gordonbrander / choochoo

Compose functions using method chaining syntax.

ChooChoo

Compose functions using method chaining syntax.

                  .---._
              .--(. '  .).--.      . .-.
           . ( ' _) .)` (   .)-. ( ) '-'
          ( ,  ).        `(' . _)
        (')  _________      '-'
        ____[_________]                            ________
        \__/ | _ \  ||    ,;,;,,                  [________]
        _][__|(")/__||  ,;;;;;;;;,   __________   _| LLLL |_
       /             | |          | |____      | |     \|   |
      (| .--.    .--.| |   ----   | |     ___  | |   |\     |
      /|/ .. \~~/ .. \_|_.-.__.-._|_|_.-.__.-._|_|_.-:_\.-._|
 ==+=/_|\ '' /~~\ '' /=+( o )( o )+==( o )( o )=+=( o )( o )+=
 '=='=='='--'==+='--'===+'-'=='-'==+=='-'+='-'===+='-'=='-'==+

ChooChoo creates "trains" of methods from objects full of lambda functions, allowing you to compose the functions using method chaining. Think of it as jQuery coding style for everything else.

What is a lambda function? Anthing function that's not a method. Lambdas are functions without side effects. They take value and return a result, without referencing this.

Show me

var DOMTrain = choochoo.train({
  width: function (element, width) {
    element.width = width;
    return element;
  },
  height: function (element, height) {
    element.height = height;
    return element;
  }
});

var myEl = document.getElementById('my-el');
DOMTrain(myEl).width(100).height(100);

// You can create trains directly from modules, too!
var MTrain = choochoo.train(require('mymodule'));
MTrain('source').convert().transform();

Ideas

Deferred evaluation. Use ChooChoo as a DSL for creating composed functions, instead of evaluations.

This might require a bit of a restructuring of the internals. I'm thinking:

• Make the Box an array that keeps track of the list of evaluations to be performed.
• Box is an array of arrays. Each sub-array contains a function and additional arguments.
• Methods created from functions will push evaluation lists instead of invoking the original function.
• The returned function will cycle through the list of evaluations, invoking them with the passed value + arguments passed to methods.
• The return value of the evaluated function is automatically unboxed.

Is this a common enough use case? It's true that evaluated chains of methods are not composable, but this is supposed to be a DSL -- a thin veneer over composable functions.

Do we need to be able to compose compositions? Maybe.