COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

Department of Human Services

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARD
Name Of Standard: Number:
Java Script Coding STD-EASS011
Domain: Category:
Application
Date Issued: Issued By Direction Of:
06/29/2001
Date Reviewed:
2/17/2016 Cliff Van Scyoc, Dir of Div of Tech Engineering
DHS Business and Technical Standards Document Revised 12/10/02

Table of Contents

Introduction ...............................................................................................................................3
Purpose .....................................................................................................................................3
Standard Change Log ...............................................................................................................4
JavaScript Standards ...............................................................................................................5
Validating Forms .....................................................................................................................5
Interface Controls ....................................................................................................................5
Standards for Comments ........................................................................................................6
Single Line Comments ........................................................................................................6
Multi line Comments ............................................................................................................6
Trailing Comments ..............................................................................................................7
Case Sensitivity and Naming Conventions ..............................................................................7
Indentation Standards .............................................................................................................7
Line Length .........................................................................................................................7
Wrapping Lines ...................................................................................................................7
Declaration Standards .............................................................................................................8
Number per line ...................................................................................................................8
Initialization .........................................................................................................................8
Placement ...........................................................................................................................8
Function Declarations .............................................................................................................9
Standards for Statements........................................................................................................9
Simple Statements ..............................................................................................................9
Compound Statements ........................................................................................................9
Return Statements ..............................................................................................................9
if, if-else, if else-if else Statements ....................................................................................10
for Statements ...................................................................................................................10
while Statements ...............................................................................................................11
do-while Statements ..........................................................................................................11
Label Statement ................................................................................................................11
switch Statements .............................................................................................................12
Standards for White Spaces ..................................................................................................12
Blank Lines........................................................................................................................12
Blank Spaces ....................................................................................................................12
Reserved Words......................................................................................................................13
Client-Side JavaScript Object Hierarchy ...............................................................................14

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JavaScript Coding Standards

Introduction
JavaScript is Netscape's cross-platform, object-oriented scripting language, which is compatible
with Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browsers. Core JavaScript
contains a core set of objects, such as Array, Date, and Math, and a core set of language
elements such as operators, control structures, and statements. Core JavaScript can be
extended for a variety of purposes by supplementing it with additional objects. For example:
• Client-side JavaScript extends the core language by supplying objects to control a
browser (Navigator or another Web browser) and its Document Object Model (DOM).
For example, client-side extensions allow an application to place elements on a
hypertext markup language (HTML) form and respond to user events such as mouse
clicks, form input, and page navigation.
• Server-side JavaScript extends the core language by supplying objects relevant to
running JavaScript on a server. For example, server-side extensions allow an application
to communicate with a relational database, provide continuity of information from one
invocation of the application to another, or perform file manipulations on a server.

JavaScript lets you create applications that run over the Internet. Client applications run in a
browser, such as Netscape Navigator, IE and server applications run on a server, such as
Netscape Enterprise Server, IIS. Using JavaScript, you can create dynamic HTML pages that
process user input and maintain persistent data using special objects, files, and relational
databases.

Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide JavaScript coding standards.

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Standard Change Log

Change Version CR # Change Description Author and

Date Organization
06/29/01 1.0 N/A Initial creation. Deloitte Consulting
12/10/02 1.1 00GX Edited for style. Beverly Shultz
Diverse
Technologies
Corporation /
Deloitte Consulting
10/16/2013 1.1 N/A Reviewed, no changes. Brad Deetz
2/17/2016 1.2 NA Updated to reflect agency name change Brad Deetz

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JavaScript Standards
1. Explicitly use LANGUAGE attribute in the <SCRIPT> tag.
For example <SCRIPT LANGUAGE =”javascript”>
2. Embed script within HTML comment tags so that non Script-capable browsers ignore it.
The following client script shows a script block in comments:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="javascript">
<!--
Code goes here
//-->
</SCRIPT>

3. Always use var keyword to declare all variables to prevent variable scope problems.
Without var JavaScript will create a global variable.
4. Define common functions to handle common tasks in all pages.
5. Place reusable code in external JavaScript source files (like *.js or *.inc)

Validating Forms
With its capability to interact with form elements, JavaScript is well suited to validate information
directly on the HTML page. Checking information on the client side also makes it much harder
for users to send incompatible or damaging data to the server.
Three types of Edits, which must be done at Client side, are
• Check for Numeric entry
• Check for Alpha Numeric entry
• Check for Mandatory field entry

Use Page Level edits for validating the data if there is any error, display appropriate message
and the position the cursor to that appropriate field.

Interface Controls
There is no way to universally implement many of the interface controls found in GUI operating
systems on a Web browser. Menus, dialog boxes, associating sounds or animations with
events, and other common graphical user interface (GUI) elements can be added to a Web
application via JavaScript. Not all browsers however, support part or all of these elements
ultimately resulting in the need to build two sites: one that supports the GUI controls and a
second that uses standard hypertext markup language (HTML) elements.

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Do not use GUI controls.

Status Bar Messages: With event handlers and the window status property, JavaScript
enables the browser to display custom messages in the status bar that respond to user actions.
One of the most popular implementation is a descriptive line for hyperlinks. One problem with
the status property is that it becomes the default message until a browser-generated message
overrides it, or status is set to a different value.
Do not use status bar messages.

Standards for Comments

Comments can be either single line or multi-line or trailing. Comments should be used to give
overviews of code and provide additional information that is not readily available in the code
itself. It should contain only information that is relevant to reading and understanding the
program.
• Comments should not be enclosed in large boxes drawn with asterisks or other
characters.
• Comments should never include special characters and unnecessary information.

Single Line Comments

The // comment delimiter will be used to comment out a complete line or only a partial line.

Example

if (condition){
// Here goes the single line comment
Statements
}

Multi line Comments

Use Multi Line comments when commenting more than one line. This type of comments
cannot be nested.

Example

/* Here goes the multi line comment*/

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Trailing Comments
Very short comments can appear on the same line as the code they describe, but should be
shifted far enough to separate them from the statements. If more than one short comment
appears in a chunk of code, they should all be indented to the same tab setting.
Here's an example of a trailing comment in Java Script code:

if (a == 2) {
return TRUE. /* special case */
}

Case Sensitivity and Naming Conventions

JavaScript is case sensitive: You have to use the correct combination of uppercase and
lowercase for everything in the JavaScript namespace. This includes all keywords in any object
models you use.
The following naming conventions will be enforced
• Must begin with alphanumeric character
• Letters must be lowercased or combination of upper- or lowercase e.g. FirstName
• Cannot contain an embedded period.
• Cannot exceed 40 characters.

Indentation Standards
Four spaces should be used as the unit of indentation. Always use tabs. Do not use spaces for
indentation.

Line Length
Avoid lines longer than 70 characters, since they're not handled well by many terminals and
tools.

Wrapping Lines
When an expression will not fit on a single line, break it according to these general
principles:
• Break after a comma.
• Break before an operator.
• Prefer higher-level breaks to lower-level breaks.
• Align the new line with the beginning of the expression at the same level on the
previous line.

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If the above rules lead to confusing code or to code that's squished up against the right
margin, just indent 8 spaces instead.

Declaration Standards

Number per line

One declaration per line is recommended since it encourages commenting. In other words,

int level. // indentation level

int size. // size of table

is preferred over

int level, size.

Do not put different types on the same line.

Initialization
Local variables should be initialized where they are declared. The only reason not to
initialize a variable where it is declared is if the initial value depends on some computation
occurring first.

Placement
Declarations must be put only at the beginning of blocks. (A block is any code surrounded
by curly braces "{" and "}".) Waiting to declare variables until their first use can be confusing
and hamper code portability within the scope.

void myMethod() {
int int1 = 0. // beginning of method block
if (condition) {
int int2 = 0. // beginning of "if" block
...
}
}

The one exception to the rule is indexes of for loops, which in Java can be declared in the for
statement:

for (int i = 0. i < maxLoops. i++) { ... }

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Avoid local declarations that hide declarations at higher levels. For example, do not declare
the same variable name in an inner block:

int count.
...
myMethod() {
if (condition) {
int count = 0. // AVOID!
...
}
...
}

Function Declarations
A function definition should consist of a function statement and a block of JavaScript
statements.

function FnName(param1,param2,…paramN){
Statement or block of Statements
return values if any
}

Standards for Statements

Simple Statements
Each line should contain at most one statement.

Compound Statements
Compound statements are statements that contain lists of statements enclosed in braces,
as in this example: {statements}. The enclosed statements should be indented one more
level than the compound statement. The opening brace should be at the end of the line that
begins the compound statement. The closing brace should begin a line and be indented to
the beginning of the compound statement.
Braces are used around all statements, even single statements, when they are part of a
control structure, such as an if-else or for statement. This makes it easier to add
statements without accidentally introducing bugs due to forgetting to add braces.

Return Statements
A return statement with a value should not use parentheses unless they make the return
value more obvious in some way.

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Example:

return expression.
return (size ? size : defaultSize).

if, if-else, if else-if else Statements

The if-else class of statements should have the following form:

if (condition) {
statements.
}

if (condition) {
statements.
} else {
statements.
}
if (condition) {
statements.
} else if (condition) {
statements.
} else{
statements.
}

Note: if statements always use braces {}. Avoid the following error-prone form:

if (condition) //AVOID! THIS OMITS THE BRACES {}!

statement.

for Statements
A for statement should have the following form:

for (initialization. condition. update) {

statements.
}

An empty for statement (one in which all the work is done in the initialization, condition,
and update clauses) should have the following form:

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for (initialization. condition. update).

When using the comma operator in the initialization or update clause of a for statement,
usage of more than three variables needs to be avoided. If needed, separate statements
should be used before the for loop (for the initialization clause) or at the end of the loop (for
the update clause).

while Statements
A while statement should have the following form:

while (condition) {
statements.
}

An empty while statement should have the following form:

while (condition).

do-while Statements
A do-while statement should have the following form:

do {
statements.
} while (condition).

Label Statement
The syntax of the label statement looks like the following:

label :
statement

The value of label may be any JavaScript identifier that is not a reserved word. The
statement that you identify with a label may be any type.

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switch Statements
A switch statement should have the following form:

switch (expression){
case label :
statement.
break.
case label :
statement.
break.
...
default : statement.
}

The optional break statement associated with each case label ensures that the program
breaks out of switch once the matched statement is executed and continues execution at the
statement following switch. If break is omitted, the program continues execution at the next
statement in the switch statement.
Every switch statement should include a default case. The break in the default case is
redundant, but it prevents a fall-through error if later another case is added.

Standards for White Spaces

Blank Lines
Blank lines improve readability by setting off sections of code that are logically related.
One blank line should always be used in the following circumstances:
• Between functions
• Between the local variables in a function and its first statement
• Before a block or single-line comment
• Between logical sections inside a function to improve readability

Blank Spaces
Blank spaces should be used in the following circumstances:
• A blank space should appear after commas in argument lists.
• All binary operators except “.” should be separated from their operands by spaces.
Blank spaces should never separate unary operators such as unary minus,
increment ("++"), and decrement ("--") from their operands.

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Example:

a += c + d.
a = (a + b) / (c * d).
while (d++ = s++) {
n++.
}

The expressions in a for statement should be separated by blank spaces.

Example:

for (expr1. expr2. expr3)

Reserved Words
This appendix lists the reserved words in JavaScript.
The reserved words in this list cannot be used as JavaScript variables, functions, methods, or
object names. Some of these words are keywords used in JavaScript. Others are reserved for
future use.

Reserved Words
abstract else instanceof switch
boolean enum int synchronized
break export interface this
byte extends long throw
case false native throws
catch final new transient
char finally null true
class float package try
const for private typeof
continue function protected var
debugger goto public void
default if return volatile
delete implements short while
do import static with
double in super

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Client-Side JavaScript Object Hierarchy

As depicted in this diagram, all client-side objects are derived from either the Window or the
Navigator object. By using the Window object the programmer is allowed to access the various
frames, documents, layers, and forms on a page, as well as many other objects and properties.
The programmer should maintain this hierarchy.
The Navigator object pertains to elements that are part of the browser itself. This specifically
refers to the plug-ins installed and the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) types with
which the browser is associated. Using the Navigator object allows checking for the browser
version, determining the plug-ins installed, and what programs are associated with the various
MIME types registered on the system.

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