Guide to creating an Angular JS function that can output a specific value

Issue Description: Having trouble with an AngularJS function that retrieves data from a service, concatenates certain columns, and then returns the concatenated data.

AngularJS Function:

$scope.findCompanyAddressById = function( cmpId ) {

    var address = "";
    $http.get(someUrl+'/company/find?id='+cmpId ).

    then(function(response) {
        $scope.company = response.data;

        for( var i=0; i < $scope.company.locations.length; i++ ) {
            address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].street1
            address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].street2
            address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].city
            address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].state
            address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].zip

            console.log( "Rendering address: " );
            console.log( address ); // logs perfect data.
        }

    });
    return address;
}

Returns undefined when calling the function like this:

$scope.concatenatedData = $scope.findCompanyAddressById( 1 );

Anyone have any suggestions on how to successfully return the concatenated data from the above function?

Answer №1

Asynchronous data can arrive unpredictably, making it impossible to assign it to a variable right away. Instead, you need to utilize promises and work with asynchronous callbacks to handle such scenarios.

Your service function should be structured like this:

$scope.findCompanyAddressById = function(cmpId) {
  return $http.get(someUrl + '/company/find?id=' + cmpId).
  then(function(response) {
    var address = "";
    $scope.company = response.data;

    for (var i = 0; i < $scope.company.locations.length; i++) {
      address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].street1
      address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].street2
      address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].city
      address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].state
      address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].zip
    }
    return address;
  });
}

To summarize: use

return $http.get(url).then((res)=>{return ...});

Both returns are crucial for obtaining a Promise from $http and handling your data appropriately.

Then, in your other code, you can have:

$scope.findCompanyAddressById(1). // operates as a promise
then((data)=>{ 
  $scope.concatenatedData = data;
})

Alternatively, you can pass the function to your controller (function($scope, YourService)) and do the same:

YourService.findCompanyAddressById(1).then(...)

Answer №2

When using $http.get, it is important to remember that it is asynchronous and returns a promise that needs to be handled with then(). Make sure not to return the variable address before the promise is resolved.

If you encounter this issue, there are various ways to resolve it. One solution could be:

$scope.findCompanyAddressById = function( cmpId ) {

return $http.get(
    someUrl+'/company/find?id='+cmpId ).

then(function(response) {
    var address = '';
    $scope.company = response.data;

    for( var i=0; i < $scope.company.locations.length; i++ ) {
        address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].street1
        address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].street2
        address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].city
        address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].state
        address += " " + $scope.company.locations[i].zip

        console.log( "Rendering address: " );
        console.log( address ); // logs perfect data.
    }

    return address;

})

};

Now the function properly returns the promise. You can use it like this:

$scope.findCompanyAddressById( 1 )
.then(function(address){
     $scope.concatenatedData = address;
})

For more information on Promises, check out the MDN documentation.

edit

Avoid returning a new Promise as it is considered an anti-pattern. The function now properly returns the promise from $http.get.

Answer №3

In order to tackle this issue, it's important to have a basic understanding of promises. Promises operate asynchronously, meaning they may not return immediately. Imagine a promise as a commitment to perform a task for you, and only once it's completed will you receive the outcome. This is commonly utilized for making HTTP requests back to a server.

One interesting aspect of asynchronous code is that it allows you to carry out other tasks while the async operation is in progress. This aligns with what you're currently observing.

It's important to note that your return address statement lies outside the .then function. To truly witness the asynchronous behavior, insert a console.log right before your return statement and another inside the .then block. You'll notice that the console.log statements preceding the return are executed first!

Moreover, working with asynchronous code differs from traditional synchronous code. Once within a promise, you're pretty much committed to it. Subsequently, you'll need to continue chaining onto that promise to manipulate the data further.

$scope.findCompanyAddress(1).then(address => {
  /* do something with address */
})

Hope this explanation sheds some light on the topic!

Edit

Additionally, remember that you should now return the promise from your function rather than just the address (the $http.get part).

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