JavaScript function expression vs function declaration

在Javascript中创建function有两种方式：function expression 和function declaration。它们的定义分别是：

FunctionDeclaration:

            FunctionIdentifier(formatParameterListOpt) { FunctionBody}

FunctionExpression:

            Function IdentifierOpt(formatParameterListOpt){FunctionBody}

从它们的定义来看，唯一的区别是identifier是否是optional。如果identifier出现了，我们该如何区分它们呢？ECMAScript通过如下的方式来区分它们，如果function foo(){}是一个赋值表达式，此时是function expression。而functionfoo(){}在一个函数体内或者在程序中，此时是function declaration。

function foo(){} // declaration, since it is part of a program
var bar=function foo(){};// expression, since it is part of an assignmentExpression
new function bar(){}; // expression, since it is part of NewExpression
(function() { 
     function bar(){}  // declaration, since it is part of FunctionBody
})();

有一种特殊的情况是：当函数被小括号（grouping operator）包装的时候，此时作为function expression

function foo(){} // function declaration
(function foo(){}); // function expression, due to grouping operator

当然，function declaration与function expression还是有区别的。

1.    functiondeclaration hoisting: 函数declaration在其它表达式之前被解释以及执行。

alert(fn());  // output: hello JavaScript
function fn() {
return'hello JavaScript';
}

2.    functiondeclaration在block { …}中，尤其是if,while,for表达式里的行为是未定义的，never do it.

//never do it
// some browser will declare `foo`  as the one returning ‘first’
// while others returning ‘second’
if (true){
	function foo(){
	return ‘first’;
}
}else{
	function foo(){
	return ‘second’;
}
}

// Instead, use function expression
var foo;
if (true){
	foo = function(){
	return ‘first’;
};
}else {
	foo = function() {
		return ‘second’;
}
}

当function declaration有名字（即identifier）,曰named function expression，如var bar = function foo(){}; foo是函数名，需要注意的是foo的scope

var f = function foo(){
	return typeof foo; // foo is available in this inner scope
}
// foo is never visible outside
typeof foo; // undefined
f(); // function