How to setup Angularjs controllers? anonymous functions vs $scope.init() vs view ng-init

Question

Assume we have a controller: ProjectsNewCtrl

What is the difference between:

Setting up the controller without an init() function

App.controller('ProjectsNewCtrl', ['$scope', '$location', 'API'
  function ($scope, $location, API) {
    API.Project.query().$promise
      .then(function (projects) {
        $scope.projects = projects
      })
  }])

AND

Setting up the controller with an init() function

App.controller('ProjectsNewCtrl', ['$scope', '$location', 'API'
  function ($scope, $location, API) {
    $scope.init = function(){
      API.Project.query().$promise
        .then(function (projects) {
          $scope.projects = projects
        })
      }
    $scope.init()

  }])

AND finally:

Setting up the controller via:

<div ng-controller="projectsNewCtrl" ng-init="init()">...</div>

App.controller('ProjectsNewCtrl', ['$scope', '$location', 'API'
  function ($scope, $location, API) {
    $scope.init = function(){
      API.Project.query().$promise
        .then(function (projects) {
          $scope.projects = projects
        })
      }

  }])

Ben · Accepted Answer · 2015-04-01 18:08:51Z

2

There is no real reason why you would want to use ngInit in this way. In your second example, you are calling a function(ngInit) to call a function($scope.init), instead of the first example where you only call one function on initialization. The logic maybe the same, but it adds unnecessary complexity.

As an aside, you should try no to use ngInit as little as possible, coming from the documentation:

The only appropriate use of ngInit is for aliasing special properties of ngRepeat, as seen in the demo below. Besides this case, you should use controllers rather than ngInit to initialize values on a scope.

edited Apr 1, 2015 at 18:08

Ben

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answered Jul 2, 2014 at 21:56

Patrick Vice

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Comments

tymeJV · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-02 21:37:09Z

0

Preference. Your last 2 examples are essentially the same, the logic that should be ran on initialization is within the init method - one is called from the view and the other the controller. IMO - it's all about readability, choose what you like.

answered Jul 2, 2014 at 21:37

tymeJV

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