So, how can we effect a (temporary) change in the core functionality of jQuery?
It all starts with the use of an Immediately Invoked Function Expression (IIFE); we then simply save a version of the original function before overriding it with our new function.
Note
You may have heard the term self-executing anonymous function being used; it is a misleading phrase, although it means the same thing as an IIFE, which is a more accurate description.
Let's see what the basic framework looks like in action:
(function($){
// store original reference to the method
var _old = $.fn.method;
$.fn.method = function(arg1,arg2){
if ( ... condition ... ) {
return ....
}
else { // do the default
return _old.apply(this,arguments);
}
};
})(jQuery);If you were expecting something more complex, then I am sorry to disappoint you; there isn't a great deal of complexity required for a basic monkey patch! The extent of what goes into a patch...