Javascript pattern: Conditional event handler

Question

Given e.g. a class instance of some sort has a state (e.g. \'active\', \'inactive\', …). The instance also attaches a click event to e.g. a link but the event handler does somet

Answer 1

Which patterns are commonly in use to achieve this? Something like this
Are you using a conditional in the event handler? Yes, see example
Or are binding and unbinding handlers when the state changes? Nope, but it's a possibility.
Am I missing some obvious other/better solution? I don't think so

Answer 2

I would keep the same handler and call the appropriate method within.

var Foo = (function(){

    function Foo() {

        this.state = 'active';

    }

    Foo.methodMapping = {
        active: 'a',
        inactive: 'b'
    };

    Foo.prototype = {

        a: function(){}.
        b: function(){},

        handler: function(el) {

            // This'll handle the event, I guess
            // (Assuming `this` refers to instance, not element)

            var state = this.state;
            if (state in Foo.methodMapping) {
                return this[Foo.methodMapping[state]].apply(this, arguments);
            } else {
                // (prob don't need to cover this case)
            }

        }

    };

    return Foo;

}());

Answer 3

id say you just check the click event. Then in the click event check the instance state

link.live('click', function() {
 switch(instance.state){
  case 'active': function A(); break;
  case 'inactive': function B(); break;
 }     
}

Answer 4

The answer may be situational, but as always, one should favor simplicity over efficiency, unless there is a performance problem.

I think that checking conditions in an event handler is a simpler, centralized, and more consistent approach than binding/unbinding event handlers. I often use sitewide click event that checks some user data associated with the HTML element to determine the course of action.

Similar to your example, one of those actions is "don't do anything", e.g. I've set a flag that indicates it's been disabled. The other option would be to remove the click handler. But this requires more code to do the same thing, and means code control has been split: whereas it used to be entirely in the click handler, now it's in the click handler, and something else that adds or removes the event.

If the event handler has any perceptible performance impact when bound to the user experience, then maybe you'd want to reconsider this, but I can't think of many situations when it would.

Answer 5

You use can some kind of dispatcher:

$link.on('click', function () {
  (state ? A : B).call();
});