Function getControllers

test/angular/1.3/angular.js:7574–7618

(directiveName, require, $element, elementControllers)

      function getControllers(directiveName, require, $element, elementControllers) {
        var value, retrievalMethod = 'data', optional = false;
        var $searchElement = $element;
        var match;
        if (isString(require)) {
          match = require.match(REQUIRE_PREFIX_REGEXP);
          require = require.substring(match[0].length);

          if (match[3]) {
            if (match[1]) match[3] = null;
            else match[1] = match[3];
          }
          if (match[1] === '^') {
            retrievalMethod = 'inheritedData';
          } else if (match[1] === '^^') {
            retrievalMethod = 'inheritedData';
            $searchElement = $element.parent();
          }
          if (match[2] === '?') {
            optional = true;
          }

          value = null;

          if (elementControllers && retrievalMethod === 'data') {
            if (value = elementControllers[require]) {
              value = value.instance;
            }
          }
          value = value || $searchElement[retrievalMethod]('$' + require + 'Controller');

          if (!value && !optional) {
            throw $compileMinErr('ctreq',
                "Controller '{0}', required by directive '{1}', can't be found!",
                require, directiveName);
          }
          return value || null;
        } else if (isArray(require)) {
          value = [];
          forEach(require, function(require) {
            value.push(getControllers(directiveName, require, $element, elementControllers));
          });
        }
        return value;
      }


      function nodeLinkFn(childLinkFn, scope, linkNode, $rootElement, boundTranscludeFn) {