Differences between returning an object vs a function in a directive definition?

Question

What is the functional difference between the following code (in Widget Uno) using a directive definition object (I think it's called..?)...

angular.module("app").     directive("widgetUno", ["$http", function ($http) {         return {                 // A whole bunch of crap going on here             },             templateUrl: "widgetUno.html"         };     }]); 

...And this code in Widget Dos?

angular.module("app").directive('widgetDos', function($http) {     return function(scope, element, attrs) {         // A whole bunch of crap going on here     }; }); 

I'm trying to convert a directive that's like Widget Uno into Widget Dos, but where do I reference the templateUrl? Is this possible in Widget Dos?

Answer 1

Returning only a function in a directive is just a shorthand for the link function in the full definition.

If you are specifying something other than a link function (like templateUrl) then you need to write it the long way:

angular.module("app").     directive("widgetUno", ["$http", function ($http) {         return {           link: function(scope, element, attrs) {              // A whole bunch of crap going on here           },           templateUrl: "widgetUno.html"         };     }]); 

This difference is actually documented here - http://docs.angularjs.org/guide/directive