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JavaScript DOM Scripting By Example Improving the Application Code Refactor 1: Create List Items

Trevor Maltbie
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Trevor Maltbie
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 17,021 Points
Posted by Trevor Maltbie
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Trevor Maltbie
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 17,021 Points

Understanding the Refactor functions

I really want to understand how these functions work to the point where I could explain and teach them to someone else. I have even resorted to handwriting all of this code to help internalize and understand what is going on. However, I need your help fully understanding.

    function createElement(elementName, property, value) {
      const element = document.createElement(elementName);
      element[property] = value;
      return element;
    }

This function allows me to turn this code:

const label = document.createElement('label');
label.textContent = 'Confirmed';

...into this:

const label = createElement('label', 'textContent', 'Confirmed')

However, this surely very simple part confounds me. How does the function know to use the const variable label as the element in element[property] when label was passed into function only as the parameter of elementName? I type const label = createElement(x, y, x) but label is outside the function except as elementName

Does anyone understand what I am getting at? I feel as though I am overthinking this but when I go to explain it out loud, I am confused.

But then this leads me to the following question:

if the function appendToLI allows us to take this code:

const editButton = createElement('button', 'textContent', 'edit');
li.appendChild(editButton);

and turn it into

appendToLI('button', 'textContent', 'edit');

then what happened to const editButton and appendChild(editButton) ? Because as far as I understand we just removed the variable or element of editButton completely.

I've watched this video a few times and I think I mostly understand but these things still remain unclear to me. I will continue to watch over again.

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points

You should start a fresh, new question and be sure to show your code or provide a link to a workspace snapshot.

2 Answers

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points

The "label" outside the function is set to the same thing as "element" (not "elementName") is inside the function. And the parameters only stand for the actual values that are supplied when the function is called.

And you're right that the other code removed the variable "editButton" completely. What it used to do is now done by the variable "element" inside the function, but it is not returned by the function. This works because it is not needed by the rest of the program once it has been appended to the list item.

Trevor Maltbie
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.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Trevor Maltbie
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 17,021 Points
Trevor Maltbie
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Trevor Maltbie
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Graduate 17,021 Points

I guess what has not clicked for me yet is I could write const label = createElement(x, y, z); but how does "label" here which is just the variable that createElement is assigned to make its way inside to be equal to "element"?

I do not mean to be dense here. Thank you for your patience.

Zimri Leijen
Zimri Leijen
11,835 Points

const label and const element are just names.

You can name them apple and orange and it would still work.

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,269 Points

You would need to go through the rest of the code and change other references to "label" into "xyz" to make it work. The actual name is not important, but it must be used consistently throughout the program.

Zimri Leijen
Zimri Leijen
11,835 Points
Zimri Leijen
Zimri Leijen
11,835 Points

I'll just focus on the first part of the question.

   function createElement(elementName, property, value) {
      const element = document.createElement(elementName);
      element[property] = value;
      return element;
    }

const label = createElement('label', 'textContent', 'Confirmed')

What this effectively does is, it will call the createElement with the arguments 'label', 'textContent' and 'Confirmed'

So effectively, it says Hey, function createElement, please do your job, and interpret elementName as being 'label', property as being 'textContent' and value as being 'Confirmed'

So createElement goes to work, does his job, so

const element = document.createElement('label') // remember we swap elementName for 'label', because those were the arguments provided)
element['textContent'] = 'Confirmed'// again, remember to fill in the arguments. btw this is equivalent to element.textContent = 'Confirmed'. They're just using brackets, because dot notation doesn't support dynamic values, while brackets do.
return element.

hope that helps.