当我们有两个函数，函数a和函数b，如果函数a依赖于函数b。

然后我们调用函数b作为回调函数。这在Spring框架中被广泛使用。

隐喻性的解释:

我有一个包裹要寄给一个朋友，我也想知道我的朋友什么时候收到。

所以我把包裹带到邮局，让他们把它送到。如果我想知道我的朋友什么时候收到包裹，我有两个选择:

我可以在邮局等邮件送到。

(b)邮件送达后我会收到电子邮件。

选项(b)类似于回调。

通常，我们将变量发送给函数:function1(var1, var2)。

假设，你想在它被作为参数给出之前处理它:

这是一种回调类型，其中function2执行一些代码并将变量返回给初始函数。

编辑:回调这个词最常见的意思是一个函数作为参数传递给另一个函数，并在稍后的时间点被调用。这些思想存在于允许高阶函数的语言中，即将函数视为一等公民，通常用于异步编程中。onready dosomething()。在这里，只有当它准备好了，事情才会发生。

如果没有回调或其他特殊的编程资源(如线程等)，程序就是一个指令序列，一个接一个地按顺序执行，即使具有某种由某些条件决定的“动态行为”，所有可能的场景都必须预先编程。

因此，如果我们需要为程序提供一个真正的动态行为，我们可以使用回调。通过回调，你可以通过参数指令，一个程序调用另一个程序，提供一些先前定义的参数，并可以期望一些结果(这是契约或操作签名)，因此这些结果可以由之前不知道的第三方程序产生/处理。

这种技术是应用于计算机运行的程序、函数、对象和所有其他类型代码的多态的基础。

以回调为例的人类世界很好地解释了当你在做一些工作时，假设你是一个画家(这里你是主程序，负责绘画)，有时会打电话给你的客户，请他批准你的工作结果，所以，他决定图片是否好(你的客户是第三方程序)。

在上面的例子中，你是一个画家，并“委托”给其他人的工作来批准结果，图片是参数，每个新的客户端(回调的“函数”)改变你的工作结果，决定他想要的图片(客户端做出的决定是“回调函数”返回的结果)。

我希望这个解释对你有用。

为了教授回调，你必须先教授指针。一旦学生理解了指向变量的指针的概念，回调的概念就会变得更容易。假设您使用的是C/ c++，可以遵循这些步骤。

First show your students how to use and manipulate variables using pointers alongside using the normal variable identifiers. Then teach them there are things that can be done only with pointers(like passing a variable by reference). Then tell them how executable code or functions are just like some other data(or variables) in the memory. So, functions also have addresses or pointers. Then show them how functions can be called with function pointers and tell these are called callbacks. Now, the question is, why all these hassle for calling some functions? What is the benefit? Like data pointers, function pointer aka callbacks has some advantages over using normal identifiers. The first one is, function identifiers or function names cannot be used as normal data. I mean, you cannot make a data structure with functions(like an array or a linked list of functions). But with callbacks, you can make an array, a linked list or use them with other data like in dictionary of key-value pairs or trees, or any other things. This is a powerful benefit. And other benefits are actually child of this one. The most common use of callbacks is seen in event driver programming. Where one or more functions are executed based on some incoming signal. With callbacks, a dictionary can be maintained to map signals with callbacks. Then the input signal resolution and execution of corresponding code become much easier. The second use of callbacks coming in my mind is higher order functions. The functions which takes other functions as input arguments. And to send functions as arguments, we need callbacks. An example can be a function which take an array and a callback. Then it performs the callback on each of the item of the array and return the results in another array. If we pass the function a doubling callback, we get a doubled valued array. If we pass a squaring callback, we get squares. For square roots, just send appropriate callback. This cannot be done with normal functions.

可能还有更多的事情。让学生参与进来，他们就会发现。希望这能有所帮助。

我很震惊地看到这么多聪明的人都没有强调“回调”这个词已经有了两种不一致的用法。

这两种方法都涉及到通过向现有函数传递附加功能(匿名或命名的函数定义)来定制函数。ie。

customizableFunc(customFunctionality)

如果自定义功能只是插入到代码块中，则您已经自定义了该函数，如下所示。

    customizableFucn(customFunctionality) {
      var data = doSomthing();
      customFunctionality(data);
      ...
    }

虽然这种注入的功能通常被称为“回调”，但它并不是偶然的。一个非常明显的例子是forEach方法，其中提供了一个自定义函数作为参数，应用于数组中的每个元素以修改数组。

But this is fundamentally distinct from the use of "callback" functions for asynchronous programming, as in AJAX or node.js or simply in assigning functionality to user interaction events (like mouse clicks). In this case, the whole idea is to wait for a contingent event to occur before executing the custom functionality. This is obvious in the case of user interaction, but is also important in i/o (input/output) processes that can take time, like reading files from disk. This is where the term "callback" makes the most obvious sense. Once an i/o process is started (like asking for a file to be read from disk or a server to return data from an http request) an asynchronous program doesn't wait around for it to finish. It can go ahead with whatever tasks are scheduled next, and only respond with the custom functionality after it has been notified that the read file or http request is completed (or that it failed) and that the data is available to the custom functionality. It's like calling a business on the phone and leaving your "callback" number, so they can call you when someone is available to get back to you. That's better than hanging on the line for who knows how long and not being able to attend to other affairs.

异步使用本质上涉及到一些侦听所需事件的方法(例如，i/o进程的完成)，以便当它发生时(且仅当它发生时)执行自定义的“回调”功能。在明显的AJAX示例中，当数据实际从服务器到达时，“回调”函数将被触发，以使用该数据修改DOM，从而重新绘制浏览器窗口。

回顾一下。有些人使用“回调”这个词来指代任何可以作为参数注入到现有函数中的自定义功能。但是，至少对我来说，这个词最合适的用法是异步使用注入的“回调”函数——仅在等待通知的事件发生时执行。