[10Minutes]闭包：基本概念

闭包：基本概念

闭包是可以包含自由（未绑定）变量的代码块；这些变量不是在这个代码块或者任何全局上下文中定义的，而是在定义代码块的环境中定义。“闭包” 一词来源于以下两者的结合：要执行的代码块（由于自由变量的存在，相关变量引用没有释放）和为自由变量提供绑定的计算环境（作用域）。在 Scheme、Common Lisp、Smalltalk、Groovy、JavaScript、Ruby 和 Python 等语言中都能找到对闭包不同程度的支持。

闭包的价值在于可以作为函数对象 或者匿名函数，对于类型系统而言这就意味着不仅要表示数据还要表示代码。支持闭包的多数语言都将函数作为第一级对象，就是说这些函数可以存储到变量中、作为参数传递给其他函数，最重要的是能够被函数动态地创建和返回。

Closure (computer science)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In computer science, a closure is a first-class function with free variables that are bound in the lexical environment. Such a function is said to be "closed over" its free variables. A closure is defined within the scope of its free variables, and the extent of those variables is at least as long as the lifetime of the closure itself. The explicit use of closures is associated with functional programming and with languages such as ML and Lisp. Closures are used to implement continuation passing style, and in this manner, hide state. Constructs such as objects and control structures can thus be implemented with closures.

The concept of closures was developed in the 1960s and was first fully implemented as a language feature in the programming language Scheme. Since then, many languages have been designed to support closures.

In some languages, a closure may occur when a function is defined within another function, and the inner function refers to local variables of the outer function. Atruntime, when the outer function executes, a closure is formed, consisting of the inner function’s code and references to any variables of the outer function required by the closure; such variables are called the upvalues of the closure.

The term closure is often mistakenly used to mean anonymous function. This is probably because most languages implementing anonymous functions allow them to form closures and programmers are usually introduced to both concepts at the same time. These are, however, distinct concepts.

Closures are closely related to function objects; the transformation from the former to the latter is known as defunctionalization or lambda lifting.