and overwrites it. The proxy then logs all calls to the method and delegates the call to the original. Using apply(this, arguments) guarantees that the caller won't be able to notice the difference between the original and the proxied method.

user_295470

You can override a function using a construct like:

function override(f, g) {
    return function() {
        return g(f);
    };
}

For example:

 a = override(a, function(original_a) {
      if (condition) { new_code(); original_a(); }
      else { original_a(); other_new_code(); }
 });

Edit: Fixed a typo.

user_2627880

So my answer ended up being a solution that allows me to use the _this variable pointing to the original object. I create a new instance of a "Square" however I hated the way the "Square" generated it's size. I thought it should follow my specific needs. However in order to do so I needed the square to have an updated "GetSize" function with the internals of that function calling other functions already existing in the square such as this.height, this.GetVolume(). But in order to do so I needed to do this without any crazy hacks. So here is my solution.

Some other Object initializer or helper function.

this.viewer = new Autodesk.Viewing.Private.GuiViewer3D(
  this.viewerContainer)
var viewer = this.viewer;
viewer.updateToolbarButtons =  this.updateToolbarButtons(viewer);

Function in the other object.

updateToolbarButtons = function(viewer) {
  var _viewer = viewer;
  return function(width, height){ 
blah blah black sheep I can refer to this.anything();
}
};
user_17718990

Not sure if it'll work in all circumstances, but in our case, we were trying to override the describe function in Jest so that we can parse the name and skip the whole describe block if it met some criteria.

Here's what worked for us: 

function describe( name, callback ) {
  if ( name.includes( "skip" ) )
    return this.describe.skip( name, callback );
  else
    return this.describe( name, callback );
}

Two things that are critical here:

  1. We don't use an arrow function () =>.

    Arrow functions change the reference to this and we need that to be the file's this.

  2. The use of this.describe and this.describe.skip instead of just describe and describe.skip.

Again, not sure it's of value to anybody but we originally tried to get away with Matthew Crumley's excellent answer but needed to make our method a function and accept params in order to parse them in the conditional.

user_2932800
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