Question

I’m writing a plugin that will display a little helper when called for. It’s supposed to be initiated like this:

$(el).santasLittleHelper([options])

The plugin then have some “events” just like the jquery UI has and they should be triggered like this:

$(el).santasLittleHelper('evetnName', [options])

I have a prototype working but I have a few concerns about future problems with my structure. Flooding the memory or having other issues with variable and function scopes when I keep on working on it. Here is an outline:

(function($) {

$.fn.santasLittleHelper = function(p1, p2) {

    return this.each(function() {
        var o = {
            showSpeed: 50,
            hideSpeed: 50,
            duration: 5000,
            delay: 0
        }
        var el = $(this);
        function init() {
            console.log('init 1');
        }
        var events = {
            show: function(opt) {},
            hide: function(opt) {},
            pulse: function(opt) {}
        }
        if(p1 == undefined) {//This is obviously the init call
            init();
        }
        if(typeof(p1) == 'object') {
            //Correctly added parameters would then mean that p1 is options
            //and is the only parameter added so we store the options and init
            $.extend(o, p1);
            init();
        }
        if(typeof(p1) == 'string') {
            //This is a call to an "event".
            //call the "event" function and supply possible options as arg
            events[p1](p2);
        }            
 });
}

})(jQuery);

Options can be supplied for each event call but should in that case only be available in that events function scope. This is because I might want the helper to do something out of the mental box I created him in by supplying options in the init call.

Will this approach fill up the memory a little by each call to $(el).santasLittleHelper(‘event’) because of the declared variables in the beginning of the code?

I think it looks clean and understandable, but can improvements be done?

Answer 1

According to practices described here, it seems to me that you’re doing it right, but I would try if possible to make o and events independent of each (declare it before and pass as optional parameter if override is needed else use unique declared outside of each?)