Javascript Module pattern - how to reveal all methods? - javascript

I have module pattern done like this:
var A = (function(x) {
var methodA = function() { ... }
var methodB = function() { ... }
var methodC = function() { ... }
...
...
return {
methA: methodA,
methB: methodB
}
})(window)
This code let's me call only methA and methB() on A which is what I want and what I like. Now the problem I have - I want to unit test it with no pain ot at least with minimal efforts.
First I though I can simply return this but I was wrong. It returns window object.(can someone explain why?).
Second - I found solution somewhere online - to include this method inside my return block:
__exec: function() {
var re = /(\(\))$/,
args = [].slice.call(arguments),
name = args.shift(),
is_method = re.test(name),
name = name.replace(re, ''),
target = eval(name);
return is_method ? target.apply(this, args) : target;
}
This method let's me call the methods like this: A.__exec('methA', arguments);
It is almost what I want, but quite ugly. I would prefer A.test.methA() where test would never be used in production code - just for revealing private methods.
EDIT
I see people telling me to test the big thing instead of the small parts. Let me explain. In my opinion API should reveal only the needed methods not a bunch of internal functions. The internals because of their small size and limited functionality are much easier to test then test the whole thing and guess which part gone wrong.
While I may be wrong, I would still like to see how I could return references to all the methods from the object itself :).

Answer to your first question(you return this, but it returns window, not the object you wanted): in javascript this inside the function returns global object unless this function is a method of the object.
Consider next examples:
1) this points to the global object ():
function(){
return this;
}
2) this points to the object:
var obj = {
value: "foo",
getThisObject: function(){
return this;
}
}
Your case is example #1, because you have a function, that returns an object. This function is not a method of any object.
The best answer to your second question is to test only public methods, but if
that is so important for you, I can propose next:
create your modules dynamically on server side.
How it works:
create separate scripts for functionality you want;
create tests for these separate scripts;
create method that will combine scripts into one however you want;
to load script, reference to the combining scripts method.
Hopefully, it can solve your problem. Good luck!

Why not use namespaces to add your modules and public methods to js engine. Like this:
window['MyApp']['MODULE1'] = { "METHOD1" : {}, "METHOD2" : {}};
I write modules like this Sample module in JavaScript.
And test it like this: Simple unit testing in JavaScript
The use of eval() is generally not good idea.

Related

Preserve prototypes in ADVANCED mode

I need to compile my code with closure compiler in ADVANCED mode. I also need to keep prototypes of my objects in my application because I'm looping on Javascript objects prototypes. Trying to get both results in some ReferenceError when starting the application.
When compiling with ADVANCED mode, some prototypes are removed and replaced by a function that is using an object parameter in order to recover "this" keyword. This is due to crossModuleCodeMotionNoStubMethods attribute of CompilerOptions.java.
Example of code before compilation :
function MyClass() = { // Some code }
MyClass.prototype.someFunc = function() { // Some code calling someOtherFunc };
MyClass.prototype.someOtherFunc = function(someParam) { // Some code };
Example of code after compilation :
function MyCompiledClass = { // Some code }
MyCompiledClass.prototype.someCompiledFunc = function() { // Some code calling someOtherFunc }
function someOtherCompiledFunc(that, someParam) = { // Some code }
I first tried to use #this and #preserve JSDoc tags to solve the problem, without success. Using #export is not a solution, because functions will then keep their original names.
I've found two options to solve my problem for now :
Refactor the code as seen here
Build a custom version of Closure Compiler as seen here
Option 1 will need to much modifications in my code and will make it less readable, if it's the only solution, I will have a go for this one.
Option 2 seems to be a nice workaround, but I've read that some changes on CompilationLevel.java may violate some core assumptions of the compiler. Can someone tell me if by modifying setCrossModuleMethodMotion from true to false, will it still respect all core assumptions of the compiler ?
I'm currently building a custom version of the compiler to check if the code is compiling properly, but even if the code is usable, I need to be sure it will be properly obfuscated.
Thank you !
The specific optimization pass you are referring to is DevirtualizePrototypeMethods. The best way to block the optimization would be to use the #nocollapse annotation. It will allow your method to be renamed but not allow it to be removed from the prototype.
I'm not 100% sure it will work for this case, but if it doesn't it should and you can file an issue to have that fixed: https://github.com/google/closure-compiler/issues
You can export constructors and prototype properties in the same way.
For example:
MyClass = function(name) {
this.myName = name;
};
MyClass.prototype.myMethod = function() {
alert(this.myName);
};
window['MyClass'] = MyClass; // <-- Constructor
MyClass.prototype['myMethod'] = MyClass.prototype.myMethod;
As in https://developers.google.com/closure/compiler/docs/api-tutorial3

Javascript Performance in Node modules

I have code in a module which looks something like this:
var MyModule = module.exports;
MyModule.some_function = function(arg) {
// Do some code here
// Do some logging using the function name
// var function_name = calleeArgs.callee.toString().match(/function ([^\(]+)/)[1];
// BAD, this method doesnt have a name
};
The code above does not work as the function does not have a name.
As an alternative, I could do the following, in which case the log would contain the method name:
function _some_function(arg) {
// Do some code here
// Do some logging using the function name - BAD, this method doesnt have a name
// var function_name = calleeArgs.callee.toString().match(/function ([^\(]+)/)[1];
// GOO, this method doesnt have a name
}
MyModule.some_function = function(arg) {
_some_function(arg);
};
So my question is:
1.) Does this way of writing make any sense - as far as I understand _some_function() is local to this module so there will be no negative implications as far as global scope/access is concerned
2.) Does this (the second option) have any performance implications? (my guess would of course be no, or at least relatively negligible)?
1) I find that code style very confusing and bloated. I think the following is the cleanest approach:
function some_function(arg) {
// Do some code here
// Do some logging using the function name
}
// Put exports at the end
exports.some_function = some_function;
2) A function wrapping another function will add a negligible overhead, but it should be avoided if it adds no value.

Aliasing a function object in JavaScript

Disclaimer: I am using ExtJS 3, but I don't think it's very relevant to the question, outside of the common use of it's namespacing function.
I have a singleton that's declared in a really long namespace like this:
Ext.ns("REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE");
var Singleton = (function() {
var foo = {
bar: "baz"
};
var privateFunction = function(param){
// ...
return foo;
};
var single = Ext.extend(Object, {
constructor: function(config) {
Ext.apply(this, config);
},
otherFunction: privateFunction,
publicFunction: function (someObject){
// do stuff with someObject
}
});
return single;
})();
// Make it a singleton
REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE.Singleton = new Singleton();
I use it in other modules via calls like REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE.Singleton.otherFunction(); and REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE.Singleton.publicFunction(myObject); . I'm wondering if I can swap out those calls by setting up the client module with an alias to the singleton, i.e. var singleton = REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE.Singleton; , so that I can call singleton.otherFunction();. I'm wondering if this is an anti-pattern , or if there are any pitfalls (memory?) I might run into through this usage.
Thanks StackOverflow!
I'm wondering if I can swap out those calls by setting up the client module with an alias to the singleton
Yes, you can.
I'm wondering if this is an anti-pattern , or if there are any pitfalls (memory?) I might run into through this usage.
No, there aren't any that I can think of and it is faster than calling the fully-qualified version.
Local Alias Pattern
Example:
function somefunc(){
var singleton = REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE.Singleton;
singleton.publicFunction();
};
Or:
(function somfunc(singleton){
}(REALLY.REALLY.LONG.NAMESPACE.Singleton));
Test Results:
http://jsfiddle.net/jMg9A/
There is no issue with creating a reference to the original "object". In many cases we create a namespace to organize our code, but of course, this can lead to really long namespaces that we really don't wish to reference later, thus creating a local reference to that namespace is an excellent idea so that you can change it in one place instead of various places.
I don't really see an ant-pattern here, instead I see an opportunity to make it simpler for yourself and probably a little more manageable from a developer standpoint.

jQuery and object-oriented JavaScript - howto?

I've read this and this (thanks google)
But it doesn't help enough. I'd like to know, if, straight out of the box, without any plugin addons, it's possible to do something like it's possible with prototype, for example:
MyClass = Class.create(Table,
{
cookieName: 'w_myclass',
prefix: 'myclass',
...blabla...
// function
initStr: function()
{
...blabla...
},
// another function
getIndice: function(param)
{
...blabla...
return 0;
}
});
Any idea/suggestions are welcome.
JQuery never had the purpose of being a class framework. It's about page manipulation and tools (like AJAX). You can pound a nail with a fork, but why not use a hammer?
Using native JavaScript to create a class-based inheritance system is asking for trouble unless you're a highly skilled JavaScript programmer. Douglas Crockford will tell you it's possible, but he has a deep understanding if the intricacies of closure etc etc. Also, using native inheritance features becomes unsustainable very quickly if your system grows large.
I highly recommend James Coglan's JS.Class framework. The class definitions will look almost identical to your example. It's not native JS but it works fine with JQuery.
If you want a near object oriented solution using javascript with jquery you can define an object in javascript that will set up your event controllers.
The second half of this post http://www.codescream.com/?p=18 covers that. but i'll write here a resume on how to make an object in javascript that you can use in a near object oriented structure.
It would look something like this:
function myObject(constructorParam1, constructorParam2, anotherOne, blabla){
var text = "";
// this event will be set everyTime you run myObject
$(".foo").click(function(){
text = $(this).text(); // copies the text inside the elements ".foo" to a local variable
doSomething();
});
function aPrivateFunction1(){
}
function aPrivateFunction2(){
}
function internalAdd(a,b){
return a+b;
}
var size = 1; // privateVaribale
var name = blabla;
if(name===undefined){
name="No name";
}
aPrivateFunction1(); // run "aPrivateFunction1()
// you can consider all code above as being part of the constructor.
// The variables declared above are private, and the functions are private as well
// bellow are public functions that you can access in an OOP manner
return {
getSize: function(){
return size;
},
setSize: function(newSize){
size = newSize;
},
getName: function(){
return name;
},
setName: function(newName){
name = newname;
},
addAndTurnPositive: function(n1,n2){
var val = internalAdd(n1,n2);
if(val<0){
return val*-1;
}
return val;
}
}
}
// then you can run it like
var anInstance = myObject("aaa",1234,"asdak",123);
anInstance.setSize(1234);
var t = anInstance.addAndTurnPositive(-5,2);
In a word, no. jQuery doesn't offer any class and inheritance functionality. You'd need to include another library, such as klass (although there is a jQuery plugin which ties it in more closely with jQuery)

Javascript Module Pattern Help

The problem I have is that there are a set of variable values / properties in one file and a library in another file. I have started refactoring the code but still need to keep variable values(dynamic) and library(static) differently.
I am using namespacing and overall want only one global namespace.
The problems I have at the moment:
1. How can I still keep one global namespace
2. What is the best way to read the values from one file and use it in the library present in another file.
e.g I came up with something like
//File ONE with values
var main.dynamicvalues = (function(){
var a = 10,
b = 20,
c = 30;
return {
a:a,
b:b,
c:c
}
}());
//File TWO with core Library
var main.library = (function(){
//Various Private functions that need to use a,b,c variables from above main.dynamicvalues namespace
return {
//Public functions again need to use a,b,c from above namespace.
}
}());
Is there a way I can have a pattern so that I keep only one global namespace and can refer to variables directly without having to use maincode.values.a, maincode.values.b, maincode.values.c or something like this in maincode.library.functions
Thanks
Sparsh Gupta
This approach is a little better, but it's not exactly what you're looking for.
var main = {};
main.dynamicvalues = (function() {
// same as before
})();
main.library = (function(dyn){
// use dyn.a, dyn.b etc
return {
// same in here
}
}(main.dynamicvalues));
Create a new file (maybe name it something like "common.js") and put the values there.
You can try RequireJS. This will let you do what you want with no global namespace at all (if you'd like to). In addition it will give you non-blocking script loading, easy way to handle dependencies and a build tool.
On the other hand, it can deprive you of the joy of investigating things for your own and better understanding of js architectural patterns.
Your code with RequireJs could have looked like this:
// File one with values, let's name it values.js
define([], function() {
var a = 10,
b = 20,
c = 30;
return {
a: a,
b: b,
c: c
}
})
// File two with library
define([
// load values.js as a dependency
'values'
// what is returned in values.js can be passed as an argument to the callback
], function( values ) {
values.a === 10 // true
})

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