JavaScript - Why is this function declaration created in a function expression "undefined"?

Question

I'm just trying to get my head around this function expression.

It seems that if I create a function expression (p) that seems to contain a function declaration, the function declaration a() returns undefined.

var p;
p = function a() { return 'Hello' }

typeof p; // returns 'function'
typeof a; // returns 'undefined'

Can anyone explain why this is the case?

And also please let me know if my terminology is off too.

Answer 1

It isn't a function declaration. It is a function expression that happens to have a name. The name does not create a variable, but you can see it on the object

quentin@raston ~ $ node
> var p;
undefined
> p = function a() { return 'Hello' }
[Function: a]
> typeof p; // returns 'function'
'function'
> typeof a; // returns 'undefined'
'undefined'
> p
[Function: a]
> p.name
'a'
>