Javascript function in a variable

Question

I need to know why this function is not appending my error message when referenced to a variable. I tried returning some value like "false" but still not working. Please help me learn something here.

 function checkName(el)
 {
 if (/^[a-zA-Z ]+$/.test(el.val()))
 {
 return null
 }
 return el
 }
 $(document).ready(function()
 {
 $('button[name=btn-submit]').on('click', function(e)
 {
 e.preventDefault();
 var err = {
 fn: checkName($('input[name=fn]')),
 mn: checkName($('input[name=mn]')),
 ln: checkName($('input[name=ln]'))
 }
 var isSubmit = function(){
 for (var key in err) {
 if (err.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
 if(err[key] !== null)
 {
 var parent_div = err[key].parent().closest('div');
 parent_div.append('<p id="p-error" class="error-msg">test</p>');
 }
 } 
 } 
 }
 console.log(isSubmit);
 //

• millerbr: If you need to know that so much, maybe you should post the error message and what you expect the output to be so we can actually help, as well as what you've tried to do so far to fix it
• user3509208: Can you open your developer console in whatever browser you using and check the console tab . It should point out the error if any. That's s good way to start debugging the code
• baao: you are only assigning something (a function) to the variable. You aren't calling the function
• T.J. Crowder: Side note: Being consistent with your indentation (the same number of spaces at each indentation level) and bracing (either always putting the { on the same line of the structure, or on the next line) makes it easier to read and debug your code. In JavaScript, the overwhelming convention is to have the { on the same line, but that's just convention. (Just whatever you do, don't put a line break after return before what you're returning; automatic semicolon insertion will bite you.)

Answer 1

You're never calling your function that processes the err object. You're just creating it and assigning that function to the isSubmit variable.

To call it, you'd need to add () to the end, either to the end of the function expression (if your goal is to assign the result of calling it to isSubmit), or after isSubmit in the console.log (if your goal is to call it there).

E.g., either

var isSubmit = function(){
 for (var key in err) {
 if (err.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
 if(err[key] !== null)
 {
 var parent_div = err[key].parent().closest('div');
 parent_div.append('<p id="p-error" class="error-msg">test</p>');
 }
 } 
 } 
}(); // <== Here (could be pretty easy to miss seeing this, though)

or

console.log(isSubmit());
// Here ------------^^

• T.J. Crowder: @n4mi: You don't need a function here at all, just FWIW.