Functional Pipeline: The Pipe Function

The pipe function is a fundamental concept in functional programming. It allows you to chain multiple functions together, where the output of one function becomes the input of the next, creating a pipeline of data transformations. This challenge asks you to implement a pipe function in JavaScript to streamline complex data processing tasks.

Problem Description

You are tasked with creating a pipe function that takes a value and an array of functions as input. The pipe function should execute each function in the array sequentially, passing the result of the previous function as the argument to the next. The final result of the last function in the array should be returned. The goal is to create a clean and readable way to apply a series of transformations to a single value.

Key Requirements:

• The pipe function must accept two arguments: a starting value and an array of functions.
• Each function in the array should accept a single argument.
• The pipe function should execute the functions in the order they appear in the array.
• The result of each function call should be passed as the argument to the next function call.
• The pipe function should return the result of the last function call.
• If the input array of functions is empty, the function should return the initial value unchanged.

Expected Behavior:

The pipe function should handle various scenarios, including:

• A single function in the array.
• Multiple functions in the array.
• An empty array of functions.
• Functions that return different data types.

Edge Cases to Consider:

• What should happen if a function in the pipeline throws an error? (For this challenge, you can assume error handling is not required, and the pipeline should simply stop if an error occurs.)
• What if the input value is not suitable for the first function in the pipeline? (Again, error handling is not required.)

Examples

Example 1:

Input: 5, [x => x * 2, x => x + 1, x => x / 3]
Output: 3
Explanation: The initial value 5 is multiplied by 2 (5 * 2 = 10). Then, 1 is added to the result (10 + 1 = 11). Finally, the result is divided by 3 (11 / 3 = 3.666...). JavaScript's number representation results in 3.  The final result, 3, is returned.

Example 2:

Input: "hello", [x => x.toUpperCase(), x => x + " world"]
Output: "HELLO WORLD"
Explanation: The initial value "hello" is converted to uppercase ("HELLO"). Then, " world" is appended to the result ("HELLO world"). The final result, "HELLO WORLD", is returned.

Example 3:

Input: 10, []
Output: 10
Explanation: The input array of functions is empty. Therefore, the initial value 10 is returned unchanged.

Constraints

• The input value can be of any JavaScript data type.
• The array of functions must contain only functions.
• Each function in the array must accept a single argument.
• The time complexity should be O(n), where n is the number of functions in the array.
• The space complexity should be O(1) (excluding the space used by the input value and the functions themselves).

Notes

Consider using a for...of loop or the reduce method to iterate through the array of functions. The reduce method can be particularly elegant for this type of functional composition. Think about how to accumulate the result of each function call and pass it to the next. Remember that the core idea is to create a chain of function calls where the output of one becomes the input of the next.