Handlers: meaning, definitions and examples

Handlers are typically used when referring to people responsible for managing something or someone, often with a focus on control or supervision. The term can be used in different scenarios such as animal handlers, luggage handlers, or political handlers. It can have a somewhat negative connotation when implying manipulation or control over a person.

• The lion handlers were very experienced and knew how to keep the animals calm during the show.
• Political handlers are working hard to improve the candidate's public image.

Organizers are people who arrange and manage events, activities, or groups. This term is often used in both professional and volunteer settings, such as community organizers, event organizers, or travel organizers.

• The community organizers planned a vibrant street festival to celebrate the city's anniversary.
• She is one of the main organizers of the charity run.

Coordinators are individuals who organize and manage activities or events, ensuring that different parts come together smoothly. It is often used in professional settings such as project coordinators, event coordinators, or program coordinators.

• The event coordinators did an excellent job in organizing the annual conference.
• As a project coordinator, he ensured that all team members met their deadlines.

Planners are individuals who design and prepare plans for specific projects or events. This role often involves a lot of foresight and strategic thinking. Common uses include event planners, city planners, and financial planners.

• The wedding planners ensured every detail of the ceremony was perfect.
• City planners are developing new strategies for sustainable urban growth.

Often used in programming to refer to functions or methods that process specific kinds of events, tasks, or requests. General and broad term that conveys responsibility for managing certain actions.

• The error handlers in this code catch and log any runtime issues.
• You need to write custom handlers for those API endpoints.

Commonly used in software development, particularly in web development, to describe functions that wait for and respond to specific events such as clicks, keystrokes, or window changes. Focuses on the detection aspect.

• Add event listeners to buttons to handle user interactions.
• The event listener detects when the DOM is fully loaded and executes the callback.

Less commonly used term, but can be applied to functions or objects meant to respond to events, similar to event listeners. May imply a more immediate or direct reaction rather than just listening.

• Event responders in reactive programming handle the data flow changes in real-time.
• Our system designates specific event responders for critical system events.

The meaning is the same as the earlier 'handlers'. This was likely included twice by mistake.

• The dog handlers trained the service dogs to assist their owners.

Broad term used for people who take care of someone or something. This can apply to both human or animal care, and to other possessions or property.

• The caretakers of the mansion worked both indoors and out to keep the property in perfect condition.
• As a caretaker, he made sure the elderly residents were comfortable and well-fed.

Specifically used to describe individuals who take care of animals, often in a zoo, sanctuary, or similar setting.

• The animal keepers at the zoo feed and care for the animals daily.
• Our organization employs several animal keepers to maintain the wildlife shelter.