Javascript Prototype not Working - javascript

Hi I don't know whether this is my mistake in understanding Javascript prototype object ..
Well to be clear I'm new to the Javascript singleton concept and lack clear cut knowledge in that but going through some referral sites I made a sample code for my system but it's giving out some errors which I couldn't find why so I'm asking for your help. My code is:
referrelSystem = function(){
//Some code here
}();
Prototype function:
referrelSystem.prototype.postToFb = function(){
//Some Code here
};
I get an error saying prototype is undefined!
Excuse me i thought of this right now
EDIT
I have used like this:
referrelSystem = function(){
return{
login:getSignedIn,
initTwitter:initTw
}
};
Is this causing an issue?

A typical way to define a JavaScript class with prototypes would be:
function ReferrelSystem() {
// this is your constructor
// use this.foo = bar to assign properties
}
ReferrelSystem.prototype.postToFb = function () {
// this is a class method
};
You might have been confused with the self-executing function syntax (closures). That is used when you would like to have "private" members in your class. Anything you declare in this closure will only be visible within the closure itself:
var ReferrelSystem = (function () {
function doSomething() {
// this is a "private" function
// make sure you call it with doSomething.call(this)
// to be able to access class members
}
var cnt; // this is a "private" property
function RS() {
// this is your constructor
}
RS.prototype.postToFb = function () {
// this is a class method
};
return RS;
})();
I would recommend that you study common module patterns if you're looking into creating a library.

Update: Seeing your updated code, the return from referrelSystem won't work as expected, since return values are discarded when calling new referrelSystem().
Rather than returning an object, set those properties to this (the instance of referrelSystem that gets constructed):
var referrelSystem = function () {
// I assume you have other code here
this.login = getSignedIn;
this.initTwitter = initTw;
};

I don't think you intend to immediately execute the functions, change them to this:
var referrelSystem = function(){
//Some code here
};
(+var, -())
Same with the prototype function:
referrelSystem.prototype.postToFb = function(){
//Some Code here
};
(Here you don't need the var, because you're assigning to something that already exists.)

A function should return to work as
prototype
property.
Take a look at this example here

Related

Constructor and prototypes in javascript

I'm reading a snippet of code that defines a constuctor
var Resource = function(data) {
angular.extend(this, data);
}
and then subsequently defines a method to it.
Resource.query = function(url) {
console.log(url);
}
Can I ask how this works? I know functions are objects as well, and is this the equivalent of the following? But if so, then what happens to the constructor function?
var data = {};
data.query = function(url) {
console.log(url);
}
Also, why wouldn't we simply define it on the prototype instead?
Resource.prototype.query = function(url) {
console.log(url);
}
http://jsfiddle.net/HPg6A/
You would define methods on the prototype only if they are meant to be called on specific instances. When methods are defined directly as constructor members, it's usually to mimic static methods.
Basically, when a method relates very closely to a class, but doesn't make much sense as an instance method, it can be implemented as a static method.
I think that you will agree with me that the second example makes more sense and if you do, you already understood the difference.
1-
var user = new User();
user.findUser('somequery').then(...);
2-
User.findUser('somequery').then(...);
I know functions are objects as well, and is this the equivalent of the following
There's nothing more to what you say. It's just like any other property on any other object.
Also, why wouldn't we simply define it on the prototype instead?
The difference is that each object created using the constructor would then have that method in their prototype chain. This isn't true for properties defined on the constructor itself.
That is:
var Resource = function() {}
Resource.one = function() {
console.log("one");
}
Resource.prototype.two = function() {
console.log("two");
}
var r = new Resource();
r.two(); // => "two"
r.one(); // => TypeError: r.one is not a function
And:
Resource.one(); // => "one"
Resource.two(); // => TypeError: Resource.two is not a function
You might call one a static method, but the language doesn't treat it differently than any other function (unlike methods defined using, say, static in Java).

Why can't my JS object see its own function?

http://jsfiddle.net/totszwai/WvbPn/2/
function DialogBox() {
this.__DEBUGGING__ = false;
DialogBox.debug = function (b) {
this.__DEBUGGING__ = b;
};
DialogBox.test = function (b) {
alert("hello worodl");
};
};
$(document).ready(function () {
dialogbox = new DialogBox();
dialogbox.test();
});
I can't figure out what I did wrong in there. I tried it with
DialogBox.prototype.test
DialogBox.test
test
I am trying to make it so that when calling its own function internally, I don't need to put this all the time... example: this.test()
UPDATE:
Also is there a way to not type "this" everywhere when calling private function? Normally I just write simple global function that is for one time use, but now I'm trying to write something different, and that I will be calling these private function all over the place within my class. So I am trying to just avoid using "this" everywhere... not to mention it makes the code readability pretty bad.
Like for example in Java (not JS), you don't need to type "this" everywhere.
For a quick fix:
Inside the DialogBox definition, use this. to define its methods:
http://jsfiddle.net/AaronBlenkush/WvbPn/4/
function DialogBox() {
this.__DEBUGGING__ = false;
this.debug = function (b) {
this.__DEBUGGING__ = b;
};
this.test = function (b) {
alert("hello worodl");
};
};
$(document).ready(function () {
dialogbox = new DialogBox();
dialogbox.test();
});
For a comprehensive answer:
There's just too much to fit into a StackOverflow answer.
For a good read on this subject, see Addy Osmani's book Learning JavaScript Design Patterns, especially the part about the Constructor pattern, and surrounding sections.

Overriding methods using Javascript module pattern

I've got a browser addon I've been maintaining for 5 years, and I'd like to share some common code between the Firefox and Chrome versions.
I decided to go with the Javascript Module Pattern, and I'm running into a problem with, for example, loading browser-specific preferences, saving data, and other browser-dependent stuff.
What I'd like to do is have the shared code reference virtual, overrideable methods that could be implemented in the derived, browser-specific submodules.
Here's a quick example of what I've got so far, that I've tried in the Firebug console, using the Tight Augmentation method from the article I referenced:
var core = (function(core)
{
// PRIVATE METHODS
var over = function(){ return "core"; };
var foo = function() {
console.log(over());
};
// PUBLIC METHODS
core.over = over;
core.foo = foo;
return core;
}(core = core || {}));
var ff_specific = (function(base)
{
var old_over = base.over;
base.over = function() { return "ff_specific"; };
return base;
}(core));
core.foo();
ff_specific.foo();
Unfortunately, both calls to foo() seem to print "core", so I think I've got a fundamental misunderstanding of something.
Essentially, I'm wanting to be able to call:
get_preference(key)
set_preference(key, value)
load_data(key)
save_data(key, value)
and have each browser do their own thing. Is this possible? Is there a better way to do it?
In javascript functions have "lexical scope". This means that functions create their environment - scope when they are defined, not when they are executed. That's why you can't substitute "over" function later:
var over = function(){ return "core"; };
var foo = function() {
console.log(over());
};
//this closure over "over" function cannot be changed later
Furthermore you are "saying" that "over" should be private method of "core" and "ff_specific" should somehow extend "core" and change it (in this case the private method which is not intended to be overridden by design)
you never override your call to foo in the ff_specific code, and it refers directly to the private function over() (which never gets overridden), not to the function core.over() (which does).
The way to solve it based on your use case is to change the call to over() to be a call to core.over().
That said, you're really confusing yourself by reusing the names of things so much, imo. Maybe that's just for the example code. I'm also not convinced that you need to pass in core to the base function (just to the children).
Thanks for your help. I'd forgotten I couldn't reassign closures after they were defined. I did figure out a solution.
Part of the problem was just blindly following the example code from the article, which meant that the anonymous function to build the module was being called immediately (the reusing of names Paul mentioned). Not being able to reassign closures, even ones that I specifically made public, meant I couldn't even later pass it an object that would have its own methods, then check for them.
Here's what I wound up doing, and appears to work very well:
var ff_prefs = (function(ff_prefs)
{
ff_prefs.foo = function() { return "ff_prefs browser specific"; };
return ff_prefs;
}({}));
var chrome_prefs = (function(chrome_prefs)
{
chrome_prefs.foo = function() { return "chrome_prefs browser specific"; };
return chrome_prefs;
}({}));
var test_module = function(extern)
{
var test_module = {};
var talk = function() {
if(extern.foo)
{
console.log(extern.foo());
}
else
{
console.log("No external function!");
}
};
test_module.talk = talk;
return test_module;
};
var test_module_ff = new test_module(ff_prefs);
var test_module_chrome = new test_module(chrome_prefs);
var test_module_none = new test_module({});
test_module_ff.talk();
test_module_chrome.talk();
test_module_none.talk();
Before, it was running itself, then when the extension started, it would call an init() function, which it can still do. It's just no longer an anonymous function.

Javascript Prototyping: Using multiple names for the same class

function test(){
}
test.prototype.doSomething = function () {
return true;
}
in this example I can access test.doSomething(); But it whould be cool to just type t.doSomething();
Is it possible to define something like an alias for my class test?
Reference it in another variable. test will still exist. It's just that the variable t refers to it.
var t = test;
test.doSomething(); //test does something
t.doSomething(); //t does the same thing
#Joseph's answer is spot on, but it's also worth nothing that your test function could be invoked as a Constructor via the new keyword:
var t = new test();
t.doSomething();

My own mini-framework is not compatible with some projects

I failed to create a mini-library with some useful functions that I have found over the Internet, and I want to use them easily by just including a file to the HTML (like jQuery).
The problem is that some vars and functions share the same name and they are causing problems.
Is there a better solution to this instead of giving crazy names to the vars/funcs like "bbbb123" so the odds that someone is working with a "bbbb123" var is really low?
I would put all of your functions and variables into a single object for your library.
var MyLibrary = {
myFunc: function() {
//do stuff
},
myVar: "Foo"
}
There are a few different ways of defining 'classes' in JavaScript. Here is a nice page with 3 of them.
You should take one variable name in the global namespace that there are low odds of being used, and put everything else underneath it (in its own namespace).
For example, if I wanted to call my library AzureLib:
AzureLib = {
SortSomething: function(arr) {
// do some sorting
},
DoSomethingCool: function(item) {
// do something cool
}
};
// usage (in another JavaScript file or in an HTML <script> tag):
AzureLib.SortSomething(myArray);
Yes, you can create an object as a namespace. There are several ways to do this, syntax-wise, but the end result is approximately the same. Your object name should be the thing that no one else will have used.
var MyLibrary = {
myFunc: function() { /* stuff */ }
};
Just remember, it's object literal syntax, so you use label : value to put things inside it, and not var label = value;.
If you need to declare things first, use a wrapping function to enclose the environment and protect you from the global scope:
var MyLibrary = (function() {
var foo = 'bar';
return {
myFunc: function() { /* stuff */ }
};
})(); // execute this function right away to return your library object
You could put all of your library's functions inside of a single object. That way, as long as that object's name doesn't conflict, you will be good. Something like:
var yourLib = {};
yourLib.usefulFunction1 = function(){
..
};
yourLib.usefulFunction2 = function(){
..
};

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