feat($compile): add preAssignBindings flag

src/ng/compile.js

@@ -1369,6 +1369,35 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
     return debugInfoEnabled;
   };
 
+  /**
+   * @ngdoc method
+   * @name  $compileProvider#preAssignBindingsEnabled
+   *
+   * @param {boolean=} enabled update the preAssignBindingsEnabled state if provided, otherwise just return the
+   * current preAssignBindingsEnabled state
+   * @returns {*} current value if used as getter or itself (chaining) if used as setter
+   *
+   * @kind function
+   *
+   * @description
+   * Call this method to enable/disable whether directive controllers are assigned bindings before
+   * calling the controller's constructor.
+   * If enabled (true), the compiler assigns the value of each of the bindings to the
+   * properties of the controller object before the constructor of this object is called.
+   *
+   * If disabled (false), the compiler calls the constructor first before assigning bindings.
+   *
+   * The default value is true in Angular 1.5.x but will switch to false in Angular 1.6.x.
+   */
+  var preAssignBindingsEnabled = true;
+  this.preAssignBindingsEnabled = function(enabled) {
+    if (isDefined(enabled)) {
+      preAssignBindingsEnabled = enabled;
+      return this;
+    }
+    return preAssignBindingsEnabled;
+  };
+
 
   var TTL = 10;
   /**
@@ -2679,22 +2708,29 @@ function $CompileProvider($provide, $$sanitizeUriProvider) {
           var controller = elementControllers[name];
           var bindings = controllerDirective.$$bindings.bindToController;
 
-          if (controller.identifier && bindings) {
-            controller.bindingInfo =
-              initializeDirectiveBindings(controllerScope, attrs, controller.instance, bindings, controllerDirective);
-          } else {
-            controller.bindingInfo = {};
-          }
+          if (preAssignBindingsEnabled) {
+            if (controller.identifier && bindings) {
+              controller.bindingInfo =
+                initializeDirectiveBindings(controllerScope, attrs, controller.instance, bindings, controllerDirective);
+            } else {
+              controller.bindingInfo = {};
+            }
 
-          var controllerResult = controller();
-          if (controllerResult !== controller.instance) {
-            // If the controller constructor has a return value, overwrite the instance
-            // from setupControllers
-            controller.instance = controllerResult;
-            $element.data('$' + controllerDirective.name + 'Controller', controllerResult);
-            if (controller.bindingInfo.removeWatches) {
-              controller.bindingInfo.removeWatches();
+            var controllerResult = controller();
+            if (controllerResult !== controller.instance) {
+              // If the controller constructor has a return value, overwrite the instance
+              // from setupControllers
+              controller.instance = controllerResult;
+              $element.data('$' + controllerDirective.name + 'Controller', controllerResult);
+              if (controller.bindingInfo.removeWatches) {
+                controller.bindingInfo.removeWatches();
+              }
+              controller.bindingInfo =
+                initializeDirectiveBindings(controllerScope, attrs, controller.instance, bindings, controllerDirective);
             }
+          } else {
+            controller.instance = controller();
+            $element.data('$' + controllerDirective.name + 'Controller', controller.instance);
             controller.bindingInfo =
               initializeDirectiveBindings(controllerScope, attrs, controller.instance, bindings, controllerDirective);
           }