What underlies this JavaScript idiom: var self = this?

Question

I saw the following in the source for WebKit HTML 5 SQL Storage Notes Demo:

function Note() {
  var self = this;

  var note = document.createElement(\'d         


        

Answer 1

The variable is captured by the inline functions defined in the method. this in the function will refer to another object. This way, you can make the function hold a reference to the this in the outer scope.