Question

In my Rails app I have some plain old JS:

    function reorder(divid,url) {
        jQuery(divid).sortable({
          axis: 'y',
          dropOnEmpty: false,
          handle: '.drag',
          cursor: 'crosshair',
          items: 'li',
          opacity: 0.4,
          scroll: true,
          update: function(){
            jQuery.ajax({
              type: 'post',
              data: jQuery(divid).sortable('serialize'),
              dataType: 'script',
              url: url)
          }
        });
    }

and it works when I call:

     reorder("#pages","<%= changeorder_pages_path %>");

So I decided to convert my function to CoffeeScript which gave me this:

(function() {
  var reorder;

  reorder = function(divid, url) {
    return jQuery("#pages").sortable({
      axis: "y",
      dropOnEmpty: false,
      handle: ".drag",
      cursor: "crosshair",
      items: "li",
      opacity: 0.4,
      scroll: true,
      update: function() {
        return jQuery.ajax({
          type: "post",
          data: jQuery("#pages").sortable("serialize"),
          dataType: "script",
          complete: function(request) {
            return jQuery("#pGESs").effect("highlight");
          },
          url: "/pages/changeorder"
        });
      }
    });
  };

}).call(this);

but my call doesn’t work any more – I get the Firebug error:

reorder is not defined

So to my question – how do I call the function now it is CoffeeScripted?

I have read this: Calling a function by its name

But I have no idea what they are talking about. I have never used global=this and have no idea what it does or why I would want to use it.

I read this as well: http://elegantcode.com/2011/06/30/exploring-coffeescript-part-2-variables-and-functions/

As well as this: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1834699

I realise that CoffeeScript is protecting me from global variables and making my code better – but I can’t find an explanation as how to call functions.

I have played with the CoffeeScript web site and played with the cube function – so I should just be able to call the function name I think.

I’m asking the question because I have a gap in my knowledge – any help filling that gap will be much appreciated.

Answer 1

CoffeeScript doesn’t create globals by default, and it seems as if you are trying to access a reorder outside the file it was defined in.

However you can explicitly put something in the global namespace by writing

window.reorder = reorder