JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition

Name

Arguments.callee — the function that is currently running

Availability

not defined in strict mode

Synopsis

arguments.callee

Description

arguments.callee refers to the function that is currently running. It provides a way for an unnamed function to refer to itself. This property is defined only within a function body.

Example

// An unnamed function literal uses the callee property to refer
// to itself so that it can be recursive
var factorial = function(x) {
    if (x < 2) return 1;
    else return x * arguments.callee(x-1);
}
var y = factorial(5);  // Returns 120