What is the difference between ES6 anonymous functions and Arrow functions?
Introduction:
ES6 introduced a variety of new features to JavaScript, including two types of functions: anonymous functions and arrow functions. While both types of functions can be used to define a function without a name, they differ in their syntax and behavior. Let's take a closer look at each of them.
ES6 Anonymous Functions
ES6 anonymous functions are defined using the function keyword, followed by the function parameters and the function body enclosed in curly braces {}. For example:
const add = function(a, b) {
return a + b;
};
In this example, add is an anonymous function that takes two parameters a and b, and returns their sum. The function can be called like this:
const result = add(2, 3); // result = 5
ES6 anonymous functions can also be used as arguments to other functions, like this:
const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const doubled = numbers.map(function(number) {
return number * 2;
});
In this example, the map method takes an anonymous function as an argument, which is used to double each element in the numbers array.
Arrow Functions
Arrow functions are a more concise way to define anonymous functions in ES6. They are defined using the => symbol, and do not require the function keyword or curly braces. For example:
const add = (a, b) => a + b;
In this example, add is an arrow function that takes two parameters a and b, and returns their sum. The function can be called in the same way as the anonymous function example:
const result = add(2, 3); // result = 5
Arrow functions can also be used as arguments to other functions, like this:
const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const doubled = numbers.map(number => number * 2);
In this example, the map method takes an arrow function as an argument, which is used to double each element in the numbers array.
Differences between ES6 Anonymous Functions and Arrow Functions
While both types of functions can be used to define anonymous functions in JavaScript, there are some key differences between them:
1. Syntax: The syntax of arrow functions is more concise than that of anonymous functions. Arrow functions do not require the function keyword or curly braces, which makes them easier to read and write.
2. this keyword: Arrow functions do not have their own this keyword, but instead inherit this from the parent scope. This can be useful when working with nested functions or event handlers.
3. arguments object: Arrow functions do not have their own arguments object, but instead inherit it from the parent scope. This can be useful when working with functions that take a variable number of arguments.
4. new keyword: Arrow functions cannot be used as constructors, and do not have their own prototype property. This means that they cannot be used to create new objects using the new keyword.
Conclusion:
In summary, ES6 introduced two types of anonymous functions: ES6 anonymous functions and arrow functions. Arrow functions are a more concise way to define anonymous functions in JavaScript, and have some additional benefits over anonymous functions, such as inheriting this from the parent scope. However, anonymous functions are still widely used in JavaScript and have their own
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