# Chaining method calls in JavaScript

> Learn how to chain method calls in JavaScript like car.start().drive() by returning this from each method, and why arrow functions break the pattern.

Author: [Flavio Copes](https://flaviocopes.com/about/) | Published: 2020-07-03 | Topics: [JavaScript](https://flaviocopes.com/tags/js/) | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/javascript-chaining/

In [JavaScript](https://flaviocopes.com/javascript/) sometimes we can chain method calls, like this:

```js
car.start().drive()
```

It's pretty convenient to do so.

Instead of writing

```js
car.start()
car.drive()
```

we can simplify in a one-liner.

This is possible if each method returns the object itself. In other words, the implementation must be something like this:

```js
const car = {
  start: function() {
    console.log('start')
    return this
  },
  drive: function() {
    console.log('drive')
    return this
  }
}
```

It's important to note that you can't use arrow functions, because `this` in an arrow function used as object method is not bound to the object instance.

I like to use arrow functions all the time, and this is one of the cases where you can't.

Chained method calls are great when you are not returning a set of values from the method, otherwise you obviously need to assign a method call to a variable, and chaining is not possible:

```js
const result = car.start()
if (result) {
  car.drive()
}
```