Why Javascript Doesn’t Suck
or javascript outside the DOM

..sometimes it can suck
• Cross Browser DOM incompatibilities (and surprisingly its not all IE’s fault)
• Ugly looking code (compared to some other languages *cough* ruby *cough*)
• Poorly written code
• Global Namespace
• Lives inside the browser (it doesn’t have to)

but..
• Most widely used functional programming language ever (eat your heart out
LISP)
• lambda’s FTW
• Objects!!! (and JSON)
• Metaprogramming goodness (think ruby)
• Duck typed
• Light and easy (pretty much the opposite of Java)

you too can make it suck less
Module Pattern
var Positioning = function(){
//private members
var _x = 0;
var _y = 0;
return {
//priviledged functions, have access to private members/functions
setPosition: function(x,y){
_x = x;
_y = y;
},
getPosition: function(){
return new Array(_x, _y);
}
}
}();
Positioning.setPosition(50, 100);
Positioning.getPosition(); // [50, 100]

metaprogramming
var barCamp = {
“send”
sayHello: function(){
alert \"Hello\";
}
}
barCamp.sayHello // alerted \"Hello\"
barCamp['sayHello'] // alerted \"Hello\"
barCamp.hasOwnProperty('sayHello') // true
//define_method in 3 lines of code
Function.prototype.define_method = function(name, func){
this.prototype[name] = func;
return this;
}
Positioning.define_method('deletePositions', function(){...})

prototype this
prototype inheritance
function Bar(){
this.member = initializer;
return this;
}
Bar.prototype.sayHello = function(){ alert \"Hello I am Bar\"; }
var barObject = new Bar();
barObject.prototype == Bar.prototype
barObject.constructor == Bar()
barObject.sayHello() // alerts \"Hello I am Bar\"
function Foo(){
this.member = initializer;
return this;
}
Foo.prototype = new Bar();
Foo.prototype.sayHello = function(){ alert \"Hello I am Foo\"; }
var fooObject = new Foo();
fooObject.sayHello() //alerts \"Hello I am Foo\"

no more new
function object(parentObject){
//create a dummy constructor function for our new object
function F(){};
// the dummy function's prototype member is now the parentObject
F.prototype = parentObject;
// return an object with the dummy function's prototype member
return new F();
}
var bar = {
sayHello: function(){...}
};
var foo = object(bar);
foo.sayHello() // alerts “Hello I am Bar”

hold your arguments to later please
Bar.prototype.setFavoriteDrinks = function(person) {
var drinks = Array.prototype.slice.apply(arguments, [1]);
alert(person + \"'s favorite drinks are: \" + drinks.join(', '));
}
var barCamp = new Bar()
// hint ill accept any of these as a thank you later tonight
barCamp.setFavoriteDrinks(\"the dude\", \"White Russion\", \"Red Bull and Vodka\",
\"Irish Car Bomb\", \"Guiness\");
//alert \"the dude's favorite drinks are White Russion, Red Bull and Vodka, Irish
Car Bomb, Guiness\"

bye bye browser
//model
TrimPath junction
Contact = function() {}
with (modelFor('Contact')) {
validatesPresenceOf('first_name');
validatesPresenceOf('last_name');
}
//controller
ContactController = function() {}
scaffold(ContactController, 'Contact');
//view
<h1>Contacts</h1>
<%= linkToLocal('Create A New Contact', 'contact', 'newInstance') %>
<ul>
<% for (var i = 0; i < contacts.length; i++) { %>
<li><%= linkToLocal(contacts[i].last_name + ', ' + contacts[i].first_name,
'contact', 'show', contacts[i].id) %></li>
<% } %>
</ul>

thanks to...
Doug Crockford Advanced Javascript 1 + 2:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=cccd4aa02a3993ab06e56af731346f78.1027823
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=cccd4aa02a3993ab06e56af731346f78.1027832
Dustin Diaz Javascript site: www.dustindiaz.com
Douglas Crockford \"Javascript - The Good\"
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=630959
http://yuiblog.com/blog/2007/06/12/module-pattern/

and of course
http://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Definitive-Guide-David-Flanagan/dp/1565923928

Eric Allam - last100meters.com
payperpost.com