"add" function that works with different combinations of chaining/arguments

Question

I'm trying to write an add function that will work in many scenarios.

add(2,2,2) //6
add(2,2,2,2) //8
add(2)(2)(2) // 6
add(2)(2)(2,2).value() //8
add(2,2)(2) + 2 //8
add(2).add(2) //4
add(2,2,2).add(2).add(2,2).value() //12
add(2,2,2).add(2).value() //8

This is what I have so far:

function add(){
    var sum = 0;
    for( var i in arguments ){
        sum += arguments[i];
    }

    var ret = add.bind(null, sum);

    ret.value = function () {
      return sum;
    }

    ret.add = function () {
      for( var i in arguments ){
        sum += arguments[i];
      }
      return sum;
    }

    ret.valueOf = function(){ return sum; };
    
    return ret;
}

console.log(add(2,2,2));
console.log(add(2,2,2,2));
console.log(add(2)(2)(2));
console.log(add(2)(2)(2,2).value());
console.log(add(2,2)(2) + 2);
console.log(add(2).add(2));
console.log(add(2,2,2).add(2).value());
console.log(add(2,2,2).add(2).add(2,2).value());

I am having a problem with the last two cases:

  add(2,2,2).add(2).add(2,2).value() //12
  add(2,2,2).add(2).value() //8

It seems like I would have to keep nesting the add functions if I wanted to chain more than two together and also add the value function to each of them, but obviously I'm missing something simple that will allow me to chain them as much as I like, and call value on any of them.

Also they need to always return ints (not strings), and it seems like sometimes they do and other times they don't?

Answer 1

Looking at the way you're using arguments in similar ways in two different places, it's clear that you are duplicating functionality and that is why you are running into this problem with having to "infinitely nest" the .value() method.

The key thing to recognize is that add() can return a function that references itself as its own add property. This will allow add(1,2)(3) to behave exactly the same as add(1,2).add(3). This can be done like so:

function add() {
  var sum = Array.prototype.reduce.call(arguments, function(l, r) {
    return l + r;
  }, 0);

  var ret = add.bind(null, sum);
  ret.add = ret;

  ret.value = ret.valueOf = Number.prototype.valueOf.bind(sum);      
  ret.toString = Number.prototype.toString.bind(sum);

  return ret;
}

snippet.log(add(2,2,2));
snippet.log(add(2,2,2,2));
snippet.log(add(2)(2)(2));
snippet.log(add(2)(2)(2,2).value());
snippet.log(add(2,2)(2) + 2);
snippet.log(add(2).add(2));
snippet.log(add(2,2,2).add(2).value());
snippet.log(add(2,2,2).add(2).add(2,2).value());

snippet.log(add(1, 2, 3)(4, 5).add(6, 7)(8).add(9, 10));
snippet.log(add(5,4)(3).add(2)(1) * 10);

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---

There are still two potential issues with the above approach, one minor and one a little less minor:

• There are property references and function definitions that are re-executed every time the add function is used (including during chaining)
• If someone overwrites the add identifier, it would cause the whole implementation to break:

function add() {
  var sum = Array.prototype.reduce.call(arguments, function(l, r) {
    return l + r;
  }, 0);

  var ret = add.bind(null, sum);
  ret.add = ret;

  ret.value = ret.valueOf = Number.prototype.valueOf.bind(sum);
  ret.toString = Number.prototype.toString.bind(sum);

  return ret;
}

var myAdd = add;
add = "boom!";
myAdd(1, 2, 3); // TypeError: add.bind is not a function

Both of these can be remedied with an IIFE:

var add = (function () {
    var reduce = Array.prototype.reduce,
        np = Number.prototype,
        valueOf = np.valueOf,
        toString = np.toString,
        plus = function (l, r) { return l + r; };

    return function add() {
        var sum = reduce.call(arguments, plus, 0);

        var ret = add.bind(null, sum);
        ret.add = ret;

        ret.value = ret.valueOf = valueOf.bind(sum);      
        ret.toString = toString.bind(sum);

        return ret;
    }
})();

var myAdd = add;
add = "U Can't Touch This";   // hammertime

snippet.log(myAdd(1, 2, 3)(4, 5).add(6, 7)(8).add(9, 10));
snippet.log(myAdd(5,4)(3).add(2)(1) * 10);

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