shared state is not hard to find in Javascript

...and it's called "DOM" (the webpage Document Object Model). State is shared between pieces of code whenever all the pieces may read and write to it, and that applies to the DOM. No declarations are necessary; neither reads nor writes require express permission or coordination. In this freewheeling land known as the "document", anything is up for grabs.

Yet why does it matter, given that dynamic changes to the DOM are a huge part of Javascript's appeal? It matters because any shared state, by its nature, can lead to problems for the unwary, especially as size and complexity grow.

• If various Javascript functions touch the DOM, then those functions may cease working properly whenever the page changes structure. One change, no matter how trivial, has the potential to mess up code in several places at once. For instance, say that two tabs switch order...
• Similarly, whenever there's an algorithmic adjustment, all the functions that affect relevant individual parts of the DOM must be spotted and redone. Rounding and displaying four decimal places, but only in inputs for numerical data of a particular category, means code changes for everywhere that those input values are set or read.
• My impression from some blogs is that people are feeling skeptical about the actual prospect of code reuse in many circumstances, but it's still a worthy ideal. As always shared state is a hindrance to reusability simply because it isn't parameterized. A function that includes an instruction to remove a style class from the element of id "last_name" is pretty difficult to reuse elsewhere.
• On the other hand, shared state opens up the possibility of no-hassle collaboration. Function A (assuming a better name!) can take on the responsibility of setting up the shared state in some way. Then function B can do some other task to the shared state, any time after A has recently run. But function C can run directly after either A or B. So function A must leave the shared state in acceptable configurations for either B or C, and B must also account for C. Of course, if there's a new special data value in the shared state that affects what C must do, one must be careful to modify both A and B to set it accordingly. Hence, although shared state makes it highly convenient to intertwine the operation of many pieces of code, the intertwining also greatly reduces readability! It's much easier to analyze separate pieces of code with well-defined connection points.
• Furthermore, implicit shared-state dependencies don't combine well with asynchronous execution. Javascript doesn't have concurrent execution (i.e. multithreading), but it's certainly possible for separate pieces of code, such as callbacks for clicks and timers and network requests, to execute in an unpredictable order. So while there won't be deadlocks in the traditional sense, unwitting callbacks that fire in an unintended sequence could leave the DOM in a useless or false form after the dust clears. 

Many techniques could apply to mitigation of the shared state known as DOM. For information storage, rely on variables residing in purposeful scopes rather than DOM elements and/or attributes. Treat the DOM as an end, instead of intermediate, data format. Isolate the code that handles the DOM from the code that processes data. DOM modifications that always happen together should be collected into a single function with an appropriate abstract/semantic name.

Not all of the shared state in an application consists of variables. Whether log file, database, or DOM, access logic should be carefully considered to avoid maintenance headaches.

a bad statistics joke

Since I recently posted something with a statistical lean...

I recently encountered the statement: "Why be normal? No one else is."

And all I could think in response was: "Why be within one standard deviation of the mean? Only 68% of the population is, assuming it to be normal."