Accessing public functions from inside a jQuery plugin

Question

It is the first time I write a jQuery plugin without a tutorial. Now (September 28 2014), the jQuery site doesn't work (I don't know why), so I cannot find any resource there.

Below is part of my plugin that reports errors:

$(function($){
    $.fn.dialog = function(command, options) {
        var opts = $.extend( {}, $.fn.dialog.defaults, options );
        //code
        $.fn.dialog.handleCancel = function() {

        };
        $.fn.dialog.handleAccept = function() {

        };
        return this;
    };

    $.fn.dialog.defaults = {
        // some other props
        onCancel: $.fn.dialog.handleCancel(),
        onAccept: $.fn.dialog.handleAccept()
    };
    // code
}(jQuery));

When I call the plugin ( $("#dialog1").dialog(/*..*/) ), the browser console, shows the following:

Uncaught TypeError: undefined is not a function

The error is on the line with onCancel: $.fn.dialog.handleCancel() .

How can I access these methods, and where should them be? (I also want them to have access to $(this) <- for the dialog itself)

Answer 1

Your handleCancel and handleAccept functions are not initialized until you call the $.fn.dialog function. Therefore, they are undefined when you set the dialogs defaults.

Insert this code prior to $.fn.dialog.defaults :

$.fn.dialog();

Answer 2

Try rearranging blocks within the piece , adding a filter , to prevent both handleCancel and handleAccept being called by default; eg,

 (function($){ $.fn.dialog = function(command, options) { var $el = this; // access , pass arguments to methods $.fn.dialog.handleCancel = function(c) { $el.html(c + "led") }; $.fn.dialog.handleAccept = function(a) { $el.html(a + "ed") }; // call `handleCancel` or `handleAccept` , // based on `command` $.fn.dialog.defaults = { // some other props onCancel: command === "cancel" ? $.fn.dialog.handleCancel(command) : null, onAccept: command === "accept" ? $.fn.dialog.handleAccept(command) : null }; var opts = $.extend( {}, $.fn.dialog.defaults, options ); //code return this; }; // code }(jQuery)); $("button").on("click", function(e) { $("#result").dialog(e.target.id) }) 

 <script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js"></script> <button id="accept">accept</button><button id="cancel">cancel</button><br /> Result: <div id="result"></div>