Javascript call() & apply() vs bind()?

by

I already know that apply and call are similar functions which set this (context of a function).

The difference is with the way we send the arguments (manual vs array)

Question:

But when should I use the bind() method ?

var obj = {
  x: 81,
  getX: function() {
    return this.x;
  }
};

alert(obj.getX.bind(obj)());
alert(obj.getX.call(obj));
alert(obj.getX.apply(obj));

jsbin

23 s
23

Use .bind() when you want that function to later be called with a certain context, useful in events. Use .call() or .apply() when you want to invoke the function immediately, and modify the context.

Call/apply call the function immediately, whereas bind returns a function that, when later executed, will have the correct context set for calling the original function. This way you can maintain context in async callbacks and events.

I do this a lot:

function MyObject(element) {
    this.elm = element;

    element.addEventListener('click', this.onClick.bind(this), false);
};

MyObject.prototype.onClick = function(e) {
     var t=this;  //do something with [t]...
    //without bind the context of this function wouldn't be a MyObject
    //instance as you would normally expect.
};

I use it extensively in Node.js for async callbacks that I want to pass a member method for, but still want the context to be the instance that started the async action.

A simple, naive implementation of bind would be like:

Function.prototype.bind = function(ctx) {
    var fn = this;
    return function() {
        fn.apply(ctx, arguments);
    };
};

There is more to it (like passing other args), but you can read more about it and see the real implementation on the MDN.

Leave a Comment