Functional programming with es6

Head

const head = ([x]) => x

Example usage:

const array = [1,2,3,4,5]
head(array) // 1

Tail

Return all but the first item in an array.

const tail = ([, ...xs]) => xs

example:

const array = [1,2,3,4,5]
tail(array) // [2,3,4,5]

Def

Return if argument supplied is defined.

const def = x => typeof x !== 'undefined'
const defined = 'this is defined'

example:

def(defined) // true
def(doesntExist) // false

Undef

Return if argument supplied is undefined.

const undef = x => !def(x)

example:

const defined = 'this is defined'
undef(defined) // false
undef(doesntExist) // true

Copy

const copy = array => [...array]

let array = [1,2,3,4,5]
let copied = copy(array)
copied.push(6)

array // [1,2,3,4,5]
copied // [1,2,3,4,5,6]


Reverse

const reverse = ([x, ...xs]) => def(x) ? [...reverse(xs), x] : []

Example usage:

const array = [1,2,3,4,5]
reverse(array) // [5,4,3,2,1]

Array.reverse() is okay, but it modifies the value in place which is a side-effect. Consider the following:

const array = [1,2,3,4,5]

const newArray = array.reverse() // [5,4,3,2,1]
array // [5,4,3,2,1]

// using the reverse method we just created
const array2 = [1,2,3,4,5]

const newArray2 = reverse(array2) // [5,4,3,2,1]
array2 // [1,2,3,4,5]

First

Returns a new array that contains the first n items of the given array.

const first = ([x, ...xs], n = 1) =>
	def(x) && n ? [x, ...first(xs, n - 1) : []
								     
								    
								     			  
const array = [1,2,3,4,5]
first(array, 3) // [1,2,3]

Last

Returns a new array that contains the last n items of the given array.

const last = (xs, n = 1) => reverse(first(reverse(xs), n))

const array = [1,2,3,4,5]
last(array, 3) // [3,4,5]


Slice

Returns a new array with value inserted at given index.

const slice = ([x, ...xs], i, y, curr = 0) => def(x)
? curr === i
? [y, x, ...slice(xs, i, y, curr + 1)]
: [x, ...slice(xs, i, y, curr + 1)]
: []

const slice = ([x, ...xs], i, y, curr = 0) => def(x)
? curr === i
? [y, x, ...slice(xs, i, y, curr + 1)]
: [x, ...slice(xs, i, y, curr + 1)]
: []


Flatten

Combines nested arrays into a single array.

const flatten = ([x, ...xs]) => def(x)
? isArray(x) ? [...flatten(x), ...flatten(xs)] : [x, ...flatten(xs)]
: []

const array1 = [1,2,3]
const array2 = [4,[5,[6]]]
flatten([array1, array2]) // [1,2,3,4,5,6]


Swap

Return a new array with 2 items swapped based on their index.

const swap = (a, i, j) => (
map(a, (x,y) => {
if(y === i) return a[j]
if(y === j) return a[i]
return x
})
)

const array = [1,2,3,4,5]
swap(array, 0, 4) // [5,2,3,4,1]


Map

From MDN: “…creates a new array with the results of calling a provided function on every element in this array.”

const map = ([x, ...xs], fn) => {
if (undef(x)) return []
return [fn(x), ...map(xs, fn)]
}

Which can be simplified as:

const map = ([x, ...xs], fn) => def(x) ? [fn(x), ...map(xs, fn)] : []

Example usage:

const double = x => x \* 2
map([1,2,3], double) // [2,4,6]

Filter

From MDN: “…creates a new array with all elements that pass the test implemented by the provided function.”

const filter = ([x, ...xs], fn) => {
if (undef(x)) return []
if (fn(x)) {
return [x, ...filter(xs, fn)]
} else {
return [...filter(xs, fn)]
}
}

Which can be simplified as:

const filter = ([x, ...xs], fn) => def(x)
? fn(x)
? [x, ...filter(xs, fn)] : [...filter(xs, fn)]
: []

Example usage:

const even = x => x % 2 === 0
const odd = x = !even(x)
const array = [1,2,3,4,5]

filter(array, even) // [2,4]
filter(array, odd) // [1,3,5]

Reject

The opposite of filter, returns an array that does not pass the filter function.

const reject = ([x, ...xs], fn) => {
if (undef(x)) return []
if (!fn(x)) {
return [x, ...reject(xs, fn)]
} else {
return [...reject(xs, fn)]
}
}

Example usage:

const even = x => x % 2 === 0
const array = [1,2,3,4,5]

reject(array, even) // [1,3,5]

Partition

Splits an array into two arrays. One whose items pass a filter function and one whose items fail.

const partition = (xs, fn) => [filter(xs, fn), reject(xs, fn)]

Example usage:

const even = x => x % 2 === 0
const array = [0,1,2,3,4,5]

partition(array, even) // [[0,2,4], [1,3,5]]

Reduce

From MDN: “…applies a function against an accumulator and each element in the array (from left to right) to reduce it to a single value.”

const reduce = ([x, ...xs], fn, memo, i) => {
if (undef(x)) return memo
return reduce(xs, fn, fn(memo, x, i), i + 1)
}

Which can be simplified as:

const reduce = ([x, ...xs], fn, memo, i = 0) => def(x)
? reduce(xs, fn, fn(memo, x, i), i + 1) : memo

Example usage:

const sum = (memo, x) => memo + x
reduce([1,2,3], sum, 0) // 6

const flatten = (memo, x) => memo.concat(x)
reduce([4,5,6], flatten, [1,2,3]) // [1,2,3,4,5,6]

ReduceRight

Similar to reduce, but applies the function from right-to-left.

const reduceRight = (xs, fn, memo) => reduce(reverse(xs), fn, memo)

Example usage:

const flatten = (memo, x) => memo.concat(x)

reduceRight([[0,1], [2,3], [4,5]], flatten, []) // [4, 5, 2, 3, 0, 1]

Partial

Partially apply a function by filling in any number of its arguments.

const partial = (fn, ...args) => (...newArgs) => fn(...args, ...newArgs)

Example usage:

const add = (x,y) => x + y
const add5to = partial(add, 5)

add5to(10) // 15

SpreadArg

Convert function that takes an array to one that takes multiple arguments. This is useful when partially applying.

const spreadArg = (fn) => (...args) => fn(args)

Example usage:

const add = ([x, ...xs]) => def(x) ? parseInt(x + add(xs)) : []
add([1,2,3,4,5]) // 15

const spreadAdd = spreadArg(add)
spreadAdd(1,2,3,4,5) // 15

If you only want to define a single function you can write it as:

const add = spreadArg(([x, ...xs]) => def(x) ? parseInt(x + add(...xs)) : [])
add(1,2,3,4,5) // 15

In the above, you need to remember to spread the array you are sending into the function recursively, since you are spreading the argument.


ReverseArgs

Reverse function argument order.

const reverseArgs = (fn) => (...args) => fn(...reverse(args))

Example usage:

const divide = (x,y) => x / y
divide(100,10) // 10
const reverseDivide = reverseArgs(divide)
reverseDivide(100,10) // 0.1

Reversing arguments can be useful when partially applying arguments. Sometimes you want to partially apply arguments at the end of the list, not those at the beginning. Reversing the arguments allows us to do that.

const percentToDec = partial(reverseDivide, 100)
percentToDec(25) // 0.25

Pluck

Extract property value from array. Useful when combined with the map function.

const pluck = (key, object) => object[key]

Example usage:

const product = {price: 15}
pluck('price', product) // 15
const getPrices = partial(pluck, 'price')
const products = [
{price: 10},
{price: 5},
{price: 1}
]
map(products, getPrices) // [10,5,1]

Flow

Each function consumes the return value of the function that came before.

const flow = (...args) => init => reduce(args, (memo, fn) => fn(memo), init)

Example usage:

const getPrice = partial(pluck, 'price')
const discount = x => x _ 0.9
const tax = x => x + (x _ 0.075)
const getFinalPrice = flow(getPrice, discount, tax)

// looks like: tax(discount(getPrice(x)))
// -> get price
// -> apply discount
// -> apply taxes to discounted price

const products = [
{price: 10},
{price: 5},
{price: 1}
]

map(products, getFinalPrice) // [9.675, 4.8375, 0.9675]

Compose

The same as flow, but arguments are applied in the reverse order. Compose matches up more naturally with how functions are written. Using the same data as defined for the flow function:

const compose = (...args) => flow(...reverse(args))

Example usage:

const getFinalPrice = compose(tax, discount, getPrice)

// looks like: tax(discount(getPrice(x)))

map(products, getFinalPrice) // [9.675, 4.8375, 0.9675]

Min

Return the smallest number in an array. Returns Infinity if array supplied is empty.

const min = ([x, ...xs], result = Infinity) => def(x)
? x < result
? min(xs, x)
: result
: result

Example usage:

const array = [0,1,2,3,4,5]

min(array) // 0

Max

Return the largest number in an array. Returns -Infinity if array supplied is empty.

const max = ([x, ...xs], result = -Infinity) => def(x)
? x > result
? max(xs, x)
: max(xs, result)
: result

Example usage:

const array = [0,1,2,3,4,5]

max(array) // 5

Factorial

Returns the factorial of a number. Uses an accumulator to allow replacing of stack frames to allow larger factorials to be returned.

const factorial = (x, acum = 1) => x ? factorial(x - 1, x * acum) : acum

Example usage:

factorial(5) // 120

Fibonacci

Returns the Fibonacci number at the given place.

const fib = x => x > 2 ? fib(x - 1) + fib(x - 2) : 1

Example usage:

fib(15) // 610

Quicksort

Sort an array from smallest to largest. This is done by re-ordering the array so that it contains two sub-arrays, one with smaller values, the other with larger values. The above steps are recursively applied to each sub-array until there are no arrays left, which is flatten to return a sorted array.

const quicksort = (xs) => length(xs)
? flatten([
quicksort(filter(tail(xs), x => x <= head(xs))),
head(xs),
quicksort(filter(tail(xs), x => x > head(xs)))
])
: []

This can also be implemented using partition , but requires variable assignment.

const quicksort = (array) => {
if (!length(array)) return []
const [less, more] = partition(tail(array), x => x < head(array))
return flatten([quicksort(less), head(array), quicksort(more)])
}

Example usage:

const array = [8,2,6,4,1]

quicksort(array) // [1,2,4,6,8]

Everything as a Reduction

Many of the functions above can be converted into reductions, which should increase performance in most, if not all cases. This also shows the flexibility of the reduce function.

const reduce = ([x, ...xs], f, memo, i = 0) => def(x)
? reduce(xs, f, f(memo, x, i), i + 1) : memo
const reverse = xs => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => [x, ...memo], [])
const length = xs => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => memo + 1, 0)
const map = (xs, fn) => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => [...memo, fn(x)], [])
const filter = (xs, fn) => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => fn(x)
? [...memo, x] : [...memo], [])
const reject = (xs, fn) => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => fn(x)
? [...memo] : [...memo, x], [])
const first = (xs, n) => reduce(xs, (memo, x, i) => i < n
? [...memo, x] : [...memo], [])
const last = (xs, n) => reduce(xs, (memo, x, i) => i >= (length(xs) - n)
? [...memo, x] : [...memo], [])
const merge = spreadArg(xs => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => [...memo, ...x], []))
const flatten = xs => reduce(xs, (memo, x) => x
? isArray(x) ? [...memo, ...flatten(x)] : [...memo, x] : [], [])
const add = spreadArg(([x, ...xs]) => reduce(xs, (memo, y) => memo + y, x))
const divide = spreadArg(([x, ...xs]) => reduce(xs, (memo, y) => memo / y, x))
const multiply = spreadArg(([x, ...xs]) => reduce(xs, (memo, y) => memo \* y, x))

Example usage:

reverse([1,2,3]) // [3,2,1]
length([1,2,3]) // 3
map([1,2,3], double) // [2,3,4]
filter([1,2,3,4], even) // [2,4]
reject([1,2,3,4], even) // [1,3]
first([1,2,3,4], 3) // [1,2,3]
last([1,2,3,4], 2) // [3,4]
merge([1,2,3],[4,5,6]) // [1,2,3,4,5,6]
flatten([1,[2,3,[4,[5,[[6]]]]]]) // [1,2,3,4,5,6]
add(1,2,3,4,5) // 15
multiply(2,5,10) // 100
divide(100,2,5) // 10

Promise chaining

const chainPromiseFlow = (promisesArray, callback) => 
	  promisesArray.length &&
	  promisesArray.reduce(
	    (chain, promise) =>
	      chain
	        .then(() => promise)
	        .then(callback)
	        .then(() => delay(1000)),
	    Promise.resolve()
  )

Running promises in sequence

This can happen in the case of an event listener for example.

let chain = Promise.resolve()

const extendChain = (fn, cb) => {
  const newChain = chain.then(fn()).then(cb)
  chain = newChain
}

Usage:

extendChain(() => fakeFetch(url1), console.log)

extendChain(() => fakeFetch(url2), console.log)

extendChain(() => fakeFetch(url3), console.log)

// logs: url1, url2, url3