Invokers: Dependency Resolution At Invocation

The Infusion IoC system provides a mechanism for creating public component functions whose arguments are resolved from the environment at invocation time. This differs from subcomponent, whose dependencies are resolved a single time, at creation. With invokers, the dependencies are "re"-resolved each time the function is invoked.

Declaring Invokers

Defaults

Invokers can declared similarly to subcomponents: Using a default/option called invokers:

fluid.defaults("component.name", {
    invokers: {
        invokerName1: {
            funcName: "name.of.implementation.function1",
            args: [...]
        },
        invokerName2: {
            funcName: "name.of.implementation.function2",
            args: [...]
        }
        ...
    }
});

When dependencies are initialized using fluid.initDependents, the invoker names (invokerName1 and invokerName2 in this example) will be used to create functions that will be attached to the component that object. The functions will resolve the values specified in the arguments and pass them to the function named by funcName.

Demands for Invokers

As with subcomponents, demands can be registered for invokers using fluid.demands. In this case, the declaration in the defaults is slightly different:

fluid.defaults("component.name", {
    invokers: {
        invokerName1: "demandingName"
        ...
    }
});
fluid.demands("demandingName", "component.name", {
    funcName: "name.of.implementation.function1",
    args: [...]
});

The form of the demands specification is the same for invokers as for subcomponents.

No arguments

If the implementing function requires no arguments, it can be declared directly in the defaults:

fluid.defaults("component.name", {
    invokers: {
        invokerName1: "implementing.function"
    }
});

This is essentially shorthand for:

fluid.defaults("component.name", {
    invokers: {
        invokerName1: {
            funcName: "implementing.function"
        }
    }
});

Argument to Invokers

The arguments list specified in an invoker declaration can include:

Examples of Arguments to Invokers

invokers: {
    myFunc: {
        funcName: "nspace.myFuncImpl",
        args: ["@0", {parent}.field, "@1"]
    }  
}

In this example, if

that.field = "CATT";

and the invoker is called with

that.myFunc("foo", "bar");

then the invoker will call the implementation function with

nspace.myFuncImpl("foo, "CATT", "bar);

Examples

fluid.defaults("cspace.autocomplete.popup", {
    invokers: {
        treeBuilder: {
            funcName: "cspace.autocomplete.modelToTree",
            args: ["{popup}.model", "{popup}.events"]
        }  
    },
    ...
};

In this example, the popup component's that object will have a function called treeBuilder, i.e. that.treeBuilder(). This function, when called, will evaluate the current {popup and events properties of the popup component and pass them to the function cspace.autocomplete.modelToTree().

 

fluid.defaults("test.testComponent", {
    template: "Every {0} has {1} {2}(s)",
    invokers: {
        render: {
            funcName: "fluid.formatMessage",
            args:["{testComponent}.options.template", "@0"] 
        }
    },
    ...

In this example, the component's that object will have a function called render, i.e. that.render(). This function, when called, will evaluate the current {options.template property of the test component and pass it and the first parameter to that.render() to the function fluid.formatMessage().

The following two methods of declaring an invoker are equivalent:

fluid.defaults("fluid.testUtils.invokerComponent", {
    template: "Every {0} has {1} {2}(s)",
    invokers: {
        render: {
            funcName: "fluid.formatMessage",
            args:["{invokerComponent}.options.template", "@0"]
        }
    }
});

In this version, the invoker render is declared directly, in the invokers: block.

fluid.defaults("fluid.testUtils.invokerComponent", {
    template: "Every {0} has {1} {2}(s)",
    invokers: {
        render: "stringRenderer"
    }
});
fluid.demands("stringRenderer", "fluid.testUtils.invokerComponent", {
    funcName: "fluid.formatMessage",
    args:["{invokerComponent}.options.template", "@0"]       
});

In this version, the invoker render is declared through a demands block registered to the demanding name stringRenderer.