I have some classes that share identical methods and are distinguished only by a few static (aka class) variables. My thought is to put the common methods into a base class that accesses the static variables.
Here is a solution that works, but it seems like a real cough kludge. Is there a better / more idiomatic way to do this?
"use strict";
// common code
function Base() { }
Base.prototype.f1 = function() {
console.log(Object.getPrototypeOf(this).constructor.VAR1); // this feels really really wrong!
}
Base.prototype.f2 = function() {
console.log(Object.getPrototypeOf(this).constructor.VAR2); // ditto
}
// specialization A
function SubA() { Base.call(this); }
SubA.prototype = Object.create(Base.prototype);
SubA.prototype.constructor = SubA;
SubA.VAR1 = "suba v1";
SubA.VAR2 = "suba v2";
// specialization B
function SubB() { Base.call(this); }
SubB.prototype = Object.create(Base.prototype);
SubB.prototype.constructor = SubB;
SubB.VAR1 = "subb v1";
SubB.VAR2 = "subb v2";
This works as expected:
> var a = new SubA();
> var b = new SubB();
> a.f1()
suba v1
undefined
> b.f2()
subb v2
undefined
an alternative
Of course I could write methods to encapsulate the differences between SubA and SubB. The syntax is less tortured, but it still feels wrong to write methods that are essentially behaving like static variables:
"use strict";
function Base() { }
Base.prototype.f1 = function() {
console.log(this.getVar1());
}
Base.prototype.f2 = function() {
console.log(this.getVar2());
}
function SubA() { Base.call(this); }
SubA.prototype = Object.create(Base.prototype);
SubA.prototype.constructor = SubA;
SubA.prototype.getVar1 = function() { return 'suba v1'; }
SubA.prototype.getVar2 = function() { return 'suba v2'; }
function SubB() { Base.call(this); }
SubB.prototype = Object.create(Base.prototype);
SubB.prototype.constructor = SubB;
SubB.prototype.getVar1 = function() { return 'subb v1'; }
SubB.prototype.getVar2 = function() { return 'subb v2'; }
> var a = new SubA();
> var b = new SubB();
> a.f1()
suba v1
undefined
> b.f2()
subb v2
undefined
Is there a particular reason to put VAR1 and VAR2 in the class objects themselves rather than in their prototypes? If not, things become much simpler:
function Base() { }
Base.prototype.f1 = function() {
console.log(this.VAR1);
};
Base.prototype.f2 = function() {
console.log(this.VAR2);
};
// specialization A
function SubA() { Base.call(this); }
SubA.prototype = Object.create(Base.prototype);
SubA.prototype.constructor = SubA;
SubA.prototype.VAR1 = "suba v1";
SubA.prototype.VAR2 = "suba v2";
// specialization B
function SubB() { Base.call(this); }
SubB.prototype = Object.create(Base.prototype);
SubB.prototype.constructor = SubB;
SubB.prototype.VAR1 = "subb v1";
SubB.prototype.VAR2 = "subb v2";
The above code passes your tests.
I found a Module pattern in JS:
<script>
var MODULENAME = (function(my, $) {
my.publicVar = "5";
my.publicFn = function() {};
return my;
}(MODULENAME || {}, jQuery));
</script>
However I cannot perform instantiation. Does the module pattern allow for that?
Instantiantion means basically that you'll run a function using new.
So maybe you're looking for this?
var Some = function (param) {
var somePrivateVar = 'private';
this.somePublicVar = 'public';
this.method = function () {
return param;
};
};
var some = new Some('abla');
console.log(some.method());
// some.somePrivateVar === undefined
// some.somePublicVar === 'public'
In your case MODULENAME is an object (object, not a function) with publicVar and publicFn. It's not meant to be instantiated the same way you wouldn't call new jQuery().
Your module object can contain anything. Perhaps you're looking for including a constructor in it:
var MODULENAME = (function(my, $) {
var privateVar = 10;
my.SomeConstructor = function() {
this.publicVar = 5;
}
my.SomeConstructor.prototype.someMethod = function() {};
my.SomeConstructor.prototype.getPrivate = function() { return 10; };
return my;
}(MODULENAME || {}, jQuery));
var instance = new MODULENAME.SomeConstructor();
instance.publicVar; // 5
instance.privateVar; // undefined
instance.getPrivate(); // 10
You can do this also with prototype Inheritance :
var MyClass = function(name)
{
//sharing name within the whole class
this.name = name;
}
MyClass.prototype.getName = function(){
return this.name;//now name is visible to getName method too
}
MyClass.StaticMethod = function()
{
console.log("Im Static");
// and since is not in prototype chain, this.name is not visible
}
var myclass = new MyClass("Carlos");
console.log(myclass.getName())//print "Carlos"
MyClass.StaticMethod()// print "Im Static"
myclass.StaticMethod() // error
Se all this article
I have following pattern
BASE = function () {
var that = {};
var number = 10;
that.showNumber = function(){
that.alertNumber();
}
that.alertNumber = function () {
alert(number);
};
return that;
};
CHILD = function () {
var that = Object.create(BASE());
var secondNumber = 20;
// Override base function
that.alertNumber = function () {
alert(secondNumber);
};
return that;
};
var ch = CHILD();
ch.showNumber();
Can you tell me how can I adjust my module pattern inspired by Douglas CrockFord to fully override alerNumber function? So far showNumber function displays 10 instead of 20.
Thank you all in advanced
JSFiddle with code is here
You could change
that.showNumber = function(){
that.alertNumber();
}
to
that.showNumber = function(){
this.alertNumber();
}
But I'm not sure I see why you don't simply use the prototype-base inheritance model.
I have a Constructor function "Animals", that is namespacing some other Constructor functions, "Crocodile" and "Monkey":
var Monkey = function(Animals) {
this.Animals = Animals;
};
Monkey.prototype.feedMe = function() {
this.Animals.feed();
};
var Crocodile = function(Animals) {
this.Animals = Animals;
};
Crocodile.prototype.feedMe = function() {
this.Animals.feed();
};
var Animals = function(zoo) {
this.zoo = zoo;
};
Animals.prototype.feed = function() {
//feed the animal
};
Animals.prototype.Monkey = function() {
this.Animals = Animals.prototype;
};
Animals.prototype.Monkey.prototype = Monkey.prototype;
Animals.prototype.Crocodile = function() {
this.Animals = Animals.prototype;
};
Animals.prototype.Crocodile.prototype = Crocodile.prototype;
With the intention that I should be able to do the following:
var animals = new Animals("NY");
var monkey = new animals.Monkey();
monkey.feed();
I'm receiving an error that says that monkey.feed() is not a function. I'm assuming i'm doing something wrong with the way i'm inheriting the Monkey function inside the Animal constructor function but for the life of me I haven't been able to find the solution.
What is the correct method I should be using to namespace these functions?
I have seen quite some stuff, but abusing prototypes for namespaces, what the heck. What's wrong with a nice and simple:
var Animals = {
Crocodile: {
}
}
Or if you want the constructor way:
var Animals = function () {
return {
Crocodile: function () {}
}
};
var a = new Animals();
var c = new a.Crocodile();
When I override the clone() method of a Backbone.Model, is there a way to call this overriden method from my implantation? Something like this:
var MyModel = Backbone.Model.extend({
clone: function(){
super.clone();//calling the original clone method
}
})
You'll want to use:
Backbone.Model.prototype.clone.call(this);
This will call the original clone() method from Backbone.Model with the context of this(The current model).
From Backbone docs:
Brief aside on super: JavaScript does not provide a simple way to call
super — the function of the same name defined higher on the prototype
chain. If you override a core function like set, or save, and you want
to invoke the parent object's implementation, you'll have to
explicitly call it.
var Note = Backbone.Model.extend({
set: function(attributes, options) {
Backbone.Model.prototype.set.apply(this, arguments);
...
}
});
You can also use the __super__ property which is a reference to the parent class prototype:
var MyModel = Backbone.Model.extend({
clone: function(){
MyModel.__super__.clone.call(this);
}
});
Josh Nielsen found an elegant solution for this, which hides a lot of the ugliness.
Just add this snippet to your app to extend Backbone's model:
Backbone.Model.prototype._super = function(funcName){
return this.constructor.prototype[funcName].apply(this, _.rest(arguments));
}
Then use it like this:
Model = Backbone.model.extend({
set: function(arg){
// your code here
// call the super class function
this._super('set', arg);
}
});
Working from the answers given by geek_dave and charlysisto, I wrote this to add this._super(funcName, ...) support in classes that have multiple levels of inheritance. It's worked well in my code.
Backbone.View.prototype._super = Backbone.Model.prototype._super = function(funcName) {
// Find the scope of the caller.
var scope = null;
var scan = this.__proto__;
search: while (scope == null && scan != null) {
var names = Object.getOwnPropertyNames(scan);
for (var i = 0; i < names.length; i++) {
if (scan[names[i]] === arguments.callee.caller) {
scope = scan;
break search;
}
}
scan = scan.constructor.__super__;
}
return scan.constructor.__super__[funcName].apply(this, _.rest(arguments));
};
A year later I've fixed some bugs and made things faster. Below is the code that I use now.
var superCache = {};
// Hack "super" functionality into backbone.
Backbone.View.prototype._superFn = Backbone.Model.prototype._superFn = function(funcName, _caller) {
var caller = _caller == null ? arguments.callee.caller : _caller;
// Find the scope of the caller.
var scope = null;
var scan = this.__proto__;
var className = scan.constructor.className;
if (className != null) {
var result = superCache[className + ":" + funcName];
if (result != null) {
for (var i = 0; i < result.length; i++) {
if (result[i].caller === caller) {
return result[i].fn;
}
}
}
}
search: while (scope == null && scan != null) {
var names = Object.getOwnPropertyNames(scan);
for (var i = 0; i < names.length; i++) {
if (scan[names[i]] === caller) {
scope = scan;
break search;
}
}
scan = scan.constructor.__super__;
}
var result = scan.constructor.__super__[funcName];
if (className != null) {
var entry = superCache[className + ":" + funcName];
if (entry == null) {
entry = [];
superCache[className + ":" + funcName] = entry;
}
entry.push({
caller: caller,
fn: result
});
}
return result;
};
Backbone.View.prototype._super = Backbone.Model.prototype._super = function(funcName) {
var args = new Array(arguments.length - 1);
for (var i = 0; i < args.length; i++) {
args[i] = arguments[i + 1];
}
return this._superFn(funcName, arguments.callee.caller).apply(this, args);
};
Then given this code:
var A = Backbone.Model.extend({
// className: "A",
go1: function() { console.log("A1"); },
go2: function() { console.log("A2"); },
});
var B = A.extend({
// className: "B",
go2: function() { this._super("go2"); console.log("B2"); },
});
var C = B.extend({
// className: "C",
go1: function() { this._super("go1"); console.log("C1"); },
go2: function() { this._super("go2"); console.log("C2"); }
});
var c = new C();
c.go1();
c.go2();
The output in the console is this:
A1
C1
A2
B2
C2
What's interesting is that class C's call to this._super("go1") scans the class hierarchy until it gets a hit in class A. Other solutions do not do this.
P.S. Uncomment the className entries of the class definitions to enable caching of the _super lookup. (The assumption is that these class names will be unique in the application.)
If you want just to call this._super(); without passing the function name as an argument
Backbone.Controller.prototype._super = function(){
var fn = Backbone.Controller.prototype._super.caller, funcName;
$.each(this, function (propName, prop) {
if (prop == fn) {
funcName = propName;
}
});
return this.constructor.__super__[funcName].apply(this, _.rest(arguments));
}
Better use this plugin:
https://github.com/lukasolson/Backbone-Super
I believe you can cache the original method (although not tested):
var MyModel = Backbone.Model.extend({
origclone: Backbone.Model.clone,
clone: function(){
origclone();//calling the original clone method
}
});
backbone._super.js, from my gists: https://gist.github.com/sarink/a3cf3f08c17691395edf
// Forked/modified from: https://gist.github.com/maxbrunsfeld/1542120
// This method gives you an easier way of calling super when you're using Backbone in plain javascript.
// It lets you avoid writing the constructor's name multiple times.
// You still have to specify the name of the method.
//
// So, instead of having to write:
//
// var Animal = Backbone.Model.extend({
// word: "",
// say: function() {
// return "I say " + this.word;
// }
// });
// var Cow = Animal.extend({
// word: "moo",
// say: function() {
// return Animal.prototype.say.apply(this, arguments) + "!!!"
// }
// });
//
//
// You get to write:
//
// var Animal = Backbone.Model.extend({
// word: "",
// say: function() {
// return "I say " + this.word;
// }
// });
// var Cow = Animal.extend({
// word: "moo",
// say: function() {
// return this._super("say", arguments) + "!!!"
// }
// });
(function(root, factory) {
if (typeof define === "function" && define.amd) {
define(["underscore", "backbone"], function(_, Backbone) {
return factory(_, Backbone);
});
}
else if (typeof exports !== "undefined") {
var _ = require("underscore");
var Backbone = require("backbone");
module.exports = factory(_, Backbone);
}
else {
factory(root._, root.Backbone);
}
}(this, function(_, Backbone) {
"use strict";
// Finds the next object up the prototype chain that has a different implementation of the method.
var findSuper = function(methodName, childObject) {
var object = childObject;
while (object[methodName] === childObject[methodName]) {
object = object.constructor.__super__;
}
return object;
};
var _super = function(methodName) {
// Keep track of how far up the prototype chain we have traversed, in order to handle nested calls to `_super`.
this.__superCallObjects__ || (this.__superCallObjects__ = {});
var currentObject = this.__superCallObjects__[methodName] || this;
var parentObject = findSuper(methodName, currentObject);
this.__superCallObjects__[methodName] = parentObject;
// If `methodName` is a function, call it with `this` as the context and `args` as the arguments, if it's an object, simply return it.
var args = _.tail(arguments);
var result = (_.isFunction(parentObject[methodName])) ? parentObject[methodName].apply(this, args) : parentObject[methodName];
delete this.__superCallObjects__[methodName];
return result;
};
// Mix in to Backbone classes
_.each(["Model", "Collection", "View", "Router"], function(klass) {
Backbone[klass].prototype._super = _super;
});
return Backbone;
}));
In the case that you don't know what the parent class is exactly (multiple inheritance or you want a helper function) then you can use the following:
var ChildModel = ParentModel.extend({
initialize: function() {
this.__proto__.constructor.__super__.initialize.apply(this, arguments);
// Do child model initialization.
}
});
With helper function:
function parent(instance) {
return instance.__proto__.constructor.__super__;
};
var ChildModel = ParentModel.extend({
initialize: function() {
parent(this).initialize.apply(this, arguments);
// Do child model initialization.
}
});
Pass the parent class as an option during instantiation:
BaseModel = Backbone.Model.extend({
initialize: function(attributes, options) {
var self = this;
this.myModel = new MyModel({parent: self});
}
});
Then in your MyModel you can call parent methods like this
this.options.parent.method();
Keep in mind this creates a retain cycle on the two objects. So to let the garbage collector do it's job you would need to manually destroy the retain on one of the objects when finished with it. If you're application is pretty large. I would encourage you to look more into hierarchal setups so events can travel up to the correct object.
2 functions below, one requires you pass in the function name, the other can "discover" which function we want the super version of
Discover.Model = Backbone.Model.extend({
_super:function(func) {
var proto = this.constructor.__super__;
if (_.isUndefined(proto[func])) {
throw "Invalid super method: " + func + " does not exist in prototype chain.";
}
return proto[func].apply(this, _.rest(arguments));
},
_superElegant:function() {
t = arguments;
var proto = this.constructor.__super__;
var name;
for (name in this) {
if (this[name] === arguments.callee.caller) {
console.log("FOUND IT " + name);
break;
} else {
console.log("NOT IT " + name);
}
}
if (_.isUndefined(proto[name])) {
throw "Super method for: " + name + " does not exist.";
} else {
console.log("Super method for: " + name + " does exist!");
}
return proto[name].apply(this, arguments);
},
});
Here is how I would do this:
ParentClassName.prototype.MethodToInvokeName.apply(this);
so for your example this is:
Model.prototype.clone.apply(this)