javascript - setting global variables inside a function

Question

I am trying to create a function which will dynamically set the value of whatever global variable is passed as a parameter. It's not working, and I'm trying to figure out why. Can someone please explain why this doesn't work:

var things = 5;

function setup(variable) {
    variable = 7;
}

setup(things);

console.log(things); //should return 7. returns 5 instead. the function had no effect on the global variable

and this also doesn't work:

var things = 5;

function setup(variable) {
    window.variable = 7;
}

setup(things);

console.log(things); //should return 7, but returns 5. still not accessing the global variable.

but this does:

var things = 5;

function setup(variable) {
    window[variable] = 7;
}

setup("things");

console.log(things); //returns 7

I suspect that what is happening is that the parameter variable is being set as a local variable inside of the function, so any changes are only happening to the local version. But this seems strange because the parameter that's been passed is a global variable. Can someone explain to me what is happening and how to better write this code? Does this require a method (which can then use this to access the original object)?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

Javascript is pass-by-value. (Objects, arrays, and other non-primitives are passed by value-of-reference.) That means that the value of the variable (or reference) is passed to the function, but the function parameter does not become an alias for the actual argument. Thus, you cannot change a variable outside a function without referencing it (as you do in your last example).

See this answer in another thread for more information.