Does anybody understand the thingamajig code?

[meelaik]

Hi all,

I just started with JavaScript by reading this book.

So far so good :) But I stuck on the thingamajig code.

I cannot exactly understand how the code is executed and why the console says 120, if we call the thingamajig function with 5.

Thanks a lot in advance

Cheers
Mee

[bethrobson]

Hi there.
Did you try writing down the value of all the variables for each function call?
That's the easiest way to figure it out. Also remember clunkCounter is a global variable so all the references to clunkCounter in the functions are modifying that one global variable.

E.g. for size = 0:
facky = 1
clunkCounter = 0
call display() = clunkCounter = 1
We don't call clunk().
print clunkCounter, 1

For size = 1:
facky = 1
clunkCounter = 0
call display() = clunkCounter = 1
We don't call clunk()
print clunkCounter, 1

For size = 2:
facky = 1
clunkCounter = 0
facky = 1 * 2 = 2
size = 1
call clunk(2)
call display twice (because times = 2)
clunkCounter = 2
print clunkCounter, 2

And continue. Now you do this for size = 5.

[meelaik]

Hi Elisabeth,
thanks so much for answering :)

You have helped me a lot, but I still do not understand why we get 6 clunks when calling thingamajig with argument 3.

What's the main difference between the argument 2 and 3? (I think an explanation here would solve my problem... ;))

Thank you very much

[hrkoren]

I agree! Sizes up through 2, make sense. After that is where I am getting lost - if it’s a while loop, I still can’t get it to work. Driving me nuts trying to figure out how this works.

[bethrobson]

For size = 3:
facky = 1
clunkCounter = 0
while loop:
facky = 3
size = 2
facky = 6
size = 1
end while loop
call clunk(6)
num = 6
while loop
display clunk 6 times
increase clunkCounter 6 times to 6
end function calls
display clunkCounter, which is 6