Can I name a JavaScript function and execute it immediately?

Question

I have quite a few of these:

function addEventsAndStuff() {   // bla bla } addEventsAndStuff();  function sendStuffToServer() {   // send stuff   // get HTML in response   // replace DOM   // add events:   addEventsAndStuff(); } 

Re-adding the events is necessary because the DOM has changed, so previously attached events are gone. Since they have to be attached initially as well (duh), they're in a nice function to be DRY.

There's nothing wrong with this set up (or is there?), but can I smooth it a little bit? I'd like to create the addEventsAndStuff() function and immediately call it, so it doesn't look so amateuristic.

Both following respond with a syntax error:

function addEventsAndStuff() {   alert('oele'); }();  (function addEventsAndStuff() {   alert('oele'); })(); 

Any takers?

Answer 1

There's nothing wrong with the example you posted in your question.. The other way of doing it may look odd, but:

var addEventsAndStuff; (addEventsAndStuff = function(){     // add events, and ... stuff })(); 

---

There are two ways to define a function in JavaScript. A function declaration:

function foo(){ ... } 

and a function expression, which is any way of defining a function other than the above:

var foo = function(){}; (function(){})(); var foo = {bar : function(){}}; 

...etc

function expressions can be named, but their name is not propagated to the containing scope. Meaning this code is valid:

(function foo(){    foo(); // recursion for some reason }()); 

but this isn't:

(function foo(){     ... }()); foo(); // foo does not exist 

So in order to name your function and immediately call it, you need to define a local variable, assign your function to it as an expression, then call it.