README
class.js
About
- Copyright 2011, Emil Kilhage
- Released under the MIT License
- Last Updated: 2011-04-29 18:10:51
- Current version: 1.1.0
This library allows you to create Class-like functions in a very effective and nice way. I found this very useful when working with large projects needing structure, scalability and all the other stuff that the ordinary object oriented model gives you in other languages, which JavaScript is kind of missing natively (at least in an easy way).
This project is inspired by John Resig's "Simple JavaScript Inheritance": http://ejohn.org/blog/simple-javascript-inheritance/ and "makeClass": http://ejohn.org/blog/simple-class-instantiation/ They have been integrated with each other and improved in many ways..
I've made a lot of unit testing on this that covers all the functionality, and many ways to use this. Everything around this is also very performance optimized.
The library comes in 3 environment releases:
- js: Works for any browser environment
- node.js: Designed for node.js environment
- jQuery: Designed as a jQuery-plugin
The source code between these is the same, the only difference is how they are built.
It doesn't have any dependencies and works in all environments. I've ran the unit tests in following environments:
- Browsers: IE 7,8, Firefox, Chrome
- node.js versions: 0.5
If you find any problems, report a bug, make a pull-request...
The master branch is kind of work in progress, to get the lastest stable version look at the tag with highest version-number...
Examples:
node.js
// You can name 'Class' whatever you want...
var Class = require("path/to/the/lib/node.class.js");
var MyClass = Class({
// define your class...
});
var instance = new MyClass();
js
var MyClass = Class({
// define your class...
});
var instance = new MyClass();
jQuery
var MyClass = jQuery.Class({
// define your class...
});
var instance = new MyClass();
More detailed examples:
This examples below is made with the jQuery release
- Create a basic class...
var YourClass = jQuery.Class({
// Constructor is moved here..
init: function( message ) {
this.message = message;
},
doShit: function() {
// code ....
},
getMessage: function() {
return this.message;
}
// more methods .....
});
- Initalizing read this: http://ejohn.org/blog/simple-class-instantiation/
var object = new YourClass( "YES" );
// The new keyword isn't needed, but recommended since its
// faster and makes your code more readlable..
var object = YourClass( "YES" );
object.getMessage(); // --> "YES"
object.doShit(); // --> call a method
- Create a new class that extends from an existing class.
var ExtendedClass = YourClass.extend({
init: function() {
// constructor code ..
},
doShit: function() {
// code ..
this._parent(); // --> this will call the parent doShit method in the "YourClass" class
// code..
// you could also do like this:
this._parent.getMessage();
// which calls the parent getMessage-method
// that returns this.message instead of null..
},
// Change the behaviour of this
getMessage: function() {
return null;
}
});
- Add properties to a existing class prototype on the fly.
- Only adds the properties to new instance'ses of the class
ExtendedClass.addMethods({
doSomething: function() {
// code ...
},
doSomethingMore: function() {
// code ...
},
doShit: function() {
this._parent(); // call the doShit method that this method overwrites
}
});
- Add properties to an class instance on the fly
var Class = jQuery.Class({
get: function(){
return "Oh";
}
});
var instance = new Class();
instance.get() === "Oh";
instance.addMethods({
get: function(){
var ret = this._parent();
return ret + "My";
}
});
instance.get() === "OhMy";
var org_instance = new Class();
org_instance.get() === "Oh";
- You also have the possibility to add static properties in an easy way.
var Base = jQuery.Class({
staticMethod: function() {
return "Hi";
},
prototype: {
init: function() {
this.message = "Hello";
},
getMessage: function() {
return this.message;
}
}
});
var ExtendedClass = Base.extend({
there: " there!",
staticMethod: function(){
return this._parent() + this.there;
},
prototype: {
getMessage: function() {
return this._parent() + ExtendedClass.there;
}
}
});
Base.staticMethod() // -> "Hi"
ExtendedClass.staticMethod() // -> "Hi there!"
var ext = new ExtendedClass();
ext.getMessage() // -> "Hello there!"
- All instances will have a property called 'constructor' that always will be a reference to the class-constructor, this enables you to access the constructor-properties dynamically without hard-code the constructor name.
var Class = jQuery.Class({
property: "hi there",
prototype: {
get: function() {
return this.constructor.property;
}
}
});
var instance = new Class();
instance.get() -> "hi there"
- All classes will have static function called "inherits" that can be used to check if a class inherits from another class
var Base = jQuery.Class({});
var Ext = Base.extend({});
var Ext2 = Ext.extend({});
Ext.inherits(Base); -> true
Ext.inherits(Ext2); -> false
Ext.inherits(Ext); -> false
Ext2.inherits(Base); -> true
Ext2.inherits(Ext); ->true
- One thing to think of when you are working with objects/arrays inside your instances is that you always should declare these inside the constructor. If you don't and are declaring an object as a property inside the class-declaration all instances of this class will share this property.
var MyClass = $.Class({
prototype: {
// Avoid this as long as the behavior is intended
shared_object: {
prop: 1
},
init: function () {
// A true instance property
this.unshared_object = {
prop: 1
};
}
}
});
var a = new MyClass();
var b = new MyClass();
// This will change shared_object in all
// instances of MyClass the exists today and
// that will be created
a.shared_object.prop = 2;
a.shared_object.prop === 2;
b.shared_object.prop === 2;
// This however will only change 'unshared_object'
// in only instance 'a'.
a.unshared_object.prop = 2;
a.shared_object.prop === 2;
b.unshared_object.prop === 1;
var c = new MyClass();
c.shared_object.prop === 2;
c.shared_object.prop === 1;