When should I use function factories in programming?

What are function factories and when should I use them?

Function factories are functions that return other functions. You should use them when you need to create multiple functions with similar behavior but different configurations.

Can you give me an example of a function factory?

Sure! Here's a simple example: a function factory that creates greeting functions based on the time of day.

How does that work in practice?

You can create a function like function createGreeting(time) { return function(name) { return 'Good ' + time + ', ' + name; }; }. This allows you to generate specific greeting functions.

Are there any downsides to using function factories?

Yes, they can lead to more complex code and may introduce performance overhead if not used judiciously.