Javascript in 600 Seconds

Breakdown...

Basic Types

var intValue = 1;
var floatValue = 3.0;
var stringValue = "This is a string\n";
var sqString = 'This is also a string';

Javascript is a dynamically typed language. Variables are declared with the keyword var. Common simple types are supported.

Arrays

var emptyList = [];
var homogenousList = [1, 2, 3];
var heterogenousList = ["one", 2, 3.0];

Javascript has built-in collection objects. The Array object is a dynamically typed sequence of Javascript values. They are created with the bracket notation [] or with the new operator on the Array object (e.g. new Array(5)).

Property Maps

var emptyMap = {};
var homogenousMap = {"one": 1, "two": 2, "three": 3};
var heterogenousMap = {"one": 1,
                      "two": "two",
                      "three": 3.0};

Along with Arrays are the Object objects. They act as property maps with strings serving as keys to dynamically typed data.

Access

// Dot notation property access
window.alert("Homogenous map property \"one\" "
            + homogenousMap.one);
// Subscript notation property access
window.alert("Homogenous map property \"two\" "
            + homogenousMap["two"]);

Assignment

homogenousMap["one"] = 10;
homogenousMap.two = 20;

Removal

delete homogenousMap["one"];
delete homogenousMap.two;

Iteration

for (var key in heterogenousMap) {
   window.alert("Heterogenous map property \""
                + key
                + "\" = "
                + heterogenousMap[key]);
}

Functions

var callable = function (message) { // <-- notice assignment
   window.alert("Callable called with message = "
                + message);
}


function createClosure(initial) {
   var res = function () {
       initial = initial + 1;
       window.alert("Closure with modified state "
                    + initial);
   }
   return res;
}

function callCallable(f, x) {
   f(x);
}

function composeCallables(f, g, x) {
   f(g(x));
}

Functions are first-class objects. That means that they can be created dynamically, stored, passed and returned just like any other value.

Objects

function MyObject(name, value) {
   this.name = name;
   this.value = value;
}

Javascript supports prototype based object orientation. Not a class type but an object constructor is created for new objects with particular properties. In the example above the this keyword used to reference the ''current instance'' of the object. The this object is essentially a property map with members accessed (and initialized) in this example with the dot notation.

The object constructor, MyObject, is an object constructor not in how it's defined, which looks like any other Javascript function, but in how it's ''invoked''.

    var my = new MyObject("foo", 5);

The new operator before the function invokes the function with a newly construced object as this and returns that the initialized object.

Object Prototype

Part of what makes a language object oriented is that data not only has properties but also ''behaviors''. Also known as: member functions; methods; and object messages. To implement a member function in Javascript one would be tempted to write something like what's below based on the member initialization exampled above.

function BadObject(data) {
   this.data = data
   this.memberFunction = function () {
       // ...functions on data...
   }
}

While the code above will work without error, it does create a new closure for each member function for each new instance of the object. What's really required is a class level function that works on instance data. But remember, Javascript objects aren't class based but prototype based. So how do we implement "class" level member functions? (Skip to Implementation) Better yet, how do we implement "class" level members functions in general?

Enter the prototype member.

The internal object member, prototype, has language defined significance in that it is used for resolving property names if the property isn't found in the current property map. It's considered internal because, while the instance's prototype member is ''inherited'' from the ''constructor's'' prototype member, it cannot be accessed directly from the object instance itself. The defined prototype member is a property map itself which holds members for property name resolution. Consider the example below:

 var parentPropertyMap = {"bar": "I'm the bar"};

// Define the constructor with inheritable properties
function ChildObject(foo) {
    this.foo = foo;
}
ChildObject.prototype = parentPropertyMap;

childPropertyMap1 = new ChildObject("I'm the foo1");
childPropertyMap2 = new ChildObject("I'm the foo2");

// Prints "childPropertyMap1.foo = I'm the foo1"
window.alert("childPropertyMap1.foo = "
  + childPropertyMap1.foo);

// Prints "childPropertyMap2.foo = I'm the foo2"
window.alert("childPropertyMap2.foo = "
  + childPropertyMap2.foo);

// Prints "childPropertyMap1.bar = I'm the bar"
window.alert("childPropertyMap1.bar = "
  + childPropertyMap1.bar);

// Prints "childPropertyMap2.bar = I'm the bar"
window.alert("childPropertyMap2.bar = "
  + childPropertyMap2.bar);

The member foo is an instance member added to the instance's property map during construction:

 function ChildObject(foo) {
    this.foo = foo;
}

while bar is in the constructor's prototype:

 var parentPropertyMap = {"bar": "I'm the bar"};
...
ChildObject.prototype = parentPropertyMap;

which is ''inherited'' during the new operation:

 childPropertyMap1 = new ChildObject("I'm the foo1");
childPropertyMap2 = new ChildObject("I'm the foo2");

In other words, the member, bar, is shared across all instances of ChildObject.

Therefore, by implementing the prototype member of the constructor function, we can think of the constructor function itself as the "class" object. Complete with static class functions:

 function ClassObject() {}
ClassObject.staticClassFunction = function(x) {
    return x * 2;
}

static class variables:

 function ClassObject() {}
ClassObject.staticClassVariable = 5;

shared member variables:

 function ClassObject() {}
ClassObject.prototype.sharedMember = 5;

and of course, shared member functions:

 function ClassObject(x) {
    this.x = x;
}
ClassObject.prototype.memberFunction = function(x) {
    return x * this.x;
}

Member Function Implementation

function Message(message) {
   this.message = message;
}

Message.prototype.show = function() {
   window.alert("Message.show() with message = "
                + this.message);
}

Example Code

//////////////////////////////////////
// Basic Types
var intValue = 1;
var floatValue = 3.0;
var stringValue = "This is a string\n";

///////////////////////////////////////
// Array
var emptyList = [];
var homogenousList = [1, 2, 3];
var heterogenousList = ["one", 2, 3.0];

///////////////////////////////////////
// Property Map
//
var emptyMap = {};
var homogenousMap = {"one": 1, "two": 2, "three": 3};
var heterogenousMap = {"one": 1,
                      "two": "two",
                      "three": 3.0};

///////////////////////////////////////
// Functions as values
//
var callable = function (message) { // <-- notice assignment
   window.alert("Callable called with message = "
                + message);
}

function createClosure(initial) {
   var res = function () {
       initial = initial + 1;
       window.alert("Closure with modified state "
                    + initial);
   }
   return res;
}

///////////////////////////////////////
// Functions as arguments
//
function callCallable(f, x) {
   f(x);
}

function composeCallables(f, g, x) {
   f(g(x));
}

///////////////////////////////////////
// Objects
//
function MyObject(name, value) {
   this.name = name;
   this.value = value;
}

///////////////////////////////////////
// Objects with Member Functions
//
function Message(message) {
   this.message = message;
}

Message.prototype.show = function() {
   window.alert("Message.show() with message = "
                + this.message);
}

///////////////////////////////////////
// Demo Utilities
//
function quote(message) {
   return "\"" + message + "\"";
}

///////////////////////////////////////
// HTML Invoked demonstration
//
//
function main() {
   window.alert("Integer = " + intValue);
   window.alert("Float = " + floatValue);
   window.alert("String = " + stringValue);

   for (var item in emptyList) {
       window.alert("Empty list item = " + item);
   }

   // Script style index iteration
   for (var i in homogenousList) {
       window.alert("Homogenous list item = "
                    + homogenousList[i]);
   }

   // C style index iteration
   for (var i=0; i < heterogenousList.length; ++i) {
       window.alert("Heterogenous list item = "
                    + heterogenousList[i]);
   }

   // Dot notation property access
   window.alert("Homogenous map property \"one\" "
                + homogenousMap.one);
   // Subscript notation property access
   window.alert("Homogenous map property \"two\" "
                + homogenousMap["two"]);

   for (var key in heterogenousMap) {
       window.alert("Heterogenous map property \""
                    + key
                    + "\" = "
                    + heterogenousMap[key]);
   }

   callable("(Function value invoked)");
   closure();
   closure();

   callCallable(closure);
   composeCallables(callable, quote, "My Message");

   var my = new MyObject("foo", 5);
   window.alert("MyObject my.name = " + my.name);
   window.alert("MyObject my[\"value\"] = " + my["value"]);

   var msg = new Message("bar");
   for (var key in Message.prototype) {
       window.alert("Message prototype member \""
                    + key
                    + "\" = "
                    + Message.prototype[key]);
   }

   window.alert("Message msg.message = " + msg.message);
   msg.show();
}