Exploring JavaScript (2024)
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Sudharsan 20Exploring JavaScript (2024)
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Sudharsan 20Table of contents
I BACKGROUND
1 Before you buy the book
1.1 About the content
1.2 Previewing and buying this book
1.3 About the author
1.4 Acknowledgements
2 FAQ: book and supplementary material
2.1 How to read this book
2.2 I own a digital version
2.3 I own the print version (“JavaScript for impatient programmers”)
2.4 Notations and conventions
3 Why JavaScript?
3.1 The cons of JavaScript
3.2 The pros of JavaScript
3.3 Pro and con of JavaScript: innovation
4 The nature of JavaScript
4.1 JavaScript’s influences
4.2 The nature of JavaScript
4.3 Tips for getting started with JavaScript
5 History and evolution of JavaScript
5.1 How JavaScript was created
5.2 Standardization: JavaScript vs. ECMAScript
5.3 Timeline of ECMAScript versions
5.4 Evolving JavaScript: TC39 (Ecma Technical Committee 39)
5.5 The TC39 process for proposed ECMAScript features
5.6 How to not break the web while changing JavaScript
5.7 FAQ: ECMAScript and TC39
6 New JavaScript features
6.1 New in ECMAScript 2024
6.2 New in ECMAScript 2023
6.3 New in ECMAScript 2022
6.4 New in ECMAScript 2021
6.5 New in ECMAScript 2020
6.6 New in ECMAScript 2019
6.7 New in ECMAScript 2018
6.8 New in ECMAScript 2017
6.9 New in ECMAScript 2016
6.10 Source of this chapter
7 FAQ: JavaScript
7.1 What are good references for JavaScript?
7.2 How do I find out what JavaScript features are supported where?
7.3 Where can I look up what features are planned for JavaScript?
7.4 Why does JavaScript fail silently so often?
7.5 Why can’t we clean up JavaScript, by removing quirks and
outdated features?
7.6 How can I quickly try out a piece of JavaScript code?
II FIRST STEPS
8 Using JavaScript: the big picture
8.1 What are you learning in this book?
8.2 The structure of browsers and Node.js
8.3 JavaScript references
8.4 Further reading
9 Syntax
9.1 An overview of JavaScript’s syntax
9.2 (Advanced)
9.3 Hashbang lines (Unix shell scripts)
9.4 Identifiers
9.5 Statement vs. expression
9.6 Ambiguous syntax
9.7 Semicolons
9.8 Automatic semicolon insertion (ASI)
9.9 Semicolons: best practices
9.10 Strict mode vs. sloppy mode
10 Consoles: interactive JavaScript command lines
10.1 Trying out JavaScript code
10.2 The console.* API: printing data and more
11 Assertion API
11.1 Assertions in software development
11.2 How assertions are used in this book
11.3 Normal comparison vs. deep comparison
11.4 Quick reference: module assert
12 Getting started with exercises
12.1 Exercises
12.2 Unit tests in JavaScript
III VARIABLES AND VALUES
13 Variables and assignment
13.1 let
13.2 const
13.3 Deciding between const and let
13.4 The scope of a variable
13.5 (Advanced)
13.6 Terminology: static vs. dynamic
13.7 Global variables and the global object
13.8 Declarations: scope and activation
13.9 Closures
14 Values
14.1 What’s a type?
14.2 JavaScript’s type hierarchy
14.3 The types of the language specification
14.4 Primitive values vs. objects
14.5 The operators typeof and instanceof: what’s the type of a value?
14.6 Classes and constructor functions
14.7 Converting between types
15 Operators
15.1 Making sense of operators
15.2 The plus operator (+)
15.3 Assignment operators
15.4 Equality: == vs. ===
15.5 Ordering operators
15.6 Various other operators
IV PRIMITIVE VALUES
16 The non-values undefined and null
16.1 undefined vs. null
16.2 Occurrences of undefined and null
16.3 Checking for undefined or null
[ES2020]
16.4 The nullish coalescing operator (??) for default values
16.5 undefined and null don’t have properties
16.6 The history of undefined and null
17 Booleans
17.1 Converting to boolean
17.2 Falsy and truthy values
17.3 Truthiness-based existence checks
17.4 Conditional operator (? :)
17.5 Binary logical operators: And (x && y), Or (x || y)
17.6 Logical Not (!)
18 Numbers
18.1 Numbers are used for both floating point numbers and integers
18.2 Number literals
18.3 Arithmetic operators
18.4 Converting to number
18.5 Error values
18.6 The precision of numbers: careful with decimal fractions
18.7 (Advanced)
18.8 Background: floating point precision
18.9 Integer numbers in JavaScript
18.10 Bitwise operators
18.11 Quick reference: numbers
19 Math
19.1 Data properties
19.2 Exponents, roots, logarithms
19.3 Rounding
19.4 Trigonometric Functions
19.5 Various other functions
19.6 Sources
[ES2020]
20 Bigints – arbitrary-precision integers (advanced)
20.1 Why bigints?
20.2 Bigints
20.3 Bigint literals
20.4 Reusing number operators for bigints (overloading)
20.5 The wrapper constructor BigInt
20.6 Coercing bigints to other primitive types
20.7 TypedArrays and DataView operations for 64-bit values
20.8 Bigints and JSON
20.9 FAQ: Bigints
21 Unicode – a brief introduction (advanced)
21.1 Code points vs. code units
21.2 Encodings used in web development: UTF-16 and UTF-8
21.3 Grapheme clusters – the real characters
22 Strings
22.1 Cheat sheet: strings
22.2 Plain string literals
22.3 Accessing JavaScript characters
22.4 String concatenation
22.5 Converting to string
22.6 Comparing strings
22.7 Atoms of text: code points, JavaScript characters, grapheme
clusters
22.8 Quick reference: Strings
[ES6]
23 Using template literals and tagged templates
23.1 Disambiguation: “template”
23.2 Template literals
23.3 Tagged templates
23.4 Examples of tagged templates (as provided via libraries)
23.5 Raw string literals
23.6 (Advanced)
23.7 Multiline template literals and indentation
23.8 Simple templating via template literals
[ES6]
24 Symbols
24.1 Symbols are primitives that are also like objects
24.2 The descriptions of symbols
24.3 Use cases for symbols
24.4 Publicly known symbols
24.5 Converting symbols
V CONTROL FLOW AND DATA FLOW
25 Control flow statements
25.1 Controlling loops: break and continue
25.2 Conditions of control flow statements
[ES1]
25.3 if statements
[ES3]
25.4 switch statements
[ES1]
25.5 while loops
[ES3]
25.6 do-while loops
[ES1]
25.7 for loops
[ES6]
25.8 for-of loops
[ES2018]
25.9 for-await-of loops
[ES1]
25.10 for-in loops (avoid)
25.11 Recomendations for looping
26 Exception handling
26.1 Motivation: throwing and catching exceptions
26.2 throw
26.3 The try statement
26.4 Error and its subclasses
26.5 Chaining errors
27 Callable values
27.1 Kinds of functions
27.2 Ordinary functions
[ES6]
27.3 Specialized functions
27.4 Summary: kinds of callable values
27.5 Returning values from functions and methods
27.6 Parameter handling
27.7 Methods of functions: .call(), .apply(), .bind()
28 Evaluating code dynamically: eval(), new Function() (advanced)
28.1 eval()
28.2 new Function()
28.3 Recommendations
VI MODULARITY
[ES6]
29 Modules
29.1 Cheat sheet: modules
29.2 JavaScript source code formats
29.3 Before we had modules, we had scripts
29.4 Module systems created prior to ES6
29.5 ECMAScript modules
29.6 Named exports and imports
29.7 Default exports and imports
29.8 Re-exporting
29.9 More details on exporting and importing
29.10 npm packages
29.11 Naming modules
29.12 Module specifiers
[ES2020]
29.13 import.meta – metadata for the current module
[ES2020]
29.14 Loading modules dynamically via import() (advanced)
[ES2022]
29.15 Top-level await in modules (advanced)
29.16 Polyfills: emulating native web platform features (advanced)
30 Objects
30.1 Cheat sheet: objects
30.2 What is an object?
30.3 Fixed-layout objects
[ES2018]
30.4 Spreading into object literals (...)
30.5 Methods and the special variable this
[ES2020]
30.6 Optional chaining for property getting and method calls
(advanced)
30.7 Dictionary objects (advanced)
[ES5]
30.8 Property attributes and property descriptors (advanced)
[ES5]
30.9 Protecting objects from being changed (advanced)
30.10 Prototype chains
30.11 FAQ: objects
30.12 Quick reference: Object
30.13 Quick reference: Reflect
[ES6]
31 Classes
31.1 Cheat sheet: classes
31.2 The essentials of classes
31.3 The internals of classes
31.4 Prototype members of classes
[ES2022]
31.5 Instance members of classes
31.6 Static members of classes
31.7 Subclassing
31.8 The methods and accessors of Object.prototype (advanced)
31.9 FAQ: classes
VII COLLECTIONS
[ES6]
32 Synchronous iteration
32.1 What is synchronous iteration about?
32.2 Core iteration constructs: iterables and iterators
32.3 Iterating manually
32.4 Iteration in practice
[ES2024]
32.5 Grouping iterables
32.6 Example: grouping by property value
32.7 Quick reference: synchronous iteration
33 Arrays (Array)
33.1 Cheat sheet: Arrays
33.2 Ways of using Arrays: fixed layout vs. sequence
33.3 Basic Array operations
33.4 for-of and Arrays
33.5 Array-like objects
33.6 Converting iterables and Array-like values to Arrays
33.7 Creating and filling Arrays with arbitrary lengths
33.8 Multidimensional Arrays
33.9 Arrays are actually dictionaries (advanced)
33.10 Destructive vs. non-destructive Array operations
33.11 Adding and removing elements at either end of an Array
33.12 Array methods that accept element callbacks
33.13 Transforming with element callbacks: .map(), .filter(),
.flatMap()
33.14 .reduce(): computing a summary for an Array
33.15 .sort(): sorting Arrays
33.16 Arrays can use operations for iterables
33.17 Quick reference: Array
[ES6]
34 Typed Arrays: handling binary data (advanced)
34.1 An overview of the API
34.2 Using Typed Arrays
34.3 Using DataViews
34.4 Element types
34.5 Converting to and from Typed Arrays
[ES2024]
34.6 Resizing ArrayBuffers
[ES2024]
34.7 Transferring and detaching ArrayBuffers
34.8 Quick references: indices vs. offsets
34.9 Quick reference: ArrayBuffers
34.10 Quick reference: Typed Arrays
34.11 Quick reference: DataViews
[ES6]
35 Maps (Map)
35.1 Using Maps
35.2 Example: Counting characters
35.3 A few more details about the keys of Maps (advanced)
35.4 Missing Map operations
35.5 Quick reference: Map
35.6 FAQ: Maps
[ES6]
36 WeakMaps (WeakMap) (advanced)
36.1 WeakMaps are black boxes
36.2 The keys of a WeakMap are weakly held
36.3 Attaching values to objects via WeakMaps
36.4 Quick reference: WeakMap
[ES6]
37 Sets (Set)
37.1 Using Sets
37.2 Examples of using Sets
37.3 What Set elements are considered equal?
37.4 Missing Set operations
37.5 Sets can use operations for iterables
37.6 Quick reference: Set
37.7 FAQ: Sets
[ES6]
38 WeakSets (WeakSet) (advanced)
38.1 Example: Marking objects as safe to use with a method
38.2 WeakSet API
[ES6]
39 Destructuring
39.1 A first taste of destructuring
39.2 Constructing vs. extracting
39.3 Where can we destructure?
39.4 Object-destructuring
39.5 Array-destructuring
39.6 Examples of destructuring
39.7 What happens if a pattern part does not match anything?
39.8 What values can’t be destructured?
39.9 (Advanced)
39.10 Default values
39.11 Parameter definitions are similar to destructuring
39.12 Nested destructuring
[ES6]
40 Synchronous generators (advanced)
40.1 What are synchronous generators?
40.2 Calling generators from generators (advanced)
40.3 Background: external iteration vs. internal iteration
40.4 Use case for generators: reusing traversals
40.5 Advanced features of generators
VIII ASYNCHRONICITY
41 Foundations of asynchronous programming in JavaScript
41.1 A roadmap for asynchronous programming in JavaScript
41.2 The call stack
41.3 The event loop
41.4 How to avoid blocking the JavaScript process
41.5 Patterns for delivering asynchronous results
41.6 Asynchronous code: the downsides
41.7 Resources
[ES6]
42 Promises for asynchronous programming
42.1 The basics of using Promises
42.2 Examples
42.3 Error handling: don’t mix rejections and exceptions
42.4 Promise-based functions start synchronously, settle
asynchronously
42.5 Promise combinator functions: working with Arrays of
Promises
42.6 Concurrency and Promise.all() (advanced)
42.7 Tips for chaining Promises
42.8 Quick reference: Promise combinator functions
[ES2017]
43 Async functions
43.1 Async functions: the basics
43.2 Returning from async functions
43.3 await: working with Promises
43.4 (Advanced)
43.5 Concurrency and await
43.6 Tips for using async functions
[ES2018]
44 Asynchronous iteration
44.1 Basic asynchronous iteration
44.2 Asynchronous generators
44.3 Async iteration over Node.js streams
IX MORE STANDARD LIBRARY
45 Regular expressions (RegExp)
45.1 Creating regular expressions
45.2 Syntax characters and escaping
45.3 Syntax: atoms of regular expressions
45.4 Syntax: character class escapes
45.5 Syntax: character classes
45.6 Syntax: capture groups
45.7 Syntax: quantifiers
45.8 Syntax: assertions
45.9 Syntax: disjunction (|)
45.10 Regular expression flags
45.11 Properties of regular expression objects
45.12 Match objects
45.13 Methods for working with regular expressions
45.14 The flags /g and /y, and the property .lastIndex (advanced)
45.15 Techniques for working with regular expressions
46 Dates (Date)
46.1 Best practice: avoid the built-in Date
46.2 Time standards
46.3 Background: date time formats (ISO)
46.4 Time values
46.5 Creating Dates
46.6 Getters and setters
46.7 Converting Dates to strings
47 Creating and parsing JSON (JSON)
47.1 The discovery and standardization of JSON
47.2 JSON syntax
47.3 Using the JSON API
47.4 Customizing stringification and parsing (advanced)
47.5 FAQ
X MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS
48 Next steps: overview of web development
48.1 Tips against feeling overwhelmed
48.2 Things worth learning for web development
48.3 An overview of JavaScript tools
48.4 Tools not related to JavaScript
XI APPENDICES
A Index
I Background
1 Before you buy the book
1.1 About the content
1.1.1 What’s in this book?
1.1.2 What is not covered by this book?
1.2 Previewing and buying this book
1.2.1 How can I preview the book and its bundled material?
1.2.2 How can I buy a digital version of this book?
1.2.3 How can I buy the print version of this book?
1.3 About the author
1.4 Acknowledgements
1.1 About the content
1.1.1 What’s in this book?
This book makes JavaScript less challenging to learn for newcomers by
offering a modern view that is as consistent as possible.
Highlights:
Get started quickly by initially focusing on modern features.
Test-driven exercises available for most chapters.
Covers all essential features of JavaScript, up to and including ES2022.
Optional advanced sections let you dig deeper.
No prior knowledge of JavaScript is required, but you should know how to
program.
1.1.2 What is not covered by this book?
Some advanced language features are not explained, but references to
appropriate material are provided – for example, to my other JavaScript
books at ExploringJS.com, which are free to read online.
This book deliberately focuses on the language. Browser-only features,
etc. are not described.
1.2 Previewing and buying this book
1.2.1 How can I preview the book and its bundled material?
Go to the homepage of this book:
All chapters of this book are free to read online.
Most material has free preview versions (with about 50% of their
content) that are available on the homepage.
1.2.2 How can I buy a digital version of this book?
The homepage of Exploring JavaScript explains how you can buy one of its
digital packages.
1.2.3 How can I buy the print version of this book?
An older edition of Exploring JavaScript is called JavaScript for impatient
programmers. Its paper version is available on Amazon.
1.3 About the author
Dr. Axel Rauschmayer specializes in JavaScript and web development. He
has been developing web applications since 1995. In 1999, he was technical
manager at a German internet startup that later expanded internationally. In
2006, he held his first talk on Ajax. In 2010, he received a PhD in
Informatics from the University of Munich.
Since 2011, he has been blogging about web development at 2ality.com and
has written several books on JavaScript. He has held trainings and talks for
companies such as eBay, Bank of America, and O’Reilly Media.
He lives in Munich, Germany.
1.4 Acknowledgements
Cover image by Fran Caye
Thanks for answering questions, discussing language topics, etc.:
Allen Wirfs-Brock
Benedikt Meurer
Brian Terlson
Daniel Ehrenberg
Jordan Harband
Maggie Johnson-Pint
Mathias Bynens
Myles Borins
Rob Palmer
Šime Vidas
And many others
Thanks for reviewing:
Johannes Weber
2 FAQ: book and supplementary
material
2.1 How to read this book
2.1.1 In which order should I read the content in this book?
2.1.2 Why are some chapters and sections marked with
“(advanced)”?
2.2 I own a digital version
2.2.1 How do I submit feedback and corrections?
2.2.2 How do I get updates for the downloads I bought at
Payhip?
2.2.3 How do I upgrade from a smaller package to a larger one
or an older package to a newer one?
2.3 I own the print version (“JavaScript for impatient
programmers”)
2.3.1 Can I get a discount for a digital version?
2.3.2 How do I submit feedback and corrections?
2.4 Notations and conventions
2.4.1 What is a type signature? Why am I sometimes seeing
static types in this book?
2.4.2 What do the notes with icons mean?
This chapter answers questions you may have and gives tips for reading this
book.
2.1 How to read this book
2.1.1 In which order should I read the content in this book?
This book is three books in one:
You can use it to get started with JavaScript as quickly as possible:
Start reading with “Using JavaScript: the big picture” (§8).
Skip all chapters and sections marked as “advanced”, and all
quick references.
It gives you a comprehensive look at current JavaScript. In this
“mode”, you read everything and don’t skip advanced content and
quick references.
It serves as a reference. If there is a topic that you are interested in, you
can find information on it via the table of contents or via the index.
Due to basic and advanced content being mixed, everything you need
is usually in a single location.
Exercises play an important part in helping you practice and retain what you
have learned.
2.1.2 Why are some chapters and sections marked with “(advanced)”?
Several chapters and sections are marked with “(advanced)”. The idea is
that you can initially skip them. That is, you can get a quick working
knowledge of JavaScript by only reading the basic (non-advanced) content.
As your knowledge evolves, you can later come back to some or all of the
advanced content.
2.2 I own a digital version
2.2.1 How do I submit feedback and corrections?
The HTML version of this book (online, or ad-free archive in the paid
version) has a link at the end of each chapter that enables you to give
feedback.
2.2.2 How do I get updates for the downloads I bought at Payhip?
The receipt email for the purchase includes a link. You’ll always be
able to download the latest version of the files at that location.
If you opted into emails while buying, you’ll get an email whenever
there is new content. To opt in later, you must contact Payhip (see
bottom of payhip.com).
2.2.3 How do I upgrade from a smaller package to a larger one or an
older package to a newer one?
The book’s homepage explains how to do that.
2.3 I own the print version (“JavaScript for impatient
programmers”)
2.3.1 Can I get a discount for a digital version?
If you bought the print version, you can get a discount for a digital version.
The homepage explains how.
Alas, the reverse is not possible: you cannot get a discount for the print
version if you bought a digital version.
2.3.2 How do I submit feedback and corrections?
Before reporting an error, please go to the online version of “Exploring
JavaScript” and check the latest release of this book. The error may
already have been corrected online.
If the error is still there, you can use the comment link at the end of
each chapter to report it.
You can also use the comments to give feedback.
2.4 Notations and conventions
2.4.1 What is a type signature? Why am I sometimes seeing static
types in this book?
For example, you may see:
Number.isFinite(num: number): boolean
That is called the type signature of Number.isFinite(). This notation,
especially the static types number of num and boolean of the result, are not real
JavaScript. The notation is borrowed from the compile-to-JavaScript
language TypeScript (which is mostly just JavaScript plus static typing).
Why is this notation being used? It helps give you a quick idea of how a
function works. The notation is explained in detail in “Tackling
TypeScript”, but is usually relatively intuitive.
2.4.2 What do the notes with icons mean?
Reading instructions
Explains how to best read the content.
External content
Points to additional, external, content.
Tip
Gives a tip related to the current content.
Question
Asks and answers a question pertinent to the current content (think
FAQ).
Warning
Warns about pitfalls, etc.
Details
Provides additional details, complementing the current content. It is
similar to a footnote.
Exercise
Mentions the path of a test-driven exercise that you can do at that
point.
3 Why JavaScript?
3.1 The cons of JavaScript
3.2 The pros of JavaScript
3.2.1 Community
3.2.2 Practically useful
3.2.3 Language
3.3 Pro and con of JavaScript: innovation
In this chapter, we examine the pros and cons of JavaScript.
“ECMAScript 6” and “ES6” refer to versions of JavaScript
ECMAScript is the name of the language standard; the number refers
to the version of that standard. For more information, consult
“Standardization: JavaScript vs. ECMAScript” (§5.2).
3.1 The cons of JavaScript
Among programmers, JavaScript isn’t always well liked. One reason is that
it has a fair amount of quirks. Some of them are just unusual ways of doing
something. Others are considered bugs. Either way, learning why JavaScript
does something the way it does, helps with dealing with the quirks and with
accepting JavaScript (maybe even liking it). Hopefully, this book can be of
assistance here.
Additionally, many traditional quirks have been eliminated now. For
example:
Traditionally, JavaScript variables weren’t block-scoped. ES6
introduced let and const, which let you declare block-scoped variables.
Prior to ES6, implementing object factories and inheritance via function
and .prototype was clumsy. ES6 introduced classes, which provide more
convenient syntax for these mechanisms.
Traditionally, JavaScript did not have built-in modules. ES6 added
them to the language.
Lastly, JavaScript’s standard library is limited, but:
There are plans for adding more functionality.
Many libraries are easily available via the npm software registry.
3.2 The pros of JavaScript
On the plus side, JavaScript offers many benefits.
3.2.1 Community
JavaScript’s popularity means that it’s well supported and well documented.
Whenever you create something in JavaScript, you can rely on many people
being (potentially) interested. And there is a large pool of JavaScript
programmers from which you can hire, if you need to.
No single party controls JavaScript – it is evolved by TC39, a committee
comprising many organizations. The language is evolved via an open
process that encourages feedback from the public.
3.2.2 Practically useful
With JavaScript, you can write apps for many client platforms. These are a
few example technologies:
Progressive Web Apps can be installed natively on Android and many
desktop operating systems.
Electron lets you build cross-platform desktop apps.
React Native lets you write apps for iOS and Android that have native
user interfaces.
Node.js provides extensive support for writing shell scripts (in addition
to being a platform for web servers).
JavaScript is supported by many server platforms and services – for
example:
Node.js (many of the following services are based on Node.js or
support its APIs)
ZEIT Now
Microsoft Azure Functions
AWS Lambda
Google Cloud Functions
There are many data technologies available for JavaScript: many databases
support it and intermediate layers (such as GraphQL) exist. Additionally, the
standard data format JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is based on
JavaScript and supported by its standard library.
Lastly, many, if not most, tools for JavaScript are written in JavaScript. That
includes IDEs, build tools, and more. As a consequence, you install them
the same way you install your libraries and you can customize them in
JavaScript.
3.2.3 Language
Many libraries are available, via the de-facto standard in the JavaScript
universe, the npm software registry.
If you are unhappy with “plain” JavaScript, it is relatively easy to add
more features:
You can compile future and modern language features to current
and past versions of JavaScript, via Babel.
You can add static typing, via TypeScript and Flow.
You can work with ReasonML, which is, roughly, OCaml with
JavaScript syntax. It can be compiled to JavaScript or native code.
The language is flexible: it is dynamic and supports both object-
oriented programming and functional programming.
JavaScript has become suprisingly fast for such a dynamic language.
Whenever it isn’t fast enough, you can switch to WebAssembly, a
universal virtual machine built into most JavaScript engines. It
can run static code at nearly native speeds.
3.3 Pro and con of JavaScript: innovation
There is much innovation in the JavaScript ecosystem: new approaches to
implementing user interfaces, new ways of optimizing the delivery of
software, and more. The upside is that you will constantly learn new things.
The downside is that the constant change can be exhausting at times.
Thankfully, things have somewhat slowed down, recently: all of ES6 (which
was a considerable modernization of the language) is becoming established,
as are certain tools and workflows.
4 The nature of JavaScript
4.1 JavaScript’s influences
4.2 The nature of JavaScript
4.2.1 JavaScript often fails silently
4.3 Tips for getting started with JavaScript
4.1 JavaScript’s influences
When JavaScript was created in 1995, it was influenced by several
programming languages:
JavaScript’s syntax is largely based on Java.
Self inspired JavaScript’s prototypal inheritance.
Closures and environments were borrowed from Scheme.
AWK influenced JavaScript’s functions (including the keyword
function).
JavaScript’s strings, Arrays, and regular expressions take cues from
Perl.
HyperTalk inspired event handling via onclick in web browsers.
With ECMAScript 6, new influences came to JavaScript:
Generators were borrowed from Python.
The syntax of arrow functions came from CoffeeScript.
C++ contributed the keyword const.
Destructuring was inspired by Lisp’s destructuring bind.
Template literals came from the E language (where they are called
quasi literals).
4.2 The nature of JavaScript
These are a few traits of the language:
Its syntax is part of the C family of languages (curly braces, etc.).
It is a dynamic language: most objects can be changed in various ways
at runtime, objects can be created directly, etc.
It is a dynamically typed language: variables don’t have fixed static
types and you can assign any value to a given (mutable) variable.
It has functional programming features: first-class functions, closures,
partial application via bind(), etc.
It has object-oriented features: mutable state, objects, inheritance,
classes, etc.
It often fails silently: see the next subsection for details.
It is deployed as source code. But that source code is often minified
(rewritten to require less storage). And there are plans for a binary
source code format.
JavaScript is part of the web platform – it is the language built into web
browsers. But it is also used elsewhere – for example, in Node.js, for
server things, and shell scripting.
JavaScript engines often optimize less-efficient language mechanisms
under the hood. For example, in principle, JavaScript Arrays are
dictionaries. But under the hood, engines store Arrays contiguously if
they have contiguous indices.
4.2.1 JavaScript often fails silently
JavaScript often fails silently. Let’s look at two examples.
First example: If the operands of an operator don’t have the appropriate
types, they are converted as necessary.
> '3' * '5'
15
Second example: If an arithmetic computation fails, you get an error value,
not an exception.
> 1 / 0
Infinity
The reason for the silent failures is historical: JavaScript did not have
exceptions until ECMAScript 3. Since then, its designers have tried to avoid
silent failures.
4.3 Tips for getting started with JavaScript
These are a few tips to help you get started with JavaScript:
Take your time to really get to know this language. The conventional
C-style syntax hides that this is a very unconventional language. Learn
especially the quirks and the rationales behind them. Then you will
understand and appreciate the language better.
In addition to details, this book also teaches simple rules of thumb
to be safe – for example, “Always use === to determine if two
values are equal, never ==.”
Language tools make it easier to work with JavaScript. For example:
You can statically type JavaScript via TypeScript.
You can check for problems and anti-patterns via linters such as
ESLint.
You can format your code automatically via code formatters such
as Prettier.
For more information on JavaScript tooling, see “Next steps:
overview of web development” (§48).
Get in contact with the community:
Social media services such as Mastodon are popular among
JavaScript programmers. As a mode of communication that sits
between the spoken and the written word, it is well suited for
exchanging knowledge.
Many cities have regular free meetups where people come
together to learn topics related to JavaScript.
JavaScript conferences are another convenient way of meeting
other JavaScript programmers.
Read books and blogs. Much material is free online!
5 History and evolution of JavaScript
5.1 How JavaScript was created
5.2 Standardization: JavaScript vs. ECMAScript
5.3 Timeline of ECMAScript versions
5.4 Evolving JavaScript: TC39 (Ecma Technical Committee 39)
5.5 The TC39 process for proposed ECMAScript features
5.5.1 Tip: Think in individual features and stages, not
ECMAScript versions
5.5.2 The details of the TC39 process (advanced)
5.6 How to not break the web while changing JavaScript
5.7 FAQ: ECMAScript and TC39
5.7.1 Where can I look up which features were added in a given
ECMAScript version?
5.7.2 How is [my favorite proposed JavaScript feature] doing?
5.7.3 Why does stage 2.7 have such a peculiar number?
5.1 How JavaScript was created
JavaScript was created in May 1995 in 10 days, by Brendan Eich. Eich
worked at Netscape and implemented JavaScript for their web browser,
Netscape Navigator.
The idea was that major interactive parts of the client-side web were to be
implemented in Java. JavaScript was supposed to be a glue language for
those parts and to also make HTML slightly more interactive. Given its role
of assisting Java, JavaScript had to look like Java. That ruled out existing
solutions such as Perl, Python, TCL, and others.
Initially, JavaScript’s name changed several times:
Its code name was Mocha.
In the Netscape Navigator 2.0 betas (September 1995), it was called
LiveScript.
In Netscape Navigator 2.0 beta 3 (December 1995), it got its final
name, JavaScript.
5.2 Standardization: JavaScript vs. ECMAScript
There are two standards for JavaScript:
ECMA-262 is hosted by Ecma International. It is the primary standard.
ISO/IEC 16262 is hosted by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC). This is a secondary standard.
The language described by these standards is called ECMAScript, not
JavaScript. A different name was chosen because Sun (now Oracle) had a
trademark for the latter name. The “ECMA” in “ECMAScript” comes from
the organization that hosts the primary standard.
The original name of that organization was ECMA, an acronym for
European Computer Manufacturers Association. It was later changed to
Ecma International (with “Ecma” being a proper name, not an acronym)
because the organization’s activities had expanded beyond Europe. The
initial all-caps acronym explains the spelling of ECMAScript.
Often, JavaScript and ECMAScript mean the same thing. Sometimes
the following distinction is made:
The term JavaScript refers to the language and its implementations.
The term ECMAScript refers to the language standard and language
versions.
Therefore, ECMAScript 6 is a version of the language (its 6th edition).
5.3 Timeline of ECMAScript versions
This is a brief timeline of ECMAScript versions:
ECMAScript 1 (June 1997): First version of the standard.
ECMAScript 2 (June 1998): Small update to keep ECMA-262 in sync
with the ISO standard.
ECMAScript 3 (December 1999): Adds many core features – “[…]
regular expressions, better string handling, new control statements [do-
while, switch], try/catch exception handling, […]”
ECMAScript 4 (abandoned in July 2008): Would have been a massive
upgrade (with static typing, modules, namespaces, and more), but
ended up being too ambitious and dividing the language’s stewards.
ECMAScript 5 (December 2009): Brought minor improvements – a
few standard library features and strict mode.
ECMAScript 5.1 (June 2011): Another small update to keep Ecma and
ISO standards in sync.
ECMAScript 6 (June 2015): A large update that fulfilled many of the
promises of ECMAScript 4. This version is the first one whose official
name – ECMAScript 2015 – is based on the year of publication.
ECMAScript 2016 (June 2016): First yearly release. The shorter
release life cycle resulted in fewer new features compared to the large
ES6.
ECMAScript 2017 (June 2017). Second yearly release.
Subsequent ECMAScript versions (ES2018, etc.) are always ratified in
June.
5.4 Evolving JavaScript: TC39 (Ecma Technical
Committee 39)
TC39 is the committee that evolves JavaScript. Its members are, strictly
speaking, companies: Adobe, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla,
Opera, Twitter, and others. That is, companies that are usually competitors
are working together on JavaScript.
Every two months, TC39 has meetings that member-appointed delegates
and invited experts attend. The minutes of those meetings are public in a
GitHub repository.
Outside of meetings, TC39 also collaborates with various members and
groups of the JavaScript community.
5.5 The TC39 process for proposed ECMAScript features
With ECMAScript 6, two issues with the release process used at that time
became obvious:
If too much time passes between releases then features that are ready
early, have to wait a long time until they can be released. And features
that are ready late, risk being rushed to make the deadline.
Features were often designed long before they were implemented and
used. Design deficiencies related to implementation and use were
therefore discovered too late.
In response to these issues, TC39 instituted the new TC39 process:
ECMAScript features are designed independently and go through six
stages: a strawperson stage 0 and five “maturity” stages (1, 2, 2.7, 3, 4).
Especially the later stages require prototype implementations and real-
world testing, leading to feedback loops between designs and
implementations.
ECMAScript versions are released once per year and include all
features that have reached stage 4 prior to a release deadline.
The result: smaller, incremental releases, whose features have already been
field-tested.
ES2016 was the first ECMAScript version that was designed according to
the TC39 process.
5.5.1 Tip: Think in individual features and stages, not ECMAScript
versions
Up to and including ES6, it was most common to think about JavaScript in
terms of ECMAScript versions – for example, “Does this browser support
ES6 yet?”
Starting with ES2016, it’s better to think in individual features: once a
feature reaches stage 4, we can safely use it (if it’s supported by the
JavaScript engines we are targeting). We don’t have to wait until the next
ECMAScript release.
5.5.2 The details of the TC39 process (advanced)
ECMAScript features are designed via proposals that go through the so-
called TC39 process. That process comprises six stages:
Stage 0 means a proposal has yet to enter the actual process. This is
where most proposals start.
Then the proposal goes through the five maturity stages 1, 2, 2.7, 3 and
4. If it reaches stage 4, it is complete and ready for inclusion in the
ECMAScript standard.
5.5.2.1 Artifacts associated with an ECMAScript proposal
The following artifacts are associated with an ECMAScript proposal:
Proposal document: Describes the proposal to JavaScript
programmers, with English prose and code examples. Usually the
readme of a GitHub repository.
Specification: Written in Ecmarkup, an HTML and Markdown dialect
that is supported by a toolchain. That toolchain checks Ecmarkup and
renders it to HTML with features tailored to reading specifications
(cross-references, highlighting of variable occurrences, etc.).
The HTML can also be printed to a PDF.
If a proposal makes it to stage 4, its specification is integrated into
the full ECMAScript specification (which is also written in
Ecmarkup).
Tests: Written in JavaScript that check if an implementation conforms
to the specification.
If a proposal makes it to stage 4, its tests are integrated into
Test262, the official ECMAScript conformance test suite.
Implementations: The functionality of the proposal, implemented in
engines and transpilers (such as Babel and TypeScript).
Each stage has entrance criteria regarding the state of the artifacts:
Stage Proposal Specification Tests Implementations
1 draft
2 finished draft
2.7 finished
3 finished prototypes
4 2 implementations
5.5.2.2 Roles of the people that manage a proposal
Author: A proposal is written by one or more authors.
Champion: Each proposal has one or more TC39 delegates that guide
the proposal through the TC39 process. This is especially important if
an author has no experience with the process.
Reviewer: Reviewers give feedback for the specification during stage 2
and must sign off on it before the proposal can reach stage 2.7. They
are appointed by TC39 (excluding the authors and champions of the
proposal).
Editor: Someone in charge of managing the ECMAScript specification.
The current editors are listed at the beginning of the ECMAScript
specification.
5.5.2.3 The stages of a proposal
Stage 0: ideation and exploration
Not part of the usual advancement process. Any author can create
a draft proposal and assign it stage 0.
Stage 1: designing a solution
Entrance criteria:
Pick champions
Repository with proposal
Status:
Proposal is under consideration.
Stage 2: refining the solution
Entrance criteria:
Proposal is complete.
Draft of specification.
Status:
Proposal is likely (but not guaranteed) to be standardized.
Stage 2.7: testing and validation
Entrance criteria:
Specification is complete and approved by reviewers and
editors.
Status:
The specification is finished. It’s time to validate it through
tests and spec-compliant prototypes.
No more changes, aside from issues discovered through
validation.
Stage 3: gaining implementation experience
Entrance criteria:
Tests are finished.
Status:
The proposal is ready to be implemented.
No changes except if web incompatibilities are discovered.
Stage 4: integration into draft specification and eventual inclusion in
standard
Entrance criteria:
Two implementation that pass the tests
Significant in-the-field experience with shipping
implementations
Pull request for TC39 repository, approved by editors
Status:
Proposed feature is complete:
Its specification is ready to be included in the
ECMAScript specification.
Its tests are ready to be included in the ECMAScript
conformance test suite Test262.
Figure 5.1 illustrates the TC39 process.
Stage 0: ideation and exploration
pick champions, draft proposal
Stage 1: designing a solution
finished proposal, draft specification
Stage 2: refining the solution
finished specification
Stage 2.7: testing and validation
finished tests, prototype implementations
Stage 3: gaining implementation experience
two implementations
Stage 4: integration into draft specification
Figure 5.1: Each ECMAScript feature proposal goes through stages
that are numbered from 0 to 4.
Sources of this section:
“The TC39 Process” (official document by TC39)
The TC39 GitHub repository how-we-work, especially the document that
explains the work of a proposal champion.
The colophon of the ECMAScript specification. A colophon is content
at the end of a book. It usually contains information about the book’s
production.
5.6 How to not break the web while changing JavaScript
One idea that occasionally comes up is to clean up JavaScript by removing
old features and quirks. While the appeal of that idea is obvious, it has
significant downsides.
Let’s assume we create a new version of JavaScript that is not backward
compatible and fixes all of its flaws. As a result, we’d encounter the
following problems:
JavaScript engines become bloated: they need to support both the old
and the new version. The same is true for tools such as IDEs and build
tools.
Programmers need to know, and be continually conscious of, the
differences between the versions.
We can either migrate all of an existing code base to the new version
(which can be a lot of work). Or we can mix versions and refactoring
becomes harder because we can’t move code between versions without
changing it.
We somehow have to specify per piece of code – be it a file or code
embedded in a web page – what version it is written in. Every
conceivable solution has pros and cons. For example, strict mode is a
slightly cleaner version of ES5. One of the reasons why it wasn’t as
popular as it should have been: it was a hassle to opt in via a directive
at the beginning of a file or a function.
So what is the solution? This is how JavaScript is evolved:
New versions are always completely backward compatible (but there
may occasionally be minor, hardly noticeable clean-ups).
Old features aren’t removed or fixed. Instead, better versions of them
are introduced. One example is declaring variables via let – which is
an improved version of var.
If aspects of the language are changed, it is done inside new syntactic
constructs. That is, we opt in implicitly – for example:
yield is only a keyword inside generators (which were introduced
in ES6).
All code inside modules and classes (both introduced in ES6) is
implicitly in strict mode.
5.7 FAQ: ECMAScript and TC39
5.7.1 Where can I look up which features were added in a given
ECMAScript version?
There are several places where you can look up what’s new in each
ECMAScript version:
In this book, there is a chapter that lists what’s new in each
ECMAScript version. It also links to explanations.
The TC39 repository has a table with finished proposals that states in
which ECMAScript versions they were (or will be) introduced.
Section “Introduction” of the ECMAScript language specification lists
the new features of each ECMAScript version.
The ECMA-262 repository has a page with releases.
5.7.2 How is [my favorite proposed JavaScript feature] doing?
If you are wondering what stages various proposed features are in, consult
the GitHub repository proposals.
5.7.3 Why does stage 2.7 have such a peculiar number?
Stage 2.7 was added in late 2023, after stages 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 had already been
in use for years.
Q: Why not renumber the stages?
A: Renumbering was not in the cards because it would have made
old documents difficult to read.
Q: Why not another number such as 2.5?
The .7 reflects that stage 2.7 is closer to stage 3 than to stage 2.
Q: How about 3a for the new stage and 3b for the old stage 3?
A: If you read “stage 3” in an old document, it can be confusing
as to whether this refers to the new stage 3a or the new stage 3b.
Source: TC39 discussion on 2023-11-30
6 New JavaScript features
6.1 New in ECMAScript 2024
6.2 New in ECMAScript 2023
6.3 New in ECMAScript 2022
6.4 New in ECMAScript 2021
6.5 New in ECMAScript 2020
6.6 New in ECMAScript 2019
6.7 New in ECMAScript 2018
6.8 New in ECMAScript 2017
6.9 New in ECMAScript 2016
6.10 Source of this chapter
This chapter lists what’s new in recent ECMAScript versions – in reverse
chronological order. It ends before ES6 (ES2015): ES2016 was the first
truly incremental release of ECMAScript – which is why ES6 has too many
features to list here. If you want to get a feeling for earlier releases:
My book “Exploring ES6” describes what was added in ES6
(ES2015).
My book “Speaking JavaScript” describes all of the features of ES5 –
and is therefore a useful time capsule.
6.1 New in ECMAScript 2024
Grouping synchronous iterables:
Map.groupBy() groups the items of an iterable into Map entries whose
keys are provided by a callback:
assert.deepEqual(
Map.groupBy([0, -5, 3, -4, 8, 9], x =>
Math.sign(x)),
new Map()
.set(0, [0])
.set(-1, [-5,-4])
.set(1, [3,8,9])
);
There is also Object.groupBy() which produces an object instead of a
Map:
assert.deepEqual(
Object.groupBy([0, -5, 3, -4, 8, 9], x =>
Math.sign(x)),
{
'0': [0],
'-1': [-5,-4],
'1': [3,8,9],
__proto__: null,
}
);
Promise.withResolvers() provides a new way of creating Promises that we
want to resolve:
const { promise, resolve, reject } =
Promise.withResolvers();
The new regular expression flag /v (.unicodeSets) enables these features:
Escapes for Unicode string properties ( 😵💫 consists of three code
points):
// Previously: Unicode code point property
`Emoji` via /u
😵💫
assert.equal(
/^\p{Emoji}$/u.test(' '), false
);
// New: Unicode string property `RGI_Emoji`
via /v
😵💫
assert.equal(
/^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test(' '), true
);
String literals via \q{} in character classes:
😵💫
> /^[\q{ }]$/v.test(' ') 😵💫
true
> /^[\q{abc|def}]$/v.test('abc')
true
Set operations for character classes:
> /^[\w--[a-g]]$/v.test('a')
false
> /^[\p{Number}--[0-9]]$/v.test('٣')
😵💫 😵💫')
true
> /^[\p{RGI_Emoji}--\q{ }]$/v.test('
false
Improved matching with /i if a Unicode property escape is
negated via [^···]
ArrayBuffers get two new features:
They can be resized in place:
const buf = new ArrayBuffer(2,
{maxByteLength: 4});
// `typedArray` starts at offset 2
const typedArray = new Uint8Array(buf, 2);
assert.equal(
typedArray.length, 0
);
buf.resize(4);
assert.equal(
typedArray.length, 2
);
They get a method .transfer() for transferring them.
SharedArrayBuffers can be resized, but they can only grow and never
shrink. They are not transferrable and therefore don’t get the method
.transfer() that ArrayBuffers got.
Two new methods help us ensure that strings are well-formed (w.r.t.
UTF-16 code units):
String method .isWellFormed() checks if a JavaScript string is well-
formed and does not contain any lone surrogates.
String method .toWellFormed() returns a copy of the receiver where
each lone surrogate is replaced with the code unit 0xFFFD (which
represents the code point with the same number, whose name is
“replacement character”). The result is therefore well-formed.
Atomics.waitAsync() lets us wait asynchronously for a change to shared
memory. Its functionality is beyond the scope of this book. See the
MDN Web Docs for more information.
6.2 New in ECMAScript 2023
“Change Array by copy”: Arrays and Typed Arrays get new non-
destructive methods that copy receivers before changing them:
.toReversed() is the non-destructive version of .reverse():
const original = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const reversed = original.toReversed();
assert.deepEqual(reversed, ['c', 'b', 'a']);
// The original is unchanged
assert.deepEqual(original, ['a', 'b', 'c']);
.toSorted() is the non-destructive version of .sort():
const original = ['c', 'a', 'b'];
const sorted = original.toSorted();
assert.deepEqual(sorted, ['a', 'b', 'c']);
// The original is unchanged
assert.deepEqual(original, ['c', 'a', 'b']);
.toSpliced() is the non-destructive version of .splice():
const original = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
const spliced = original.toSpliced(1, 2,
'x');
assert.deepEqual(spliced, ['a', 'x', 'd']);
// The original is unchanged
assert.deepEqual(original, ['a', 'b', 'c',
'd']);
.with() is the non-destructive version of setting a value with
square brackets:
const original = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const updated = original.with(1, 'x');
assert.deepEqual(updated, ['a', 'x', 'c']);
// The original is unchanged
assert.deepEqual(original, ['a', 'b', 'c']);
“Array find from last”: Arrays and Typed Arrays get two new methods:
.findLast() is similar to .find() but starts searching at the end of an
Array:
> ['', 'a', 'b', ''].findLast(s => s.length >
0)
'b'
.findLastIndex() is similar to .findIndex() but starts searching at the
end of an Array:
> ['', 'a', 'b', ''].findLastIndex(s =>
s.length > 0)
2
Symbols as WeakMap keys: Before this feature, only objects could be
used as keys in WeakMaps. This feature also lets us use symbols –
except for registered symbols (created via Symbol.for()).
“Hashbang grammar”: JavaScript now ignores the first line of a file if it
starts with a hash (#) and a bang (!). Some JavaScript runtimes, such as
Node.js, have done this for a long time. Now it is also part of the
language proper. This is an example of a “hashbang” line:
#!/usr/bin/env node
6.3 New in ECMAScript 2022
New members of classes:
Properties (public slots) can now be created via:
Instance public fields
Static public fields
Private slots are new and can be created via:
Private fields (instance private fields and static private fields)
Private methods and accessors (non-static and static)
Static initialization blocks
Private slot checks (“ergonomic brand checks for private fields”): The
following expression checks if obj has a private slot #privateSlot:
#privateSlot in obj
Top-level await in modules: We can now use await at the top levels of
modules and don’t have to enter async functions or methods anymore.
error.cause: Error and its subclasses now let us specify which error
caused the current one:
new Error('Something went wrong', {cause:
otherError})
Method .at() of indexable values lets us read an element at a given
index (like the bracket operator []) and supports negative indices
(unlike the bracket operator).
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].at(0)
'a'
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].at(-1)
'c'
The following “indexable” types have method .at():
string
Array
All Typed Array classes: Uint8Array etc.
RegExp match indices: If we add a flag to a regular expression, using it
produces match objects that record the start and end index of each
group capture.
Object.hasOwn(obj, propKey) provides a safe way to check if an object obj
has an own property with the key propKey.
6.4 New in ECMAScript 2021
String.prototype.replaceAll() lets us replace all matches of a regular
expression or a string (.replace() only replaces the first occurrence of a
string):
> 'abbbaab'.replaceAll('b', 'x')
'axxxaax'
Promise.any() and AggregateError: Promise.any() returns a Promise that is
fulfilled as soon as the first Promise in an iterable of Promises is
fulfilled. If there are only rejections, they are put into an AggregateError
which becomes the rejection value.
We use Promise.any() when we are only interested in the first fulfilled
Promise among several.
Logical assignment operators:
a ||= b
a &&= b
a ??= b
Underscores (_) as separators in:
Number literals: 123_456.789_012
Bigint literals: 6_000_000_000_000_000_000_000_000n
WeakRefs: This feature is beyond the scope of this book. Quoting its
proposal states:
[This proposal] encompasses two major new pieces of
functionality:
Creating weak references to objects with the WeakRef class
Running user-defined finalizers after objects are garbage-
collected, with the FinalizationRegistry class
Their correct use takes careful thought, and they are best avoided
if possible.
Array.prototype.sort has been stable since ES2019. In ES2021, “[it] was
made more precise, reducing the amount of cases that result in an
implementation-defined sort order” [source]. For more information,
see the pull request for this improvement.
6.5 New in ECMAScript 2020
New module features:
Dynamic imports via import(): The normal import statement is
static: We can only use it at the top levels of modules and its
module specifier is a fixed string. import() changes that. It can be
used anywhere (including conditional statements) and we can
compute its argument.
import.meta contains metadata for the current module. Its first
widely supported property is import.meta.url which contains a
string with the URL of the current module’s file.
Namespace re-exporting: The following expression imports all
exports of module 'mod' in a namespace object ns and exports that
object.
export * as ns from 'mod';
Optional chaining for property accesses and method calls. One
example of optional chaining is:
value?.prop
This expression evaluates to undefined if value is either undefined or null.
Otherwise, it evaluates to value.prop. This feature is especially useful in
chains of property reads when some of the properties may be missing.
Nullish coalescing operator (??):
value ?? defaultValue
This expression is defaultValue if value is either undefined or null and
value otherwise. This operator lets us use a default value whenever
something is missing.
Previously the Logical Or operator (||) was used in this case but it has
downsides here because it returns the default value whenever the left-
hand side is falsy (which isn’t always correct).
Bigints – arbitrary-precision integers: Bigints are a new primitive type.
It supports integer numbers that can be arbitrarily large (storage for
them grows as necessary).
String.prototype.matchAll(): This method throws if flag /g isn’t set and
returns an iterable with all match objects for a given string.
Promise.allSettled() receives an iterable of Promises. It returns a
Promise that is fulfilled once all the input Promises are settled. The
fulfillment value is an Array with one object per input Promise – either
one of:
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: «fulfillment value» }
{ status: 'rejected', reason: «rejection value» }
globalThis provides a way to access the global object that works both on
browsers and server-side platforms such as Node.js and Deno.
for-in mechanics: This feature is beyond the scope of this book. For
more information on it, see its proposal.
Namespace re-exporting:
export * as ns from './internal.mjs';
6.6 New in ECMAScript 2019
Array method .flatMap() works like .map() but lets the callback return
Arrays of zero or more values instead of single values. The returned
Arrays are then concatenated and become the result of .flatMap(). Use
cases include:
Filtering and mapping at the same time
Mapping single input values to multiple output values
Array method .flat() converts nested Arrays into flat Arrays.
Optionally, we can tell it at which depth of nesting it should stop
flattening.
Object.fromEntries() creates an object from an iterable over entries. Each
entry is a two-element Array with a property key and a property value.
String methods: .trimStart() and .trimEnd() work like .trim() but remove
whitespace only at the start or only at the end of a string.
Optional catch binding: We can now omit the parameter of a catch
clause if we don’t use it.
Symbol.prototype.description is a getter for reading the description of a
symbol. Previously, the description was included in the result of
.toString() but couldn’t be accessed individually.
.sort() for Arrays and Typed Arrays is now guaranteed to be stable: If
elements are considered equal by sorting, then sorting does not change
the order of those elements (relative to each other).
These ES2019 features are beyond the scope of this book:
JSON superset: See 2ality blog post.
Well-formed JSON.stringify(): See 2ality blog post.
Function.prototype.toString() revision: See 2ality blog post.
6.7 New in ECMAScript 2018
Asynchronous iteration is the asynchronous version of synchronous
iteration. It is based on Promises:
With synchronous iterables, we can immediately access each
item. With asynchronous iterables, we have to await before we can
access an item.
With synchronous iterables, we use for-of loops. With
asynchronous iterables, we use for-await-of loops.
Spreading into object literals: By using spreading (...) inside an object
literal, we can copy the properties of another object into the current
one. One use case is to create a shallow copy of an object obj:
const shallowCopy = {...obj};
Rest properties (destructuring): When object-destructuring a value, we
can now use rest syntax (...) to get all previously unmentioned
properties in an object.
const {a, ...remaining} = {a: 1, b: 2, c: 3};
assert.deepEqual(remaining, {b: 2, c: 3});
Promise.prototype.finally() is related to the finally clause of a try-catch-
finally statement – similarly to how the Promise method .then() is
related to the try clause and .catch() is related to the catch clause.
On other words: The callback of .finally() is executed regardless of
whether a Promise is fulfilled or rejected.
New Regular expression features:
RegExp named capture groups: In addition to accessing groups by
number, we can now name them and access them by name:
const matchObj = '---756---'.match(/(?
<digits>[0-9]+)/)
assert.equal(matchObj.groups.digits, '756');
RegExp lookbehind assertions complement lookahead assertions:
Positive lookbehind: (?<=X) matches if the current location is
preceded by 'X'.
Negative lookbehind: (?<!X) matches if the current location is
not preceded by '(?<!X)'.
s (dotAll) flag for regular expressions. If this flag is active, the dot
matches line terminators (by default, it doesn’t).
RegExp Unicode property escapes give us more power when
matching sets of Unicode code points – for example:
> /^\p{Lowercase_Letter}+$/u.test('aüπ')
true
> /^\p{White_Space}+$/u.test('\n \t')
true
> /^\p{Script=Greek}+$/u.test('ΩΔΨ')
true
Template literal revision allows text with backslashes in tagged
templates that is illegal in string literals – for example:
windowsPath`C:\uuu\xxx\111`
latex`\unicode`
6.8 New in ECMAScript 2017
Async functions (async/await) let us use synchronous-looking syntax to
write asynchronous code.
Object.values() returns an Array with the values of all enumerable
string-keyed properties of a given object.
Object.entries() returns an Array with the key-value pairs of all
enumerable string-keyed properties of a given object. Each pair is
encoded as a two-element Array.
String padding: The string methods .padStart() and .padEnd() insert
padding text until the receivers are long enough:
> '7'.padStart(3, '0')
'007'
> 'yes'.padEnd(6, '!')
'yes!!!'
Trailing commas in function parameter lists and calls: Trailing commas
have been allowed in Arrays literals since ES3 and in Object literals
since ES5. They are now also allowed in function calls and method
calls.
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptors() lets us define properties via an object
with property descriptors:
The feature “Shared memory and atomics” is beyond the scope of this
book. For more information on it, see:
The documentation on SharedArrayBuffer and Atomics on MDN Web
Docs
The ECMAScript proposal “Shared memory and atomics”
6.9 New in ECMAScript 2016
Array.prototype.includes() checks if an Array contains a given value.
Exponentiation operator (**):
> 4 ** 2
16
6.10 Source of this chapter
ECMAScript feature lists were taken from the TC39 page on finished
proposals.
7 FAQ: JavaScript
7.1 What are good references for JavaScript?
7.2 How do I find out what JavaScript features are supported
where?
7.3 Where can I look up what features are planned for
JavaScript?
7.4 Why does JavaScript fail silently so often?
7.5 Why can’t we clean up JavaScript, by removing quirks and
outdated features?
7.6 How can I quickly try out a piece of JavaScript code?
7.1 What are good references for JavaScript?
Please see “JavaScript references” (§8.3).
7.2 How do I find out what JavaScript features are supported
where?
This book usually mentions if a feature is part of ECMAScript 5 (as
required by older browsers) or a newer version. For more detailed
information (including pre-ES5 versions), there are several good
compatibility tables available online:
Mozilla’s MDN web docs have tables for each feature that describe
relevant ECMAScript versions and browser support.
“Can I use…” documents what features (including JavaScript language
features) are supported by web browsers.
ECMAScript compatibility tables for various engines
Node.js compatibility tables
7.3 Where can I look up what features are planned for
JavaScript?
Please see the following sources:
“The TC39 process for proposed ECMAScript features” (§5.5)
“FAQ: ECMAScript and TC39” (§5.7)
7.4 Why does JavaScript fail silently so often?
JavaScript often fails silently. Let’s look at two examples.
First example: If the operands of an operator don’t have the appropriate
types, they are converted as necessary.
> '3' * '5'
15
Second example: If an arithmetic computation fails, you get an error value,
not an exception.
> 1 / 0
Infinity
The reason for the silent failures is historical: JavaScript did not have
exceptions until ECMAScript 3. Since then, its designers have tried to avoid
silent failures.
7.5 Why can’t we clean up JavaScript, by removing quirks
and outdated features?
This question is answered in “How to not break the web while changing
JavaScript” (§5.6).
7.6 How can I quickly try out a piece of JavaScript code?
“Trying out JavaScript code” (§10.1) explains how to do that.
II First steps
8 Using JavaScript: the big picture
8.1 What are you learning in this book?
8.2 The structure of browsers and Node.js
8.3 JavaScript references
8.4 Further reading
In this chapter, I’d like to paint the big picture: what are you learning in this
book, and how does it fit into the overall landscape of web development?
8.1 What are you learning in this book?
This book teaches the JavaScript language. It focuses on just the language,
but offers occasional glimpses at two platforms where JavaScript can be
used:
Web browser
Node.js
Node.js is important for web development in three ways:
You can use it to write server-side software in JavaScript.
You can also use it to write software for the command line (think Unix
shell, Windows PowerShell, etc.). Many JavaScript-related tools are
based on (and executed via) Node.js.
Node’s software registry, npm, has become the dominant way of
installing tools (such as compilers and build tools) and libraries – even
for client-side development.
8.2 The structure of browsers and Node.js
JS standard
Platform API
library
JavaScript engine Platform core
Figure 8.1: The structure of the two JavaScript platforms web browser
and Node.js. The APIs “standard library” and “platform API” are
hosted on top of a foundational layer with a JavaScript engine and a
platform-specific “core”.
The structures of the two JavaScript platforms web browser and Node.js are
similar (figure 8.1):
The foundational layer consists of the JavaScript engine and platform-
specific “core” functionality.
Two APIs are hosted on top of this foundation:
The JavaScript standard library is part of JavaScript proper and
runs on top of the engine.
The platform API are also available from JavaScript – it provides
access to platform-specific functionality. For example:
In browsers, you need to use the platform-specific API if you
want to do anything related to the user interface: react to
mouse clicks, play sounds, etc.
In Node.js, the platform-specific API lets you read and write
files, download data via HTTP, etc.
8.3 JavaScript references
If you have a question about JavaScript, I can recommend the following
online resources:
MDN Web Docs: cover various web technologies such as CSS, HTML,
JavaScript, and more. An excellent reference.
Node.js Docs: document the Node.js API.
ExploringJS.com: My other books cover various aspects of web
development:
“Deep JavaScript: Theory and techniques” describes JavaScript at
a level of detail that is beyond the scope of “Exploring
JavaScript”.
“Tackling TypeScript: Upgrading from JavaScript”
“Shell scripting with Node.js”
8.4 Further reading
“Next steps: overview of web development” (§48) provides a more
comprehensive look at web development.
9 Syntax
9.1 An overview of JavaScript’s syntax
9.1.1 Basic constructs
9.1.2 Modules
9.1.3 Classes
9.1.4 Exception handling
9.1.5 Legal variable and property names
9.1.6 Casing styles
9.1.7 Capitalization of names
9.1.8 More naming conventions
9.1.9 Where to put semicolons?
9.2 (Advanced)
9.3 Hashbang lines (Unix shell scripts)
9.4 Identifiers
9.4.1 Valid identifiers (variable names, etc.)
9.4.2 Reserved words
9.5 Statement vs. expression
9.5.1 Statements
9.5.2 Expressions
9.5.3 What is allowed where?
9.6 Ambiguous syntax
9.6.1 Same syntax: function declaration and function expression
9.6.2 Same syntax: object literal and block
9.6.3 Disambiguation
9.7 Semicolons
9.7.1 Rule of thumb for semicolons
9.7.2 Semicolons: control statements
9.8 Automatic semicolon insertion (ASI)
9.8.1 ASI triggered unexpectedly
9.8.2 ASI unexpectedly not triggered
9.9 Semicolons: best practices
9.10 Strict mode vs. sloppy mode
9.10.1 Switching on strict mode
9.10.2 Improvements in strict mode
9.1 An overview of JavaScript’s syntax
This is a very first look at JavaScript’s syntax. Don’t worry if some things
don’t make sense, yet. They will all be explained in more detail later in this
book.
This overview is not exhaustive, either. It focuses on the essentials.
9.1.1 Basic constructs
9.1.1.1 Comments
// single-line comment
/*
Comment with
multiple lines
*/
9.1.1.2 Primitive (atomic) values
Booleans:
true
false
Numbers:
1.141
-123
The basic number type is used for both floating point numbers (doubles)
and integers.
Bigints:
17n
-49n
The basic number type can only properly represent integers within a range
of 53 bits plus sign. Bigints can grow arbitrarily large in size.
Strings:
'abc'
"abc"
`String with interpolated values: ${256} and
${true}`
JavaScript has no extra type for characters. It uses strings to represent them.
9.1.1.3 Assertions
An assertion describes what the result of a computation is expected to look
like and throws an exception if those expectations aren’t correct. For
example, the following assertion states that the result of the computation 7
plus 1 must be 8:
assert.equal(7 + 1, 8);
assert.equal() is a method call (the object is assert, the method is .equal())
with two arguments: the actual result and the expected result. It is part of a
Node.js assertion API that is explained later in this book.
There is also assert.deepEqual() that compares objects deeply.
9.1.1.4 Logging to the console
Logging to the console of a browser or Node.js:
// Printing a value to standard out (another method
call)
console.log('Hello!');
// Printing error information to standard error
console.error('Something went wrong!');
9.1.1.5 Operators
// Operators for booleans
assert.equal(true && false, false); // And
assert.equal(true || false, true); // Or
// Operators for numbers
assert.equal(3 + 4, 7);
assert.equal(5 - 1, 4);
assert.equal(3 * 4, 12);
assert.equal(10 / 4, 2.5);
// Operators for bigints
assert.equal(3n + 4n, 7n);
assert.equal(5n - 1n, 4n);
assert.equal(3n * 4n, 12n);
assert.equal(10n / 4n, 2n);
// Operators for strings
assert.equal('a' + 'b', 'ab');
assert.equal('I see ' + 3 + ' monkeys', 'I see 3
monkeys');
// Comparison operators
assert.equal(3 < 4, true);
assert.equal(3 <= 4, true);
assert.equal('abc' === 'abc', true);
assert.equal('abc' !== 'def', true);
JavaScript also has a == comparison operator. I recommend to avoid it – why
is explained in “Recommendation: always use strict equality” (§15.4.3).
9.1.1.6 Declaring variables
const creates immutable variable bindings: Each variable must be initialized
immediately and we can’t assign a different value later. However, the value
itself may be mutable and we may be able to change its contents. In other
words: const does not make values immutable.
// Declaring and initializing x (immutable binding):
const x = 8;
// Would cause a TypeError:
// x = 9;
let creates mutable variable bindings:
// Declaring y (mutable binding):
let y;
// We can assign a different value to y:
y = 3 * 5;
// Declaring and initializing z:
let z = 3 * 5;
9.1.1.7 Ordinary function declarations
// add1() has the parameters a and b
function add1(a, b) {
return a + b;
}
// Calling function add1()
assert.equal(add1(5, 2), 7);
9.1.1.8 Arrow function expressions
Arrow function expressions are used especially as arguments of function
calls and method calls:
const add2 = (a, b) => { return a + b };
// Calling function add2()
assert.equal(add2(5, 2), 7);
// Equivalent to add2:
const add3 = (a, b) => a + b;
The previous code contains the following two arrow functions (the terms
expression and statement are explained later in this chapter):
// An arrow function whose body is a code block
(a, b) => { return a + b }
// An arrow function whose body is an expression
(a, b) => a + b
9.1.1.9 Plain objects
// Creating a plain object via an object literal
const obj = {
first: 'Jane', // property
last: 'Doe', // property
getFullName() { // property (method)
return this.first + ' ' + this.last;
},
};
// Getting a property value
assert.equal(obj.first, 'Jane');
// Setting a property value
obj.first = 'Janey';
// Calling the method
assert.equal(obj.getFullName(), 'Janey Doe');
9.1.1.10 Arrays
// Creating an Array via an Array literal
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(arr.length, 3);
// Getting an Array element
assert.equal(arr[1], 'b');
// Setting an Array element
arr[1] = 'β';
// Adding an element to an Array:
arr.push('d');
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['a', 'β', 'c', 'd']);
9.1.1.11 Control flow statements
Conditional statement:
if (x < 0) {
x = -x;
}
for-of loop:
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
for (const element of arr) {
console.log(element);
}
Output:
a
b
9.1.2 Modules
Each module is a single file. Consider, for example, the following two files
with modules in them:
file-tools.mjs
main.mjs
The module in file-tools.mjs exports its function isTextFilePath():
export function isTextFilePath(filePath) {
return filePath.endsWith('.txt');
}
The module in main.mjs imports the whole module path and the function
isTextFilePath():
// Import whole module as namespace object `path`
import * as path from 'node:path';
// Import a single export of module file-tools.mjs
import {isTextFilePath} from './file-tools.mjs';
9.1.3 Classes
class Person {
constructor(name) {
this.name = name;
}
describe() {
return `Person named ${this.name}`;
}
static logNames(persons) {
for (const person of persons) {
console.log(person.name);
}
}
}
class Employee extends Person {
constructor(name, title) {
super(name);
this.title = title;
}
describe() {
return super.describe() +
` (${this.title})`;
}
}
const jane = new Employee('Jane', 'CTO');
assert.equal(
jane.describe(),
'Person named Jane (CTO)');
9.1.4 Exception handling
function throwsException() {
throw new Error('Problem!');
}
function catchesException() {
try {
throwsException();
} catch (err) {
assert.ok(err instanceof Error);
assert.equal(err.message, 'Problem!');
}
}
Note:
try-finally and try-catch-finally are also supported.
We can throw any value, but features such as stack traces are only
supported by Error and its subclasses.
9.1.5 Legal variable and property names
The grammatical category of variable names and property names is called
identifier.
Identifiers are allowed to have the following characters:
Unicode letters: A–Z, a–z (etc.)
$, _
Unicode digits: 0–9 (etc.)
Variable names can’t start with a digit
Some words have special meaning in JavaScript and are called reserved.
Examples include: if, true, const.
Reserved words can’t be used as variable names:
const if = 123;
// SyntaxError: Unexpected token if
But they are allowed as names of properties:
> const obj = { if: 123 };
> obj.if
123
9.1.6 Casing styles
Common casing styles for concatenating words are:
Camel case: threeConcatenatedWords
Underscore case (also called snake case): three_concatenated_words
Dash case (also called kebab case): three-concatenated-words
9.1.7 Capitalization of names
In general, JavaScript uses camel case, except for constants.
Lowercase:
Functions, variables: myFunction
Methods: obj.myMethod
CSS:
CSS names: my-utility-class (dash case)
Corresponding JavaScript names: myUtilityClass
Module file names are usually dash-cased:
import * as theSpecialLibrary from './the-
special-library.mjs';
Uppercase:
Classes: MyClass
All-caps:
Constants (as shared between modules etc.): MY_CONSTANT (underscore
case)
9.1.8 More naming conventions
The following naming conventions are popular in JavaScript.
If the name of a parameter starts with an underscore (or is an underscore) it
means that this parameter is not used – for example:
arr.map((_x, i) => i)
If the name of a property of an object starts with an underscore then that
property is considered private:
class ValueWrapper {
constructor(value) {
this._value = value;
}
}
9.1.9 Where to put semicolons?
At the end of a statement:
const x = 123;
func();
But not if that statement ends with a curly brace:
while (false) {
// ···
} // no semicolon
function func() {
// ···
} // no semicolon
However, adding a semicolon after such a statement is not a syntax error – it
is interpreted as an empty statement:
// Function declaration followed by empty statement:
function func() {
// ···
};
9.2 (Advanced)
All remaining sections of this chapter are advanced.
9.3 Hashbang lines (Unix shell scripts)
In a Unix shell script, we can add a first line that starts with #! to tell Unix
which executable should be used to run the script. These two characters
have several names, including hashbang, sharp-exclamation, sha-bang
(“sha” as in “sharp”) and shebang. Otherwise, hashbang lines are treated as
comments by most shell scripting languages and JavaScript does so, too.
This is a common hashbang line for Node.js:
#!/usr/bin/env node
If we want to pass arguments to node, we have to use the env option -S (to be
safe, some Unixes don’t need it):
#!/usr/bin/env -S node --enable-source-maps --no-
warnings=ExperimentalWarning
9.4 Identifiers
9.4.1 Valid identifiers (variable names, etc.)
First character:
Unicode letter (including accented characters such as é and ü and
characters from non-latin alphabets, such as α)
Subsequent characters:
Legal first characters
Unicode digits (including Eastern Arabic numerals)
Some other Unicode marks and punctuations
Examples:
const ε = 0.0001;
const строка = '';
let _tmp = 0;
const $foo2 = true;
9.4.2 Reserved words
Reserved words can’t be variable names, but they can be property names.
All JavaScript keywords are reserved words:
await break case catch class const continue debugger default delete do else
export extends finally for function if import in instanceof let new return
static super switch this throw try typeof var void while with yield
The following tokens are also keywords, but currently not used in the
language:
enum implements package protected interface private public
The following literals are reserved words:
true false null
Technically, these words are not reserved, but you should avoid them, too,
because they effectively are keywords:
Infinity NaN undefined async
You shouldn’t use the names of global variables (String, Math, etc.) for your
own variables and parameters, either.
9.5 Statement vs. expression
In this section, we explore how JavaScript distinguishes two kinds of
syntactic constructs: statements and expressions. Afterward, we’ll see that
that can cause problems because the same syntax can mean different things,
depending on where it is used.
We pretend there are only statements and expressions
For the sake of simplicity, we pretend that there are only statements
and expressions in JavaScript.
9.5.1 Statements
A statement is a piece of code that can be executed and performs some kind
of action. For example, if is a statement:
let myStr;
if (myBool) {
myStr = 'Yes';
} else {
myStr = 'No';
}
One more example of a statement: a function declaration.
function twice(x) {
return x + x;
}
9.5.2 Expressions
An expression is a piece of code that can be evaluated to produce a value.
For example, the code between the parentheses is an expression:
let myStr = (myBool ? 'Yes' : 'No');
The operator _?_:_ used between the parentheses is called the ternary
operator. It is the expression version of the if statement.
Let’s look at more examples of expressions. We enter expressions and the
REPL evaluates them for us:
> 'ab' + 'cd'
'abcd'
> Number('123')
123
> true || false
true
9.5.3 What is allowed where?
The current location within JavaScript source code determines which kind
of syntactic constructs you are allowed to use:
The body of a function must be a sequence of statements:
function max(x, y) {
if (x > y) {
return x;
} else {
return y;
}
}
The arguments of a function call or a method call must be expressions:
console.log('ab' + 'cd', Number('123'));
However, expressions can be used as statements. Then they are called
expression statements. The opposite is not true: when the context requires
an expression, you can’t use a statement.
The following code demonstrates that any expression bar() can be either
expression or statement – it depends on the context:
function f() {
console.log(bar()); // bar() is expression
bar(); // bar(); is (expression) statement
}
9.6 Ambiguous syntax
JavaScript has several programming constructs that are syntactically
ambiguous: the same syntax is interpreted differently, depending on whether
it is used in statement context or in expression context. This section explores
the phenomenon and the pitfalls it causes.
9.6.1 Same syntax: function declaration and function expression
A function declaration is a statement:
function id(x) {
return x;
}
A function expression is an expression (right-hand side of =):
const id = function me(x) {
return x;
};
9.6.2 Same syntax: object literal and block
In the following code, {} is an object literal: an expression that creates an
empty object.
const obj = {};
This is an empty code block (a statement):
{
}
9.6.3 Disambiguation
The ambiguities are only a problem in statement context: If the JavaScript
parser encounters ambiguous syntax, it doesn’t know if it’s a plain statement
or an expression statement. For example:
If a statement starts with function: Is it a function declaration or a
function expression?
If a statement starts with {: Is it an object literal or a code block?
To resolve the ambiguity, statements starting with function or { are never
interpreted as expressions. If you want an expression statement to start with
either one of these tokens, you must wrap it in parentheses:
(function (x) { console.log(x) })('abc');
Output:
abc
In this code:
1. We first create a function via a function expression:
function (x) { console.log(x) }
2. Then we invoke that function: ('abc')
The code fragment shown in (1) is only interpreted as an expression because
we wrap it in parentheses. If we didn’t, we would get a syntax error because
then JavaScript expects a function declaration and complains about the
missing function name. Additionally, you can’t put a function call
immediately after a function declaration.
Later in this book, we’ll see more examples of pitfalls caused by syntactic
ambiguity:
Assigning via object destructuring
Returning an object literal from an arrow function
9.7 Semicolons
9.7.1 Rule of thumb for semicolons
Each statement is terminated by a semicolon:
const x = 3;
someFunction('abc');
i++;
except statements ending with blocks:
function foo() {
// ···
}
if (y > 0) {
// ···
}
The following case is slightly tricky:
const func = () => {}; // semicolon!
The whole const declaration (a statement) ends with a semicolon, but inside
it, there is an arrow function expression. That is, it’s not the statement per se
that ends with a curly brace; it’s the embedded arrow function expression.
That’s why there is a semicolon at the end.
9.7.2 Semicolons: control statements
The body of a control statement is itself a statement. For example, this is the
syntax of the while loop:
while (condition)
statement
The body can be a single statement:
while (a > 0) a--;
But blocks are also statements and therefore legal bodies of control
statements:
while (a > 0) {
a--;
}
If you want a loop to have an empty body, your first option is an empty
statement (which is just a semicolon):
while (processNextItem() > 0);
Your second option is an empty block:
while (processNextItem() > 0) {}
9.8 Automatic semicolon insertion (ASI)
While I recommend to always write semicolons, most of them are optional
in JavaScript. The mechanism that makes this possible is called automatic
semicolon insertion (ASI). In a way, it corrects syntax errors.
ASI works as follows. Parsing of a statement continues until there is either:
A semicolon
A line terminator followed by an illegal token
In other words, ASI can be seen as inserting semicolons at line breaks. The
next subsections cover the pitfalls of ASI.
9.8.1 ASI triggered unexpectedly
The good news about ASI is that – if you don’t rely on it and always write
semicolons – there is only one pitfall that you need to be aware of. It is that
JavaScript forbids line breaks after some tokens. If you do insert a line
break, a semicolon will be inserted, too.
The token where this is most practically relevant is return. Consider, for
example, the following code:
return
{
first: 'jane'
};
This code is parsed as:
return;
{
first: 'jane';
}
;
That is:
Return statement without operand: return;
Start of code block: {
Expression statement 'jane'; with label first:
End of code block: }
Empty statement: ;
Why does JavaScript do this? It protects against accidentally returning a
value in a line after a return.
9.8.2 ASI unexpectedly not triggered
In some cases, ASI is not triggered when you think it should be. That makes
life more complicated for people who don’t like semicolons because they
need to be aware of those cases. The following are three examples. There
are more.
Example 1: Unintended function call.
a = b + c
(d + e).print()
Parsed as:
a = b + c(d + e).print();
Example 2: Unintended division.
a = b
/hi/g.exec(c).map(d)
Parsed as:
a = b / hi / g.exec(c).map(d);
Example 3: Unintended property access.
someFunction()
['ul', 'ol'].map(x => x + x)
Executed as:
const propKey = ('ul','ol'); // comma operator
assert.equal(propKey, 'ol');
someFunction()[propKey].map(x => x + x);
9.9 Semicolons: best practices
I recommend that you always write semicolons:
I like the visual structure it gives code – you clearly see where a
statement ends.
There are less rules to keep in mind.
The majority of JavaScript programmers use semicolons.
However, there are also many people who don’t like the added visual clutter
of semicolons. If you are one of them: Code without them is legal. I
recommend that you use tools to help you avoid mistakes. The following are
two examples:
The automatic code formatter Prettier can be configured to not use
semicolons. It then automatically fixes problems. For example, if it
encounters a line that starts with a square bracket, it prefixes that line
with a semicolon.
The static checker ESLint has a rule that you tell your preferred style
(always semicolons or as few semicolons as possible) and that warns
you about critical issues.
9.10 Strict mode vs. sloppy mode
Starting with ECMAScript 5, JavaScript has two modes in which JavaScript
can be executed:
Normal “sloppy” mode is the default in scripts (code fragments that are
a precursor to modules and supported by browsers).
Strict mode is the default in modules and classes, and can be switched
on in scripts (how is explained later). In this mode, several pitfalls of
normal mode are removed and more exceptions are thrown.
You’ll rarely encounter sloppy mode in modern JavaScript code, which is
almost always located in modules. In this book, I assume that strict mode is
always switched on.
9.10.1 Switching on strict mode
In script files and CommonJS modules, you switch on strict mode for a
complete file, by putting the following code in the first line:
'use strict';
The neat thing about this “directive” is that ECMAScript versions before 5
simply ignore it: it’s an expression statement that does nothing.
You can also switch on strict mode for just a single function:
function functionInStrictMode() {
'use strict';
}
9.10.2 Improvements in strict mode
Let’s look at three things that strict mode does better than sloppy mode. Just
in this one section, all code fragments are executed in sloppy mode.
9.10.2.1 Sloppy mode pitfall: changing an undeclared variable creates a global variable
In non-strict mode, changing an undeclared variable creates a global
variable.
function sloppyFunc() {
undeclaredVar1 = 123;
}
sloppyFunc();
// Created global variable `undeclaredVar1`:
assert.equal(undeclaredVar1, 123);
Strict mode does it better and throws a ReferenceError. That makes it easier to
detect typos.
function strictFunc() {
'use strict';
undeclaredVar2 = 123;
}
assert.throws(
() => strictFunc(),
{
name: 'ReferenceError',
message: 'undeclaredVar2 is not defined',
});
The assert.throws() states that its first argument, a function, throws a
ReferenceError when it is called.
9.10.2.2 Function declarations are block-scoped in strict mode, function-scoped in sloppy
mode
In strict mode, a variable created via a function declaration only exists
within the innermost enclosing block:
function strictFunc() {
'use strict';
{
function foo() { return 123 }
}
return foo(); // ReferenceError
}
assert.throws(
() => strictFunc(),
{
name: 'ReferenceError',
message: 'foo is not defined',
});
In sloppy mode, function declarations are function-scoped:
function sloppyFunc() {
{
function foo() { return 123 }
}
return foo(); // works
}
assert.equal(sloppyFunc(), 123);
9.10.2.3 Sloppy mode doesn’t throw exceptions when changing immutable data
In strict mode, you get an exception if you try to change immutable data:
function strictFunc() {
'use strict';
true.prop = 1; // TypeError
}
assert.throws(
() => strictFunc(),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: "Cannot create property 'prop' on
boolean 'true'",
});
In sloppy mode, the assignment fails silently:
function sloppyFunc() {
true.prop = 1; // fails silently
return true.prop;
}
assert.equal(sloppyFunc(), undefined);
Further reading: sloppy mode
For more information on how sloppy mode differs from strict mode,
see MDN.
10 Consoles: interactive JavaScript
command lines
10.1 Trying out JavaScript code
10.1.1 Browser consoles
10.1.2 The Node.js REPL
10.1.3 Other options
10.2 The console.* API: printing data and more
10.2.1 Printing values: console.log() (stdout)
10.2.2 Printing error information: console.error() (stderr)
10.2.3 Printing nested objects via JSON.stringify()
10.1 Trying out JavaScript code
You have many options for quickly running pieces of JavaScript code. The
following subsections describe a few of them.
10.1.1 Browser consoles
Web browsers have so-called consoles: interactive command lines to which
you can print text via console.log() and where you can run pieces of code.
How to open the console differs from browser to browser. Figure 10.1 shows
the console of Google Chrome.
To find out how to open the console in your web browser, you can do a web
search for “console «name-of-your-browser»”. These are pages for a few
commonly used web browsers:
Apple Safari
Google Chrome
Microsoft Edge
Mozilla Firefox
Figure 10.1: The console of the web browser “Google Chrome” is
open (in the bottom half of window) while visiting a web page.
10.1.2 The Node.js REPL
REPL stands for read-eval-print loop and basically means command line. To
use it, you must first start Node.js from an operating system command line,
via the command node. Then an interaction with it looks as depicted in figure
10.2: The text after > is input from the user; everything else is output from
Node.js.
Figure 10.2: Starting and using the Node.js REPL (interactive
command line).
Reading: REPL interactions
I occasionally demonstrate JavaScript via REPL interactions. Then I
also use greater-than symbols (>) to mark input – for example:
> 3 + 5
8
10.1.3 Other options
Other options include:
There are many web apps that let you experiment with JavaScript in
web browsers – for example, Babel’s REPL.
There are also native apps and IDE plugins for running JavaScript.
Consoles often run in non-strict mode
In modern JavaScript, most code (e.g., modules) is executed in strict
mode. However, consoles often run in non-strict mode. Therefore, you
may occasionally get slightly different results when using a console to
execute code from this book.
10.2 The console.* API: printing data and more
In browsers, the console is something you can bring up that is normally
hidden. For Node.js, the console is the terminal that Node.js is currently
running in.
The full console.* API is documented on MDN web docs and on the Node.js
website. It is not part of the JavaScript language standard, but much
functionality is supported by both browsers and Node.js.
In this chapter, we only look at the following two methods for printing data
(“printing” means displaying in the console):
console.log()
console.error()
10.2.1 Printing values: console.log() (stdout)
There are two variants of this operation:
console.log(...values: Array<any>): void
console.log(pattern: string, ...values: Array<any>):
void
10.2.1.1 Printing multiple values
The first variant prints (text representations of) values on the console:
console.log('abc', 123, true);
Output:
abc 123 true
At the end, console.log() always prints a newline. Therefore, if you call it
with zero arguments, it just prints a newline.
10.2.1.2 Printing a string with substitutions
The second variant performs string substitution:
console.log('Test: %s %j', 123, 'abc');
Output:
Test: 123 "abc"
These are some of the directives you can use for substitutions:
%s converts the corresponding value to a string and inserts it.
console.log('%s %s', 'abc', 123);
Output:
abc 123
%o inserts a string representation of an object.
console.log('%o', {foo: 123, bar: 'abc'});
Output:
{ foo: 123, bar: 'abc' }
%j converts a value to a JSON string and inserts it.
console.log('%j', {foo: 123, bar: 'abc'});
Output:
{"foo":123,"bar":"abc"}
%% inserts a single %.
console.log('%s%%', 99);
Output:
99%
10.2.2 Printing error information: console.error() (stderr)
console.error() works the same as console.log(), but what it logs is considered
error information. For Node.js, that means that the output goes to stderr
instead of stdout on Unix.
10.2.3 Printing nested objects via JSON.stringify()
JSON.stringify() is occasionally useful for printing nested objects:
console.log(JSON.stringify({first: 'Jane', last:
'Doe'}, null, 2));
Output:
{
"first": "Jane",
"last": "Doe"
}
11 Assertion API
11.1 Assertions in software development
11.2 How assertions are used in this book
11.2.1 Documenting results in code examples via assertions
11.2.2 Implementing test-driven exercises via assertions
11.3 Normal comparison vs. deep comparison
11.4 Quick reference: module assert
11.4.1 Normal equality: assert.equal()
11.4.2 Deep equality: assert.deepEqual()
11.4.3 Expecting exceptions: assert.throws()
11.4.4 Always fail: assert.fail()
11.1 Assertions in software development
In software development, assertions state facts about values or pieces of
code that must be true. If they aren’t, an exception is thrown. Node.js
supports assertions via its built-in module assert – for example:
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
assert.equal(3 + 5, 8);
This assertion states that the expected result of 3 plus 5 is 8. The import
statement uses the recommended strict version of assert.
11.2 How assertions are used in this book
In this book, assertions are used in two ways: to document results in code
examples and to implement test-driven exercises.
11.2.1 Documenting results in code examples via assertions
In code examples, assertions express expected results. Take, for example,
the following function:
function id(x) {
return x;
}
id() returns its parameter. We can show it in action via an assertion:
assert.equal(id('abc'), 'abc');
In the examples, I usually omit the statement for importing assert.
The motivation behind using assertions is:
We can specify precisely what is expected.
Code examples can be tested automatically, which ensures that they
really work.
11.2.2 Implementing test-driven exercises via assertions
The exercises for this book are test-driven, via the test framework Mocha.
Checks inside the tests are made via methods of assert.
The following is an example of such a test:
// For the exercise, we must implement the function
hello().
// The test checks if we have done it properly.
test('First exercise', () => {
assert.equal(hello('world'), 'Hello world!');
assert.equal(hello('Jane'), 'Hello Jane!');
assert.equal(hello('John'), 'Hello John!');
assert.equal(hello(''), 'Hello !');
});
For more information, see “Getting started with exercises” (§12).
11.3 Normal comparison vs. deep comparison
The strict equal() uses === to compare values. Therefore, an object is only
equal to itself – even if another object has the same content (because ===
does not compare the contents of objects, only their identities):
assert.notEqual({foo: 1}, {foo: 1});
deepEqual() is a better choice for comparing objects:
assert.deepEqual({foo: 1}, {foo: 1});
This method works for Arrays, too:
assert.notEqual(['a', 'b', 'c'], ['a', 'b', 'c']);
assert.deepEqual(['a', 'b', 'c'], ['a', 'b', 'c']);
11.4 Quick reference: module assert
For the full documentation, see the Node.js docs.
11.4.1 Normal equality: assert.equal()
assert.equal(actual, expected, message?)
actual === expected must be true. If not, an AssertionError is thrown.
assert.equal(3+3, 6);
assert.notEqual(actual, expected, message?)
actual !== expected must be true. If not, an AssertionError is thrown.
assert.notEqual(3+3, 22);
The optional last parameter message can be used to explain what is asserted.
If the assertion fails, the message is used to set up the AssertionError that is
thrown.
let e;
try {
const x = 3;
assert.equal(x, 8, 'x must be equal to 8')
} catch (err) {
assert.equal(
String(err),
'AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: x must be equal
to 8');
}
11.4.2 Deep equality: assert.deepEqual()
assert.deepEqual(actual, expected, message?)
actual must be deeply equal to expected. If not, an AssertionError is
thrown.
assert.deepEqual([1,2,3], [1,2,3]);
assert.deepEqual([], []);
// To .equal(), an object is only equal to
itself:
assert.notEqual([], []);
assert.notDeepEqual(actual, expected, message?)
actual must not be deeply equal to expected. If it is, an AssertionError is
thrown.
assert.notDeepEqual([1,2,3], [1,2]);
11.4.3 Expecting exceptions: assert.throws()
If we want to (or expect to) receive an exception, we need assert.throws():
This function calls its first parameter, the function callback, and only
succeeds if it throws an exception. Additional parameters can be used to
specify what that exception must look like.
assert.throws(callback, message?): void
assert.throws(
() => {
null.prop;
}
);
assert.throws(callback, errorClass, message?): void
assert.throws(
() => {
null.prop;
},
TypeError
);
assert.throws(callback, errorRegExp, message?): void
assert.throws(
() => {
null.prop;
},
/^TypeError: Cannot read properties of null \
(reading 'prop'\)$/
);
assert.throws(callback, errorObject, message?): void
assert.throws(
() => {
null.prop;
},
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: "Cannot read properties of null
(reading 'prop')",
}
);
11.4.4 Always fail: assert.fail()
assert.fail(messageOrError?)
By default, it throws an AssertionError when it is called. That is
occasionally useful for unit testing. messageOrError can be:
A string. That enables to override the default error message.
An instance of Error (or a subclass). That enables us to throw a
different value.
try {
functionThatShouldThrow();
assert.fail();
} catch (_) {
// Success
}
12 Getting started with exercises
12.1 Exercises
12.1.1 Installing the exercises
12.1.2 Running exercises
12.2 Unit tests in JavaScript
12.2.1 A typical test
12.2.2 Asynchronous tests in Mocha
Throughout most chapters, there are boxes that point to exercises. These are
a paid feature, but a comprehensive preview is available. This chapter
explains how to get started with them.
12.1 Exercises
12.1.1 Installing the exercises
To install the exercises:
Download and unzip exploring-js-code.zip
Follow the instructions in README.txt
12.1.2 Running exercises
Exercises are referred to by path in this book.
For example: exercises/exercises/first_module_test.mjs
Within each file:
The first line contains the command for running the exercise.
The following lines describe what you have to do.
12.2 Unit tests in JavaScript
All exercises in this book are tests that are run via the test framework
Mocha. This section gives a brief introduction.
12.2.1 A typical test
Typical test code is split into two parts:
Part 1: the code to be tested.
Part 2: the tests for the code.
Take, for example, the following two files:
id.mjs (code to be tested)
id_test.mjs (tests)
12.2.1.1 Part 1: the code
The code itself resides in id.mjs:
export function id(x) {
return x;
}
The key thing here is: everything we want to test must be exported.
Otherwise, the test code can’t access it.
12.2.1.2 Part 2: the tests
Don’t worry about the exact details of tests
You don’t need to worry about the exact details of tests: They are
always implemented for you. Therefore, you only need to read them,
but not write them.
The tests for the code reside in id_test.mjs:
// npm t demos/exercises/id_test.mjs
suite('id_test.mjs');
import assert from 'node:assert/strict'; // (A)
import {id} from './id.mjs'; // (B)
test('My test', () => { // (C)
assert.equal(id('abc'), 'abc'); // (D)
});
The core of this test file is line D – an assertion: assert.equal() specifies that
the expected result of id('abc') is 'abc'.
As for the other lines:
The comment at the very beginning shows the shell command for
running the test.
Line A: We import the Node.js assertion library (in strict assertion
mode).
Line B: We import the function to test.
Line C: We define a test. This is done by calling the function test():
First parameter: the name of the test.
Second parameter: the test code, which is provided via an arrow
function. The parameter t gives us access to AVA’s testing API
(assertions, etc.).
To run the test, we execute the following in a command line:
npm t demos/exercises/id_test.mjs
The t is an abbreviation for test. That is, the long version of this command
is:
npm test demos/exercises/id_test.mjs
Exercise: Your first exercise
The following exercise gives you a first taste of what exercises are
like:
exercises/exercises/first_module_test.mjs
12.2.2 Asynchronous tests in Mocha
Reading
You may want to postpone reading this section until you get to the
chapters on asynchronous programming.
Writing tests for asynchronous code requires extra work: The test receives
its results later and has to signal to Mocha that it isn’t finished yet when it
returns. The following subsections examine three ways of doing so.
12.2.2.1 Asynchronicity via callbacks
If the callback we pass to test() has a parameter (e.g., done), Mocha switches
to callback-based asynchronicity. When we are done with our asynchronous
work, we have to call done:
test('divideCallback', (done) => {
divideCallback(8, 4, (error, result) => {
if (error) {
done(error);
} else {
assert.strictEqual(result, 2);
done();
}
});
});
This is what divideCallback() looks like:
function divideCallback(x, y, callback) {
if (y === 0) {
callback(new Error('Division by zero'));
} else {
callback(null, x / y);
}
}
12.2.2.2 Asynchronicity via Promises
If a test returns a Promise, Mocha switches to Promise-based
asynchronicity. A test is considered successful if the Promise is fulfilled and
failed if the Promise is rejected or if a settlement takes longer than a
timeout.
test('dividePromise 1', () => {
return dividePromise(8, 4)
.then(result => {
assert.strictEqual(result, 2);
});
});
dividePromise() is implemented as follows:
function dividePromise(x, y) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
if (y === 0) {
reject(new Error('Division by zero'));
} else {
resolve(x / y);
}
});
}
12.2.2.3 Async functions as test “bodies”
Async functions always return Promises. Therefore, an async function is a
convenient way of implementing an asynchronous test. The following code
is equivalent to the previous example.
test('dividePromise 2', async () => {
const result = await dividePromise(8, 4);
assert.strictEqual(result, 2);
// No explicit return necessary!
});
We don’t need to explicitly return anything: The implicitly returned undefined
is used to fulfill the Promise returned by this async function. And if the test
code throws an exception, then the async function takes care of rejecting the
returned Promise.
III Variables and values
13 Variables and assignment
13.1 let
13.2 const
13.2.1 const and immutability
13.2.2 const and loops
13.3 Deciding between const and let
13.4 The scope of a variable
13.4.1 Shadowing variables
13.5 (Advanced)
13.6 Terminology: static vs. dynamic
13.6.1 Static phenomenon: scopes of variables
13.6.2 Dynamic phenomenon: function calls
13.7 Global variables and the global object
[ES2020]
13.7.1 globalThis
13.8 Declarations: scope and activation
13.8.1 const and let: temporal dead zone
13.8.2 Function declarations and early activation
13.8.3 Class declarations are not activated early
13.8.4 var: hoisting (partial early activation)
13.9 Closures
13.9.1 Bound variables vs. free variables
13.9.2 What is a closure?
13.9.3 Example: A factory for incrementors
13.9.4 Use cases for closures
These are JavaScript’s main ways of declaring variables:
let declares mutable variables.
const declares constants (immutable variables).
Before ES6, there was also var. But it has several quirks, so it’s best to avoid
it in modern JavaScript. You can read more about it in Speaking JavaScript.
13.1 let
Variables declared via let are mutable:
let i;
i = 0;
i = i + 1;
assert.equal(i, 1);
You can also declare and assign at the same time:
let i = 0;
13.2 const
Variables declared via const are immutable. You must always initialize
immediately:
const i = 0; // must initialize
assert.throws(
() => { i = i + 1 },
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Assignment to constant variable.',
}
);
13.2.1 const and immutability
In JavaScript, const only means that the binding (the association between
variable name and variable value) is immutable. The value itself may be
mutable, like obj in the following example.
const obj = { prop: 0 };
// Allowed: changing properties of `obj`
obj.prop = obj.prop + 1;
assert.equal(obj.prop, 1);
// Not allowed: assigning to `obj`
assert.throws(
() => { obj = {} },
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Assignment to constant variable.',
}
);
13.2.2 const and loops
You can use const with for-of loops, where a fresh binding is created for
each iteration:
const arr = ['hello', 'world'];
for (const elem of arr) {
console.log(elem);
}
Output:
hello
world
In plain for loops, you must use let, however:
const arr = ['hello', 'world'];
for (let i=0; i<arr.length; i++) {
const elem = arr[i];
console.log(elem);
}
13.3 Deciding between const and let
I recommend the following rules to decide between const and let:
const indicates an immutable binding and that a variable never changes
its value. Prefer it.
let indicates that the value of a variable changes. Use it only when you
can’t use const.
Exercise: const
exercises/variables-assignment/const_exrc.mjs
13.4 The scope of a variable
The scope of a variable is the region of a program where it can be accessed.
Consider the following code.
{ // // Scope A. Accessible: x
const x = 0;
assert.equal(x, 0);
{ // Scope B. Accessible: x, y
const y = 1;
assert.equal(x, 0);
assert.equal(y, 1);
{ // Scope C. Accessible: x, y, z
const z = 2;
assert.equal(x, 0);
assert.equal(y, 1);
assert.equal(z, 2);
}
}
}
// Outside. Not accessible: x, y, z
assert.throws(
() => console.log(x),
{
name: 'ReferenceError',
message: 'x is not defined',
}
);
Scope A is the (direct) scope of x.
Scopes B and C are inner scopes of scope A.
Scope A is an outer scope of scope B and scope C.
Each variable is accessible in its direct scope and all scopes nested within
that scope.
The variables declared via const and let are called block-scoped because
their scopes are always the innermost surrounding blocks.
13.4.1 Shadowing variables
You can’t declare the same variable twice at the same level:
assert.throws(
() => {
eval('let x = 1; let x = 2;');
},
{
name: 'SyntaxError',
message: "Identifier 'x' has already been
declared",
});
Why eval()?
eval() delays parsing (and therefore the SyntaxError), until the callback
of assert.throws() is executed. If we didn’t use it, we’d already get an
error when this code is parsed and assert.throws() wouldn’t even be
executed.
You can, however, nest a block and use the same variable name x that you
used outside the block:
const x = 1;
assert.equal(x, 1);
{
const x = 2;
assert.equal(x, 2);
}
assert.equal(x, 1);
Inside the block, the inner x is the only accessible variable with that name.
The inner x is said to shadow the outer x. Once you leave the block, you can
access the old value again.
13.5 (Advanced)
All remaining sections are advanced.
13.6 Terminology: static vs. dynamic
These two adjectives describe phenomena in programming languages:
Static means that something is related to source code and can be
determined without executing code.
Dynamic means at runtime.
Let’s look at examples for these two terms.
13.6.1 Static phenomenon: scopes of variables
Variable scopes are a static phenomenon. Consider the following code:
function f() {
const x = 3;
// ···
}
x is statically (or lexically) scoped. That is, its scope is fixed and doesn’t
change at runtime.
Variable scopes form a static tree (via static nesting).
13.6.2 Dynamic phenomenon: function calls
Function calls are a dynamic phenomenon. Consider the following code:
function g(x) {}
function h(y) {
if (Math.random()) g(y); // (A)
}
Whether or not the function call in line A happens, can only be decided at
runtime.
Function calls form a dynamic tree (via dynamic calls).
13.7 Global variables and the global object
JavaScript’s variable scopes are nested. They form a tree:
The outermost scope is the root of the tree.
The scopes directly contained in that scope are the children of the root.
And so on.
The root is also called the global scope. In web browsers, the only location
where one is directly in that scope is at the top level of a script. The
variables of the global scope are called global variables and accessible
everywhere. There are two kinds of global variables:
Global declarative variables are normal variables.
They can only be created while at the top level of a script, via
const, let, and class declarations.
Global object variables are stored in properties of the so-called global
object.
They are created in the top level of a script, via var and function
declarations.
The global object can be accessed via the global variable
globalThis. It can be used to create, read, and delete global object
variables.
Other than that, global object variables work like normal
variables.
The following HTML fragment demonstrates globalThis and the two kinds of
global variables.
<script>
const declarativeVariable = 'd';
var objectVariable = 'o';
</script>
<script>
// All scripts share the same top-level scope:
console.log(declarativeVariable); // 'd'
console.log(objectVariable); // 'o'
// Not all declarations create properties of the
global object:
console.log(globalThis.declarativeVariable); //
undefined
console.log(globalThis.objectVariable); // 'o'
</script>
Each ECMAScript module has its own scope. Therefore, variables that exist
at the top level of a module are not global. Figure 13.1 illustrates how the
various scopes are related.
Global scope
Top level of scripts:
Object variables
var, function declarations
const, let, class declarations
Declarative variables
Module scope 1 Module scope 2 ···
Figure 13.1: The global scope is JavaScript’s outermost scope. It has
two kinds of variables: object variables (managed via the global
object) and normal declarative variables. Each ECMAScript module
has its own scope which is contained in the global scope.
[ES2020]
13.7.1 globalThis
The global variable globalThis is the new standard way of accessing the
global object. It got its name from the fact that it has the same value as this
in global scope (script scope, not module scope).
globalThis does not always directly point to the global object
For example, in browsers, there is an indirection. That indirection is
normally not noticable, but it is there and can be observed.
13.7.1.1 Alternatives to globalThis
The following global variables let us access the global object on some
platforms:
window: The classic way of referring to the global object. But it doesn’t
work in Node.js and in Web Workers.
self: Available in Web Workers and browsers in general. But it isn’t
supported by Node.js.
global: Only available in Node.js.
Main browser thread Web Workers Node.js
globalThis ✔ ✔ ✔
window ✔
self ✔ ✔
global ✔
13.7.1.2 Use cases for globalThis
The global object is now considered a mistake that JavaScript can’t get rid
of, due to backward compatibility. It affects performance negatively and is
generally confusing.
ECMAScript 6 introduced several features that make it easier to avoid the
global object – for example:
const, let, and class declarations don’t create global object properties
when used in global scope.
Each ECMAScript module has its own local scope.
It is usually better to access global object variables via variables and not via
properties of globalThis. The former has always worked the same on all
JavaScript platforms.
Tutorials on the web occasionally access global variables globVar via
window.globVar. But the prefix “window.” is not necessary and I recommend to
omit it:
window.encodeURIComponent(str); // no
encodeURIComponent(str); // yes
Therefore, there are relatively few use cases for globalThis – for example:
Polyfills that add new features to old JavaScript engines.
Feature detection, to find out what features a JavaScript engine
supports.
13.8 Declarations: scope and activation
These are two key aspects of declarations:
Scope: Where can a declared entity be seen? This is a static trait.
Activation: When can I access an entity? This is a dynamic trait. Some
entities can be accessed as soon as we enter their scopes. For others,
we have to wait until execution reaches their declarations.
Table 13.1 summarizes how various declarations handle these aspects.
Global
Scope Activation Duplicates
prop.
const Block decl. (TDZ) ✘ ✘
let Block decl. (TDZ) ✘ ✘
function Block start ✔ ✔
(*)
class Block decl. (TDZ) ✘ ✘
import Module same as ✘ ✘
export
var Function start, partially ✔ ✔
Table 13.1: Aspects of declarations:
“Duplicates” describes if a declaration can be used twice with the
same name (per scope).
“Global prop.” describes if a declaration adds a property to the
global object, when it is executed in the global scope of a script.
TDZ means temporal dead zone (which is explained later).
(*) Function declarations are normally block-scoped, but function-
scoped in sloppy mode.
import is described in “ECMAScript modules” (§29.5). The following
sections describe the other constructs in more detail.
13.8.1 const and let: temporal dead zone
For JavaScript, TC39 needed to decide what happens if you access a
constant in its direct scope, before its declaration:
{
console.log(x); // What happens here?
const x;
}
Some possible approaches are:
1. The name is resolved in the scope surrounding the current scope.
2. You get undefined.
3. There is an error.
Approach 1 was rejected because there is no precedent in the language for
this approach. It would therefore not be intuitive to JavaScript programmers.
Approach 2 was rejected because then x wouldn’t be a constant – it would
have different values before and after its declaration.
let uses the same approach 3 as const, so that both work similarly and it’s
easy to switch between them.
The time between entering the scope of a variable and executing its
declaration is called the temporal dead zone (TDZ) of that variable:
During this time, the variable is considered to be uninitialized (as if
that were a special value it has).
If you access an uninitialized variable, you get a ReferenceError.
Once you reach a variable declaration, the variable is set to either the
value of the initializer (specified via the assignment symbol) or
undefined – if there is no initializer.
The following code illustrates the temporal dead zone:
if (true) { // entering scope of `tmp`, TDZ starts
// `tmp` is uninitialized:
assert.throws(() => (tmp = 'abc'),
ReferenceError);
assert.throws(() => console.log(tmp),
ReferenceError);
let tmp; // TDZ ends
assert.equal(tmp, undefined);
}
The next example shows that the temporal dead zone is truly temporal
(related to time):
if (true) { // entering scope of `myVar`, TDZ starts
const func = () => {
console.log(myVar); // executed later
};
// We are within the TDZ:
// Accessing `myVar` causes `ReferenceError`
let myVar = 3; // TDZ ends
func(); // OK, called outside TDZ
}
Even though func() is located before the declaration of myVar and uses that
variable, we can call func(). But we have to wait until the temporal dead
zone of myVar is over.
13.8.2 Function declarations and early activation
More information on functions
In this section, we are using functions – before we had a chance to
learn them properly. Hopefully, everything still makes sense.
Whenever it doesn’t, please see “Callable values” (§27).
A function declaration is always executed when entering its scope,
regardless of where it is located within that scope. That enables you to call a
function foo() before it is declared:
assert.equal(foo(), 123); // OK
function foo() { return 123; }
The early activation of foo() means that the previous code is equivalent to:
function foo() { return 123; }
assert.equal(foo(), 123);
If you declare a function via const or let, then it is not activated early. In the
following example, you can only use bar() after its declaration.
assert.throws(
() => bar(), // before declaration
ReferenceError);
const bar = () => { return 123; };
assert.equal(bar(), 123); // after declaration
13.8.2.1 Calling ahead without early activation
Even if a function g() is not activated early, it can be called by a preceding
function f() (in the same scope) if we adhere to the following rule: f() must
be invoked after the declaration of g().
const f = () => g();
const g = () => 123;
// We call f() after g() was declared:
assert.equal(f(), 123);
The functions of a module are usually invoked after its complete body is
executed. Therefore, in modules, you rarely need to worry about the order of
functions.
Lastly, note how early activation automatically keeps the aforementioned
rule: when entering a scope, all function declarations are executed first,
before any calls are made.
13.8.2.2 A pitfall of early activation
If you rely on early activation to call a function before its declaration, then
you need to be careful that it doesn’t access data that isn’t activated early.
funcDecl();
const MY_STR = 'abc';
function funcDecl() {
assert.throws(
() => MY_STR,
ReferenceError);
}
The problem goes away if you make the call to funcDecl() after the
declaration of MY_STR.
13.8.2.3 The pros and cons of early activation
We have seen that early activation has a pitfall and that you can get most of
its benefits without using it. Therefore, it is better to avoid early activation.
But I don’t feel strongly about this and, as mentioned before, often use
function declarations because I like their syntax.
13.8.3 Class declarations are not activated early
Even though they are similar to function declarations in some ways, class
declarations are not activated early:
assert.throws(
() => new MyClass(),
ReferenceError);
class MyClass {}
assert.equal(new MyClass() instanceof MyClass,
true);
Why is that? Consider the following class declaration:
class MyClass extends Object {}
The operand of extends is an expression. Therefore, you can do things like
this:
const identity = x => x;
class MyClass extends identity(Object) {}
Evaluating such an expression must be done at the location where it is
mentioned. Anything else would be confusing. That explains why class
declarations are not activated early.
13.8.4 var: hoisting (partial early activation)
var is an older way of declaring variables that predates const and let (which
are preferred now). Consider the following var declaration.
var x = 123;
This declaration has two parts:
Declaration var x: The scope of a var-declared variable is the innermost
surrounding function and not the innermost surrounding block, as for
most other declarations. Such a variable is already active at the
beginning of its scope and initialized with undefined.
Assignment x = 123: The assignment is always executed in place.
The following code demonstrates the effects of var:
function f() {
// Partial early activation:
assert.equal(x, undefined);
if (true) {
var x = 123;
// The assignment is executed in place:
assert.equal(x, 123);
}
// Scope is function, not block:
assert.equal(x, 123);
}
13.9 Closures
Before we can explore closures, we need to learn about bound variables and
free variables.
13.9.1 Bound variables vs. free variables
Per scope, there is a set of variables that are mentioned. Among these
variables we distinguish:
Bound variables are declared within the scope. They are parameters
and local variables.
Free variables are declared externally. They are also called non-local
variables.
Consider the following code:
function func(x) {
const y = 123;
console.log(z);
}
In the body of func(), x and y are bound variables. z is a free variable.
13.9.2 What is a closure?
What is a closure then?
A closure is a function plus a connection to the variables that exist at
its “birth place”.
What is the point of keeping this connection? It provides the values for the
free variables of the function – for example:
function funcFactory(value) {
return () => {
return value;
};
}
const func = funcFactory('abc');
assert.equal(func(), 'abc'); // (A)
funcFactory returns a closure that is assigned to func. Because func has the
connection to the variables at its birth place, it can still access the free
variable value when it is called in line A (even though it “escaped” its
scope).
All functions in JavaScript are closures
Static scoping is supported via closures in JavaScript. Therefore, every
function is a closure.
13.9.3 Example: A factory for incrementors
The following function returns incrementors (a name that I just made up).
An incrementor is a function that internally stores a number. When it is
called, it updates that number by adding the argument to it and returns the
new value.
function createInc(startValue) {
return (step) => { // (A)
startValue += step;
return startValue;
};
}
const inc = createInc(5);
assert.equal(inc(2), 7);
We can see that the function created in line A keeps its internal number in
the free variable startValue. This time, we don’t just read from the birth
scope, we use it to store data that we change and that persists across
function calls.
We can create more storage slots in the birth scope, via local variables:
function createInc(startValue) {
let index = -1;
return (step) => {
startValue += step;
index++;
return [index, startValue];
};
}
const inc = createInc(5);
assert.deepEqual(inc(2), [0, 7]);
assert.deepEqual(inc(2), [1, 9]);
assert.deepEqual(inc(2), [2, 11]);
13.9.4 Use cases for closures
What are closures good for?
For starters, they are simply an implementation of static scoping. As
such, they provide context data for callbacks.
They can also be used by functions to store state that persists across
function calls. createInc() is an example of that.
And they can provide private data for objects (produced via literals or
classes). The details of how that works are explained in Exploring ES6.
14 Values
14.1 What’s a type?
14.2 JavaScript’s type hierarchy
14.3 The types of the language specification
14.4 Primitive values vs. objects
14.4.1 Primitive values (short: primitives)
14.4.2 Objects
14.5 The operators typeof and instanceof: what’s the type of a
value?
14.5.1 typeof
14.5.2 instanceof
14.6 Classes and constructor functions
14.6.1 Constructor functions associated with primitive types
14.7 Converting between types
14.7.1 Explicit conversion between types
14.7.2 Coercion (automatic conversion between types)
In this chapter, we’ll examine what kinds of values JavaScript has.
Supporting tool: ===
In this chapter, we’ll occasionally use the strict equality operator. a ===
b evaluates to true if a and b are equal. What exactly that means is
explained in “Strict equality (=== and !==)” (§15.4.2).
14.1 What’s a type?
For this chapter, I consider types to be sets of values – for example, the type
boolean is the set { false, true }.
14.2 JavaScript’s type hierarchy
(any)
(primitive value) (object)
undefined boolean Object
null number
Array Function
string
Map RegExp
symbol
Set Date
Figure 14.1: A partial hierarchy of JavaScript’s types. Missing are the
classes for errors, the classes associated with primitive types, and
more. The diagram hints at the fact that not all objects are instances of
Object.
Figure 14.1 shows JavaScript’s type hierarchy. What do we learn from that
diagram?
JavaScript distinguishes two kinds of values: primitive values and
objects. We’ll see soon what the difference is.
The diagram differentiates objects and instances of class Object. Each
instance of Object is also an object, but not vice versa. However,
virtually all objects that you’ll encounter in practice are instances of
Object – for example, objects created via object literals. More details on
this topic are explained in “Not all objects are instances of Object”
(§31.7.3).
14.3 The types of the language specification
The ECMAScript specification only knows a total of eight types. The names
of those types are (I’m using TypeScript’s names, not the spec’s names):
undefined with the only element undefined
null with the only element null
boolean with the elements false and true
number the type of all numbers (e.g., -123, 3.141)
bigint the type of all big integers (e.g., -123n)
string the type of all strings (e.g., 'abc')
symbol the type of all symbols (e.g., Symbol('My Symbol'))
object the type of all objects (different from Object, the type of all
instances of class Object and its subclasses)
14.4 Primitive values vs. objects
The specification makes an important distinction between values:
Primitive values are the elements of the types undefined, null, boolean,
number, bigint, string, symbol.
All other values are objects.
In contrast to Java (that inspired JavaScript here), primitive values are not
second-class citizens. The difference between them and objects is more
subtle. In a nutshell:
Primitive values: are atomic building blocks of data in JavaScript.
They are passed by value: when primitive values are assigned to
variables or passed to functions, their contents are copied.
They are compared by value: when comparing two primitive
values, their contents are compared.
Objects: are compound pieces of data.
They are passed by identity (my term): when objects are assigned
to variables or passed to functions, their identities (think pointers)
are copied.
They are compared by identity (my term): when comparing two
objects, their identities are compared.
Other than that, primitive values and objects are quite similar: they both
have properties (key-value entries) and can be used in the same locations.
Next, we’ll look at primitive values and objects in more depth.
14.4.1 Primitive values (short: primitives)
14.4.1.1 Primitives are immutable
You can’t change, add, or remove properties of primitives:
const str = 'abc';
assert.equal(str.length, 3);
assert.throws(
() => { str.length = 1 },
/^TypeError: Cannot assign to read only property
'length'/
);
14.4.1.2 Primitives are passed by value
Primitives are passed by value: variables (including parameters) store the
contents of the primitives. When assigning a primitive value to a variable or
passing it as an argument to a function, its content is copied.
const x = 123;
const y = x;
// `y` is the same as any other number 123
assert.equal(y, 123);
Observing the difference between passing by value and
passing by reference
Due to primitive values being immutable and compared by value (see
next subsection), there is no way to observe the difference between
passing by value and passing by identity (as used for objects in
JavaScript).
14.4.1.3 Primitives are compared by value
Primitives are compared by value: when comparing two primitive values,
we compare their contents.
assert.equal(123 === 123, true);
assert.equal('abc' === 'abc', true);
To see what’s so special about this way of comparing, read on and find out
how objects are compared.
14.4.2 Objects
Objects are covered in detail in “Objects” (§30) and the following chapter.
Here, we mainly focus on how they differ from primitive values.
Let’s first explore two common ways of creating objects:
Object literal:
const obj = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
};
The object literal starts and ends with curly braces {}. It creates an
object with two properties. The first property has the key 'first' (a
string) and the value 'Jane'. The second property has the key 'last' and
the value 'Doe'. For more information on object literals, consult “Object
literals: properties” (§30.3.1).
Array literal:
const fruits = ['strawberry', 'apple'];
The Array literal starts and ends with square brackets []. It creates an
Array with two elements: 'strawberry' and 'apple'. For more information
on Array literals, consult “Creating, reading, writing Arrays” (§33.3.1).
14.4.2.1 Objects are mutable by default
By default, you can freely change, add, and remove the properties of
objects:
const obj = {};
obj.count = 2; // add a property
assert.equal(obj.count, 2);
obj.count = 3; // change a property
assert.equal(obj.count, 3);
14.4.2.2 Objects are passed by identity
Objects are passed by identity (my term): variables (including parameters)
store the identities of objects.
The identity of an object is like a pointer (or a transparent reference) to the
object’s actual data on the heap (think shared main memory of a JavaScript
engine).
When assigning an object to a variable or passing it as an argument to a
function, its identity is copied. Each object literal creates a fresh object on
the heap and returns its identity.
const a = {}; // fresh empty object
// Pass the identity in `a` to `b`:
const b = a;
// Now `a` and `b` point to the same object
// (they “share” that object):
assert.equal(a === b, true);
// Changing `a` also changes `b`:
a.name = 'Tessa';
assert.equal(b.name, 'Tessa');
JavaScript uses garbage collection to automatically manage memory:
let obj = { prop: 'value' };
obj = {};
Now the old value { prop: 'value' } of obj is garbage (not used anymore).
JavaScript will automatically garbage-collect it (remove it from memory),
at some point in time (possibly never if there is enough free memory).
Details: passing by identity
“Passing by identity” means that the identity of an object (a
transparent reference) is passed by value. This approach is also called
“passing by sharing”.
14.4.2.3 Objects are compared by identity
Objects are compared by identity (my term): two variables are only equal if
they contain the same object identity. They are not equal if they refer to
different objects with the same content.
const obj = {}; // fresh empty object
assert.equal(obj === obj, true); // same identity
assert.equal({} === {}, false); // different
identities, same content
14.5 The operators typeof and instanceof: what’s the type
of a value?
The two operators typeof and instanceof let you determine what type a given
value x has:
if (typeof x === 'string') ···
if (x instanceof Array) ···
How do they differ?
typeof distinguishes the 7 types of the specification (minus one
omission, plus one addition).
instanceof tests which class created a given value.
Rule of thumb: typeof is for primitive values; instanceof is for
objects
14.5.1 typeof
x typeof x
undefined 'undefined'
null 'object'
Boolean 'boolean'
Number 'number'
Bigint 'bigint'
String 'string'
Symbol 'symbol'
Function 'function'
All other objects 'object'
Table 14.1: The results of the typeof operator.
Table 14.1 lists all results of typeof. They roughly correspond to the 7 types
of the language specification. Alas, there are two differences, and they are
language quirks:
typeof null returns 'object' and not 'null'. That’s a bug. Unfortunately,
it can’t be fixed. TC39 tried to do that, but it broke too much code on
the web.
typeof of a function should be 'object' (functions are objects).
Introducing a separate category for functions is confusing.
These are a few examples of using typeof:
> typeof undefined
'undefined'
> typeof 123n
'bigint'
> typeof 'abc'
'string'
> typeof {}
'object'
Exercises: Two exercises on typeof
exercises/values/typeof_exrc.mjs
Bonus: exercises/values/is_object_test.mjs
14.5.2 instanceof
This operator answers the question: has a value x been created by a class C?
x instanceof C
For example:
> (function() {}) instanceof Function
true
> ({}) instanceof Object
true
> [] instanceof Array
true
Primitive values are not instances of anything:
> 123 instanceof Number
false
> '' instanceof String
false
> '' instanceof Object
false
Exercise: instanceof
exercises/values/instanceof_exrc.mjs
14.6 Classes and constructor functions
JavaScript’s original factories for objects are constructor functions: ordinary
functions that return “instances” of themselves if you invoke them via the
new operator.
ES6 introduced classes, which are mainly better syntax for constructor
functions.
In this book, I’m using the terms constructor function and class
interchangeably.
Classes can be seen as partitioning the single type object of the specification
into subtypes – they give us more types than the limited 7 ones of the
specification. Each class is the type of the objects that were created by it.
14.6.1 Constructor functions associated with primitive types
Each primitive type (except for the spec-internal types for undefined and null)
has an associated constructor function (think class):
The constructor function Boolean is associated with booleans.
The constructor function Number is associated with numbers.
The constructor function String is associated with strings.
The constructor function Symbol is associated with symbols.
Each of these functions plays several roles – for example, Number:
You can use it as a function and convert values to numbers:
assert.equal(Number('123'), 123);
Number.prototype provides the properties for numbers – for example,
method .toString():
assert.equal((123).toString,
Number.prototype.toString);
Number is a namespace/container object for tool functions for numbers –
for example:
assert.equal(Number.isInteger(123), true);
Lastly, you can also use Number as a class and create number objects.
These objects are different from real numbers and should be avoided.
assert.notEqual(new Number(123), 123);
assert.equal(new Number(123).valueOf(), 123);
14.6.1.1 Wrapping primitive values
The constructor functions related to primitive types are also called wrapper
types because they provide the canonical way of converting primitive values
to objects. In the process, primitive values are “wrapped” in objects.
const prim = true;
assert.equal(typeof prim, 'boolean');
assert.equal(prim instanceof Boolean, false);
const wrapped = Object(prim);
assert.equal(typeof wrapped, 'object');
assert.equal(wrapped instanceof Boolean, true);
assert.equal(wrapped.valueOf(), prim); // unwrap
Wrapping rarely matters in practice, but it is used internally in the language
specification, to give primitives properties.
14.7 Converting between types
There are two ways in which values are converted to other types in
JavaScript:
Explicit conversion: via functions such as String().
Coercion (automatic conversion): happens when an operation receives
operands/parameters that it can’t work with.
14.7.1 Explicit conversion between types
The function associated with a primitive type explicitly converts values to
that type:
> Boolean(0)
false
> Number('123')
123
> String(123)
'123'
You can also use Object() to convert values to objects:
> typeof Object(123)
'object'
The following table describes in more detail how this conversion works:
x Object(x)
undefined {}
null {}
boolean new Boolean(x)
number new Number(x)
x Object(x)
bigint An instance of BigInt (new throws TypeError)
string new String(x)
symbol An instance of Symbol (new throws TypeError)
object x
14.7.2 Coercion (automatic conversion between types)
For many operations, JavaScript automatically converts the
operands/parameters if their types don’t fit. This kind of automatic
conversion is called coercion.
For example, the multiplication operator coerces its operands to numbers:
> '7' * '3'
21
Many built-in functions coerce, too. For example, Number.parseInt() coerces
its parameter to a string before parsing it. That explains the following result:
> Number.parseInt(123.45)
123
The number 123.45 is converted to the string '123.45' before it is parsed.
Parsing stops before the first non-digit character, which is why the result is
123.
Exercise: Converting values to primitives
exercises/values/conversion_exrc.mjs
15 Operators
15.1 Making sense of operators
15.1.1 Operators coerce their operands to appropriate types
15.1.2 Most operators only work with primitive values
15.2 The plus operator (+)
15.3 Assignment operators
15.3.1 The plain assignment operator
15.3.2 Compound assignment operators
15.4 Equality: == vs. ===
15.4.1 Loose equality (== and !=)
15.4.2 Strict equality (=== and !==)
15.4.3 Recommendation: always use strict equality
15.4.4 Even stricter than ===: Object.is()
15.5 Ordering operators
15.6 Various other operators
15.6.1 Comma operator
15.6.2 void operator
15.1 Making sense of operators
JavaScript’s operators may seem quirky. With the following two rules, they
are easier to understand:
Operators coerce their operands to appropriate types
Most operators only work with primitive values
15.1.1 Operators coerce their operands to appropriate types
If an operator gets operands that don’t have the proper types, it rarely throws
an exception. Instead, it coerces (automatically converts) the operands so
that it can work with them. Let’s look at two examples.
First, the multiplication operator can only work with numbers. Therefore, it
converts strings to numbers before computing its result.
> '7' * '3'
21
Second, the square brackets operator ([ ]) for accessing the properties of an
object can only handle strings and symbols. All other values are coerced to
string:
const obj = {};
obj['true'] = 123;
// Coerce true to the string 'true'
assert.equal(obj[true], 123);
15.1.2 Most operators only work with primitive values
As mentioned before, most operators only work with primitive values. If an
operand is an object, it is usually coerced to a primitive value – for example:
> [1,2,3] + [4,5,6]
'1,2,34,5,6'
Why? The plus operator first coerces its operands to primitive values:
> String([1,2,3])
'1,2,3'
> String([4,5,6])
'4,5,6'
Next, it concatenates the two strings:
> '1,2,3' + '4,5,6'
'1,2,34,5,6'
15.2 The plus operator ( ) +
The plus operator works as follows in JavaScript:
First, it converts both operands to primitive values. Then it switches to
one of two modes:
String mode: If one of the two primitive values is a string, then it
converts the other one to a string, concatenates both strings, and
returns the result.
Number mode: Otherwise, It converts both operands to numbers,
adds them, and returns the result.
String mode lets us use + to assemble strings:
> 'There are ' + 3 + ' items'
'There are 3 items'
Number mode means that if neither operand is a string (or an object that
becomes a string) then everything is coerced to numbers:
> 4 + true
5
Number(true) is 1.
15.3 Assignment operators
15.3.1 The plain assignment operator
The plain assignment operator is used to change storage locations:
x = value; // assign to a previously declared
variable
obj.propKey = value; // assign to a property
arr[index] = value; // assign to an Array element
Initializers in variable declarations can also be viewed as a form of
assignment:
const x = value;
let y = value;
15.3.2 Compound assignment operators
JavaScript supports the following assignment operators:
[ES1]
Arithmetic assignment operators: += -= *= /= %=
+= can also be used for string concatenation
[ES2016]
Introduced later: **=
[ES1]
Bitwise assignment operators: &= ^= |=
[ES1]
Bitwise shift assignment operators: <<= >>= >>>=
[ES2021]
Logical assignment operators: ||= &&= ??=
[ES2021]
15.3.2.1 Logical assignment operators
Logical assignment operators work differently from other compound
assignment operators:
Assignment operator Equivalent to Only assigns if a is
a ||= b a || (a = b) Falsy
a &&= b a && (a = b) Truthy
a ??= b a ?? (a = b) Nullish
Why is a ||= b equivalent to the following expression?
a || (a = b)
Why not to this expression?
a = a || b
The former expression has the benefit of short-circuiting: The assignment is
only evaluated if a evaluates to false. Therefore, the assignment is only
performed if it’s necessary. In contrast, the latter expression always
performs an assignment.
For more on ??=, see “The nullish coalescing assignment operator (??=)”
(§16.4.5).
15.3.2.2 The remaining compound assignment operators
For operators op other than || && ??, the following two ways of assigning are
equivalent:
myvar op= value
myvar = myvar op value
If, for example, op is +, then we get the operator += that works as follows.
let str = '';
str += '<b>';
str += 'Hello!';
str += '</b>';
assert.equal(str, '<b>Hello!</b>');
15.4 Equality: == vs. ===
JavaScript has two kinds of equality operators: loose equality (==) and strict
equality (===). The recommendation is to always use the latter.
Other names for == and ===
== is also called double equals. Its official name in the language
specification is abstract equality comparison.
=== is also called triple equals.
15.4.1 Loose equality (== and !=)
Loose equality is one of JavaScript’s quirks. It often coerces operands.
Some of those coercions make sense:
> '123' == 123
true
> false == 0
true
Others less so:
> '' == 0
true
Objects are coerced to primitives if (and only if!) the other operand is
primitive:
> [1, 2, 3] == '1,2,3'
true
> ['1', '2', '3'] == '1,2,3'
true
If both operands are objects, they are only equal if they are the same object:
> [1, 2, 3] == ['1', '2', '3']
false
> [1, 2, 3] == [1, 2, 3]
false
> const arr = [1, 2, 3];
> arr == arr
true
Lastly, == considers undefined and null to be equal:
> undefined == null
true
15.4.2 Strict equality (=== and !==)
Strict equality never coerces. Two values are only equal if they have the
same type. Let’s revisit our previous interaction with the == operator and see
what the === operator does:
> false === 0
false
> '123' === 123
false
An object is only equal to another value if that value is the same object:
> [1, 2, 3] === '1,2,3'
false
> ['1', '2', '3'] === '1,2,3'
false
> [1, 2, 3] === ['1', '2', '3']
false
> [1, 2, 3] === [1, 2, 3]
false
> const arr = [1, 2, 3];
> arr === arr
true
The === operator does not consider undefined and null to be equal:
> undefined === null
false
15.4.3 Recommendation: always use strict equality
I recommend to always use ===. It makes your code easier to understand and
spares you from having to think about the quirks of ==.
Let’s look at two use cases for == and what I recommend to do instead.
15.4.3.1 Use case for ==: comparing with a number or a string
== lets you check if a value x is a number or that number as a string – with a
single comparison:
if (x == 123) {
// x is either 123 or '123'
}
I prefer either of the following two alternatives:
if (x === 123 || x === '123') ···
if (Number(x) === 123) ···
You can also convert x to a number when you first encounter it.
15.4.3.2 Use case for ==: comparing with undefined or null
Another use case for == is to check if a value x is either undefined or null:
if (x == null) {
// x is either null or undefined
}
The problem with this code is that you can’t be sure if someone meant to
write it that way or if they made a typo and meant === null.
I prefer either of the following two alternatives:
if (x === undefined || x === null) ···
if (!x) ···
A downside of the second alternative is that it accepts values other than
undefined and null, but it is a well-established pattern in JavaScript (to be
explained in detail in “Truthiness-based existence checks” (§17.3)).
The following three conditions are also roughly equivalent:
if (x != null) ···
if (x !== undefined && x !== null) ···
if (x) ···
15.4.4 Even stricter than ===: Object.is()
Method Object.is() compares two values:
> Object.is(123, 123)
true
> Object.is(123, '123')
false
It is even stricter than ===. For example, it considers NaN, the error value for
computations involving numbers, to be equal to itself:
> Object.is(NaN, NaN)
true
> NaN === NaN
false
That is occasionally useful. For example, you can use it to implement an
improved version of the Array method .indexOf():
const myIndexOf = (arr, elem) => {
return arr.findIndex(x => Object.is(x, elem));
};
myIndexOf() finds NaN in an Array, while .indexOf() doesn’t:
> myIndexOf([0,NaN,2], NaN)
1
> [0,NaN,2].indexOf(NaN)
-1
The result -1 means that .indexOf() couldn’t find its argument in the Array.
15.5 Ordering operators
Operator name
< less than
<= Less than or equal
> Greater than
>= Greater than or equal
Table 15.1: JavaScript’s ordering operators.
JavaScript’s ordering operators (table 15.1) work for both numbers and
strings:
> 5 >= 2
true
> 'bar' < 'foo'
true
<= and >= are based on strict equality.
The ordering operators don’t work well for human languages
The ordering operators don’t work well for comparing text in a human
language, e.g., when capitalization or accents are involved. The details
are explained in “Comparing strings” (§22.6).
15.6 Various other operators
The following operators are covered elsewhere in this book:
Operators for booleans, numbers, strings, objects
The nullish coalescing operator (??) for default values
The next two subsections discuss two operators that are rarely used.
15.6.1 Comma operator
The comma operator has two operands, evaluates both of them and returns
the second one:
> 'a', 'b'
'b'
For more information on this operator, see Speaking JavaScript.
15.6.2 void operator
The void operator evaluates its operand and returns undefined:
> void (3 + 2)
undefined
For more information on this operator, see Speaking JavaScript.
IV Primitive values
16 The non-values undefined and null
16.1 undefined vs. null
16.2 Occurrences of undefined and null
16.2.1 Occurrences of undefined
16.2.2 Occurrences of null
16.3 Checking for undefined or null
16.4 The nullish coalescing operator (??) for default values
[ES2020]
16.4.1 Example: counting matches
16.4.2 Example: specifying a default value for a property
16.4.3 Using destructuring for default values
16.4.4 Legacy approach: using logical Or (||) for default values
[ES2021]
16.4.5 The nullish coalescing assignment operator (??=)
16.5 undefined and null don’t have properties
16.6 The history of undefined and null
Many programming languages have one “non-value” called null. It indicates
that a variable does not currently point to an object – for example, when it
hasn’t been initialized yet.
In contrast, JavaScript has two of them: undefined and null.
16.1 undefined vs. null
Both values are very similar and often used interchangeably. How they
differ is therefore subtle. The language itself makes the following
distinction:
undefined means “not initialized” (e.g., a variable) or “not existing”
(e.g., a property of an object).
null means “the intentional absence of any object value” (a quote from
the language specification).
Programmers may make the following distinction:
undefined is the non-value used by the language (when something is
uninitialized, etc.).
null means “explicitly switched off”. That is, it helps implement a type
that comprises both meaningful values and a meta-value that stands for
“no meaningful value”. Such a type is called option type or maybe type
in functional programming.
16.2 Occurrences of undefined and null
The following subsections describe where undefined and null appear in the
language. We’ll encounter several mechanisms that are explained in more
detail later in this book.
16.2.1 Occurrences of undefined
Uninitialized variable myVar:
let myVar;
assert.equal(myVar, undefined);
Parameter x is not provided:
function func(x) {
return x;
}
assert.equal(func(), undefined);
Property .unknownProp is missing:
const obj = {};
assert.equal(obj.unknownProp, undefined);
If we don’t explicitly specify the result of a function via a return statement,
JavaScript returns undefined for us:
function func() {}
assert.equal(func(), undefined);
16.2.2 Occurrences of null
The prototype of an object is either an object or, at the end of a chain of
prototypes, null. Object.prototype does not have a prototype:
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Object.prototype)
null
If we match a regular expression (such as /a/) against a string (such as 'x'),
we either get an object with matching data (if matching was successful) or
null (if matching failed):
> /a/.exec('x')
null
The JSON data format does not support undefined, only null:
> JSON.stringify({a: undefined, b: null})
'{"b":null}'
16.3 Checking for undefined or null
Checking for either:
if (x === null) ···
if (x === undefined) ···
Does x have a value?
if (x !== undefined && x !== null) {
// ···
}
if (x) { // truthy?
// x is neither: undefined, null, false, 0, NaN,
0n, ''
}
Is x either undefined or null?
if (x === undefined || x === null) {
// ···
}
if (!x) { // falsy?
// x is: undefined, null, false, 0, NaN, 0n, ''
}
Truthy means “is true if coerced to boolean”. Falsy means “is false if
coerced to boolean”. Both concepts are explained properly in “Falsy and
truthy values” (§17.2).
16.4 The nullish coalescing operator ( ??) for default values
[ES2020]
Sometimes we receive a value and only want to use it if it isn’t either null or
undefined. Otherwise, we’d like to use a default value, as a fallback. We can
do that via the nullish coalescing operator (??):
const valueToUse = receivedValue ?? defaultValue;
The following two expressions are equivalent:
a ?? b
a !== undefined && a !== null ? a : b
16.4.1 Example: counting matches
The following code shows a real-world example:
function countMatches(regex, str) {
const matchResult = str.match(regex); // null or
Array
return (matchResult ?? []).length;
}
assert.equal(
countMatches(/a/g, 'ababa'), 3);
assert.equal(
countMatches(/b/g, 'ababa'), 2);
assert.equal(
countMatches(/x/g, 'ababa'), 0);
If there are one or more matches for regex inside str, then .match() returns an
Array. If there are no matches, it unfortunately returns null (and not the
empty Array). We fix that via the ?? operator.
We also could have used optional chaining:
return matchResult?.length ?? 0;
16.4.2 Example: specifying a default value for a property
function getTitle(fileDesc) {
return fileDesc.title ?? '(Untitled)';
}
const files = [
{path: 'index.html', title: 'Home'},
{path: 'tmp.html'},
];
assert.deepEqual(
files.map(f => getTitle(f)),
['Home', '(Untitled)']);
16.4.3 Using destructuring for default values
In some cases, destructuring can also be used for default values – for
example:
function getTitle(fileDesc) {
const {title = '(Untitled)'} = fileDesc;
return title;
}
16.4.4 Legacy approach: using logical Or (||) for default values
Before ECMAScript 2020 and the nullish coalescing operator, logical Or
was used for default values. That has a downside.
|| works as expected for undefined and null:
> undefined || 'default'
'default'
> null || 'default'
'default'
But it also returns the default for all other falsy values – for example:
> false || 'default'
'default'
> 0 || 'default'
'default'
> 0n || 'default'
'default'
> '' || 'default'
'default'
Compare that to how ?? works:
> undefined ?? 'default'
'default'
> null ?? 'default'
'default'
> false ?? 'default'
false
> 0 ?? 'default'
0
> 0n ?? 'default'
0n
> '' ?? 'default'
''
[ES2021]
16.4.5 The nullish coalescing assignment operator (??=)
??= is a logical assignment operator. The following two expressions are
roughly equivalent:
a ??= b
a ?? (a = b)
That means that ??= is short-circuiting: The assignment is only made if a is
undefined or null.
16.4.5.1 Example: using ??= to add missing properties
const books = [
{
isbn: '123',
},
{
title: 'ECMAScript Language Specification',
isbn: '456',
},
];
// Add property .title where it’s missing
for (const book of books) {
book.title ??= '(Untitled)';
}
assert.deepEqual(
books,
[
{
isbn: '123',
title: '(Untitled)',
},
{
title: 'ECMAScript Language Specification',
isbn: '456',
},
]);
16.5 undefined and null don’t have properties
undefined and null are the only two JavaScript values where we get an
exception if we try to read a property. To explore this phenomenon, let’s use
the following function, which reads (“gets”) property .foo and returns the
result.
function getFoo(x) {
return x.foo;
}
If we apply getFoo() to various values, we can see that it only fails for
undefined and null:
> getFoo(undefined)
TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined
(reading 'foo')
> getFoo(null)
TypeError: Cannot read properties of null (reading
'foo')
> getFoo(true)
undefined
> getFoo({})
undefined
16.6 The history of undefined and null
In Java (which inspired many aspects of JavaScript), initialization values
depend on the static type of a variable:
Variables with object types are initialized with null.
Each primitive type has its own initialization value. For example, int
variables are initialized with 0.
In JavaScript, each variable can hold both object values and primitive
values. Therefore, if null means “not an object”, JavaScript also needs an
initialization value that means “neither an object nor a primitive value”.
That initialization value is undefined.
17 Booleans
17.1 Converting to boolean
17.2 Falsy and truthy values
17.2.1 Checking for truthiness or falsiness
17.3 Truthiness-based existence checks
17.3.1 Pitfall: truthiness-based existence checks are imprecise
17.3.2 Use case: was a parameter provided?
17.3.3 Use case: does a property exist?
17.4 Conditional operator (? :)
17.5 Binary logical operators: And (x && y), Or (x || y)
17.5.1 Value-preservation
17.5.2 Short-circuiting
17.5.3 Logical And (x && y)
17.5.4 Logical Or (||)
17.6 Logical Not (!)
The primitive type boolean comprises two values – false and true:
> typeof false
'boolean'
> typeof true
'boolean'
17.1 Converting to boolean
The meaning of “converting to [type]”
“Converting to [type]” is short for “Converting arbitrary values to
values of type [type]”.
These are three ways in which you can convert an arbitrary value x to a
boolean.
Boolean(x)
Most descriptive; recommended.
x ? true : false
Uses the conditional operator (explained later in this chapter).
!!x
Uses the logical Not operator (!). This operator coerces its operand to
boolean. It is applied a second time to get a non-negated result.
Table 17.1 describes how various values are converted to boolean.
x Boolean(x)
undefined false
null false
boolean x (no change)
number 0 → false, NaN → false
Other numbers → true
x Boolean(x)
bigint 0 → false
Other numbers → true
string '' → false
Other strings → true
symbol true
object Always true
Table 17.1: Converting values to booleans.
17.2 Falsy and truthy values
When checking the condition of an if statement, a while loop, or a do-while
loop, JavaScript works differently than you may expect. Take, for example,
the following condition:
if (value) {}
In many programming languages, this condition is equivalent to:
if (value === true) {}
However, in JavaScript, it is equivalent to:
if (Boolean(value) === true) {}
That is, JavaScript checks if value is true when converted to boolean. This
kind of check is so common that the following names were introduced:
A value is called truthy if it is true when converted to boolean.
A value is called falsy if it is false when converted to boolean.
Each value is either truthy or falsy. Consulting table 17.1, we can make an
exhaustive list of falsy values:
undefined
null
Boolean: false
Numbers: 0, NaN
Bigint: 0n
String: ''
All other values (including all objects) are truthy:
> Boolean('abc')
true
> Boolean([])
true
> Boolean({})
true
17.2.1 Checking for truthiness or falsiness
if (x) {
// x is truthy
}
if (!x) {
// x is falsy
}
if (x) {
// x is truthy
} else {
// x is falsy
}
const result = x ? 'truthy' : 'falsy';
The conditional operator that is used in the last line, is explained later in this
chapter.
Exercise: Truthiness
exercises/booleans/truthiness_exrc.mjs
17.3 Truthiness-based existence checks
In JavaScript, if you read something that doesn’t exist (e.g., a missing
parameter or a missing property), you usually get undefined as a result. In
these cases, an existence check amounts to comparing a value with undefined.
For example, the following code checks if object obj has the property .prop:
if (obj.prop !== undefined) {
// obj has property .prop
}
Due to undefined being falsy, we can shorten this check to:
if (obj.prop) {
// obj has property .prop
}
17.3.1 Pitfall: truthiness-based existence checks are imprecise
Truthiness-based existence checks have one pitfall: they are not very
precise. Consider this previous example:
if (obj.prop) {
// obj has property .prop
}
The body of the if statement is skipped if:
obj.prop is missing (in which case, JavaScript returns undefined).
However, it is also skipped if:
obj.prop is undefined.
obj.prop is any other falsy value (null, 0, '', etc.).
In practice, this rarely causes problems, but you have to be aware of this
pitfall.
17.3.2 Use case: was a parameter provided?
A truthiness check is often used to determine if the caller of a function
provided a parameter:
function func(x) {
if (!x) {
throw new Error('Missing parameter x');
}
// ···
}
On the plus side, this pattern is established and short. It correctly throws
errors for undefined and null.
On the minus side, there is the previously mentioned pitfall: the code also
throws errors for all other falsy values.
An alternative is to check for undefined:
if (x === undefined) {
throw new Error('Missing parameter x');
}
17.3.3 Use case: does a property exist?
Truthiness checks are also often used to determine if a property exists:
function readFile(fileDesc) {
if (!fileDesc.path) {
throw new Error('Missing property: .path');
}
// ···
}
readFile({ path: 'foo.txt' }); // no error
This pattern is also established and has the usual caveat: it not only throws if
the property is missing, but also if it exists and has any of the falsy values.
If you truly want to check if the property exists, you have to use the in
operator:
if (! ('path' in fileDesc)) {
throw new Error('Missing property: .path');
}
17.4 Conditional operator ( ? :)
The conditional operator is the expression version of the if statement. Its
syntax is:
«condition» ? «thenExpression» : «elseExpression»
It is evaluated as follows:
If condition is truthy, evaluate and return thenExpression.
Otherwise, evaluate and return elseExpression.
The conditional operator is also called ternary operator because it has three
operands.
Examples:
> true ? 'yes' : 'no'
'yes'
> false ? 'yes' : 'no'
'no'
> '' ? 'yes' : 'no'
'no'
The following code demonstrates that whichever of the two branches “then”
and “else” is chosen via the condition, only that branch is evaluated. The
other branch isn’t.
const x = (true ? console.log('then') :
console.log('else'));
Output:
then
17.5 Binary logical operators: And ( x && y), Or (x || y)
The binary logical operators && and || are value-preserving and short-
circuiting.
17.5.1 Value-preservation
Value-preservation means that operands are interpreted as booleans but
returned unchanged:
> 12 || 'hello'
12
> 0 || 'hello'
'hello'
17.5.2 Short-circuiting
Short-circuiting means if the first operand already determines the result,
then the second operand is not evaluated. The only other operator that
delays evaluating its operands is the conditional operator. Usually, all
operands are evaluated before performing an operation.
For example, logical And (&&) does not evaluate its second operand if the
first one is falsy:
const x = false && console.log('hello');
// No output
If the first operand is truthy, console.log() is executed:
const x = true && console.log('hello');
Output:
hello
17.5.3 Logical And (x && y)
The expression a && b (“a And b”) is evaluated as follows:
1. Evaluate a.
2. Is the result falsy? Return it.
3. Otherwise, evaluate b and return the result.
In other words, the following two expressions are roughly equivalent:
a && b
!a ? a : b
Examples:
> false && true
false
> false && 'abc'
false
> true && false
false
> true && 'abc'
'abc'
> '' && 'abc'
''
17.5.4 Logical Or (||)
The expression a || b (“a Or b”) is evaluated as follows:
1. Evaluate a.
2. Is the result truthy? Return it.
3. Otherwise, evaluate b and return the result.
In other words, the following two expressions are roughly equivalent:
a || b
a ? a : b
Examples:
> true || false
true
> true || 'abc'
true
> false || true
true
> false || 'abc'
'abc'
> 'abc' || 'def'
'abc'
17.5.4.1 Legacy use case for logical Or ( ||): providing default values
ECMAScript 2020 introduced the nullish coalescing operator (??) for
default values. Before that, logical Or was used for this purpose:
const valueToUse = receivedValue || defaultValue;
See “The nullish coalescing operator (??) for default values” (§16.4) for
more information on ?? and the downsides of || in this case.
Legacy exercise: Default values via the Or operator (||)
exercises/booleans/default_via_or_exrc.mjs
17.6 Logical Not ( ) !
The expression !x (“Not x”) is evaluated as follows:
1. Evaluate x.
2. Is it truthy? Return false.
3. Otherwise, return true.
Examples:
> !false
true
> !true
false
> !0
true
> !123
false
> !''
true
> !'abc'
false
18 Numbers
18.1 Numbers are used for both floating point numbers and
integers
18.2 Number literals
18.2.1 Integer literals
18.2.2 Floating point literals
18.2.3 Syntactic pitfall: properties of integer literals
[ES2021]
18.2.4 Underscores (_) as separators in number literals
18.3 Arithmetic operators
18.3.1 Binary arithmetic operators
18.3.2 Unary plus (+) and negation (-)
18.3.3 Incrementing (++) and decrementing (--)
18.4 Converting to number
18.5 Error values
18.5.1 Error value: NaN
18.5.2 Error value: Infinity
18.6 The precision of numbers: careful with decimal fractions
18.7 (Advanced)
18.8 Background: floating point precision
18.8.1 A simplified representation of floating point numbers
18.9 Integer numbers in JavaScript
18.9.1 Converting to integer
18.9.2 Ranges of integer numbers in JavaScript
18.9.3 Safe integers
18.10 Bitwise operators
18.10.1 Internally, bitwise operators work with 32-bit integers
18.10.2 Bitwise Not
18.10.3 Binary bitwise operators
18.10.4 Bitwise shift operators
18.10.5 b32(): displaying unsigned 32-bit integers in binary
notation
18.11 Quick reference: numbers
18.11.1 Global functions for numbers
18.11.2 Number.*: data properties
18.11.3 Number.*: methods
18.11.4 Number.prototype.*
18.11.5 Sources
JavaScript has two kinds of numeric values:
Numbers are 64-bit floating point numbers and are also used for
smaller integers (within a range of plus/minus 53 bits).
Bigints represent integers with an arbitrary precision.
This chapter covers numbers. Bigints are covered later in this book.
18.1 Numbers are used for both floating point numbers and
integers
The type number is used for both integers and floating point numbers in
JavaScript:
98
123.45
However, all numbers are doubles, 64-bit floating point numbers
implemented according to the IEEE Standard for Floating-Point Arithmetic
(IEEE 754).
Integer numbers are simply floating point numbers without a decimal
fraction:
> 98 === 98.0
true
Note that, under the hood, most JavaScript engines are often able to use real
integers, with all associated performance and storage size benefits.
18.2 Number literals
Let’s examine literals for numbers.
18.2.1 Integer literals
Several integer literals let us express integers with various bases:
// Binary (base 2)
assert.equal(0b11, 3); // ES6
// Octal (base 8)
assert.equal(0o10, 8); // ES6
// Decimal (base 10)
assert.equal(35, 35);
// Hexadecimal (base 16)
assert.equal(0xE7, 231);
18.2.2 Floating point literals
Floating point numbers can only be expressed in base 10.
Fractions:
> 35.0
35
N
Exponent: eN means ×10
> 3e2
300
> 3e-2
0.03
> 0.3e2
30
18.2.3 Syntactic pitfall: properties of integer literals
Accessing a property of an integer literal entails a pitfall: If the integer
literal is immediately followed by a dot, then that dot is interpreted as a
decimal dot:
7.toString(); // syntax error
There are four ways to work around this pitfall:
7.0.toString()
(7).toString()
7..toString()
7 .toString() // space before dot
[ES2021]
18.2.4 Underscores (_) as separators in number literals
Grouping digits to make long numbers more readable has a long tradition.
For example:
In 1825, London had 1,335,000 inhabitants.
The distance between Earth and Sun is 149,600,000 km.
Since ES2021, we can use underscores as separators in number literals:
const inhabitantsOfLondon = 1_335_000;
const distanceEarthSunInKm = 149_600_000;
With other bases, grouping is important, too:
const fileSystemPermission = 0b111_111_000;
const bytes = 0b1111_10101011_11110000_00001101;
const words = 0xFAB_F00D;
We can also use the separator in fractions and exponents:
const massOfElectronInKg = 9.109_383_56e-31;
const trillionInShortScale = 1e1_2;
18.2.4.1 Where can we put separators?
The locations of separators are restricted in two ways:
We can only put underscores between two digits. Therefore, all of the
following number literals are illegal:
3_.141
3._141
1_e12
1e_12
_1464301 // valid variable name!
1464301_
0_b111111000
0b_111111000
We can’t use more than one underscore in a row:
123__456 // two underscores – not allowed
The motivation behind these restrictions is to keep parsing simple and to
avoid strange edge cases.
18.2.4.2 Parsing numbers with separators
The following functions for parsing numbers do not support separators:
Number()
Number.parseInt()
Number.parseFloat()
For example:
> Number('123_456')
NaN
> Number.parseInt('123_456')
123
The rationale is that numeric separators are for code. Other kinds of input
should be processed differently.
18.3 Arithmetic operators
18.3.1 Binary arithmetic operators
Table 18.1 lists JavaScript’s binary arithmetic operators.
Operator Name Example
n + m Addition ES1 3 + 4 → 7
n - m Subtraction ES1 9 - 1 → 8
n * m Multiplication ES1 3 * 2.25 → 6.75
n / m Division ES1 5.625 / 5 → 1.125
n % m Remainder ES1 8 % 5 → 3
-8 % 5 → -3
n ** m Exponentiation ES2016 4 ** 2 → 16
Table 18.1: Binary arithmetic operators.
18.3.1.1 % is a remainder operator
% is a remainder operator, not a modulo operator. Its result has the sign of
the first operand:
> 5 % 3
2
> -5 % 3
-2
For more information on the difference between remainder and modulo, see
the blog post “Remainder operator vs. modulo operator (with JavaScript
code)” on 2ality.
18.3.2 Unary plus (+) and negation (-)
Table 18.2 summarizes the two operators unary plus (+) and negation (-).
Operator Name Example
+n Unary plus ES1 +(-7) → -7
-n Unary negation ES1 -(-7) → 7
Table 18.2: The operators unary plus (+) and negation (-).
Both operators coerce their operands to numbers:
> +'5'
5
> +'-12'
-12
> -'9'
-9
Thus, unary plus lets us convert arbitrary values to numbers.
18.3.3 Incrementing (++) and decrementing (--)
The incrementation operator ++ exists in a prefix version and a suffix
version. In both versions, it destructively adds one to its operand. Therefore,
its operand must be a storage location that can be changed.
The decrementation operator -- works the same, but subtracts one from its
operand. The next two examples explain the difference between the prefix
and the suffix version.
Table 18.3 summarizes the incrementation and decrementation operators.
Operator Name Example
v++ Increment ES1 let v=0; [v++, v] → [0, 1]
++v Increment ES1 let v=0; [++v, v] → [1, 1]
v-- Decrement ES1 let v=1; [v--, v] → [1, 0]
--v Decrement ES1 let v=1; [--v, v] → [0, 0]
Table 18.3: Incrementation operators and decrementation operators.
Next, we’ll look at examples of these operators in use.
Prefix ++ and prefix -- change their operands and then return them.
let foo = 3;
assert.equal(++foo, 4);
assert.equal(foo, 4);
let bar = 3;
assert.equal(--bar, 2);
assert.equal(bar, 2);
Suffix ++ and suffix -- return their operands and then change them.
let foo = 3;
assert.equal(foo++, 3);
assert.equal(foo, 4);
let bar = 3;
assert.equal(bar--, 3);
assert.equal(bar, 2);
18.3.3.1 Operands: not just variables
We can also apply these operators to property values:
const obj = { a: 1 };
++obj.a;
assert.equal(obj.a, 2);
And to Array elements:
const arr = [ 4 ];
arr[0]++;
assert.deepEqual(arr, [5]);
Exercise: Number operators
exercises/numbers/is_odd_test.mjs
18.4 Converting to number
These are three ways of converting values to numbers:
Number(value)
+value
parseFloat(value) (avoid; different than the other two!)
Recommendation: use the descriptive Number(). Table 18.4 summarizes how
it works.
x Number(x)
undefined NaN
x Number(x)
null 0
boolean false → 0, true → 1
number x (no change)
bigint -1n → -1, 1n → 1, etc.
string '' → 0
Other → parsed number, ignoring leading/trailing
whitespace
symbol Throws TypeError
object Configurable (e.g. via .valueOf())
Table 18.4: Converting values to numbers.
Examples:
assert.equal(Number(123.45), 123.45);
assert.equal(Number(''), 0);
assert.equal(Number('\n 123.45 \t'), 123.45);
assert.equal(Number('xyz'), NaN);
assert.equal(Number(-123n), -123);
How objects are converted to numbers can be configured – for example, by
overriding .valueOf():
> Number({ valueOf() { return 123 } })
123
Exercise: Converting to number
exercises/numbers/parse_number_test.mjs
18.5 Error values
Two number values are returned when errors happen:
NaN
Infinity
18.5.1 Error value: NaN
NaN is an abbreviation of “not a number”. Ironically, JavaScript considers it
to be a number:
> typeof NaN
'number'
When is NaN returned?
NaN is returned if a number can’t be parsed:
> Number('$$$')
NaN
> Number(undefined)
NaN
NaN is returned if an operation can’t be performed:
> Math.log(-1)
NaN
> Math.sqrt(-1)
NaN
NaN is returned if an operand or argument is NaN (to propagate errors):
> NaN - 3
NaN
> 7 ** NaN
NaN
18.5.1.1 Checking for NaN
NaN is the only JavaScript value that is not strictly equal to itself:
const n = NaN;
assert.equal(n === n, false);
These are several ways of checking if a value x is NaN:
const x = NaN;
assert.equal(Number.isNaN(x), true); // preferred
assert.equal(Object.is(x, NaN), true);
assert.equal(x !== x, true);
In the last line, we use the comparison quirk to detect NaN.
18.5.1.2 Finding NaN in Arrays
Some Array methods can’t find NaN:
> [NaN].indexOf(NaN)
-1
Others can:
> [NaN].includes(NaN)
true
> [NaN].findIndex(x => Number.isNaN(x))
0
> [NaN].find(x => Number.isNaN(x))
NaN
Alas, there is no simple rule of thumb. We have to check for each method
how it handles NaN.
18.5.2 Error value: Infinity
When is the error value Infinity returned?
Infinity is returned if a number is too large:
> Math.pow(2, 1023)
8.98846567431158e+307
> Math.pow(2, 1024)
Infinity
Infinity is returned if there is a division by zero:
> 5 / 0
Infinity
> -5 / 0
-Infinity
18.5.2.1 Infinity as a default value
Infinity is larger than all other numbers (except NaN), making it a good
default value:
function findMinimum(numbers) {
let min = Infinity;
for (const n of numbers) {
if (n < min) min = n;
}
return min;
}
assert.equal(findMinimum([5, -1, 2]), -1);
assert.equal(findMinimum([]), Infinity);
18.5.2.2 Checking for Infinity
These are two common ways of checking if a value x is Infinity:
const x = Infinity;
assert.equal(x === Infinity, true);
assert.equal(Number.isFinite(x), false);
Exercise: Comparing numbers
exercises/numbers/find_max_test.mjs
18.6 The precision of numbers: careful with decimal fractions
Internally, JavaScript floating point numbers are represented with base 2
(according to the IEEE 754 standard). That means that decimal fractions
(base 10) can’t always be represented precisely:
> 0.1 + 0.2
0.30000000000000004
> 1.3 * 3
3.9000000000000004
> 1.4 * 100000000000000
139999999999999.98
We therefore need to take rounding errors into consideration when
performing arithmetic in JavaScript.
Read on for an explanation of this phenomenon.
18.7 (Advanced)
All remaining sections of this chapter are advanced.
18.8 Background: floating point precision
In JavaScript, computations with numbers don’t always produce correct
results – for example:
> 0.1 + 0.2
0.30000000000000004
To understand why, we need to explore how JavaScript represents floating
point numbers internally. It uses three integers to do so, which take up a
total of 64 bits of storage (double precision):
Component Size Integer range
Sign 1 bit [0, 1]
52
Fraction 52 bits [0, 2 −1]
Exponent 11 bits [−1023, 1024]
The floating point number represented by these integers is computed as
follows:
sign exponent
(–1) × 0b1.fraction × 2
This representation can’t encode a zero because its second component
(involving the fraction) always has a leading 1. Therefore, a zero is encoded
via the special exponent −1023 and a fraction 0.
18.8.1 A simplified representation of floating point numbers
To make further discussions easier, we simplify the previous representation:
Instead of base 2 (binary), we use base 10 (decimal) because that’s
what most people are more familiar with.
The fraction is a natural number that is interpreted as a fraction (digits
after a point). We switch to a mantissa, an integer that is interpreted as
itself. As a consequence, the exponent is used differently, but its
fundamental role doesn’t change.
As the mantissa is an integer (with its own sign), we don’t need a
separate sign, anymore.
The new representation works like this:
exponent
mantissa × 10
Let’s try out this representation for a few floating point numbers.
To encode the integer 123, we use the mantissa 123 and multiply it
0
with 1 (10 ):
> 123 * (10 ** 0)
123
To encode the integer −45, we use the mantissa −45 and, again, the
exponent zero:
> -45 * (10 ** 0)
-45
For the number 1.5, we imagine there being a point after the mantissa.
We use the negative exponent −1 to move that point one digit to the
left:
> 15 * (10 ** -1)
1.5
For the number 0.25, we move the point two digits to the left:
> 25 * (10 ** -2)
0.25
In other words: As soon as we have decimal digits, the exponent becomes
negative. We can also write such a number as a fraction:
Numerator (above the horizontal fraction bar): the mantissa
Denominator (below the horizontal fraction bar): a 10 with a positive
exponent ≥ 1.
For example:
> 15 * (10 ** -1) === 15 / (10 ** 1)
true
> 25 * (10 ** -2) === 25 / (10 ** 2)
true
These fractions help with understanding why there are numbers that our
encoding cannot represent:
1/10 can be represented. It already has the required format: a power of
10 in the denominator.
1/2 can be represented as 5/10. We turned the 2 in the denominator into
a power of 10 by multiplying the numerator and denominator by 5.
1/4 can be represented as 25/100. We turned the 4 in the denominator
into a power of 10 by multiplying the numerator and denominator by
25.
1/3 cannot be represented. There is no way to turn the denominator into
a power of 10. (The prime factors of 10 are 2 and 5. Therefore, any
denominator that only has these prime factors can be converted to a
power of 10, by multiplying both the numerator and denominator by
enough twos and fives. If a denominator has a different prime factor,
then there’s nothing we can do.)
To conclude our excursion, we switch back to base 2:
0.5 = 1/2 can be represented with base 2 because the denominator is
already a power of 2.
0.25 = 1/4 can be represented with base 2 because the denominator is
already a power of 2.
0.1 = 1/10 cannot be represented because the denominator cannot be
converted to a power of 2.
0.2 = 2/10 cannot be represented because the denominator cannot be
converted to a power of 2.
Now we can see why 0.1 + 0.2 doesn’t produce a correct result: internally,
neither of the two operands can be represented precisely.
The only way to compute precisely with decimal fractions is by internally
switching to base 10. For many programming languages, base 2 is the
default and base 10 an option. For example:
Java has the class BigDecimal.
Python has the module decimal.
There are plans to add something similar to JavaScript: the ECMAScript
proposal “Decimal”. Until that happens, we can use libraries such as big.js.
18.9 Integer numbers in JavaScript
Integer numbers are normal (floating point) numbers without decimal
fractions:
> 1 === 1.0
true
> Number.isInteger(1.0)
true
In this section, we’ll look at a few tools for working with these pseudo-
integers. JavaScript also supports bigints, which are real integers.
18.9.1 Converting to integer
The recommended way of converting numbers to integers is to use one of
the rounding methods of the Math object:
Math.floor(n): returns the largest integer i ≤ n
> Math.floor(2.1)
2
> Math.floor(2.9)
2
Math.ceil(n): returns the smallest integer i ≥ n
> Math.ceil(2.1)
3
> Math.ceil(2.9)
3
Math.round(n): returns the integer that is “closest” to n with __.5 being
rounded up – for example:
> Math.round(2.4)
2
> Math.round(2.5)
3
Math.trunc(n): removes any decimal fraction (after the point) that n has,
therefore turning it into an integer.
> Math.trunc(2.1)
2
> Math.trunc(2.9)
2
For more information on rounding, consult “Rounding” (§19.3).
18.9.2 Ranges of integer numbers in JavaScript
These are important ranges of integer numbers in JavaScript:
Safe integers: can be represented “safely” by JavaScript (more on
what that means in the next subsection)
Precision: 53 bits plus sign
53 53
Range: (−2 , 2 )
Array indices
Precision: 32 bits, unsigned
32
Range: [0, 2 −1) (excluding the maximum length)
Typed Arrays have a larger range of 53 bits (safe and unsigned)
Bitwise operators (bitwise Or, etc.)
Precision: 32 bits
32
Range of unsigned right shift (>>>): unsigned, [0, 2 )
31 31
Range of all other bitwise operators: signed, [−2 , 2 )
18.9.3 Safe integers
This is the range of integer numbers that are safe in JavaScript (53 bits plus
a sign):
53 53
[–(2 )+1, 2 –1]
An integer is safe if it is represented by exactly one JavaScript number.
Given that JavaScript numbers are encoded as a fraction multiplied by 2 to
the power of an exponent, higher integers can also be represented, but then
there are gaps between them.
54
For example (18014398509481984 is 2 ):
> 18014398509481984
18014398509481984
> 18014398509481985
18014398509481984
> 18014398509481986
18014398509481984
> 18014398509481987
18014398509481988
The following properties of Number help determine if an integer is safe:
assert.equal(Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER, (2 ** 53) -
1);
assert.equal(Number.MIN_SAFE_INTEGER, -
Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER);
assert.equal(Number.isSafeInteger(5), true);
assert.equal(Number.isSafeInteger('5'), false);
assert.equal(Number.isSafeInteger(5.1), false);
assert.equal(Number.isSafeInteger(Number.MAX_SAFE_IN
TEGER), true);
assert.equal(Number.isSafeInteger(Number.MAX_SAFE_IN
TEGER+1), false);
Exercise: Detecting safe integers
exercises/numbers/is_safe_integer_test.mjs
18.9.3.1 Safe computations
Let’s look at computations involving unsafe integers.
The following result is incorrect and unsafe, even though both of its
operands are safe:
> 9007199254740990 + 3
9007199254740992
The following result is safe, but incorrect. The first operand is unsafe; the
second operand is safe:
> 9007199254740995 - 10
9007199254740986
Therefore, the result of an expression a op b is correct if and only if:
isSafeInteger(a) && isSafeInteger(b) &&
isSafeInteger(a op b)
That is, both operands and the result must be safe.
18.10 Bitwise operators
18.10.1 Internally, bitwise operators work with 32-bit integers
Internally, JavaScript’s bitwise operators work with 32-bit integers. They
produce their results in the following steps:
Input (JavaScript numbers): The 1–2 operands are first converted to
JavaScript numbers (64-bit floating point numbers) and then to 32-bit
integers.
Computation (32-bit integers): The actual operation processes 32-bit
integers and produces a 32-bit integer.
Output (JavaScript number): Before returning the result, it is converted
back to a JavaScript number.
18.10.1.1 The types of operands and results
For each bitwise operator, this book mentions the types of its operands and
its result. Each type is always one of the following two:
Type Description Size Range
31 31
Int32 signed 32-bit integer 32 bits incl. sign [−2 , 2 )
32
Uint32 unsigned 32-bit integer 32 bits [0, 2 )
Considering the previously mentioned steps, I recommend to pretend that
bitwise operators internally work with unsigned 32-bit integers (step
“computation”) and that Int32 and Uint32 only affect how JavaScript
numbers are converted to and from integers (steps “input” and “output”).
18.10.1.2 Displaying JavaScript numbers as unsigned 32-bit integers
While exploring the bitwise operators, it occasionally helps to display
JavaScript numbers as unsigned 32-bit integers in binary notation. That’s
what b32() does (whose implementation is shown later):
assert.equal(
b32(-1),
'11111111111111111111111111111111');
assert.equal(
b32(1),
'00000000000000000000000000000001');
assert.equal(
b32(2 ** 31),
'10000000000000000000000000000000');
18.10.2 Bitwise Not
Type
Operation Name
signature
~num Bitwise Not, ones’ Int32 → Int32 ES1
complement
Table 18.5: The bitwise Not operator.
The bitwise Not operator (table 18.5) inverts each binary digit of its
operand:
> b32(~0b100)
'11111111111111111111111111111011'
This so-called ones’ complement is similar to a negative for some arithmetic
operations. For example, adding an integer to its ones’ complement is
always -1:
> 4 + ~4
-1
> -11 + ~-11
-1
18.10.3 Binary bitwise operators
Operation Name Type signature
num1 & num2 Bitwise And Int32 × Int32 → Int32 ES1
num1 ¦ num2 Bitwise Or Int32 × Int32 → Int32 ES1
num1 ^ num2 Bitwise Xor Int32 × Int32 → Int32 ES1
Table 18.6: Binary bitwise operators.
The binary bitwise operators (table 18.6) combine the bits of their operands
to produce their results:
> (0b1010 & 0b0011).toString(2).padStart(4, '0')
'0010'
> (0b1010 | 0b0011).toString(2).padStart(4, '0')
'1011'
> (0b1010 ^ 0b0011).toString(2).padStart(4, '0')
'1001'
18.10.4 Bitwise shift operators
Operation Name Type signature
num << count Left shift Int32 × Uint32 → Int32 ES1
num >> count Signed right shift Int32 × Uint32 → Int32 ES1
num >>> Unsigned right Uint32 × Uint32 → ES1
count shift Uint32
Table 18.7: Bitwise shift operators.
The shift operators (table 18.7) move binary digits to the left or to the right:
> (0b10 << 1).toString(2)
'100'
>> preserves highest bit, >>> doesn’t:
> b32(0b10000000000000000000000000000010 >> 1)
'11000000000000000000000000000001'
> b32(0b10000000000000000000000000000010 >>> 1)
'01000000000000000000000000000001'
18.10.5 b32(): displaying unsigned 32-bit integers in binary notation
We have now used b32() a few times. The following code is an
implementation of it:
/**
* Return a string representing n as a 32-bit
unsigned integer,
* in binary notation.
*/
function b32(n) {
// >>> ensures highest bit isn’t interpreted as a
sign
return (n >>> 0).toString(2).padStart(32, '0');
}
assert.equal(
b32(6),
'00000000000000000000000000000110');
n >>> 0 means that we are shifting n zero bits to the right. Therefore, in
principle, the >>> operator does nothing, but it still coerces n to an unsigned
32-bit integer:
> 12 >>> 0
12
> -12 >>> 0
4294967284
> (2**32 + 1) >>> 0
1
18.11 Quick reference: numbers
18.11.1 Global functions for numbers
JavaScript has the following four global functions for numbers:
isFinite()
isNaN()
parseFloat()
parseInt()
However, it is better to use the corresponding methods of Number
(Number.isFinite(), etc.), which have fewer pitfalls. They were introduced
with ES6 and are discussed below.
18.11.2 Number.*: data properties
[ES6]
Number.EPSILON
The difference between 1 and the next representable floating point
number. In general, a machine epsilon provides an upper bound for
rounding errors in floating point arithmetic.
-16
Approximately: 2.2204460492503130808472633361816 × 10
[ES6]
Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER
The largest integer that JavaScript can represent unambiguously
53
(2 −1).
[ES1]
Number.MAX_VALUE
The largest positive finite JavaScript number.
308
Approximately: 1.7976931348623157 × 10
[ES6]
Number.MIN_SAFE_INTEGER
The smallest integer that JavaScript can represent unambiguously
53
(−2 +1).
[ES1]
Number.MIN_VALUE
−324
The smallest positive JavaScript number. Approximately 5 × 10 .
[ES1]
Number.NaN
The same as the global variable NaN.
[ES1]
Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY
The same as -Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY.
[ES1]
Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY
The same as the global variable Infinity.
18.11.3 Number.*: methods
[ES6]
Number.isFinite(num)
Returns true if num is an actual number (neither Infinity nor -Infinity nor
NaN).
> Number.isFinite(Infinity)
false
> Number.isFinite(-Infinity)
false
> Number.isFinite(NaN)
false
> Number.isFinite(123)
true
[ES6]
Number.isInteger(num)
Returns true if num is a number and does not have a decimal fraction.
> Number.isInteger(-17)
true
> Number.isInteger(33)
true
> Number.isInteger(33.1)
false
> Number.isInteger('33')
false
> Number.isInteger(NaN)
false
> Number.isInteger(Infinity)
false
[ES6]
Number.isNaN(num)
Returns true if num is the value NaN:
> Number.isNaN(NaN)
true
> Number.isNaN(123)
false
> Number.isNaN('abc')
false
[ES6]
Number.isSafeInteger(num)
Returns true if num is a number and unambiguously represents an
integer.
[ES6]
Number.parseFloat(str)
Coerces its parameter to string and parses it as a floating point number.
For converting strings to numbers, Number() (which ignores leading and
trailing whitespace) is usually a better choice than Number.parseFloat()
(which ignores leading whitespace and illegal trailing characters and
can hide problems).
> Number.parseFloat(' 123.4#')
123.4
> Number(' 123.4#')
NaN
[ES6]
Number.parseInt(str, radix=10)
Coerces its parameter to string and parses it as an integer, ignoring
leading whitespace and illegal trailing characters:
> Number.parseInt(' 123#')
123
The parameter radix specifies the base of the number to be parsed:
> Number.parseInt('101', 2)
5
> Number.parseInt('FF', 16)
255
Do not use this method to convert numbers to integers: coercing to
string is inefficient. And stopping before the first non-digit is not a
good algorithm for removing the fraction of a number. Here is an
example where it goes wrong:
> Number.parseInt(1e21, 10) // wrong
1
It is better to use one of the rounding functions of Math to convert a
number to an integer:
> Math.trunc(1e21) // correct
1e+21
18.11.4 Number.prototype.*
(Number.prototype is where the methods of numbers are stored.)
[ES3]
Number.prototype.toExponential(fractionDigits?)
Returns a string that represents the number via exponential
notation.
With fractionDigits, we can specify, how many digits should be
shown of the number that is multiplied with the exponent.
The default is to show as many digits as necessary.
Example: number too small to get a positive exponent via .toString().
> 1234..toString()
'1234'
> 1234..toExponential() // 3 fraction digits
'1.234e+3'
> 1234..toExponential(5)
'1.23400e+3'
> 1234..toExponential(1)
'1.2e+3'
Example: fraction not small enough to get a negative exponent via
.toString().
> 0.003.toString()
'0.003'
> 0.003.toExponential()
'3e-3'
[ES3]
Number.prototype.toFixed(fractionDigits=0)
Returns an exponent-free string representation of the number, rounded
to fractionDigits digits.
> 0.00000012.toString() // with exponent
'1.2e-7'
> 0.00000012.toFixed(10) // no exponent
'0.0000001200'
> 0.00000012.toFixed()
'0'
21
If the number is 10 or greater, even .toFixed() uses an exponent:
> (10 ** 21).toFixed()
'1e+21'
[ES3]
Number.prototype.toPrecision(precision?)
Works like .toString(), but precision specifies how many digits
should be shown overall.
If precision is missing, .toString() is used.
> 1234..toPrecision(3) // requires exponential
notation
'1.23e+3'
> 1234..toPrecision(4)
'1234'
> 1234..toPrecision(5)
'1234.0'
> 1.234.toPrecision(3)
'1.23'
[ES1]
Number.prototype.toString(radix=10)
Returns a string representation of the number.
By default, we get a base 10 numeral as a result:
> 123.456.toString()
'123.456'
If we want the numeral to have a different base, we can specify it via
radix:
> 4..toString(2) // binary (base 2)
'100'
> 4.5.toString(2)
'100.1'
> 255..toString(16) // hexadecimal (base 16)
'ff'
> 255.66796875.toString(16)
'ff.ab'
> 1234567890..toString(36)
'kf12oi'
Number.parseInt() provides the inverse operation: it converts a string that
contains an integer (no fraction!) numeral with a given base, to a
number.
> Number.parseInt('kf12oi', 36)
1234567890
18.11.5 Sources
Wikipedia
TypeScript’s built-in typings
MDN web docs for JavaScript
ECMAScript language specification
19 Math
19.1 Data properties
19.2 Exponents, roots, logarithms
19.3 Rounding
19.4 Trigonometric Functions
19.5 Various other functions
19.6 Sources
Math is an object with data properties and methods for processing numbers.
You can see it as a poor man’s module: It was created long before JavaScript
had modules.
19.1 Data properties
[ES1]
Math.E: number
Euler’s number, base of the natural logarithms, approximately
2.7182818284590452354.
[ES1]
Math.LN10: number
The natural logarithm of 10, approximately 2.302585092994046.
[ES1]
Math.LN2: number
The natural logarithm of 2, approximately 0.6931471805599453.
[ES1]
Math.LOG10E: number
The logarithm of e to base 10, approximately 0.4342944819032518.
[ES1]
Math.LOG2E: number
The logarithm of e to base 2, approximately 1.4426950408889634.
[ES1]
Math.PI: number
The mathematical constant π, ratio of a circle’s circumference to its
diameter, approximately 3.1415926535897932.
[ES1]
Math.SQRT1_2: number
The square root of 1/2, approximately 0.7071067811865476.
[ES1]
Math.SQRT2: number
The square root of 2, approximately 1.4142135623730951.
19.2 Exponents, roots, logarithms
[ES6]
Math.cbrt(x: number): number
Returns the cube root of x.
> Math.cbrt(8)
2
[ES1]
Math.exp(x: number): number
x
Returns e (e being Euler’s number). The inverse of Math.log().
> Math.exp(0)
1
> Math.exp(1) === Math.E
true
[ES6]
Math.expm1(x: number): number
Returns Math.exp(x)-1. The inverse of Math.log1p(). Very small numbers
(fractions close to 0) are represented with a higher precision.
Therefore, this function returns more precise values whenever .exp()
returns values close to 1.
[ES1]
Math.log(x: number): number
Returns the natural logarithm of x (to base e, Euler’s number). The
inverse of Math.exp().
> Math.log(1)
0
> Math.log(Math.E)
1
> Math.log(Math.E ** 2)
2
[ES6]
Math.log1p(x: number): number
Returns Math.log(1 + x). The inverse of Math.expm1(). Very small numbers
(fractions close to 0) are represented with a higher precision.
Therefore, you can provide this function with a more precise argument
whenever the argument for .log() is close to 1.
[ES6]
Math.log10(x: number): number
Returns the logarithm of x to base 10. The inverse of 10 ** x.
> Math.log10(1)
0
> Math.log10(10)
1
> Math.log10(100)
2
[ES6]
Math.log2(x: number): number
Returns the logarithm of x to base 2. The inverse of 2 ** x.
> Math.log2(1)
0
> Math.log2(2)
1
> Math.log2(4)
2
[ES1]
Math.pow(x: number, y: number): number
y
Returns x , x to the power of y. The same as x ** y.
> Math.pow(2, 3)
8
> Math.pow(25, 0.5)
5
[ES1]
Math.sqrt(x: number): number
Returns the square root of x. The inverse of x ** 2.
> Math.sqrt(9)
3
19.3 Rounding
Rounding means converting an arbitrary number to an integer (a number
without a decimal fraction). The following functions implement different
approaches to rounding.
[ES1]
Math.ceil(x: number): number
Returns the smallest (closest to −∞) integer i with x ≤ i.
> Math.ceil(2.1)
3
> Math.ceil(2.9)
3
[ES1]
Math.floor(x: number): number
Returns the largest (closest to +∞) integer i with i ≤ x.
> Math.floor(2.1)
2
> Math.floor(2.9)
2
[ES1]
Math.round(x: number): number
Returns the integer that is closest to x. If the decimal fraction of x is .5
then .round() rounds up (to the integer closer to positive infinity):
> Math.round(2.4)
2
> Math.round(2.5)
3
[ES6]
Math.trunc(x: number): number
Removes the decimal fraction of x and returns the resulting integer.
> Math.trunc(2.1)
2
> Math.trunc(2.9)
2
Table 19.1 shows the results of the rounding functions for a few
representative inputs.
-2.9 -2.5 -2.1 2.1 2.5 2.9
Math.floor -3 -3 -3 2 2 2
-2.9 -2.5 -2.1 2.1 2.5 2.9
Math.ceil -2 -2 -2 3 3 3
Math.round -3 -2 -2 2 3 3
Math.trunc -2 -2 -2 2 2 2
Table 19.1: Rounding functions of Math. Note how things change with
negative numbers because “larger” always means “closer to positive
infinity”.
19.4 Trigonometric Functions
All angles are specified in radians. Use the following two functions to
convert between degrees and radians.
function degreesToRadians(degrees) {
return degrees / 180 * Math.PI;
}
assert.equal(degreesToRadians(90), Math.PI/2);
function radiansToDegrees(radians) {
return radians / Math.PI * 180;
}
assert.equal(radiansToDegrees(Math.PI), 180);
[ES1]
Math.acos(x: number): number
Returns the arc cosine (inverse cosine) of x.
> Math.acos(0)
1.5707963267948966
> Math.acos(1)
0
[ES6]
Math.acosh(x: number): number
Returns the inverse hyperbolic cosine of x.
[ES1]
Math.asin(x: number): number
Returns the arc sine (inverse sine) of x.
> Math.asin(0)
0
> Math.asin(1)
1.5707963267948966
[ES6]
Math.asinh(x: number): number
Returns the inverse hyperbolic sine of x.
[ES1]
Math.atan(x: number): number
Returns the arc tangent (inverse tangent) of x.
[ES6]
Math.atanh(x: number): number
Returns the inverse hyperbolic tangent of x.
[ES1]
Math.atan2(y: number, x: number): number
Returns the arc tangent of the quotient y/x.
[ES1]
Math.cos(x: number): number
Returns the cosine of x.
> Math.cos(0)
1
> Math.cos(Math.PI)
-1
[ES6]
Math.cosh(x: number): number
Returns the hyperbolic cosine of x.
[ES6]
Math.hypot(...values: Array<number>): number
Returns the square root of the sum of the squares of values (Pythagoras’
theorem):
> Math.hypot(3, 4)
5
[ES1]
Math.sin(x: number): number
Returns the sine of x.
> Math.sin(0)
0
> Math.sin(Math.PI / 2)
1
[ES6]
Math.sinh(x: number): number
Returns the hyperbolic sine of x.
[ES1]
Math.tan(x: number): number
Returns the tangent of x.
> Math.tan(0)
0
> Math.tan(1)
1.5574077246549023
[ES6]
Math.tanh(x: number): number;
Returns the hyperbolic tangent of x.
19.5 Various other functions
[ES1]
Math.abs(x: number): number
Returns the absolute value of x.
> Math.abs(3)
3
> Math.abs(-3)
3
> Math.abs(0)
0
[ES6]
Math.clz32(x: number): number
Counts the leading zero bits in the 32-bit integer x. Used in DSP
algorithms.
> Math.clz32(0b01000000000000000000000000000000)
1
> Math.clz32(0b00100000000000000000000000000000)
2
> Math.clz32(2)
30
> Math.clz32(1)
31
[ES1]
Math.max(...values: Array<number>): number
Converts values to numbers and returns the largest one.
> Math.max(3, -5, 24)
24
[ES1]
Math.min(...values: Array<number>): number
Converts values to numbers and returns the smallest one.
> Math.min(3, -5, 24)
-5
[ES1]
Math.random(): number
Returns a pseudo-random number n where 0 ≤ n < 1.
/** Returns a random integer i with 0 <= i < max
*/
function getRandomInteger(max) {
return Math.floor(Math.random() * max);
}
[ES6]
Math.sign(x: number): number
Returns the sign of a number:
> Math.sign(-8)
-1
> Math.sign(0)
0
> Math.sign(3)
1
19.6 Sources
Wikipedia
TypeScript’s built-in typings
MDN web docs for JavaScript
ECMAScript language specification
20 Bigints – arbitrary-precision integers
[ES2020]
(advanced)
20.1 Why bigints?
20.2 Bigints
20.2.1 Going beyond 53 bits for integers
20.2.2 Example: using bigints
20.3 Bigint literals
[ES2021]
20.3.1 Underscores (_) as separators in bigint literals
20.4 Reusing number operators for bigints (overloading)
20.4.1 Arithmetic operators
20.4.2 Ordering operators
20.4.3 Bitwise operators
20.4.4 Loose equality (==) and inequality (!=)
20.4.5 Strict equality (===) and inequality (!==)
20.5 The wrapper constructor BigInt
20.5.1 BigInt as a constructor and as a function
20.5.2 BigInt.prototype.* methods
20.5.3 BigInt.* methods
20.5.4 Casting and 64-bit integers
20.6 Coercing bigints to other primitive types
20.7 TypedArrays and DataView operations for 64-bit values
20.8 Bigints and JSON
20.8.1 Stringifying bigints
20.8.2 Parsing bigints
20.9 FAQ: Bigints
20.9.1 How do I decide when to use numbers and when to use
bigints?
20.9.2 Why not just increase the precision of numbers in the
same manner as is done for bigints?
In this chapter, we take a look at bigints, JavaScript’s integers whose storage
space grows and shrinks as needed.
20.1 Why bigints?
Before ECMAScript 2020, JavaScript handled integers as follows:
There only was a single type for floating point numbers and integers:
64-bit floating point numbers (IEEE 754 double precision).
Under the hood, most JavaScript engines transparently supported
integers: If a number has no decimal digits and is within a certain
range, it can internally be stored as a genuine integer. This
representation is called small integer and usually fits into 32 bits. For
example, the range of small integers on the 64-bit version of the V8
31 31
engine is from −2 to 2 −1 (source).
JavaScript numbers could also represent integers beyond the small
integer range, as floating point numbers. Here, the safe range is
plus/minus 53 bits. For more information on this topic, see “Safe
integers” (§18.9.3).
Sometimes, we need more than signed 53 bits – for example:
X (formerly Twitter) uses 64-bit integers as IDs for posts (source). In
JavaScript, these IDs had to be stored in strings.
Financial technology uses so-called big integers (integers with
arbitrary precision) to represent amounts of money. Internally, the
amounts are multiplied so that the decimal numbers disappear. For
example, USD amounts are multiplied by 100 so that the cents
disappear.
20.2 Bigints
Bigint is a new primitive data type for integers. Bigints don’t have a fixed
storage size in bits; their sizes adapt to the integers they represent:
Small integers are represented with fewer bits than large integers.
There is no negative lower limit or positive upper limit for the integers
that can be represented.
A bigint literal is a sequence of one or more digits, suffixed with an n – for
example:
123n
Operators such as - and * are overloaded and work with bigints:
> 123n * 456n
56088n
Bigints are primitive values. typeof returns a new result for them:
> typeof 123n
'bigint'
20.2.1 Going beyond 53 bits for integers
JavaScript numbers are internally represented as a fraction multiplied by an
exponent (see “Background: floating point precision” (§18.8) for details).
53
As a consequence, if we go beyond the highest safe integer 2 −1, there are
still some integers that can be represented, but with gaps between them:
> 2**53 - 2 // safe
9007199254740990
> 2**53 - 1 // safe
9007199254740991
> 2**53 // unsafe, same as next integer
9007199254740992
> 2**53 + 1
9007199254740992
> 2**53 + 2
9007199254740994
> 2**53 + 3
9007199254740996
> 2**53 + 4
9007199254740996
> 2**53 + 5
9007199254740996
Bigints enable us to go beyond 53 bits:
> 2n**53n
9007199254740992n
> 2n**53n + 1n
9007199254740993n
> 2n**53n + 2n
9007199254740994n
20.2.2 Example: using bigints
This is what using bigints looks like (code based on an example in the
proposal):
/**
* Takes a bigint as an argument and returns a
bigint
*/
function nthPrime(nth) {
if (typeof nth !== 'bigint') {
throw new TypeError();
}
function isPrime(p) {
for (let i = 2n; i < p; i++) {
if (p % i === 0n) return false;
}
return true;
}
for (let i = 2n; ; i++) {
if (isPrime(i)) {
if (--nth === 0n) return i;
}
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
[1n, 2n, 3n, 4n, 5n].map(nth => nthPrime(nth)),
[2n, 3n, 5n, 7n, 11n]
);
20.3 Bigint literals
Like number literals, bigint literals support several bases:
Decimal: 123n
Hexadecimal: 0xFFn
Binary: 0b1101n
Octal: 0o777n
Negative bigints are produced by prefixing the unary minus operator: -0123n
[ES2021]
20.3.1 Underscores (_) as separators in bigint literals
Just like in number literals, we can use underscores (_) as separators in
bigint literals:
const massOfEarthInKg =
6_000_000_000_000_000_000_000_000n;
Bigints are often used to represent money in the financial technical sector.
Separators can help here, too:
const priceInCents = 123_000_00n; // 123 thousand
dollars
As with number literals, two restrictions apply:
We can only put an underscore between two digits.
We can use at most one underscore in a row.
20.4 Reusing number operators for bigints (overloading)
With most operators, we are not allowed to mix bigints and numbers. If we
do, exceptions are thrown:
> 2n + 1
TypeError: Cannot mix BigInt and other types, use
explicit conversions
The reason for this rule is that there is no general way of coercing a number
and a bigint to a common type: numbers can’t represent bigints beyond 53
bits, bigints can’t represent fractions. Therefore, the exceptions warn us
about typos that may lead to unexpected results.
For example, should the result of the following expression be
9007199254740993n or 9007199254740992?
2**53 + 1n
It is also not clear what the result of the following expression should be:
2n**53n * 3.3
20.4.1 Arithmetic operators
Binary +, binary -, *, ** work as expected:
> 7n * 3n
21n
It is OK to mix bigints and strings:
> 6n + ' apples'
'6 apples'
/, % round towards zero (like Math.trunc()):
> 1n / 2n
0n
Unary - works as expected:
> -(-64n)
64n
Unary + is not supported for bigints because much code relies on it coercing
its operand to number:
> +23n
TypeError: Cannot convert a BigInt value to a number
20.4.2 Ordering operators
Ordering operators <, >, >=, <= work as expected:
> 17n <= 17n
true
> 3n > -1n
true
Comparing bigints and numbers does not pose any risks. Therefore, we can
mix bigints and numbers:
> 3n > -1
true
20.4.3 Bitwise operators
20.4.3.1 Bitwise operators for numbers
Bitwise operators interpret numbers as 32-bit integers. These integers are
either unsigned or signed. If they are signed, the negative of an integer is its
two’s complement (adding an integer to its two’s complement – while
ignoring overflow – produces zero):
> 2**32-1 >> 0
-1
Due to these integers having a fixed size, their highest bits indicate their
signs:
> 2**31 >> 0 // highest bit is 1
-2147483648
> 2**31 - 1 >> 0 // highest bit is 0
2147483647
20.4.3.2 Bitwise operators for bigints
For bigints, bitwise operators interpret a negative sign as an infinite two’s
complement – for example:
-1 is ···111111 (ones extend infinitely to the left)
-2 is ···111110
-3 is ···111101
-4 is ···111100
That is, a negative sign is more of an external flag and not represented as an
actual bit.
20.4.3.3 ~
Bitwise Not ( )
Bitwise Not (~) inverts all bits:
> ~0b10n
-3n
> ~0n
-1n
> ~-2n
1n
20.4.3.4 & |, ^)
Binary bitwise operators ( ,
Applying binary bitwise operators to bigints works analogously to applying
them to numbers:
> (0b1010n | 0b0111n).toString(2)
'1111'
> (0b1010n & 0b0111n).toString(2)
'10'
> (0b1010n | -1n).toString(2)
'-1'
> (0b1010n & -1n).toString(2)
'1010'
20.4.3.5 Bitwise signed shift operators ( << and >>)
The signed shift operators for bigints preserve the sign of a number:
> 2n << 1n
4n
> -2n << 1n
-4n
> 2n >> 1n
1n
> -2n >> 1n
-1n
Recall that -1n is a sequence of ones that extends infinitely to the left. That’s
why shifting it left doesn’t change it:
> -1n >> 20n
-1n
20.4.3.6 Bitwise unsigned right shift operator ( >>>)
There is no unsigned right shift operator for bigints:
> 2n >>> 1n
TypeError: BigInts have no unsigned right shift, use
>> instead
Why? The idea behind unsigned right shifting is that a zero is shifted in
“from the left”. In other words, the assumption is that there is a finite
amount of binary digits.
However, with bigints, there is no “left”, their binary digits extend infinitely.
This is especially important with negative numbers.
Signed right shift works even with an infinite number of digits because the
highest digit is preserved. Therefore, it can be adapted to bigints.
20.4.4 Loose equality (==) and inequality (!=)
Loose equality (==) and inequality (!=) coerce values:
> 0n == false
true
> 1n == true
true
> 123n == 123
true
> 123n == '123'
true
20.4.5 Strict equality (===) and inequality (!==)
Strict equality (===) and inequality (!==) only consider values to be equal if
they have the same type:
> 123n === 123
false
> 123n === 123n
true
20.5 The wrapper constructor BigInt
Analogously to numbers, bigints have the associated wrapper constructor
BigInt.
20.5.1 BigInt as a constructor and as a function
new BigInt(): throws a TypeError.
BigInt(x) converts arbitrary values x to bigint. This works similarly to
Number(), with several differences which are summarized in table 20.1
and explained in more detail in the following subsections.
x BigInt(x)
undefined Throws TypeError
x BigInt(x)
null Throws TypeError
boolean false → 0n, true → 1n
number Example: 123 → 123n
Non-integer → throws RangeError
bigint x (no change)
string Example: '123' → 123n
Unparsable → throws SyntaxError
symbol Throws TypeError
object Configurable (e.g. via .valueOf())
Table 20.1: Converting values to bigints.
20.5.1.1 Converting undefined and null
A TypeError is thrown if x is either undefined or null:
> BigInt(undefined)
TypeError: Cannot convert undefined to a BigInt
> BigInt(null)
TypeError: Cannot convert null to a BigInt
20.5.1.2 Converting strings
If a string does not represent an integer, BigInt() throws a SyntaxError
(whereas Number() returns the error value NaN):
> BigInt('abc')
SyntaxError: Cannot convert abc to a BigInt
The suffix 'n' is not allowed:
> BigInt('123n')
SyntaxError: Cannot convert 123n to a BigInt
All bases of bigint literals are allowed:
> BigInt('123')
123n
> BigInt('0xFF')
255n
> BigInt('0b1101')
13n
> BigInt('0o777')
511n
20.5.1.3 Non-integer numbers produce exceptions
> BigInt(123.45)
RangeError: The number 123.45 cannot be converted to
a BigInt because
it is not an integer
> BigInt(123)
123n
20.5.1.4 Converting objects
How objects are converted to bigints can be configured – for example, by
overriding .valueOf():
> BigInt({valueOf() {return 123n}})
123n
20.5.2 BigInt.prototype.* methods
BigInt.prototype holds the methods “inherited” by primitive bigints:
BigInt.prototype.toLocaleString(locales?, options?)
BigInt.prototype.toString(radix?)
BigInt.prototype.valueOf()
20.5.3 BigInt.* methods
BigInt.asIntN(width, theInt)
Casts theInt to width bits (signed). This influences how the value is
represented internally.
BigInt.asUintN(width, theInt)
Casts theInt to width bits (unsigned).
20.5.4 Casting and 64-bit integers
Casting allows us to create integer values with a specific number of bits. If
we want to restrict ourselves to just 64-bit integers, we have to always cast:
const uint64a = BigInt.asUintN(64, 12345n);
const uint64b = BigInt.asUintN(64, 67890n);
const result = BigInt.asUintN(64, uint64a *
uint64b);
20.6 Coercing bigints to other primitive types
This table show what happens if we convert bigints to other primitive types:
Convert Coercion (implicit
Explicit conversion
to conversion)
boolean Boolean(0n) → false !0n → true
Boolean(int) → true !int → false
number Number(7n) → 7 (example) +int → TypeError (1)
string String(7n) → '7' ''+7n → '7' (example)
(example)
Footnote:
(1) Unary + is not supported for bigints, because much code relies on it
coercing its operand to number.
20.7 TypedArrays and DataView operations for 64-bit values
Thanks to bigints, Typed Arrays and DataViews can support 64-bit values:
Typed Array constructors:
BigInt64Array
BigUint64Array
DataView methods:
DataView.prototype.getBigInt64()
DataView.prototype.setBigInt64()
DataView.prototype.getBigUint64()
DataView.prototype.setBigUint64()
20.8 Bigints and JSON
The JSON standard is fixed and won’t change. The upside is that old JSON
parsing code will never be outdated. The downside is that JSON can’t be
extended to contain bigints.
Stringifying bigints throws exceptions:
> JSON.stringify(123n)
TypeError: Do not know how to serialize a BigInt
> JSON.stringify([123n])
TypeError: Do not know how to serialize a BigInt
20.8.1 Stringifying bigints
Therefore, our best option is to store bigints in strings:
const bigintPrefix = '[[bigint]]';
function bigintReplacer(_key, value) {
if (typeof value === 'bigint') {
return bigintPrefix + value;
}
return value;
}
const data = { value: 9007199254740993n };
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify(data, bigintReplacer),
'{"value":"[[bigint]]9007199254740993"}'
);
20.8.2 Parsing bigints
The following code shows how to parse strings such as the one that we have
produced in the previous example.
function bigintReviver(_key, value) {
if (typeof value === 'string' &&
value.startsWith(bigintPrefix)) {
return BigInt(value.slice(bigintPrefix.length));
}
return value;
}
const str = '{"value":"
[[bigint]]9007199254740993"}';
assert.deepEqual(
JSON.parse(str, bigintReviver),
{ value: 9007199254740993n }
);
20.9 FAQ: Bigints
20.9.1 How do I decide when to use numbers and when to use bigints?
My recommendations:
Use numbers for up to 53 bits and for Array indices. Rationale: They
already appear everywhere and are handled efficiently by most engines
(especially if they fit into 31 bits). Appearances include:
Array.prototype.forEach()
Array.prototype.entries()
Use bigints for large numeric values: If your fraction-less values don’t
fit into 53 bits, you have no choice but to move to bigints.
All existing web APIs return and accept only numbers and will only
upgrade to bigint on a case-by-case basis.
20.9.2 Why not just increase the precision of numbers in the same
manner as is done for bigints?
One could conceivably split number into integer and double, but that would add
many new complexities to the language (several integer-only operators etc.).
I’ve sketched the consequences in a Gist.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Daniel Ehrenberg for reviewing an earlier version of this
content.
Thanks to Dan Callahan for reviewing an earlier version of this
content.
21 Unicode – a brief introduction
(advanced)
21.1 Code points vs. code units
21.1.1 Code points
21.1.2 Encoding Unicode code points: UTF-32, UTF-16, UTF-8
21.2 Encodings used in web development: UTF-16 and UTF-8
21.2.1 Source code internally: UTF-16
21.2.2 Strings: UTF-16
21.2.3 Source code in files: UTF-8
21.3 Grapheme clusters – the real characters
21.3.1 Grapheme clusters vs. glyphs
Unicode is a standard for representing and managing text in most of the
world’s writing systems. Virtually all modern software that works with text,
supports Unicode. The standard is maintained by the Unicode Consortium.
A new version of the standard is published every year (with new emojis,
etc.). Unicode version 1.0.0 was published in October 1991.
21.1 Code points vs. code units
Two concepts are crucial for understanding Unicode:
Code points are numbers that represent the atomic parts of Unicode
text. Most of them represent visible symbols but they can also have
other meanings such as specifying an aspect of a symbol (the accent of
a letter, the skin tone of an emoji, etc.).
Code units are numbers that encode code points, to store or transmit
Unicode text. One or more code units encode a single code point. Each
code unit has the same size, which depends on the encoding format
that is used. The most popular format, UTF-8, has 8-bit code units.
21.1.1 Code points
The first version of Unicode had 16-bit code points. Since then, the number
of characters has grown considerably and the size of code points was
extended to 21 bits. These 21 bits are partitioned in 17 planes, with 16 bits
each:
Plane 0: Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP), 0x0000–0xFFFF
Contains characters for almost all modern languages (Latin
characters, Asian characters, etc.) and many symbols.
Plane 1: Supplementary Multilingual Plane (SMP), 0x10000–0x1FFFF
Supports historic writing systems (e.g., Egyptian hieroglyphs and
cuneiform) and additional modern writing systems.
Supports emojis and many other symbols.
Plane 2: Supplementary Ideographic Plane (SIP), 0x20000–0x2FFFF
Contains additional CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) ideographs.
Plane 3–13: Unassigned
Plane 14: Supplementary Special-Purpose Plane (SSP), 0xE0000–
0xEFFFF
Contains non-graphical characters such as tag characters and
glyph variation selectors.
Plane 15–16: Supplementary Private Use Area (S PUA A/B),
0x0F0000–0x10FFFF
Available for character assignment by parties outside the ISO and
the Unicode Consortium. Not standardized.
Planes 1-16 are called supplementary planes or astral planes.
Let’s check the code points of a few characters:
> 'A'.codePointAt(0).toString(16)
'41'
> 'ü'.codePointAt(0).toString(16)
'fc'
> 'π'.codePointAt(0).toString(16)
🙂
'3c0'
> ' '.codePointAt(0).toString(16)
'1f642'
The hexadecimal numbers of the code points tell us that the first three
characters reside in plane 0 (within 16 bits), while the emoji resides in plane
1.
21.1.2 Encoding Unicode code points: UTF-32, UTF-16, UTF-8
The main ways of encoding code points are three Unicode Transformation
Formats (UTFs): UTF-32, UTF-16, UTF-8. The number at the end of each
format indicates the size (in bits) of its code units.
21.1.2.1 UTF-32 (Unicode Transformation Format 32)
UTF-32 uses 32 bits to store code units, resulting in one code unit per code
point. This format is the only one with fixed-length encoding; all others use
a varying number of code units to encode a single code point.
21.1.2.2 UTF-16 (Unicode Transformation Format 16)
UTF-16 uses 16-bit code units. It encodes code points as follows:
The BMP (first 16 bits of Unicode) is stored in single code units.
Astral planes: The BMP comprises 0x10_000 code points. Given that
Unicode has a total of 0x110_000 code points, we still need to encode
the remaining 0x100_000 code points (20 bits). The BMP has two
ranges of unassigned code points that provide the necessary storage:
Most significant 10 bits (leading surrogate, high surrogate):
0xD800-0xDBFF
Least significant 10 bits (trailing surrogate, low surrogate):
0xDC00-0xDFFF
As a consequence, each UTF-16 code unit is either:
A BMP code point (a scalar)
A leading surrogate
A trailing surrogate
If a surrogate appears on its own, without its partner, it is called a lone
surrogate.
This is how the bits of the code points are distributed among the surrogates:
0bhhhhhhhhhhllllllllll // code point - 0x10000
0b110110hhhhhhhhhh // 0xD800 + 0bhhhhhhhhhh
0b110111llllllllll // 0xDC00 + 0bllllllllll
As an example, consider code point 0x1F642 ( 🙂 ) that is represented by
two UTF-16 code units – 0xD83D and 0xDE42:
🙂
> ' '.codePointAt(0).toString(16)
🙂
'1f642'
> ' '.length
🙂
2
> ' '.split('')
[ '\uD83D', '\uDE42' ]
Let’s derive the code units from the code point:
> (0x1F642 - 0x10000).toString(2).padStart(20, '0')
'00001111011001000010'
> (0xD800 + 0b0000111101).toString(16)
'd83d'
> (0xDC00 + 0b1001000010).toString(16)
'de42'
In contrast, code point 0x03C0 (π) is part of the BMP and therefore
represented by a single UTF-16 code unit – 0x03C0:
> 'π'.length
1
21.1.2.3 UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format 8)
UTF-8 has 8-bit code units. It uses 1–4 code units to encode a code point:
Code points Code units
0000–007F 0bbbbbbb (7 bits)
0080–07FF 110bbbbb, 10bbbbbb (5+6 bits)
0800–FFFF 1110bbbb, 10bbbbbb, 10bbbbbb (4+6+6 bits)
10000– 11110bbb, 10bbbbbb, 10bbbbbb, 10bbbbbb (3+6+6+6
1FFFFF bits)
Notes:
The bit prefix of each code unit tells us:
Is it first in a series of code units? If yes, how many code units
will follow?
Is it second or later in a series of code units?
The character mappings in the 0000–007F range are the same as
ASCII, which leads to a degree of backward compatibility with older
software.
Three examples:
Character Code point Code units
A 0x0041 01000001
π 0x03C0 11001111, 10000000
🙂 0x1F642 11110000, 10011111, 10011001, 10000010
21.2 Encodings used in web development: UTF-16 and UTF-8
The Unicode encoding formats that are used in web development are: UTF-
16 and UTF-8.
21.2.1 Source code internally: UTF-16
The ECMAScript specification internally represents source code as UTF-
16.
21.2.2 Strings: UTF-16
The characters in JavaScript strings are based on UTF-16 code units:
> const smiley = ' '; 🙂
> smiley.length
2
> smiley === '\uD83D\uDE42' // code units
true
For more information on Unicode and strings, consult “Atoms of text: code
points, JavaScript characters, grapheme clusters” (§22.7).
21.2.3 Source code in files: UTF-8
HTML and JavaScript are almost always encoded as UTF-8 these days.
For example, this is how HTML files usually start now:
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
···
For HTML modules loaded in web browsers, the standard encoding is also
UTF-8.
21.3 Grapheme clusters – the real characters
The concept of a character becomes remarkably complex once we consider
the various writing systems of the world. That’s why there are several
different Unicode terms that all mean “character” in some way: code point,
grapheme cluster, glyph, etc.
In Unicode, a code point is an atomic part of text.
However, a grapheme cluster corresponds most closely to a symbol
displayed on screen or paper. It is defined as “a horizontally segmentable
unit of text”. Therefore, official Unicode documents also call it a user-
perceived character. One or more code points are needed to encode a
grapheme cluster.
For example, the Devanagari kshi is encoded by 4 code points. We use
Array.from() to split a string into an Array with code points (for details,
consult “Working with code points” (§22.7.1)):
Flag emojis are also grapheme clusters and composed of two code points –
for example, the flag of Japan:
21.3.1 Grapheme clusters vs. glyphs
A symbol is an abstract concept and part of written language:
It is represented in computer memory by a grapheme cluster – a
sequence of one or more numbers (code points).
It is drawn on screen via glyphs. A glyph is an image and usually
stored in a font. More than one glyph may be used to draw a single
symbol – for example, the symbol “é” may be drawn by combining the
glyph “e” with the glyph “´”.
The distinction between a concept and its representation is subtle and can
blur when talking about Unicode.
More information on grapheme clusters
For more information, consult “Let’s Stop Ascribing Meaning to Code
Points” by Manish Goregaokar.
22 Strings
22.1 Cheat sheet: strings
22.1.1 Working with strings
22.1.2 JavaScript characters vs. code points vs. grapheme
clusters
22.1.3 String methods
22.2 Plain string literals
22.2.1 Escaping
22.3 Accessing JavaScript characters
22.4 String concatenation
22.4.1 String concatenation via +
22.4.2 Concatenating via Arrays (.push() and .join())
22.5 Converting to string
22.5.1 Stringifying objects
22.5.2 Customizing the stringification of objects
22.5.3 An alternate way of stringifying values
22.6 Comparing strings
22.7 Atoms of text: code points, JavaScript characters, grapheme
clusters
22.7.1 Working with code points
22.7.2 Working with code units (char codes)
22.7.3 ASCII escapes
22.7.4 Caveat: grapheme clusters
22.8 Quick reference: Strings
22.8.1 Converting to string
22.8.2 Numeric values of text atoms
22.8.3 String.prototype.*: finding and matching
22.8.4 String.prototype.*: extracting
22.8.5 String.prototype.*: combining
22.8.6 String.prototype.*: transforming
22.8.7 Sources of this quick reference
22.1 Cheat sheet: strings
Strings are primitive values in JavaScript and immutable. That is, string-
related operations always produce new strings and never change existing
strings.
22.1.1 Working with strings
Literals for strings:
const str1 = 'Don\'t say "goodbye"'; // string
literal
const str2 = "Don't say \"goodbye\""; // string
literals
assert.equal(
`As easy as ${123}!`, // template literal
'As easy as 123!',
);
Backslashes are used to:
Escape literal delimiters (first 2 lines of previous example)
Represent special characters:
\\ represents a backslash
\n represents a newline
\r represents a carriage return
\t represents a tab
Inside a String.raw tagged template (line A), backslashes are treated as
normal characters:
assert.equal(
String.raw`\ \n\t`, // (A)
'\\ \\n\\t',
);
Convertings values to strings:
> String(undefined)
'undefined'
> String(null)
'null'
> String(123.45)
'123.45'
> String(true)
'true'
Copying parts of a string
// There is no type for characters;
// reading characters produces strings:
const str3 = 'abc';
assert.equal(
str3[2], 'c' // no negative indices allowed
);
assert.equal(
str3.at(-1), 'c' // negative indices allowed
);
// Copying more than one character:
assert.equal(
'abc'.slice(0, 2), 'ab'
);
Concatenating strings:
assert.equal(
'I bought ' + 3 + ' apples',
'I bought 3 apples',
);
let str = '';
str += 'I bought ';
str += 3;
str += ' apples';
assert.equal(
str, 'I bought 3 apples',
);
22.1.2 JavaScript characters vs. code points vs. grapheme clusters
JavaScript characters are 16 bits in size. They are what is indexed in
strings and what .length counts.
Code points are the atomic parts of Unicode text. Most of them fit into one
JavaScript character, some of them occupy two (especially emojis):
assert.equal(
'A'.length, 1
);
🙂
assert.equal(
' '.length, 2
);
Grapheme clusters (user-perceived characters) represent written symbols.
Each one comprises one or more code points.
Due to these facts, we shouldn’t split text into JavaScript characters, we
should split it into grapheme clusters. For more information on how to
handle text, see “Atoms of text: code points, JavaScript characters,
grapheme clusters” (§22.7).
22.1.3 String methods
This subsection gives a brief overview of the string API. There is a more
comprehensive quick reference at the end of this chapter.
Finding substrings:
> 'abca'.includes('a')
true
> 'abca'.startsWith('ab')
true
> 'abca'.endsWith('ca')
true
> 'abca'.indexOf('a')
0
> 'abca'.lastIndexOf('a')
3
Splitting and joining:
assert.deepEqual(
'a, b,c'.split(/, ?/),
['a', 'b', 'c']
);
assert.equal(
['a', 'b', 'c'].join(', '),
'a, b, c'
);
Padding and trimming:
> '7'.padStart(3, '0')
'007'
> 'yes'.padEnd(6, '!')
'yes!!!'
> '\t abc\n '.trim()
'abc'
> '\t abc\n '.trimStart()
'abc\n '
> '\t abc\n '.trimEnd()
'\t abc'
Repeating and changing case:
> '*'.repeat(5)
'*****'
> '= b2b ='.toUpperCase()
'= B2B ='
> 'ΑΒΓ'.toLowerCase()
'αβγ'
22.2 Plain string literals
Plain string literals are delimited by either single quotes or double quotes:
const str1 = 'abc';
const str2 = "abc";
assert.equal(str1, str2);
Single quotes are used more often because it makes it easier to mention
HTML, where double quotes are preferred.
The next chapter covers template literals, which give us:
String interpolation
Multiple lines
Raw string literals (backslash has no special meaning)
22.2.1 Escaping
The backslash lets us create special characters:
Unix line break: '\n'
Windows line break: '\r\n'
Tab: '\t'
Backslash: '\\'
The backslash also lets us use the delimiter of a string literal inside that
literal:
assert.equal(
'She said: "Let\'s go!"',
"She said: \"Let's go!\"");
22.3 Accessing JavaScript characters
JavaScript has no extra data type for characters – characters are always
represented as strings.
const str = 'abc';
// Reading a JavaScript character at a given index
assert.equal(str[1], 'b');
// Counting the JavaScript characters in a string:
assert.equal(str.length, 3);
The characters we see on screen are called grapheme clusters. Most of them
are represented by single JavaScript characters. However, there are also
grapheme clusters (especially emojis) that are represented by multiple
JavaScript characters:
> ' 🙂'.length
2
How that works is explained in “Atoms of text: code points, JavaScript
characters, grapheme clusters” (§22.7).
22.4 String concatenation
22.4.1 String concatenation via +
If at least one operand is a string, the plus operator (+) converts any non-
strings to strings and concatenates the result:
assert.equal(3 + ' times ' + 4, '3 times 4');
The assignment operator += is useful if we want to assemble a string, piece
by piece:
let str = ''; // must be `let`!
str += 'Say it';
str += ' one more';
str += ' time';
assert.equal(str, 'Say it one more time');
Concatenating via + is efficient
Using + to assemble strings is quite efficient because most JavaScript
engines internally optimize it.
Exercise: Concatenating strings
exercises/strings/concat_string_array_test.mjs
22.4.2 Concatenating via Arrays (.push() and .join())
Occasionally, taking a detour via an Array can be useful for concatenating
strings – especially if there is to be a separator between them (such as ', '
in line A):
function getPackingList(isAbroad = false, days = 1)
{
const items = [];
items.push('tooth brush');
if (isAbroad) {
items.push('passport');
}
if (days > 3) {
items.push('water bottle');
}
return items.join(', '); // (A)
}
assert.equal(
getPackingList(),
'tooth brush'
);
assert.equal(
getPackingList(true, 7),
'tooth brush, passport, water bottle'
);
22.5 Converting to string
These are three ways of converting a value x to a string:
String(x)
''+x
x.toString() (does not work for undefined and null)
Recommendation: use the descriptive and safe String().
Examples:
assert.equal(String(undefined), 'undefined');
assert.equal(String(null), 'null');
assert.equal(String(false), 'false');
assert.equal(String(true), 'true');
assert.equal(String(123.45), '123.45');
Pitfall for booleans: If we convert a boolean to a string via String(), we
generally can’t convert it back via Boolean():
> String(false)
'false'
> Boolean('false')
true
The only string for which Boolean() returns false, is the empty string.
22.5.1 Stringifying objects
Plain objects have a default string representation that is not very useful:
> String({a: 1})
'[object Object]'
Arrays have a better string representation, but it still hides much
information:
> String(['a', 'b'])
'a,b'
> String(['a', ['b']])
'a,b'
> String([1, 2])
'1,2'
> String(['1', '2'])
'1,2'
> String([true])
'true'
> String(['true'])
'true'
> String(true)
'true'
Stringifying functions, returns their source code:
> String(function f() {return 4})
'function f() {return 4}'
22.5.2 Customizing the stringification of objects
We can override the built-in way of stringifying objects by implementing
the method toString():
const obj = {
toString() {
return 'hello';
}
};
assert.equal(String(obj), 'hello');
22.5.3 An alternate way of stringifying values
The JSON data format is a text representation of JavaScript values.
Therefore, JSON.stringify() can also be used to convert values to strings:
> JSON.stringify({a: 1})
'{"a":1}'
> JSON.stringify(['a', ['b']])
'["a",["b"]]'
The caveat is that JSON only supports null, booleans, numbers, strings,
Arrays, and objects (which it always treats as if they were created by object
literals).
Tip: The third parameter lets us switch on multiline output and specify how
much to indent – for example:
console.log(JSON.stringify({first: 'Jane', last:
'Doe'}, null, 2));
This statement produces the following output:
{
"first": "Jane",
"last": "Doe"
}
22.6 Comparing strings
Strings can be compared via the following operators:
< <= > >=
There is one important caveat to consider: These operators compare based
on the numeric values of JavaScript characters. That means that the order
that JavaScript uses for strings is different from the one used in dictionaries
and phone books:
> 'A' < 'B' // ok
true
> 'a' < 'B' // not ok
false
> 'ä' < 'b' // not ok
false
Properly comparing text is beyond the scope of this book. It is supported via
the ECMAScript Internationalization API (Intl).
22.7 Atoms of text: code points, JavaScript characters,
grapheme clusters
Quick recap of “Unicode – a brief introduction” (§21):
Code points are the atomic parts of Unicode text. Each code point is 21
bits in size.
JavaScript strings implement Unicode via the encoding format UTF-
16. It uses one or two 16-bit code units to encode a single code point.
Each JavaScript character (as indexed in strings) is a code unit. In
the JavaScript standard library, code units are also called char
codes.
Grapheme clusters (user-perceived characters) represent written
symbols, as displayed on screen or paper. One or more code points are
needed to encode a single grapheme cluster.
The following code demonstrates that a single code point comprises one or
two JavaScript characters. We count the latter via .length:
// 3 code points, 3 JavaScript characters:
assert.equal('abc'.length, 3);
🙂
// 1 code point, 2 JavaScript characters:
assert.equal(' '.length, 2);
The following table summarizes the concepts we have just explored:
Entity Size Encoded via
JavaScript character (UTF-16 code unit) 16 bits –
Unicode code point 21 bits 1–2 code units
Unicode grapheme cluster 1+ code points
22.7.1 Working with code points
Let’s explore JavaScript’s tools for working with code points.
A Unicode code point escape lets us specify a code point hexadecimally (1–
5 digits). It produces one or two JavaScript characters.
🙂
> '\u{1F642}'
' '
Unicode escape sequences
In the ECMAScript language specification, Unicode code point
escapes and Unicode code unit escapes (which we’ll encounter later)
are called Unicode escape sequences.
String.fromCodePoint() converts a single code point to 1–2 JavaScript
characters:
🙂
> String.fromCodePoint(0x1F642)
' '
.codePointAt() converts 1–2 JavaScript characters to a single code point:
🙂
> ' '.codePointAt(0).toString(16)
'1f642'
We can iterate over a string, which visits code points (not JavaScript
characters). Iteration is described later in this book. One way of iterating is
via a for-of loop:
const str = ' a'; 🙂
assert.equal(str.length, 3);
for (const codePointChar of str) {
console.log(codePointChar);
}
Output:
🙂
a
Array.from() is also based on iteration and visits code points:
🙂a')
🙂
> Array.from('
[ ' ', 'a' ]
That makes it a good tool for counting code points:
🙂
> Array.from(' a').length
🙂
2
> ' a'.length
3
22.7.2 Working with code units (char codes)
Indices and lengths of strings are based on JavaScript characters (as
represented by UTF-16 code units).
To specify a code unit hexadecimally, we can use a Unicode code unit
escape with exactly four hexadecimal digits:
🙂
> '\uD83D\uDE42'
' '
And we can use String.fromCharCode(). Char code is the standard library’s
name for code unit:
> String.fromCharCode(0xD83D) +
🙂
String.fromCharCode(0xDE42)
' '
To get the char code of a character, use .charCodeAt():
🙂
> ' '.charCodeAt(0).toString(16)
'd83d'
22.7.3 ASCII escapes
If the code point of a character is below 256, we can refer to it via a ASCII
escape with exactly two hexadecimal digits:
> 'He\x6C\x6Co'
'Hello'
(The official name of ASCII escapes is Hexadecimal escape sequences – it
was the first escape that used hexadecimal numbers.)
22.7.4 Caveat: grapheme clusters
When working with text that may be written in any human language, it’s
best to split at the boundaries of grapheme clusters, not at the boundaries of
code points.
TC39 is working on Intl.Segmenter, a proposal for the ECMAScript
Internationalization API to support Unicode segmentation (along grapheme
cluster boundaries, word boundaries, sentence boundaries, etc.).
Until that proposal becomes a standard, we can use one of several libraries
that are available (do a web search for “JavaScript grapheme”).
22.8 Quick reference: Strings
22.8.1 Converting to string
Table 22.1 describes how various values are converted to strings.
x String(x)
undefined 'undefined'
null 'null'
boolean false → 'false', true → 'true'
number Example: 123 → '123'
bigint Example: 123n → '123'
string x (input, unchanged)
symbol Example: Symbol('abc') → 'Symbol(abc)'
object Configurable via, e.g., toString()
Table 22.1: Converting values to strings.
22.8.2 Numeric values of text atoms
Char code: number representing a JavaScript character. JavaScript’s
name for Unicode code unit.
Size: 16 bits, unsigned
[ES1]
Convert number to string: String.fromCharCode()
[ES1]
Convert string to number: string method .charCodeAt()
Code point: number representing an atomic part of Unicode text.
Size: 21 bits, unsigned (17 planes, 16 bits each)
[ES6]
Convert number to string: String.fromCodePoint()
[ES6]
Convert string to number: string method .codePointAt()
22.8.3 String.prototype.*: finding and matching
[ES6]
String.prototype.startsWith(searchString, startPos=0)
Returns true if searchString occurs in the string at index startPos.
Returns false otherwise.
> '.gitignore'.startsWith('.')
true
> 'abcde'.startsWith('bc', 1)
true
[ES6]
String.prototype.endsWith(searchString, endPos=this.length)
Returns true if the string would end with searchString if its length were
endPos. Returns false otherwise.
> 'poem.txt'.endsWith('.txt')
true
> 'abcde'.endsWith('cd', 4)
true
[ES6]
String.prototype.includes(searchString, startPos=0)
Returns true if the string contains the searchString and false otherwise.
The search starts at startPos.
> 'abc'.includes('b')
true
> 'abc'.includes('b', 2)
false
[ES1]
String.prototype.indexOf(searchString, minIndex=0)
Returns the lowest index at which searchString appears within the string
or -1, otherwise. Any returned index will be minIndex or higher.
> 'abab'.indexOf('a')
0
> 'abab'.indexOf('a', 1)
2
> 'abab'.indexOf('c')
-1
[ES1]
String.prototype.lastIndexOf(searchString, maxIndex=Infinity)
Returns the highest index at which searchString appears within the
string or -1, otherwise. Any returned index will be maxIndex or lower.
> 'abab'.lastIndexOf('ab', 2)
2
> 'abab'.lastIndexOf('ab', 1)
0
> 'abab'.lastIndexOf('ab')
2
[ES3]
String.prototype.match(regExpOrString)
(1 of 2) regExpOrString is RegExp without /g or string.
match(
regExpOrString: string | RegExp
): null | RegExpMatchArray
If regExpOrString is a regular expression with flag /g not set, then
.match() returns the first match for regExpOrString within the string.
Or null if there is no match.
If regExpOrString is a string, it is used to create a regular expression
(think parameter of new RegExp()) before performing the previously
mentioned steps.
The result has the following type:
interface RegExpMatchArray extends
Array<string> {
index: number;
input: string;
groups: undefined | {
[key: string]: string
};
}
Numbered capture groups become Array indices (which is why
this type extends Array). Named capture groups](#named-capture-
groups) (ES2018) become properties of .groups. In this mode,
.match() works like [RegExp.prototype.exec().
Examples:
> 'ababb'.match(/a(b+)/)
{ 0: 'ab', 1: 'b', index: 0, input: 'ababb',
groups: undefined }
> 'ababb'.match(/a(?<foo>b+)/)
{ 0: 'ab', 1: 'b', index: 0, input: 'ababb',
groups: { foo: 'b' } }
> 'abab'.match(/x/)
null
(2 of 2) regExpOrString is RegExp with /g.
match(
regExpOrString: RegExp
): null | Array<string>
If flag /g of regExpOrString is set, .match() returns either an Array
with all matches or null if there was no match.
> 'ababb'.match(/a(b+)/g)
[ 'ab', 'abb' ]
> 'ababb'.match(/a(?<foo>b+)/g)
[ 'ab', 'abb' ]
> 'abab'.match(/x/g)
null
[ES3]
String.prototype.search(regExpOrString)
Returns the index at which regExpOrString occurs within the string. If
regExpOrString is a string, it is used to create a regular expression (think
parameter of new RegExp()).
> 'a2b'.search(/[0-9]/)
1
> 'a2b'.search('[0-9]')
1
22.8.4 String.prototype.*: extracting
[ES3]
String.prototype.slice(start=0, end=this.length)
Returns the substring of the string that starts at (including) index start
and ends at (excluding) index end. If an index is negative, it is added to
.length before it is used (-1 becomes this.length-1, etc.).
> 'abc'.slice(1, 3)
'bc'
> 'abc'.slice(1)
'bc'
> 'abc'.slice(-2)
'bc'
[ES2022]
String.prototype.at(index: number)
Returns the JavaScript character at index as a string.
If the index is out of bounds, it returns undefined.
If index is negative, it is added to .length before it is used (-1
becomes this.length-1, etc.).
> 'abc'.at(0)
'a'
> 'abc'.at(-1)
'c'
[ES3]
String.prototype.split(separator, limit?)
Splits the string into an Array of substrings – the strings that occur
between the separators.
The separator can be a string:
> 'a : b : c'.split(':')
[ 'a ', ' b ', ' c' ]
It can also be a regular expression:
> 'a : b : c'.split(/ *: */)
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
> 'a : b : c'.split(/( *):( *)/)
[ 'a', ' ', ' ', 'b', ' ', ' ', 'c' ]
The last invocation demonstrates that captures made by groups in the
regular expression become elements of the returned Array.
If we want the separators to be part of the returned string fragments,
we can use a regular expression with a lookbehind assertion:
> 'a : b : c'.split(/(?<=:)/)
[ 'a :', ' b :', ' c' ]
Thanks to the lookbehind assertion, the regular expression used for
splitting matches but doesn’t capture any characters (which would be
taken away from the output fragments).
Warning about .split(''): Using the method this way splits a string
into JavaScript characters. That doesn’t work well when dealing with
astral code points (which are encoded as two JavaScript characters).
For example, emojis are astral:
🙂🙂
> ' X '.split('')
[ '\uD83D', '\uDE42', 'X', '\uD83D', '\uDE42' ]
Instead, it is better to use Array.from() (or spreading):
🙂X🙂')
🙂 🙂' ]
> Array.from('
[ ' ', 'X', '
[ES1]
String.prototype.substring(start, end=this.length)
Use .slice() instead of this method. .substring() wasn’t implemented
consistently in older engines and doesn’t support negative indices.
22.8.5 String.prototype.*: combining
[ES3]
String.prototype.concat(...strings)
Returns the concatenation of the string and strings. 'a'.concat('b') is
equivalent to 'a'+'b'. The latter is much more popular.
> 'ab'.concat('cd', 'ef', 'gh')
'abcdefgh'
[ES2017]
String.prototype.padEnd(len, fillString=' ')
Appends (fragments of) fillString to the string until it has the desired
length len. If it already has or exceeds len, then it is returned without
any changes.
> '#'.padEnd(2)
'# '
> 'abc'.padEnd(2)
'abc'
> '#'.padEnd(5, 'abc')
'#abca'
[ES2017]
String.prototype.padStart(len, fillString=' ')
Prepends (fragments of) fillString to the string until it has the desired
length len. If it already has or exceeds len, then it is returned without
any changes.
> '#'.padStart(2)
' #'
> 'abc'.padStart(2)
'abc'
> '#'.padStart(5, 'abc')
'abca#'
[ES6]
String.prototype.repeat(count=0)
Returns the string, concatenated count times.
> '*'.repeat()
''
> '*'.repeat(3)
'***'
22.8.6 String.prototype.*: transforming
[ES2021]
String.prototype.replaceAll(searchValue, replaceValue)
What to do if you can’t use .replaceAll()
If .replaceAll() isn’t available on your targeted platform, you can
use .replace() instead. How is explained in
[ES3]
“str.replace(searchValue, replacementValue) ” (§45.13.8.1).
(1 of 2) replaceValue is string.
replaceAll(
searchValue: string | RegExp,
replaceValue: string
): string
Replaces all matches of searchValue with replaceValue. If searchValue
is a regular expression without flag /g, a TypeError is thrown.
> 'x.x.'.replaceAll('.', '#') // interpreted
literally
'x#x#'
> 'x.x.'.replaceAll(/./g, '#')
'####'
> 'x.x.'.replaceAll(/./, '#')
TypeError: String.prototype.replaceAll called
with
a non-global RegExp argument
Special characters in replaceValue are:
$$: becomes $
$n: becomes the capture of numbered group n (alas, $0 stands
for the string '$0', it does not refer to the complete match)
$&: becomes the complete match
$`: becomes everything before the match
$': becomes everything after the match
Examples:
> 'a 1995-12 b'.replaceAll(/([0-9]{4})-([0-9]
{2})/g, '|$2|')
'a |12| b'
> 'a 1995-12 b'.replaceAll(/([0-9]{4})-([0-9]
{2})/g, '|$&|')
'a |1995-12| b'
> 'a 1995-12 b'.replaceAll(/([0-9]{4})-([0-9]
{2})/g, '|$`|')
'a |a | b'
Named capture groups (ES2018) are supported, too:
$<name> becomes the capture of named group name
Example:
assert.equal(
'a 1995-12 b'.replaceAll(
/(?<year>[0-9]{4})-(?<month>[0-9]{2})/g,
'|$<month>|'),
'a |12| b');
(2 of 2) replaceValue is function.
replaceAll(
searchValue: string | RegExp,
replaceValue: (...args: Array<any>) =>
string
): string
If the second parameter is a function, occurrences are replaced
with the strings it returns. Its parameters args are:
matched: string. The complete match
g1: string|undefined. The capture of numbered group 1
g2: string|undefined. The capture of numbered group 2
(Etc.)
offset: number. Where was the match found in the input
string?
input: string. The whole input string
const regexp = /([0-9]{4})-([0-9]{2})/g;
const replacer = (all, year, month) => '|' +
all + '|';
assert.equal(
'a 1995-12 b'.replaceAll(regexp, replacer),
'a |1995-12| b');
Named capture groups (ES2018) are supported, too. If there are
any, an argument is added at the end with an object whose
properties contain the captures:
const regexp = /(?<year>[0-9]{4})-(?<month>
[0-9]{2})/g;
const replacer = (...args) => {
const groups=args.pop();
return '|' + groups.month + '|';
};
assert.equal(
'a 1995-12 b'.replaceAll(regexp, replacer),
'a |12| b');
[ES3]
String.prototype.replace(searchValue, replaceValue)
For more information on this method, see “str.replace(searchValue,
[ES3]
replacementValue) ” (§45.13.8.1).
(1 of 2) replaceValue is string or RegExp without /g.
replace(
searchValue: string | RegExp,
replaceValue: string
): string
Works similarly to .replaceAll(), but only replaces the first
occurrence:
> 'x.x.'.replace('.', '#') // interpreted
literally
'x#x.'
> 'x.x.'.replace(/./, '#')
'#.x.'
(1 of 2) replaceValue is RegExp with /g.
replace(
searchValue: string | RegExp,
replaceValue: (...args: Array<any>) =>
string
): string
Works exactly like .replaceAll().
[ES1]
String.prototype.toUpperCase()
Returns a copy of the string in which all lowercase alphabetic
characters are converted to uppercase. How well that works for various
alphabets, depends on the JavaScript engine.
> '-a2b-'.toUpperCase()
'-A2B-'
> 'αβγ'.toUpperCase()
'ΑΒΓ'
[ES1]
String.prototype.toLowerCase()
Returns a copy of the string in which all uppercase alphabetic
characters are converted to lowercase. How well that works for various
alphabets, depends on the JavaScript engine.
> '-A2B-'.toLowerCase()
'-a2b-'
> 'ΑΒΓ'.toLowerCase()
'αβγ'
[ES5]
String.prototype.trim()
Returns a copy of the string in which all leading and trailing
whitespace (spaces, tabs, line terminators, etc.) is gone.
> '\r\n#\t '.trim()
'#'
> ' abc '.trim()
'abc'
[ES2019]
String.prototype.trimStart()
Similar to .trim() but only the beginning of the string is trimmed:
> ' abc '.trimStart()
'abc '
[ES2019]
String.prototype.trimEnd()
Similar to .trim() but only the end of the string is trimmed:
> ' abc '.trimEnd()
' abc'
[ES6]
String.prototype.normalize(form = 'NFC')
Normalizes the string according to the Unicode Normalization
Forms.
Values of form: 'NFC', 'NFD', 'NFKC', 'NFKD'
[ES2024]
String.prototype.isWellFormed()
Returns true if a string is ill-formed and contains lone surrogates (see
.toWellFormed() for more information). Otherwise, it returns false.
🙂
> ' '.split('') // split into code units
[ '\uD83D', '\uDE42' ]
> '\uD83D\uDE42'.isWellFormed()
true
> '\uD83D\uDE42\uD83D'.isWellFormed() // lone
surrogate 0xD83D
false
[ES2024]
String.prototype.toWellFormed()
Each JavaScript string character is a UTF-16 code unit. One code point
is encoded as either one UTF-16 code unit or two UTF-16 code unit. In
the latter case, the two code units are called leading surrogate and
trailing surrogate. A surrogate without its partner is called a lone
surrogate. A string with one or more lone surrogates is ill-formed.
.toWellFormed() converts an ill-formed string to a well-formed one by
replacing each lone surrogate with code point 0xFFFD (“replacement
character”). That character is often displayed as a � (a black rhombus
with a white question mark). It is located in the Specials Unicode block
of characters, at the very end of the Basic Multilingual Plane. This is
what Wikipedia says about the replacement character: “It is used to
indicate problems when a system is unable to render a stream of data to
correct symbols.”
🙂
assert.deepEqual(
' '.split(''), // split into code units
['\uD83D', '\uDE42']
);
assert.deepEqual(
// 0xD83D is a lone surrogate
'\uD83D\uDE42\uD83D'.toWellFormed().split(''),
['\uD83D', '\uDE42', '\uFFFD']
);
22.8.7 Sources of this quick reference
ECMAScript language specification
TypeScript’s built-in typings
MDN web docs for JavaScript
Exercise: Using string methods
exercises/strings/remove_extension_test.mjs
23 Using template literals and tagged
[ES6]
templates
23.1 Disambiguation: “template”
23.2 Template literals
23.3 Tagged templates
23.3.1 Cooked vs. raw template strings (advanced)
23.4 Examples of tagged templates (as provided via libraries)
23.4.1 Tag function library: lit-html
23.4.2 Tag function library: regex
23.4.3 Tag function library: graphql-tag
23.5 Raw string literals
23.6 (Advanced)
23.7 Multiline template literals and indentation
23.7.1 Fix: template tag for dedenting
23.7.2 Fix: .trim()
23.8 Simple templating via template literals
23.8.1 A more complex example
23.8.2 Simple HTML-escaping
Before we dig into the two features template literal and tagged template,
let’s first examine the multiple meanings of the term template.
23.1 Disambiguation: “template”
The following three things are significantly different despite all having
template in their names and despite all of them looking similar:
A text template is a function from data to text. It is frequently used in
web development and often defined via text files. For example, the
following text defines a template for the library Handlebars:
<div class="entry">
<h1>{{title}}</h1>
<div class="body">
{{body}}
</div>
</div>
This template has two blanks to be filled in: title and body. It is used
like this:
// First step: retrieve the template text, e.g.
from a text file.
const tmplFunc = Handlebars.compile(TMPL_TEXT);
// compile string
const data = {title: 'My page', body: 'Welcome to
my page!'};
const html = tmplFunc(data);
A template literal is similar to a string literal, but has additional
features – for example, interpolation. It is delimited by backticks:
const num = 5;
assert.equal(`Count: ${num}!`, 'Count: 5!');
Syntactically, a tagged template is a template literal that follows a
function (or rather, an expression that evaluates to a function). That
leads to the function being called. Its arguments are derived from the
contents of the template literal.
const getArgs = (...args) => args;
assert.deepEqual(
getArgs`Count: ${5}!`,
[['Count: ', '!'], 5] );
Note that getArgs() receives both the text of the literal and the data
interpolated via ${}.
23.2 Template literals
A template literal has two new features compared to a normal string literal.
First, it supports string interpolation: if we put a dynamically computed
value inside a ${}, it is converted to a string and inserted into the string
returned by the literal.
const MAX = 100;
function doSomeWork(x) {
if (x > MAX) {
throw new Error(`At most ${MAX} allowed:
${x}!`);
}
// ···
}
assert.throws(
() => doSomeWork(101),
{message: 'At most 100 allowed: 101!'});
Second, template literals can span multiple lines:
const str = `this is
a text with
multiple lines`;
Template literals always produce strings.
23.3 Tagged templates
The expression in line A is a tagged template. It is equivalent to invoking
tagFunc() with the arguments listed in the Array in line B.
function tagFunc(...args) {
return args;
}
const setting = 'dark mode';
const value = true;
assert.deepEqual(
tagFunc`Setting ${setting} is ${value}!`, // (A)
[['Setting ', ' is ', '!'], 'dark mode', true] //
(B)
);
The function tagFunc before the first backtick is called a tag function. Its
arguments are:
Template strings (first argument): an Array with the text fragments
surrounding the interpolations ${}.
In the example: ['Setting ', ' is ', '!']
Substitutions (remaining arguments): the interpolated values.
In the example: 'dark mode' and true
The static (fixed) parts of the literal (the template strings) are kept separate
from the dynamic parts (the substitutions).
A tag function can return arbitrary values.
23.3.1 Cooked vs. raw template strings (advanced)
So far, we have only seen the cooked interpretation of template strings. But
tag functions actually get two interpretations:
A cooked interpretation where backslashes have special meaning. For
example, \t produces a tab character. This interpretation of the
template strings is stored as an Array in the first argument.
A raw interpretation where backslashes do not have special meaning.
For example, \t produces two characters – a backslash and a t. This
interpretation of the template strings is stored in property .raw of the
first argument (an Array).
The raw interpretation enables raw string literals via String.raw (described
later) and similar applications.
The following tag function cookedRaw uses both interpretations:
function cookedRaw(templateStrings,
...substitutions) {
return {
cooked: Array.from(templateStrings), // copy
only Array elements
raw: templateStrings.raw,
substitutions,
};
}
assert.deepEqual(
cookedRaw`\tab${'subst'}\newline\\`,
{
cooked: ['\tab', '\newline\\'],
raw: ['\\tab', '\\newline\\\\'],
substitutions: ['subst'],
});
We can also use Unicode code point escapes (\u{1F642}), Unicode code unit
escapes (\u03A9), and ASCII escapes (\x52) in tagged templates:
assert.deepEqual(
cookedRaw`\u{54}\u0065\x78t`,
{
cooked: ['Text'],
raw: ['\\u{54}\\u0065\\x78t'],
substitutions: [],
});
If the syntax of one of these escapes isn’t correct, the corresponding cooked
template string is undefined, while the raw version is still verbatim:
assert.deepEqual(
cookedRaw`\uu\xx ${1} after`,
{
cooked: [undefined, ' after'],
raw: ['\\uu\\xx ', ' after'],
substitutions: [1],
});
Incorrect escapes produce syntax errors in template literals and string
literals. Before ES2018, they even produced errors in tagged templates.
Why was that changed? We can now use tagged templates for text that was
previously illegal – for example:
windowsPath`C:\uuu\xxx\111`
latex`\unicode`
23.4 Examples of tagged templates (as provided via libraries)
Tagged templates are great for supporting small embedded languages (so-
called domain-specific languages). We’ll continue with a few examples.
23.4.1 Tag function library: lit-html
Lit is a library for building web components that uses tagged templates for
HTML templating:
@customElement('my-element')
class MyElement extends LitElement {
// ···
render() {
return html`
<ul>
${repeat(
this.items,
(item) => item.id,
(item, index) => html`<li>${index}:
${item.name}</li>`
)}
</ul>
`;
}
}
repeat() is a custom function for looping. Its second parameter produces
unique keys for the values returned by the third parameter. Note the nested
tagged template used by that parameter.
23.4.2 Tag function library: regex
The library “regex” by Steven Levithan provides template tags that help
with creating regular expressions and enable advanced features. The
following example demonstrates how it works:
import {regex, pattern} from 'regex';
const RE_YEAR = pattern`(?<year>[0-9]{4})`;
const RE_MONTH = pattern`(?<month>[0-9]{2})`;
const RE_DAY = pattern`(?<day>[0-9]{2})`;
const RE_DATE = regex('g')`
${RE_YEAR} # 4 digits
-
${RE_MONTH} # 2 digits
-
${RE_DAY} # 2 digits
`;
const match = RE_DATE.exec('2017-01-27');
assert.equal(match.groups.year, '2017');
The following flags are switched on by default:
Flag /v
Flag /x (emulated) enables insignificant whitespace and line comments
via #.
Flag /n (emulated) enables named capture only mode, which prevents
the grouping metacharacters (···) from capturing.
23.4.3 Tag function library: graphql-tag
The library graphql-tag lets us create GraphQL queries via tagged
templates:
import gql from 'graphql-tag';
const query = gql`
{
user(id: 5) {
firstName
lastName
}
}
`;
Additionally, there are plugins for pre-compiling such queries in Babel,
TypeScript, etc.
23.5 Raw string literals
Raw string literals are implemented via the tag function String.raw. They are
string literals where backslashes don’t do anything special (such as escaping
characters, etc.):
assert.equal(String.raw`\back`, '\\back');
This helps whenever data contains backslashes – for example, strings with
regular expressions:
const regex1 = /^\./;
const regex2 = new RegExp('^\\.');
const regex3 = new RegExp(String.raw`^\.`);
All three regular expressions are equivalent. With a normal string literal, we
have to write the backslash twice, to escape it for that literal. With a raw
string literal, we don’t have to do that.
Raw string literals are also useful for specifying Windows filename paths:
const WIN_PATH = String.raw`C:\foo\bar`;
assert.equal(WIN_PATH, 'C:\\foo\\bar');
23.6 (Advanced)
All remaining sections are advanced
23.7 Multiline template literals and indentation
If we put multiline text in template literals, two goals are in conflict: On one
hand, the template literal should be indented to fit inside the source code.
On the other hand, the lines of its content should start in the leftmost
column.
For example:
function div(text) {
return `
<div>
${text}
</div>
`;
}
console.log('Output:');
console.log(
div('Hello!')
// Replace spaces with mid-dots:
.replace(/ /g, '·')
// Replace \n with #\n:
.replace(/\n/g, '#\n')
);
Due to the indentation, the template literal fits well into the source code.
Alas, the output is also indented. And we don’t want the return at the
beginning and the return plus two spaces at the end.
Output:
#
····<div>#
······Hello!#
····</div>#
··
There are two ways to fix this: via a tagged template or by trimming the
result of the template literal.
23.7.1 Fix: template tag for dedenting
The first fix is to use a custom template tag that removes the unwanted
whitespace. It uses the first line after the initial line break to determine in
which column the text starts and shortens the indentation everywhere. It
also removes the line break at the very beginning and the indentation at the
very end. One such template tag is dedent by Desmond Brand:
import dedent from 'dedent';
function divDedented(text) {
return dedent`
<div>
${text}
</div>
`.replace(/\n/g, '#\n');
}
console.log('Output:');
console.log(divDedented('Hello!'));
This time, the output is not indented:
Output:
<div>#
Hello!#
</div>
23.7.2 Fix: .trim()
The second fix is quicker, but also dirtier:
function divDedented(text) {
return `
<div>
${text}
</div>
`.trim().replace(/\n/g, '#\n');
}
console.log('Output:');
console.log(divDedented('Hello!'));
The string method .trim() removes the superfluous whitespace at the
beginning and at the end, but the content itself must start in the leftmost
column. The advantage of this solution is that we don’t need a custom tag
function. The downside is that it looks ugly.
The output is the same as with dedent:
Output:
<div>#
Hello!#
</div>
23.8 Simple templating via template literals
While template literals look like text templates, it is not immediately
obvious how to use them for (text) templating: A text template gets its data
from an object, while a template literal gets its data from variables. The
solution is to use a template literal in the body of a function whose
parameter receives the templating data – for example:
const tmpl = (data) => `Hello ${data.name}!`;
assert.equal(tmpl({name: 'Jane'}), 'Hello Jane!');
23.8.1 A more complex example
As a more complex example, we’d like to take an Array of addresses and
produce an HTML table. This is the Array:
const addresses = [
{ first: '<Jane>', last: 'Bond' },
{ first: 'Lars', last: '<Croft>' },
];
The function tmpl() that produces the HTML table looks as follows:
1 const tmpl = (addrs) => `
2 <table>
3 ${addrs.map(
4 (addr) => `
5 <tr>
6 <td>${escapeHtml(addr.first)}</td>
7 <td>${escapeHtml(addr.last)}</td>
8 </tr>
9 `.trim()
10 ).join('')}
11 </table>
12 `.trim();
This code contains two templating functions:
The first one (line 1) takes addrs, an Array with addresses, and returns a
string with a table.
The second one (line 4) takes addr, an object containing an address, and
returns a string with a table row. Note the .trim() at the end, which
removes unnecessary whitespace.
The first templating function produces its result by wrapping a table element
around an Array that it joins into a string (line 10). That Array is produced
by mapping the second templating function to each element of addrs (line 3).
It therefore contains strings with table rows.
The helper function escapeHtml() is used to escape special HTML characters
(line 6 and line 7). Its implementation is shown in the next subsection.
Let us call tmpl() with the addresses and log the result:
console.log(tmpl(addresses));
The output is:
<table>
<tr>
<td><Jane></td>
<td>Bond</td>
</tr><tr>
<td>Lars</td>
<td><Croft></td>
</tr>
</table>
23.8.2 Simple HTML-escaping
The following function escapes plain text so that it is displayed verbatim in
HTML:
function escapeHtml(str) {
return str
.replace(/&/g, '&') // first!
.replace(/>/g, '>')
.replace(/</g, '<')
.replace(/"/g, '"')
.replace(/'/g, ''')
.replace(/`/g, '`')
;
}
assert.equal(
escapeHtml('Rock & Roll'), 'Rock & Roll');
assert.equal(
escapeHtml('<blank>'), '<blank>');
Exercise: HTML templating
Exercise with bonus challenge: exercises/template-
literals/templating_test.mjs
[ES6]
24 Symbols
24.1 Symbols are primitives that are also like objects
24.1.1 Symbols are primitive values
24.1.2 Symbols are also like objects
24.2 The descriptions of symbols
24.3 Use cases for symbols
24.3.1 Symbols as values for constants
24.3.2 Symbols as unique property keys
24.4 Publicly known symbols
24.5 Converting symbols
24.1 Symbols are primitives that are also like objects
Symbols are primitive values that are created via the factory function
Symbol():
const mySymbol = Symbol('mySymbol');
The parameter is optional and provides a description, which is mainly useful
for debugging.
24.1.1 Symbols are primitive values
Symbols are primitive values:
They have to be categorized via typeof:
const sym = Symbol();
assert.equal(typeof sym, 'symbol');
They can be property keys in objects:
const obj = {
[sym]: 123,
};
24.1.2 Symbols are also like objects
Even though symbols are primitives, they are also like objects in that each
value created by Symbol() is unique and not compared by value:
> Symbol() === Symbol()
false
Prior to symbols, objects were the best choice if we needed values that were
unique (only equal to themselves):
const string1 = 'abc';
const string2 = 'abc';
assert.equal(
string1 === string2, true); // not unique
const object1 = {};
const object2 = {};
assert.equal(
object1 === object2, false); // unique
const symbol1 = Symbol();
const symbol2 = Symbol();
assert.equal(
symbol1 === symbol2, false); // unique
24.2 The descriptions of symbols
The parameter we pass to the symbol factory function provides a
description for the created symbol:
const mySymbol = Symbol('mySymbol');
The description can be accessed in two ways.
First, it is part of the string returned by .toString():
assert.equal(mySymbol.toString(),
'Symbol(mySymbol)');
Second, since ES2019, we can retrieve the description via the property
.description:
assert.equal(mySymbol.description, 'mySymbol');
24.3 Use cases for symbols
The main use cases for symbols, are:
Values for constants
Unique property keys
24.3.1 Symbols as values for constants
Let’s assume you want to create constants representing the colors red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. One simple way of doing so would
be to use strings:
const COLOR_BLUE = 'Blue';
On the plus side, logging that constant produces helpful output. On the
minus side, there is a risk of mistaking an unrelated value for a color
because two strings with the same content are considered equal:
const MOOD_BLUE = 'Blue';
assert.equal(COLOR_BLUE, MOOD_BLUE);
We can fix that problem via symbols:
const COLOR_BLUE = Symbol('Blue');
const MOOD_BLUE = Symbol('Blue');
assert.notEqual(COLOR_BLUE, MOOD_BLUE);
Let’s use symbol-valued constants to implement a function:
const COLOR_RED = Symbol('Red');
const COLOR_ORANGE = Symbol('Orange');
const COLOR_YELLOW = Symbol('Yellow');
const COLOR_GREEN = Symbol('Green');
const COLOR_BLUE = Symbol('Blue');
const COLOR_VIOLET = Symbol('Violet');
function getComplement(color) {
switch (color) {
case COLOR_RED:
return COLOR_GREEN;
case COLOR_ORANGE:
return COLOR_BLUE;
case COLOR_YELLOW:
return COLOR_VIOLET;
case COLOR_GREEN:
return COLOR_RED;
case COLOR_BLUE:
return COLOR_ORANGE;
case COLOR_VIOLET:
return COLOR_YELLOW;
default:
throw new Exception('Unknown color: '+color);
}
}
assert.equal(getComplement(COLOR_YELLOW),
COLOR_VIOLET);
24.3.2 Symbols as unique property keys
The keys of properties (fields) in objects are used at two levels:
The program operates at a base level. The keys at that level reflect the
problem domain – the area in which a program solves a problem – for
example:
If a program manages employees, the property keys may be about
job titles, salary categories, department IDs, etc.
If the program is a chess app, the property keys may be about
chess pieces, chess boards, player colors, etc.
ECMAScript and many libraries operate at a meta-level. They manage
data and provide services that are not part of the problem domain – for
example:
The standard method .toString() is used by ECMAScript when
creating a string representation of an object (line A):
const point = {
x: 7,
y: 4,
toString() {
return `(${this.x}, ${this.y})`;
},
};
assert.equal(
String(point), '(7, 4)'); // (A)
.x and .y are base-level properties – they are used to solve the
problem of computing with points. .toString() is a meta-level
property – it doesn’t have anything to do with the problem
domain.
The standard ECMAScript method .toJSON()
const point = {
x: 7,
y: 4,
toJSON() {
return [this.x, this.y];
},
};
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify(point), '[7,4]');
.x and .y are base-level properties, .toJSON() is a meta-level
property.
The base level and the meta-level of a program must be independent: Base-
level property keys should not be in conflict with meta-level property keys.
If we use names (strings) as property keys, we are facing two challenges:
When a language is first created, it can use any meta-level names it
wants. Base-level code is forced to avoid those names. Later, however,
when much base-level code already exists, meta-level names can’t be
chosen freely, anymore.
We could introduce naming rules to separate base level and meta-level.
For example, Python brackets meta-level names with two underscores:
__init__, __iter__, __hash__, etc. However, the meta-level names of the
language and the meta-level names of libraries would still exist in the
same namespace and can clash.
These are two examples of where the latter was an issue for JavaScript:
In May 2018, the Array method .flatten() had to be renamed to .flat()
because the former name was already used by libraries (source).
In November 2020, the Array method .item() had to be renamed to
.at() because the former name was already used by library (source).
Symbols, used as property keys, help us here: Each symbol is unique and a
symbol key never clashes with any other string or symbol key.
24.3.2.1 Example: a library with a meta-level method
As an example, let’s assume we are writing a library that treats objects
differently if they implement a special method. This is what defining a
property key for such a method and implementing it for an object would
look like:
const specialMethod = Symbol('specialMethod');
const obj = {
_id: 'kf12oi',
[specialMethod]() { // (A)
return this._id;
}
};
assert.equal(obj[specialMethod](), 'kf12oi');
The square brackets in line A enable us to specify that the method must
have the key specialMethod. More details are explained in “Computed keys in
object literals” (§30.7.2).
24.4 Publicly known symbols
Symbols that play special roles within ECMAScript are called publicly
known symbols. Examples include:
Symbol.iterator: makes an object iterable. It’s the key of a method that
returns an iterator. For more information on this topic, see
“Synchronous iteration” (§32).
Symbol.hasInstance: customizes how instanceof works. If an object
implements a method with that key, it can be used at the right-hand
side of that operator. For example:
const PrimitiveNull = {
[Symbol.hasInstance](x) {
return x === null;
}
};
assert.equal(null instanceof PrimitiveNull,
true);
Symbol.toStringTag: influences the default .toString() method.
> String({})
'[object Object]'
> String({ [Symbol.toStringTag]: 'is no money' })
'[object is no money]'
Note: It’s usually better to override .toString().
Exercises: Publicly known symbols
Symbol.toStringTag: exercises/symbols/to_string_tag_test.mjs
Symbol.hasInstance: exercises/symbols/has_instance_test.mjs
24.5 Converting symbols
What happens if we convert a symbol sym to another primitive type? Table
24.1 has the answers.
Convert to Explicit conversion Coercion (implicit conv.)
boolean Boolean(sym) → OK !sym → OK
number Number(sym) → TypeError sym*2 → TypeError
string String(sym) → OK ''+sym → TypeError
sym.toString() → OK `${sym}` → TypeError
Table 24.1: The results of converting symbols to other primitive types.
One key pitfall with symbols is how often exceptions are thrown when
converting them to something else. What is the thinking behind that? First,
conversion to number never makes sense and should be warned about.
Second, converting a symbol to a string is indeed useful for diagnostic
output. But it also makes sense to warn about accidentally turning a symbol
into a string (which is a different kind of property key):
const obj = {};
const sym = Symbol();
assert.throws(
() => { obj['__'+sym+'__'] = true },
{ message: 'Cannot convert a Symbol value to a
string' });
The downside is that the exceptions make working with symbols more
complicated. You have to explicitly convert symbols when assembling
strings via the plus operator:
> const mySymbol = Symbol('mySymbol');
> 'Symbol I used: ' + mySymbol
TypeError: Cannot convert a Symbol value to a string
> 'Symbol I used: ' + String(mySymbol)
'Symbol I used: Symbol(mySymbol)'
V Control flow and data flow
25 Control flow statements
25.1 Controlling loops: break and continue
25.1.1 break
25.1.2 break plus label: leaving any labeled statement
25.1.3 continue
25.2 Conditions of control flow statements
[ES1]
25.3 if statements
25.3.1 The syntax of if statements
[ES3]
25.4 switch statements
25.4.1 A first example of a switch statement
25.4.2 Don’t forget to return or break!
25.4.3 Empty case clauses
25.4.4 Checking for illegal values via a default clause
[ES1]
25.5 while loops
25.5.1 Examples of while loops
[ES3]
25.6 do-while loops
[ES1]
25.7 for loops
25.7.1 Examples of for loops
[ES6]
25.8 for-of loops
25.8.1 const: for-of vs. for
25.8.2 Iterating over iterables
25.8.3 Iterating over [index, element] pairs of Arrays
[ES2018]
25.9 for-await-of loops
[ES1]
25.10 for-in loops (avoid)
25.11 Recomendations for looping
This chapter covers the following control flow statements:
[ES1]
if statement
[ES3]
switch statement
[ES1]
while loop
[ES3]
do-while loop
[ES1]
for loop
[ES6]
for-of loop
[ES2018]
for-await-of loop
[ES1]
for-in loop
25.1 Controlling loops: break and continue
The two operators break and continue can be used to control loops and other
statements while we are inside them.
25.1.1 break
There are two versions of break: one with an operand and one without an
operand. The latter version works inside the following statements: while, do-
while, for, for-of, for-await-of, for-in and switch. It immediately leaves the
current statement:
for (const x of ['a', 'b', 'c']) {
console.log(x);
if (x === 'b') break;
console.log('---')
}
Output:
a
---
b
25.1.2 break plus label: leaving any labeled statement
break with an operand works everywhere. Its operand is a label. Labels can
be put in front of any statement, including blocks. break my_label leaves the
statement whose label is my_label:
my_label: { // label
if (condition) break my_label; // labeled break
// ···
}
In the following example, the search can either:
Fail: The loop finishes without finding a result. That is handled directly
after the loop (line B).
Succeed: While looping, we find a result. Then we use break plus label
(line A) to skip the code that handles failure.
function findSuffix(stringArray, suffix) {
let result;
search_block: {
for (const str of stringArray) {
if (str.endsWith(suffix)) {
// Success:
result = str;
break search_block; // (A)
}
} // for
// Failure:
result = '(Untitled)'; // (B)
} // search_block
return { suffix, result };
// Same as: {suffix: suffix, result: result}
}
assert.deepEqual(
findSuffix(['notes.txt', 'index.html'], '.html'),
{ suffix: '.html', result: 'index.html' }
);
assert.deepEqual(
findSuffix(['notes.txt', 'index.html'], '.mjs'),
{ suffix: '.mjs', result: '(Untitled)' }
);
25.1.3 continue
continue only works inside while, do-while, for, for-of, for-await-of, and for-in.
It immediately leaves the current loop iteration and continues with the next
one – for example:
const lines = [
'Normal line',
'# Comment',
'Another normal line',
];
for (const line of lines) {
if (line.startsWith('#')) continue;
console.log(line);
}
Output:
Normal line
Another normal line
25.2 Conditions of control flow statements
if, while, and do-while have conditions that are, in principle, boolean.
However, a condition only has to be truthy (true if coerced to boolean) in
order to be accepted. In other words, the following two control flow
statements are equivalent:
if (value) {}
if (Boolean(value) === true) {}
This is a list of all falsy values:
undefined, null
false
0, NaN
0n
''
All other values are truthy. For more information, see “Falsy and truthy
values” (§17.2).
25.3 if statements [ES1]
These are two simple if statements: one with just a “then” branch and one
with both a “then” branch and an “else” branch:
if (cond) {
// then branch
}
if (cond) {
// then branch
} else {
// else branch
}
Instead of the block, else can also be followed by another if statement:
if (cond1) {
// ···
} else if (cond2) {
// ···
}
if (cond1) {
// ···
} else if (cond2) {
// ···
} else {
// ···
}
You can continue this chain with more else ifs.
25.3.1 The syntax of if statements
The general syntax of if statements is:
if («cond») «then_statement»
else «else_statement»
So far, the then_statement has always been a block, but we can use any
statement. That statement must be terminated with a semicolon:
if (true) console.log('Yes'); else
console.log('No');
That means that else if is not its own construct; it’s simply an if statement
whose else_statement is another if statement.
25.4 switch statements [ES3]
A switch statement looks as follows:
switch («switch_expression») {
«switch_body»
}
The body of switch consists of zero or more case clauses:
case «case_expression»:
«statements»
And, optionally, a default clause:
default:
«statements»
A switch is executed as follows:
It evaluates the switch expression.
It jumps to the first case clause whose expression has the same result as
the switch expression.
Otherwise, if there is no such clause, it jumps to the default clause.
Otherwise, if there is no default clause, it does nothing.
25.4.1 A first example of a switch statement
Let’s look at an example: The following function converts a number from 1–
7 to the name of a weekday.
function dayOfTheWeek(num) {
switch (num) {
case 1:
return 'Monday';
case 2:
return 'Tuesday';
case 3:
return 'Wednesday';
case 4:
return 'Thursday';
case 5:
return 'Friday';
case 6:
return 'Saturday';
case 7:
return 'Sunday';
}
}
assert.equal(dayOfTheWeek(5), 'Friday');
25.4.2 Don’t forget to return or break!
At the end of a case clause, execution continues with the next case clause,
unless we return or break – for example:
function englishToFrench(english) {
let french;
switch (english) {
case 'hello':
french = 'bonjour';
case 'goodbye':
french = 'au revoir';
}
return french;
}
// The result should be 'bonjour'!
assert.equal(englishToFrench('hello'), 'au revoir');
That is, our implementation of dayOfTheWeek() only worked because we used
return. We can fix englishToFrench() by using break:
function englishToFrench(english) {
let french;
switch (english) {
case 'hello':
french = 'bonjour';
break;
case 'goodbye':
french = 'au revoir';
break;
}
return french;
}
assert.equal(englishToFrench('hello'), 'bonjour');
// ok
25.4.3 Empty case clauses
The statements of a case clause can be omitted, which effectively gives us
multiple case expressions per case clause:
function isWeekDay(name) {
switch (name) {
case 'Monday':
case 'Tuesday':
case 'Wednesday':
case 'Thursday':
case 'Friday':
return true;
case 'Saturday':
case 'Sunday':
return false;
}
}
assert.equal(isWeekDay('Wednesday'), true);
assert.equal(isWeekDay('Sunday'), false);
25.4.4 Checking for illegal values via a default clause
A default clause is jumped to if the switch expression has no other match.
That makes it useful for error checking:
function isWeekDay(name) {
switch (name) {
case 'Monday':
case 'Tuesday':
case 'Wednesday':
case 'Thursday':
case 'Friday':
return true;
case 'Saturday':
case 'Sunday':
return false;
default:
throw new Error('Illegal value: '+name);
}
}
assert.throws(
() => isWeekDay('January'),
{message: 'Illegal value: January'});
Exercises: switch
exercises/control-flow/number_to_month_test.mjs
Bonus: exercises/control-flow/is_object_via_switch_test.mjs
25.5 while loops [ES1]
A while loop has the following syntax:
while («condition») {
«statements»
}
Before each loop iteration, while evaluates condition:
If the result is falsy, the loop is finished.
If the result is truthy, the while body is executed one more time.
25.5.1 Examples of while loops
The following code uses a while loop. In each loop iteration, it removes the
first element of arr via .shift() and logs it.
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
while (arr.length > 0) {
const elem = arr.shift(); // remove first element
console.log(elem);
}
Output:
a
b
c
If the condition always evaluates to true, then while is an infinite loop:
while (true) {
if (Math.random() === 0) break;
}
25.6 do-while loops [ES3]
The do-while loop works much like while, but it checks its condition after
each loop iteration, not before.
let input;
do {
input = prompt('Enter text:');
console.log(input);
} while (input !== ':q');
do-while can also be viewed as a while loop that runs at least once.
prompt() is a global function that is available in web browsers. It prompts the
user to input text and returns it.
25.7 for loops [ES1]
A for loop has the following syntax:
for («initialization»; «condition»;
«post_iteration») {
«statements»
}
The first line is the head of the loop and controls how often the body (the
remainder of the loop) is executed. It has three parts and each of them is
optional:
initialization: sets up variables, etc. for the loop. Variables declared
here via let or const only exist inside the loop.
condition: This condition is checked before each loop iteration. If it is
falsy, the loop stops.
post_iteration: This code is executed after each loop iteration.
A for loop is therefore roughly equivalent to the following while loop:
«initialization»
while («condition») {
«statements»
«post_iteration»
}
25.7.1 Examples of for loops
As an example, this is how to count from zero to two via a for loop:
for (let i=0; i<3; i++) {
console.log(i);
}
Output:
0
1
2
This is how to log the contents of an Array via a for loop:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
for (let i=0; i<arr.length; i++) {
console.log(arr[i]);
}
Output:
a
b
c
If we omit all three parts of the head, we get an infinite loop:
for (;;) {
if (Math.random() === 0) break;
}
25.8 for-of loops [ES6]
A for-of loop iterates over any iterable – a data container that supports the
iteration protocol. Each iterated value is stored in a variable, as specified in
the head:
for («iteration_variable» of «iterable») {
«statements»
}
The iteration variable is usually created via a variable declaration:
const iterable = ['hello', 'world'];
for (const elem of iterable) {
console.log(elem);
}
Output:
hello
world
But we can also use a (mutable) variable that already exists:
const iterable = ['hello', 'world'];
let elem;
for (elem of iterable) {
console.log(elem);
}
25.8.1 const: for-of vs. for
Note that in for-of loops we can use const. The iteration variable can still be
different for each iteration (it just can’t change during the iteration). Think
of it as a new const declaration being executed each time in a fresh scope.
In contrast, in for loops we must declare variables via let or var if their
values change.
25.8.2 Iterating over iterables
As mentioned before, for-of works with any iterable object, not just with
Arrays – for example, with Sets:
const set = new Set(['hello', 'world']);
for (const elem of set) {
console.log(elem);
}
25.8.3 Iterating over [index, element] pairs of Arrays
Lastly, we can also use for-of to iterate over the [index, element] entries of
Arrays:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
for (const [index, element] of arr.entries()) {
console.log(`${index} -> ${element}`);
}
Output:
0 -> a
1 -> b
2 -> c
With [index, element], we are using destructuring to access Array elements.
Exercise: for-of
exercises/control-flow/array_to_string_test.mjs
25.9 for-await-of loops [ES2018]
for-await-of is like for-of, but it works with asynchronous iterables instead of
synchronous ones. And it can only be used inside async functions and async
generators.
for await (const item of asyncIterable) {
// ···
}
for-await-of is described in detail in the chapter on asynchronous iteration.
25.10 for-in loops (avoid) [ES1]
The for-in loop visits all (own and inherited) enumerable property keys of
an object. When looping over an Array, it is rarely a good choice:
It visits property keys, not values.
As property keys, the indices of Array elements are strings, not
numbers (more information on how Array elements work).
It visits all enumerable property keys (both own and inherited ones),
not just those of Array elements.
The following code demonstrates these points:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
arr.propKey = 'property value';
for (const key in arr) {
console.log(key);
}
Output:
0
1
2
propKey
25.11 Recomendations for looping
If you want to loop over an asynchronous iterable (in ES2018+), you
must use for-await-of.
For looping over a synchronous iterable (in ES6+), you must use for-of.
Note that Arrays are iterables.
For looping over an Array in ES5+, you can use the Array method
.forEach().
Before ES5, you can use a plain for loop to loop over an Array.
Don’t use for-in to loop over an Array.
26 Exception handling
26.1 Motivation: throwing and catching exceptions
26.2 throw
26.2.1 What values should we throw?
26.3 The try statement
26.3.1 The try block
26.3.2 The catch clause
26.3.3 The finally clause
26.4 Error and its subclasses
26.4.1 Class Error
26.4.2 The built-in subclasses of Error
26.4.3 Subclassing Error
26.5 Chaining errors
26.5.1 Why would we want to chain errors?
[ES2022]
26.5.2 Chaining errors via error.cause
26.5.3 An alternative to .cause: a custom error class
This chapter covers how JavaScript handles exceptions.
Why doesn’t JavaScript throw exceptions more often?
JavaScript didn’t support exceptions until ES3. That explains why they
are used sparingly by the language and its standard library.
26.1 Motivation: throwing and catching exceptions
Consider the following code. It reads profiles stored in files into an Array
with instances of class Profile:
function readProfiles(filePaths) {
const profiles = [];
for (const filePath of filePaths) {
try {
const profile = readOneProfile(filePath);
profiles.push(profile);
} catch (err) { // (A)
console.log('Error in: '+filePath, err);
}
}
}
function readOneProfile(filePath) {
const profile = new Profile();
const file = openFile(filePath);
// ··· (Read the data in `file` into `profile`)
return profile;
}
function openFile(filePath) {
if (!fs.existsSync(filePath)) {
throw new Error('Could not find file
'+filePath); // (B)
}
// ··· (Open the file whose path is `filePath`)
}
Let’s examine what happens in line B: An error occurred, but the best place
to handle the problem is not the current location, it’s line A. There, we can
skip the current file and move on to the next one.
Therefore:
In line B, we use a throw statement to indicate that there was a problem.
In line A, we use a try-catch statement to handle the problem.
When we throw, the following constructs are active:
readProfiles(···)
for (const filePath of filePaths)
try
readOneProfile(···)
openFile(···)
if (!fs.existsSync(filePath))
throw
One by one, throw exits the nested constructs, until it encounters a try
statement. Execution continues in the catch clause of that try statement.
26.2 throw
This is the syntax of the throw statement:
throw «value»;
26.2.1 What values should we throw?
Any value can be thrown in JavaScript. However, it’s best to use instances of
Error or a subclass because they support additional features such as stack
traces and error chaining (see “Error and its subclasses” (§26.4)).
That leaves us with the following options:
Using class Error directly. That is less limiting in JavaScript than in a
more static language because we can add our own properties to
instances:
const err = new Error('Could not find the file');
err.filePath = filePath;
throw err;
Using one of the subclasses of Error.
Subclassing Error (more details are explained later):
class MyError extends Error {
}
function func() {
throw new MyError('Problem!');
}
assert.throws(
() => func(),
MyError);
26.3 The try statement
The maximal version of the try statement looks as follows:
try {
«try_statements»
} catch (error) {
«catch_statements»
} finally {
«finally_statements»
}
We can combine these clauses as follows:
try-catch
try-finally
try-catch-finally
26.3.1 The try block
The try block can be considered the body of the statement. This is where we
execute the regular code.
26.3.2 The catch clause
If an exception reaches the try block, then it is assigned to the parameter of
the catch clause and the code in that clause is executed. Next, execution
normally continues after the try statement. That may change if:
There is a return, break, or throw inside the catch block.
There is a finally clause (which is always executed before the try
statement ends).
The following code demonstrates that the value that is thrown in line A is
indeed caught in line B.
const errorObject = new Error();
function func() {
throw errorObject; // (A)
}
try {
func();
} catch (err) { // (B)
assert.equal(err, errorObject);
}
26.3.2.1 Omitting the catch binding [ES2019]
We can omit the catch parameter if we are not interested in the value that
was thrown:
try {
// ···
} catch {
// ···
}
That may occasionally be useful. For example, Node.js has the API function
assert.throws(func) that checks whether an error is thrown inside func. It
could be implemented as follows.
function throws(func) {
try {
func();
} catch {
return; // everything OK
}
throw new Error('Function didn’t throw an
exception!');
}
However, a more complete implementation of this function would have a
catch parameter and would, for example, check that its type is as expected.
26.3.3 The finally clause
The code inside the finally clause is always executed at the end of a try
statement – no matter what happens in the try block or the catch clause.
Let’s look at a common use case for finally: We have created a resource and
want to always destroy it when we are done with it, no matter what happens
while working with it. We would implement that as follows:
const resource = createResource();
try {
// Work with `resource`. Errors may be thrown.
} finally {
resource.destroy();
}
26.3.3.1 finally is always executed
The finally clause is always executed, even if an error is thrown (line A):
let finallyWasExecuted = false;
assert.throws(
() => {
try {
throw new Error(); // (A)
} finally {
finallyWasExecuted = true;
}
},
Error
);
assert.equal(finallyWasExecuted, true);
And even if there is a return statement (line A):
let finallyWasExecuted = false;
function func() {
try {
return; // (A)
} finally {
finallyWasExecuted = true;
}
}
func();
assert.equal(finallyWasExecuted, true);
26.4 Error and its subclasses
Error is the common superclass of all built-in error classes.
26.4.1 Class Error
This is what Error’s instance properties and constructor look like:
class Error {
// Instance properties
message: string;
cause?: any; // ES2022
stack: string; // non-standard but widely
supported
constructor(
message: string = '',
options?: ErrorOptions // ES2022
);
}
interface ErrorOptions {
cause?: any; // ES2022
}
The constructor has two parameters:
message specifies an error message.
options was introduced in ECMAScript 2022. It contains an object
where one property is currently supported:
.cause specifies which exception (if any) caused the current error.
The subsections after the next one explain the instance properties .message,
.cause and .stack in more detail.
26.4.1.1 Error.prototype.name
Each built-in error class E has a property E.prototype.name:
> Error.prototype.name
'Error'
> RangeError.prototype.name
'RangeError'
Therefore, there are two ways to get the name of the class of a built-in error
object:
> new RangeError().name
'RangeError'
> new RangeError().constructor.name
'RangeError'
26.4.1.2 Error instance property .message
.message contains just the error message:
const err = new Error('Hello!');
assert.equal(String(err), 'Error: Hello!');
assert.equal(err.message, 'Hello!');
If we omit the message then the empty string is used as a default value
(inherited from Error.prototype.message):
If we omit the message, it is the empty string:
assert.equal(new Error().message, '');
26.4.1.3 Error instance property .stack
The instance property .stack is not an ECMAScript feature, but it is widely
supported by JavaScript engines. It is usually a string, but its exact structure
is not standardized and varies between engines.
This is what it looks like on the JavaScript engine V8:
const err = new Error('Hello!');
assert.equal(
err.stack,
`
Error: Hello!
at main.mjs:1:13
`.trim());
26.4.1.4 Error instance property .cause [ES2022]
The instance property .cause is created via the options object in the second
parameter of new Error(). It specifies which other error caused the current
one.
const err = new Error('msg', {cause: 'the cause'});
assert.equal(err.cause, 'the cause');
For information on how to use this property see “Chaining errors” (§26.5).
26.4.2 The built-in subclasses of Error
Error has the following subclasses – quoting the ECMAScript specification:
[ES2021]
AggregateError represents multiple errors at once. In the standard
library, only Promise.any() uses it.
RangeError indicates a value that is not in the set or range of allowable
values.
ReferenceError indicates that an invalid reference value has been
detected.
SyntaxError indicates that a parsing error has occurred.
TypeError is used to indicate an unsuccessful operation when none of
the other NativeError objects are an appropriate indication of the
failure cause.
URIError indicates that one of the global URI handling functions was
used in a way that is incompatible with its definition.
26.4.3 Subclassing Error
Since ECMAScript 2022, the Error constructor accepts two parameters (see
previous subsection). Therefore, we have two choices when subclassing it:
We can either omit the constructor in our subclass or we can invoke super()
like this:
class MyCustomError extends Error {
constructor(message, options) {
super(message, options);
// ···
}
}
26.5 Chaining errors
26.5.1 Why would we want to chain errors?
Sometimes, we catch errors that are thrown during a more deeply nested
function call and would like to attach more information to it:
function readFiles(filePaths) {
return filePaths.map(
(filePath) => {
try {
const text = readText(filePath);
const json = JSON.parse(text);
return processJson(json);
} catch (error) {
// (A)
}
});
}
The statements inside the try clause may throw all kinds of errors. In most
cases, an error won’t be aware of the path of the file that caused it. That’s
why we would like to attach that information in line A.
[ES2022]
26.5.2 Chaining errors via error.cause
Since ECMAScript 2022, new Error() lets us specify what caused it:
function readFiles(filePaths) {
return filePaths.map(
(filePath) => {
try {
// ···
} catch (error) {
throw new Error(
`While processing ${filePath}`,
{cause: error}
);
}
});
}
26.5.3 An alternative to .cause: a custom error class
The following custom error class supports chaining. It is forward
compatible with .cause.
/**
* An error class that supports error chaining.
* If there is built-in support for .cause, it uses
it.
* Otherwise, it creates this property itself.
*/
class CausedError extends Error {
constructor(message, options) {
super(message, options);
if (
(isObject(options) && 'cause' in options)
&& !('cause' in this)
) {
// .cause was specified but the
superconstructor
// did not create an instance property.
const cause = options.cause;
this.cause = cause;
if ('stack' in cause) {
this.stack = this.stack + '\nCAUSE: ' +
cause.stack;
}
}
}
}
function isObject(value) {
return value !== null && typeof value ===
'object';
}
Exercise: Exception handling
exercises/exception-handling/call_function_test.mjs
27 Callable values
27.1 Kinds of functions
27.2 Ordinary functions
27.2.1 Named function expressions (advanced)
27.2.2 Terminology: function definitions and function
expressions
27.2.3 Parts of a function declaration
27.2.4 Roles played by ordinary functions
27.2.5 Terminology: entity vs. syntax vs. role (advanced)
[ES6]
27.3 Specialized functions
27.3.1 Specialized functions are still functions
27.3.2 Arrow functions
27.3.3 The special variable this in methods, ordinary functions
and arrow functions
27.3.4 Recommendation: prefer specialized functions over
ordinary functions
27.4 Summary: kinds of callable values
27.5 Returning values from functions and methods
27.6 Parameter handling
27.6.1 Terminology: parameters vs. arguments
27.6.2 Terminology: callback
27.6.3 Too many or not enough arguments
[ES6]
27.6.4 Parameter default values
[ES6]
27.6.5 Rest parameters
27.6.6 Named parameters
27.6.7 Simulating named parameters
[ES6]
27.6.8 Spreading (...) into function calls
27.7 Methods of functions: .call(), .apply(), .bind()
27.7.1 The function method .call()
27.7.2 The function method .apply()
27.7.3 The function method .bind()
In this chapter, we look at JavaScript values that can be invoked: functions,
methods, and classes.
27.1 Kinds of functions
JavaScript has two categories of functions:
An ordinary function can play several roles:
Real function
Method
Constructor function
A specialized function can only play one of those roles – for example:
An arrow function can only be a real function.
A method can only be a method.
A class can only be a constructor function.
Specialized functions were added to the language in ECMAScript 6.
Read on to find out what all of those things mean.
27.2 Ordinary functions
The following code shows two ways of doing (roughly) the same thing:
creating an ordinary function.
// Function declaration (a statement)
function ordinary1(a, b, c) {
// ···
}
// const plus anonymous (nameless) function
expression
const ordinary2 = function (a, b, c) {
// ···
};
Inside a scope, function declarations are activated early (see “Declarations:
scope and activation” (§13.8)) and can be called before they are declared.
That is occasionally useful.
Variable declarations, such as the one for ordinary2, are not activated early.
27.2.1 Named function expressions (advanced)
So far, we have only seen anonymous function expressions – which don’t
have names:
const anonFuncExpr = function (a, b, c) {
// ···
};
But there are also named function expressions:
const namedFuncExpr = function myName(a, b, c) {
// `myName` is only accessible in here
};
myName is only accessible inside the body of the function. The function can
use it to refer to itself (for self-recursion, etc.) – independently of which
variable it is assigned to:
const func = function funcExpr() { return funcExpr
};
assert.equal(func(), func);
// The name `funcExpr` only exists inside the
function body:
assert.throws(() => funcExpr(), ReferenceError);
Even if they are not assigned to variables, named function expressions have
names (line A):
function getNameOfCallback(callback) {
return callback.name;
}
assert.equal(
getNameOfCallback(function () {}), ''); //
anonymous
assert.equal(
getNameOfCallback(function named() {}), 'named');
// (A)
Note that functions created via function declarations or variable declarations
always have names:
function funcDecl() {}
assert.equal(
getNameOfCallback(funcDecl), 'funcDecl');
const funcExpr = function () {};
assert.equal(
getNameOfCallback(funcExpr), 'funcExpr');
One benefit of functions having names is that those names show up in error
stack traces.
27.2.2 Terminology: function definitions and function expressions
A function definition is syntax that creates functions:
A function declaration (a statement)
A function expression
Function declarations always produce ordinary functions. Function
expressions produce either ordinary functions or specialized functions:
Ordinary function expressions (which we have already encountered):
Anonymous function expressions
Named function expressions
Specialized function expressions (which we’ll look at later):
Arrow functions (which are always expressions)
While function declarations are still popular in JavaScript, function
expressions are almost always arrow functions in modern code.
27.2.3 Parts of a function declaration
Let’s examine the parts of a function declaration via the following example.
Most of the terms also apply to function expressions.
function add(x, y) {
return x + y;
}
add is the name of the function declaration.
add(x, y) is the head of the function declaration.
x and y are the parameters.
The curly braces ({ and }) and everything between them are the body of
the function declaration.
The return statement explicitly returns a value from the function.
[ES2017]
27.2.3.1 Trailing commas in parameter lists
JavaScript has always allowed and ignored trailing commas in Array
literals. Since ES5, they are also allowed in object literals. Since ES2017,
we can add trailing commas to parameter lists (declarations and
invocations):
// Declaration
function retrieveData(
contentText,
keyword,
{unique, ignoreCase, pageSize}, // trailing comma
) {
// ···
}
// Invocation
retrieveData(
'',
null,
{ignoreCase: true, pageSize: 10}, // trailing
comma
);
27.2.4 Roles played by ordinary functions
Consider the following function declaration from the previous section:
function add(x, y) {
return x + y;
}
This function declaration creates an ordinary function whose name is add.
As an ordinary function, add() can play three roles:
Real function: invoked via a function call.
assert.equal(add(2, 1), 3);
Method: stored in a property, invoked via a method call.
const obj = { addAsMethod: add };
assert.equal(obj.addAsMethod(2, 4), 6); // (A)
In line A, obj is called the receiver of the method call.
Constructor function: invoked via new.
const inst = new add();
assert.equal(inst instanceof add, true);
As an aside, the names of constructor functions (incl. classes) normally
start with capital letters.
27.2.5 Terminology: entity vs. syntax vs. role (advanced)
The distinction between the concepts syntax, entity, and role is subtle and
often doesn’t matter. But I’d like to sharpen your eye for it:
An entity is a JavaScript feature as it “lives” in RAM. An ordinary
function is an entity.
Entities include: ordinary functions, arrow functions, methods,
and classes.
Syntax is the code that we use to create entities. Function declarations
and anonymous function expressions are syntax. They both create
entities that are called ordinary functions.
Syntax includes: function declarations and anonymous function
expressions. The syntax that produces arrow functions is also
called arrow functions. The same is true for methods and classes.
A role describes how we use entities. The entity ordinary function can
play the role real function, or the role method, or the role class. The
entity arrow function can also play the role real function.
The roles of functions are: real function, method, and constructor
function.
Many other programming languages only have a single entity that plays the
role real function. Then they can use the name function for both role and
entity.
[ES6]
27.3 Specialized functions
Specialized functions are single-purpose versions of ordinary functions.
Each one of them specializes in a single role:
The purpose of an arrow function is to be a real function:
const arrow = () => {
return 123;
};
assert.equal(arrow(), 123);
The purpose of a method is to be a method:
const obj = {
myMethod() {
return 'abc';
}
};
assert.equal(obj.myMethod(), 'abc');
The purpose of a class is to be a constructor function:
class MyClass {
/* ··· */
}
const inst = new MyClass();
Apart from nicer syntax, each kind of specialized function also supports
new features, making them better at their jobs than ordinary functions.
Arrow functions are explained soon.
Methods are explained in the chapter on objects.
Classes are explained in the chapter on classes.
Table 27.1 lists the capabilities of ordinary and specialized functions.
Method Constructor
Function call
call call
Ordinary (this === ✔ ✔
Method Constructor
Function call
call call
function undefined)
Arrow ✔ (lexical ✘
function this)
Method (this === ✔ ✘
undefined)
Class ✘ ✘ ✔
Table 27.1: Capabilities of four kinds of functions. If a cell value is in
parentheses, that implies some kind of limitation. The special variable
this is explained in “The special variable this in methods, ordinary
functions and arrow functions” (§27.3.3).
27.3.1 Specialized functions are still functions
It’s important to note that arrow functions, methods, and classes are still
categorized as functions:
> (() => {}) instanceof Function
true
> ({ method() {} }.method) instanceof Function
true
> (class SomeClass {}) instanceof Function
true
27.3.2 Arrow functions
Arrow functions were added to JavaScript for two reasons:
1. To provide a more concise way for creating functions.
2. They work better as real functions inside methods: Methods can refer
to the object that received a method call via the special variable this.
Arrow functions can access the this of a surrounding method, ordinary
functions can’t (because they have their own this).
We’ll first examine the syntax of arrow functions and then how this works
in various functions.
27.3.2.1 The syntax of arrow functions
Let’s review the syntax of an anonymous function expression:
const f = function (x, y, z) { return 123 };
The (roughly) equivalent arrow function looks as follows. Arrow functions
are expressions.
const f = (x, y, z) => { return 123 };
Here, the body of the arrow function is a block. But it can also be an
expression. The following arrow function works exactly like the previous
one.
const f = (x, y, z) => 123;
If an arrow function has only a single parameter and that parameter is an
identifier (not a destructuring pattern) then you can omit the parentheses
around the parameter:
const id = x => x;
That is convenient when passing arrow functions as parameters to other
functions or methods:
> [1,2,3].map(x => x+1)
[ 2, 3, 4 ]
This previous example demonstrates one benefit of arrow functions –
conciseness. If we perform the same task with a function expression, our
code is more verbose:
[1,2,3].map(function (x) { return x+1 });
27.3.2.2 Syntax pitfall: returning an object literal from an arrow function
If you want the expression body of an arrow function to be an object literal,
you must put the literal in parentheses:
const func1 = () => ({a: 1});
assert.deepEqual(func1(), { a: 1 });
If you don’t, JavaScript thinks, the arrow function has a block body (that
doesn’t return anything):
const func2 = () => {a: 1};
assert.deepEqual(func2(), undefined);
{a: 1} is interpreted as a block with the label a: and the expression statement
1. Without an explicit return statement, the block body returns undefined.
This pitfall is caused by syntactic ambiguity: object literals and code blocks
have the same syntax. We use the parentheses to tell JavaScript that the
body is an expression (an object literal) and not a statement (a block).
27.3.3 The special variable this in methods, ordinary functions and
arrow functions
The special variable this is an object-oriented feature
We are taking a quick look at the special variable this here, in order to
understand why arrow functions are better real functions than ordinary
functions.
But this feature only matters in object-oriented programming and is
covered in more depth in “Methods and the special variable this”
(§30.5). Therefore, don’t worry if you don’t fully understand it yet.
Inside methods, the special variable this lets us access the receiver – the
object which received the method call:
const obj = {
myMethod() {
assert.equal(this, obj);
}
};
obj.myMethod();
Ordinary functions can be methods and therefore also have the implicit
parameter this:
const obj = {
myMethod: function () {
assert.equal(this, obj);
}
};
obj.myMethod();
this is even an implicit parameter when we use an ordinary function as a
real function. Then its value is undefined (if strict mode is active, which it
almost always is):
function ordinaryFunc() {
assert.equal(this, undefined);
}
ordinaryFunc();
That means that an ordinary function, used as a real function, can’t access
the this of a surrounding method (line A). In contrast, arrow functions don’t
have this as an implicit parameter. They treat it like any other variable and
can therefore access the this of a surrounding method (line B):
const jill = {
name: 'Jill',
someMethod() {
function ordinaryFunc() {
assert.throws(
() => this.name, // (A)
/^TypeError: Cannot read properties of
undefined \(reading 'name'\)$/);
}
ordinaryFunc();
const arrowFunc = () => {
assert.equal(this.name, 'Jill'); // (B)
};
arrowFunc();
},
};
jill.someMethod();
In this code, we can observe two ways of handling this:
Dynamic this: In line A, we try to access the this of .someMethod() from
an ordinary function. There, it is shadowed by the function’s own this,
which is undefined (as filled in by the function call). Given that ordinary
functions receive their this via (dynamic) function or method calls,
their this is called dynamic.
Lexical this: In line B, we again try to access the this of .someMethod().
This time, we succeed because the arrow function does not have its
own this. this is resolved lexically, just like any other variable. That’s
why the this of arrow functions is called lexical.
27.3.4 Recommendation: prefer specialized functions over ordinary
functions
Normally, you should prefer specialized functions over ordinary functions,
especially classes and methods.
When it comes to real functions, the choice between an arrow function and
an ordinary function is less clear-cut, though:
For anonymous inline function expressions, arrow functions are clear
winners, due to their compact syntax and them not having this as an
implicit parameter:
const twiceOrdinary = [1, 2, 3].map(function (x)
{return x * 2});
const twiceArrow = [1, 2, 3].map(x => x * 2);
For stand-alone named function declarations, arrow functions still
benefit from lexical this. But function declarations (which produce
ordinary functions) have nice syntax and early activation is also
occasionally useful (see “Declarations: scope and activation” (§13.8)).
If this doesn’t appear in the body of an ordinary function, there is no
downside to using it as a real function. The static checking tool ESLint
can warn us during development when we do this wrong via a built-in
rule.
function timesOrdinary(x, y) {
return x * y;
}
const timesArrow = (x, y) => {
return x * y;
};
27.4 Summary: kinds of callable values
This section refers to upcoming content
This section mainly serves as a reference for the current and upcoming
chapters. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything.
So far, all (real) functions and methods, that we have seen, were:
Single-result
Synchronous
Later chapters will cover other modes of programming:
Iteration treats objects as containers of data (so-called iterables) and
provides a standardized way for retrieving what is inside them. If a
function or a method returns an iterable, it returns multiple values.
Asynchronous programming deals with handling a long-running
computation. You are notified when the computation is finished and
can do something else in between. The standard pattern for
asynchronously delivering single results is called Promise.
These modes can be combined – for example, there are synchronous
iterables and asynchronous iterables.
Several new kinds of functions and methods help with some of the mode
combinations:
Async functions help implement functions that return Promises. There
are also async methods.
Synchronous generator functions help implement functions that return
synchronous iterables. There are also synchronous generator methods.
Asynchronous generator functions help implement functions that return
asynchronous iterables. There are also asynchronous generator
methods.
That leaves us with 4 kinds (2 × 2) of functions and methods:
Synchronous vs. asynchronous
Generator vs. single-result
Table 27.2 gives an overview of the syntax for creating these 4 kinds of
functions and methods.
Result #
Sync function Sync method
function f() {} { m() {} } value 1
f = function () {}
f = () => {}
Sync generator Sync gen.
function method
Result #
function* f() {} { * m() {} } iterable 0+
f = function* () {}
Async function Async method
async function f() {} { async m() {} } Promise 1
f = async function () {}
f = async () => {}
Async generator Async gen.
function method
async function* f() {} { async * m() {} } async 0+
iterable
f = async function* () {}
Table 27.2: Syntax for creating functions and methods. The last
column specifies how many values are produced by an entity.
27.5 Returning values from functions and methods
(Everything mentioned in this section applies to both functions and
methods.)
The return statement explicitly returns a value from a function:
function func() {
return 123;
}
assert.equal(func(), 123);
Another example:
function boolToYesNo(bool) {
if (bool) {
return 'Yes';
} else {
return 'No';
}
}
assert.equal(boolToYesNo(true), 'Yes');
assert.equal(boolToYesNo(false), 'No');
If, at the end of a function, you haven’t returned anything explicitly,
JavaScript returns undefined for you:
function noReturn() {
// No explicit return
}
assert.equal(noReturn(), undefined);
27.6 Parameter handling
Once again, I am only mentioning functions in this section, but everything
also applies to methods.
27.6.1 Terminology: parameters vs. arguments
The term parameter and the term argument basically mean the same thing.
If you want to, you can make the following distinction:
Parameters are part of a function definition. They are also called
formal parameters and formal arguments.
Arguments are part of a function call. They are also called actual
parameters and actual arguments.
27.6.2 Terminology: callback
A callback or callback function is a function that is an argument of a
function or method call.
The following is an example of a callback:
const myArray = ['a', 'b'];
const callback = (x) => console.log(x);
myArray.forEach(callback);
Output:
a
b
27.6.3 Too many or not enough arguments
JavaScript does not complain if a function call provides a different number
of arguments than expected by the function definition:
Extra arguments are ignored.
Missing parameters are set to undefined.
For example:
function foo(x, y) {
return [x, y];
}
// Too many arguments:
assert.deepEqual(foo('a', 'b', 'c'), ['a', 'b']);
// The expected number of arguments:
assert.deepEqual(foo('a', 'b'), ['a', 'b']);
// Not enough arguments:
assert.deepEqual(foo('a'), ['a', undefined]);
[ES6]
27.6.4 Parameter default values
Parameter default values specify the value to use if a parameter has not been
provided – for example:
function f(x, y=0) {
return [x, y];
}
assert.deepEqual(f(1), [1, 0]);
assert.deepEqual(f(), [undefined, 0]);
undefined also triggers the default value:
assert.deepEqual(
f(undefined, undefined),
[undefined, 0]);
[ES6]
27.6.5 Rest parameters
A rest parameter is declared by prefixing an identifier with three dots (...).
During a function or method call, it receives an Array with all remaining
arguments. If there are no extra arguments at the end, it is an empty Array –
for example:
function f(x, ...y) {
return [x, y];
}
assert.deepEqual(
f('a', 'b', 'c'), ['a', ['b', 'c']]
);
assert.deepEqual(
f(), [undefined, []]
);
There are two restrictions related to how we can use rest parameters:
We cannot use more than one rest parameter per function definition.
assert.throws(
() => eval('function f(...x, ...y) {}'),
/^SyntaxError: Rest parameter must be last
formal parameter$/
);
A rest parameter must always come last. As a consequence, we can’t
access the last parameter like this:
assert.throws(
() => eval('function f(...restParams,
lastParam) {}'),
/^SyntaxError: Rest parameter must be last
formal parameter$/
);
27.6.5.1 Enforcing a certain number of arguments via a rest parameter
You can use a rest parameter to enforce a certain number of arguments.
Take, for example, the following function:
function createPoint(x, y) {
return {x, y};
// same as {x: x, y: y}
}
This is how we force callers to always provide two arguments:
function createPoint(...args) {
if (args.length !== 2) {
throw new Error('Please provide exactly 2
arguments!');
}
const [x, y] = args; // (A)
return {x, y};
}
In line A, we access the elements of args via destructuring.
27.6.6 Named parameters
When someone calls a function, the arguments provided by the caller are
assigned to the parameters received by the callee. Two common ways of
performing the mapping are:
1. Positional parameters: An argument is assigned to a parameter if they
have the same position. A function call with only positional arguments
looks as follows.
selectEntries(3, 20, 2)
2. Named parameters: An argument is assigned to a parameter if they
have the same name. JavaScript doesn’t have named parameters, but
you can simulate them. For example, this is a function call with only
(simulated) named arguments:
selectEntries({start: 3, end: 20, step: 2})
Named parameters have several benefits:
They lead to more self-explanatory code because each argument has a
descriptive label. Just compare the two versions of selectEntries(): with
the second one, it is much easier to see what happens.
The order of the arguments doesn’t matter (as long as the names are
correct).
Handling more than one optional parameter is more convenient: callers
can easily provide any subset of all optional parameters and don’t have
to be aware of the ones they omit (with positional parameters, you have
to fill in preceding optional parameters, with undefined).
27.6.7 Simulating named parameters
JavaScript doesn’t have real named parameters. The official way of
simulating them is via object literals:
function selectEntries({start=0, end=-1, step=1}) {
return {start, end, step};
}
This function uses destructuring to access the properties of its single
parameter. The pattern it uses is an abbreviation for the following pattern:
{start: start=0, end: end=-1, step: step=1}
This destructuring pattern works for empty object literals:
> selectEntries({})
{ start: 0, end: -1, step: 1 }
But it does not work if you call the function without any parameters:
> selectEntries()
TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined
(reading 'start')
You can fix this by providing a default value for the whole pattern. This
default value works the same as default values for simpler parameter
definitions: if the parameter is missing, the default is used.
function selectEntries({start=0, end=-1, step=1} =
{}) {
return {start, end, step};
}
assert.deepEqual(
selectEntries(),
{ start: 0, end: -1, step: 1 });
[ES6]
27.6.8 Spreading (...) into function calls
If you put three dots (...) in front of the argument of a function call, then
you spread it. That means that the argument must be an iterable object and
the iterated values all become arguments. In other words, a single argument
is expanded into multiple arguments – for example:
function func(x, y) {
console.log(x);
console.log(y);
}
const someIterable = ['a', 'b'];
func(...someIterable);
// same as func('a', 'b')
Output:
a
b
Spreading and rest parameters use the same syntax (...), but they serve
opposite purposes:
Rest parameters are used when defining functions or methods. They
collect arguments into Arrays.
Spread arguments are used when calling functions or methods. They
turn iterable objects into arguments.
27.6.8.1 Example: spreading into Math.max()
Math.max() returns the largest one of its zero or more arguments. Alas, it can’t
be used for Arrays, but spreading gives us a way out:
> Math.max(-1, 5, 11, 3)
11
> Math.max(...[-1, 5, 11, 3])
11
> Math.max(-1, ...[-5, 11], 3)
11
27.6.8.2 Example: spreading into Array.prototype.push()
Similarly, the Array method .push() destructively adds its zero or more
parameters to the end of its Array. JavaScript has no method for
destructively appending an Array to another one. Once again, we are saved
by spreading:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
const arr2 = ['c', 'd'];
arr1.push(...arr2);
assert.deepEqual(arr1, ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd']);
Exercises: Parameter handling
Positional parameters:
exercises/callables/positional_parameters_test.mjs
Named parameters: exercises/callables/named_parameters_test.mjs
27.7 Methods of functions: .call(), .apply(), .bind()
Functions are objects and have methods. In this section, we look at three of
those methods: .call(), .apply(), and .bind().
27.7.1 The function method .call()
Each function someFunc has the following method:
someFunc.call(thisValue, arg1, arg2, arg3);
This method invocation is loosely equivalent to the following function call:
someFunc(arg1, arg2, arg3);
However, with .call(), we can also specify a value for the implicit parameter
this. In other words: .call() makes the implicit parameter this explicit.
The following code demonstrates the use of .call():
function func(x, y) {
return [this, x, y];
}
assert.deepEqual(
func.call('hello', 'a', 'b'),
['hello', 'a', 'b']);
As we have seen before, if we function-call an ordinary function, its this is
undefined:
assert.deepEqual(
func('a', 'b'),
[undefined, 'a', 'b']);
Therefore, the previous function call is equivalent to:
assert.deepEqual(
func.call(undefined, 'a', 'b'),
[undefined, 'a', 'b']);
In arrow functions, the value for this provided via .call() (or other means) is
ignored.
27.7.2 The function method .apply()
Each function someFunc has the following method:
someFunc.apply(thisValue, [arg1, arg2, arg3]);
This method invocation is loosely equivalent to the following function call
(which uses spreading):
someFunc(...[arg1, arg2, arg3]);
However, with .apply(), we can also specify a value for the implicit
parameter this.
The following code demonstrates the use of .apply():
function func(x, y) {
return [this, x, y];
}
const args = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
func.apply('hello', args),
['hello', 'a', 'b']);
27.7.3 The function method .bind()
.bind() is another method of function objects. This method is invoked as
follows:
const boundFunc = someFunc.bind(thisValue, arg1,
arg2);
.bind() returns a new function boundFunc(). Calling that function invokes
someFunc() with this set to thisValue and these parameters: arg1, arg2, followed
by the parameters of boundFunc().
That is, the following two function calls are equivalent:
boundFunc('a', 'b')
someFunc.call(thisValue, arg1, arg2, 'a', 'b')
27.7.3.1 An alternative to .bind()
Another way of pre-filling this and parameters is via an arrow function:
const boundFunc2 = (...args) =>
someFunc.call(thisValue, arg1, arg2, ...args);
27.7.3.2 An implementation of .bind()
Considering the previous section, .bind() can be implemented as a real
function as follows:
function bind(func, thisValue, ...boundArgs) {
return (...args) =>
func.call(thisValue, ...boundArgs, ...args);
}
27.7.3.3 Example: binding a real function
Using .bind() for real functions is somewhat unintuitive because we have to
provide a value for this. Given that it is undefined during function calls, it is
usually set to undefined or null.
In the following example, we create add8(), a function that has one
parameter, by binding the first parameter of add() to 8.
function add(x, y) {
return x + y;
}
const add8 = add.bind(undefined, 8);
assert.equal(add8(1), 9);
28 Evaluating code dynamically: eval(),
new Function() (advanced)
28.1 eval()
28.2 new Function()
28.3 Recommendations
In this chapter, we’ll look at two ways of evaluating code dynamically:
eval() and new Function().
28.1 eval()
Given a string str with JavaScript code, eval(str) evaluates that code and
returns the result:
> eval('2 ** 4')
16
There are two ways of invoking eval():
Directly, via a function call. Then the code in its argument is evaluated
inside the current scope.
Indirectly, not via a function call. Then it evaluates its code in global
scope.
“Not via a function call” means “anything that looks different than
eval(···)”:
eval.call(undefined, '···') (uses method .call() of functions)
eval?.() () (uses optional chaining)
(0, eval)('···') (uses the comma operator)
globalThis.eval('···')
const e = eval; e('···')
Etc.
The following code illustrates the difference:
globalThis.myVariable = 'global';
function func() {
const myVariable = 'local';
// Direct eval
assert.equal(eval('myVariable'), 'local');
// Indirect eval
assert.equal(eval.call(undefined, 'myVariable'),
'global');
}
Evaluating code in global context is safer because the code has access to
fewer internals.
28.2 new Function()
new Function() creates a function object and is invoked as follows:
const func = new Function('«param_1»', ···,
'«param_n»', '«func_body»');
The previous statement is equivalent to the next statement. Note that
«param_1», etc., are not inside string literals, anymore.
const func = function («param_1», ···, «param_n») {
«func_body»
};
In the next example, we create the same function twice, first via new
Function(), then via a function expression:
const times1 = new Function('a', 'b', 'return a *
b');
const times2 = function (a, b) { return a * b };
new Function() creates non-strict mode functions
By default, functions created via new Function() are sloppy. If we want
the function body to be in strict mode, we have to switch it on
manually.
28.3 Recommendations
Avoid dynamic evaluation of code as much as you can:
It’s a security risk because it may enable an attacker to execute
arbitrary code with the privileges of your code.
It may be switched off – for example, in browsers, via a Content
Security Policy.
Very often, JavaScript is dynamic enough so that you don’t need eval() or
similar. In the following example, what we are doing with eval() (line A)
can be achieved just as well without it (line B).
const obj = {a: 1, b: 2};
const propKey = 'b';
assert.equal(eval('obj.' + propKey), 2); // (A)
assert.equal(obj[propKey], 2); // (B)
If you have to dynamically evaluate code:
Prefer new Function() over eval(): it always executes its code in global
context and a function provides a clean interface to the evaluated code.
Prefer indirect eval over direct eval: evaluating code in global context is
safer.
VI Modularity
[ES6]
29 Modules
29.1 Cheat sheet: modules
29.1.1 Named exports, named imports, namespace imports
29.1.2 Dynamic imports
29.1.3 Default exports and imports
29.1.4 Kinds of module specifiers
29.2 JavaScript source code formats
29.2.1 Code before built-in modules was written in
ECMAScript 5
29.3 Before we had modules, we had scripts
29.4 Module systems created prior to ES6
29.4.1 Server side: CommonJS modules
29.4.2 Client side: AMD (Asynchronous Module Definition)
modules
29.4.3 Characteristics of JavaScript modules
29.5 ECMAScript modules
29.5.1 ES modules: syntax, semantics, loader API
29.6 Named exports and imports
29.6.1 Named exports
29.6.2 Named imports
29.6.3 Namespace imports
29.6.4 Named exporting styles: inline versus clause (advanced)
29.7 Default exports and imports
29.7.1 The two styles of default-exporting
29.7.2 The default export as a named export (advanced)
29.8 Re-exporting
29.9 More details on exporting and importing
29.9.1 Imports are read-only views on exports
29.9.2 ESM’s transparent support for cyclic imports (advanced)
29.10 npm packages
29.10.1 Packages are installed inside a directory node_modules/
29.10.2 Why can npm be used to install frontend libraries?
29.11 Naming modules
29.12 Module specifiers
29.12.1 Categories of module specifiers
29.12.2 ES module specifiers in browsers
29.12.3 ES module specifiers on Node.js
[ES2020]
29.13 import.meta – metadata for the current module
29.13.1 import.meta.url
29.13.2 import.meta.url and class URL
29.13.3 import.meta.url on Node.js
[ES2020]
29.14 Loading modules dynamically via import()
(advanced)
29.14.1 The limitations of static import statements
29.14.2 Dynamic imports via the import() operator
29.14.3 Use cases for import()
[ES2022]
29.15 Top-level await in modules (advanced)
29.15.1 Use cases for top-level await
29.15.2 How does top-level await work under the hood?
29.15.3 The pros and cons of top-level await
29.16 Polyfills: emulating native web platform features
(advanced)
29.16.1 Sources of this section
29.1 Cheat sheet: modules
29.1.1 Named exports, named imports, namespace imports
If we put export in front of a named entity inside a module, it becomes a
named export of that module. All other entities are private to the module.
//===== lib1.mjs =====
// Named exports
export const one = 1, two = 2;
export function myFunc() {
return 3;
}
//===== main1a.mjs =====
// Named imports
import {one, myFunc as f} from './lib1.mjs';
assert.equal(one, 1);
assert.equal(f(), 3);
// Namespace import
import * as lib1 from './lib1.mjs';
assert.equal(lib1.one, 1);
assert.equal(lib1.myFunc(), 3);
The string after from is called a module specifier. It identifies from which
module we want to import.
29.1.2 Dynamic imports
So far, all imports we have seen were static, with the following constraints:
They have to appear at the top level of a module.
The module specifier is fixed.
[ES2020]
Dynamic imports via import() don’t have those constraints:
//===== main1b.mjs =====
function importLibrary(moduleSpecifier) {
return import(moduleSpecifier)
.then((lib1) => {
assert.equal(lib1.one, 1);
assert.equal(lib1.myFunc(), 3);
});
}
await importLibrary('./lib1.mjs');
29.1.3 Default exports and imports
A default export is mainly used when a module only contains a single entity
(even though it can be combined with named exports).
//===== lib2a.mjs =====
export default function getHello() {
return 'hello';
}
A default export is the exception to the rule that function declarations
always have names: In the previous example, we can omit the name getHello.
//===== lib2b.mjs =====
export default 123; // (A) instead of `const`
There can be at most one default export. That’s why const or let can’t be
default-exported (line A).
//===== main2.mjs =====
import lib2a from './lib2a.mjs';
assert.equal(lib2a(), 'hello');
import lib2b from './lib2b.mjs';
assert.equal(lib2b, 123);
29.1.4 Kinds of module specifiers
There are three kinds of module specifiers:
Absolute specifiers are full URLs – for example:
'https://www.unpkg.com/browse/yargs@17.3.1/browse
r.mjs'
'file:///opt/nodejs/config.mjs'
Absolute specifiers are mostly used to access libraries that are directly
hosted on the web.
Relative specifiers are relative URLs (starting with '/', './' or '../') –
for example:
'./sibling-module.js'
'../module-in-parent-dir.mjs'
'../../dir/other-module.js'
Relative specifiers are mostly used to access other modules within the
same code base.
Bare specifiers are paths (without protocol and domain) that start with
neither slashes nor dots. They begin with the names of packages (as
installed via a package manager such npm). Those names can
optionally be followed by subpaths:
'some-package'
'some-package/sync'
'some-package/util/files/path-tools.js'
Bare specifiers can also refer to packages with scoped names:
'@some-scope/scoped-name'
'@some-scope/scoped-name/async'
'@some-scope/scoped-name/dir/some-module.mjs'
Each bare specifier refers to exactly one module inside a package; if it
has no subpath, it refers to the designated “main” module of its
package.
29.2 JavaScript source code formats
The current landscape of JavaScript modules is quite diverse: ES6 brought
built-in modules, but the source code formats that came before them, are
still around, too. Understanding the latter helps understand the former, so
let’s investigate. The next sections describe the following ways of delivering
JavaScript source code:
Scripts are code fragments that browsers run in global scope. They are
precursors of modules.
CommonJS modules are a module format that is mainly used on servers
(e.g., via Node.js).
AMD modules are a module format that is mainly used in browsers.
ECMAScript modules are JavaScript’s built-in module format. It
supersedes all previous formats.
Table 29.1 gives an overview of these code formats. Note that for
CommonJS modules and ECMAScript modules, two filename extensions
are commonly used. Which one is appropriate depends on how we want to
use a file. Details are given later in this chapter.
Filename
Runs on Loaded
ext.
Script browsers async .js
CommonJS servers sync .js .cjs
module
AMD module browsers async .js
ECMAScript browsers and async .js .mjs
Filename
Runs on Loaded
ext.
module servers
Table 29.1: Ways of delivering JavaScript source code.
29.2.1 Code before built-in modules was written in ECMAScript 5
Before we get to built-in modules (which were introduced with ES6), all
code that we’ll see, will be written in ES5. Among other things:
ES5 did not have const and let, only var.
ES5 did not have arrow functions, only function expressions.
29.3 Before we had modules, we had scripts
Initially, browsers only had scripts – pieces of code that were executed in
global scope. As an example, consider an HTML file that loads script files
via the following HTML:
<script src="other-module1.js"></script>
<script src="other-module2.js"></script>
<script src="my-module.js"></script>
The main file is my-module.js, where we simulate a module:
var myModule = (function () { // Open IIFE
// Imports (via global variables)
var importedFunc1 = otherModule1.importedFunc1;
var importedFunc2 = otherModule2.importedFunc2;
// Body
function internalFunc() {
// ···
}
function exportedFunc() {
importedFunc1();
importedFunc2();
internalFunc();
}
// Exports (assigned to global variable
`myModule`)
return {
exportedFunc: exportedFunc,
};
})(); // Close IIFE
myModule is a global variable that is assigned the result of immediately
invoking a function expression. The function expression starts in the first
line. It is invoked in the last line.
This way of wrapping a code fragment is called immediately invoked
function expression (IIFE, coined by Ben Alman). What do we gain from an
IIFE? var is not block-scoped (like const and let), it is function-scoped: the
only way to create new scopes for var-declared variables is via functions or
methods (with const and let, we can use either functions, methods, or blocks
{}). Therefore, the IIFE in the example hides all of the following variables
from global scope and minimizes name clashes: importedFunc1, importedFunc2,
internalFunc, exportedFunc.
Note that we are using an IIFE in a particular manner: at the end, we pick
what we want to export and return it via an object literal. That is called the
revealing module pattern (coined by Christian Heilmann).
This way of simulating modules, has several issues:
Libraries in script files export and import functionality via global
variables, which risks name clashes.
Dependencies are not stated explicitly, and there is no built-in way for
a script to load the scripts it depends on. Therefore, the web page has
to load not just the scripts that are needed by the page but also the
dependencies of those scripts, the dependencies’ dependencies, etc.
And it has to do so in the right order!
29.4 Module systems created prior to ES6
Prior to ECMAScript 6, JavaScript did not have built-in modules.
Therefore, the flexible syntax of the language was used to implement
custom module systems within the language. Two popular ones are:
CommonJS (targeting the server side)
AMD (Asynchronous Module Definition, targeting the client side)
29.4.1 Server side: CommonJS modules
The original CommonJS standard for modules was created for server and
desktop platforms. It was the foundation of the original Node.js module
system, where it achieved enormous popularity. Contributing to that
popularity were the npm package manager for Node and tools that enabled
using Node modules on the client side (browserify, webpack, and others).
From now on, CommonJS module means the Node.js version of this
standard (which has a few additional features). This is an example of a
CommonJS module:
// Imports
var importedFunc1 = require('./other-
module1.js').importedFunc1;
var importedFunc2 = require('./other-
module2.js').importedFunc2;
// Body
function internalFunc() {
// ···
}
function exportedFunc() {
importedFunc1();
importedFunc2();
internalFunc();
}
// Exports
module.exports = {
exportedFunc: exportedFunc,
};
CommonJS can be characterized as follows:
Designed for servers.
Modules are meant to be loaded synchronously (the importer waits
while the imported module is loaded and executed).
Compact syntax.
29.4.2 Client side: AMD (Asynchronous Module Definition) modules
The AMD module format was created to be easier to use in browsers than
the CommonJS format. Its most popular implementation is RequireJS. The
following is an example of an AMD module.
define(['./other-module1.js', './other-module2.js'],
function (otherModule1, otherModule2) {
var importedFunc1 = otherModule1.importedFunc1;
var importedFunc2 = otherModule2.importedFunc2;
function internalFunc() {
// ···
}
function exportedFunc() {
importedFunc1();
importedFunc2();
internalFunc();
}
return {
exportedFunc: exportedFunc,
};
});
AMD can be characterized as follows:
Designed for browsers.
Modules are meant to be loaded asynchronously. That’s a crucial
requirement for browsers, where code can’t wait until a module has
finished downloading. It has to be notified once the module is
available.
The syntax is slightly more complicated.
On the plus side, AMD modules can be executed directly. In contrast,
CommonJS modules must either be compiled before deployment or custom
source code must be generated and evaluated dynamically (think eval()).
That isn’t always permitted on the web.
29.4.3 Characteristics of JavaScript modules
Looking at CommonJS and AMD, similarities between JavaScript module
systems emerge:
There is one module per file.
Such a file is basically a piece of code that is executed:
Local scope: The code is executed in a local “module scope”.
Therefore, by default, all of the variables, functions, and classes
declared in it are internal and not global.
Exports: If we want any declared entity to be exported, we must
explicitly mark it as an export.
Imports: Each module can import exported entities from other
modules. Those other modules are identified via module specifiers
(usually paths, occasionally full URLs).
Modules are singletons: Even if a module is imported multiple times,
only a single “instance” of it exists.
No global variables are used. Instead, module specifiers serve as global
IDs.
29.5 ECMAScript modules
ECMAScript modules (ES modules or ESM) were introduced with ES6.
They continue the tradition of JavaScript modules and have all of their
aforementioned characteristics. Additionally:
With CommonJS, ES modules share the compact syntax and support
for cyclic dependencies.
With AMD, ES modules share being designed for asynchronous
loading.
ES modules also have new benefits:
The syntax is even more compact than CommonJS’s.
Modules have static structures (which can’t be changed at runtime).
That helps with static checking, optimized access of imports, dead
code elimination, and more.
Support for cyclic imports is completely transparent.
This is an example of ES module syntax:
import {importedFunc1} from './other-module1.mjs';
import {importedFunc2} from './other-module2.mjs';
function internalFunc() {
···
}
export function exportedFunc() {
importedFunc1();
importedFunc2();
internalFunc();
}
From now on, “module” means “ECMAScript module”.
29.5.1 ES modules: syntax, semantics, loader API
The full standard of ES modules comprises the following parts:
1. Syntax (how code is written): What is a module? How are imports and
exports declared? Etc.
2. Semantics (how code is executed): How are variable bindings
exported? How are imports connected with exports? Etc.
3. A programmatic loader API for configuring module loading.
Parts 1 and 2 were introduced with ES6. Work on part 3 is ongoing.
29.6 Named exports and imports
29.6.1 Named exports
Each module can have zero or more named exports.
As an example, consider the following two files:
lib/my-math.mjs
main.mjs
Module my-math.mjs has two named exports: square and LIGHTSPEED.
// Not exported, private to module
function times(a, b) {
return a * b;
}
export function square(x) {
return times(x, x);
}
export const LIGHTSPEED = 299792458;
To export something, we put the keyword export in front of a declaration.
Entities that are not exported are private to a module and can’t be accessed
from outside.
29.6.2 Named imports
Module main.mjs has a single named import, square:
import {square} from './lib/my-math.mjs';
assert.equal(square(3), 9);
It can also rename its import:
import {square as sq} from './lib/my-math.mjs';
assert.equal(sq(3), 9);
29.6.2.1 Syntactic pitfall: named importing is not destructuring
Both named importing and destructuring look similar:
import {foo} from './bar.mjs'; // import
const {foo} = require('./bar.mjs'); // destructuring
But they are quite different:
Imports remain connected with their exports.
We can destructure again inside a destructuring pattern, but the {} in an
import statement can’t be nested.
The syntax for renaming is different:
import {foo as f} from './bar.mjs'; // importing
const {foo: f} = require('./bar.mjs'); //
destructuring
Rationale: Destructuring is reminiscent of an object literal (including
nesting), while importing evokes the idea of renaming.
Exercise: Named exports
exercises/modules/export_named_test.mjs
29.6.3 Namespace imports
Namespace imports are an alternative to named imports. If we namespace-
import a module, it becomes an object whose properties are the named
exports. This is what main.mjs looks like if we use a namespace import:
import * as myMath from './lib/my-math.mjs';
assert.equal(myMath.square(3), 9);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(myMath), ['LIGHTSPEED', 'square']);
29.6.4 Named exporting styles: inline versus clause (advanced)
The named export style we have seen so far was inline: We exported entities
by prefixing them with the keyword export.
But we can also use separate export clauses. For example, this is what
lib/my-math.mjs looks like with an export clause:
function times(a, b) {
return a * b;
}
function square(x) {
return times(x, x);
}
const LIGHTSPEED = 299792458;
export { square, LIGHTSPEED }; // semicolon!
With an export clause, we can rename before exporting and use different
names internally:
function times(a, b) {
return a * b;
}
function sq(x) {
return times(x, x);
}
const LS = 299792458;
export {
sq as square,
LS as LIGHTSPEED, // trailing comma is optional
};
29.7 Default exports and imports
Each module can have at most one default export. The idea is that the
module is the default-exported value.
Avoid mixing named exports and default exports
A module can have both named exports and a default export, but it’s
usually better to stick to one export style per module.
As an example for default exports, consider the following two files:
my-func.mjs
main.mjs
Module my-func.mjs has a default export:
const GREETING = 'Hello!';
export default function () {
return GREETING;
}
Module main.mjs default-imports the exported function:
import myFunc from './my-func.mjs';
assert.equal(myFunc(), 'Hello!');
Note the syntactic difference: the curly braces around named imports
indicate that we are reaching into the module, while a default import is the
module.
What are use cases for default exports?
The most common use case for a default export is a module that
contains a single function or a single class.
29.7.1 The two styles of default-exporting
There are two styles of doing default exports.
First, we can label existing declarations with export default:
export default function myFunc() {} // no semicolon!
export default class MyClass {} // no semicolon!
Second, we can directly default-export values. This style of export default is
much like a declaration.
export default myFunc; // defined elsewhere
export default MyClass; // defined previously
export default Math.sqrt(2); // result of invocation
is default-exported
export default 'abc' + 'def';
export default { no: false, yes: true };
29.7.1.1 Why are there two default export styles?
The reason is that export default can’t be used to label const: const may define
multiple values, but export default needs exactly one value. Consider the
following hypothetical code:
// Not legal JavaScript!
export default const foo = 1, bar = 2, baz = 3;
With this code, we don’t know which one of the three values is the default
export.
Exercise: Default exports
exercises/modules/export_default_test.mjs
29.7.2 The default export as a named export (advanced)
Internally, a default export is simply a named export whose name is default.
As an example, consider the previous module my-func.mjs with a default
export:
const GREETING = 'Hello!';
export default function () {
return GREETING;
}
The following module my-func2.mjs is equivalent to that module:
const GREETING = 'Hello!';
function greet() {
return GREETING;
}
export {
greet as default,
};
For importing, we can use a normal default import:
import myFunc from './my-func2.mjs';
assert.equal(myFunc(), 'Hello!');
Or we can use a named import:
import {default as myFunc} from './my-func2.mjs';
assert.equal(myFunc(), 'Hello!');
The default export is also available via property .default of namespace
imports:
import * as mf from './my-func2.mjs';
assert.equal(mf.default(), 'Hello!');
Isn’t default illegal as a variable name?
default can’t be a variable name, but it can be an export name and it
can be a property name:
const obj = {
default: 123,
};
assert.equal(obj.default, 123);
29.8 Re-exporting
A module library.mjs can export one or more exports of another module
internal.mjs as if it had made them itself. That is called re-exporting.
//===== internal.mjs =====
export function internalFunc() {}
export const INTERNAL_DEF = 'hello';
export default 123;
//===== library.mjs =====
// Named re-export [ES6]
export {internalFunc as func, INTERNAL_DEF as DEF}
from './internal.mjs';
// Wildcard re-export [ES6]
export * from './internal.mjs';
// Namespace re-export [ES2020]
export * as ns from './internal.mjs';
The wildcard re-export turns all exports of module internal.mjs into
exports of library.mjs, except the default export.
The namespace re-export turns all exports of module internal.mjs into
an object that becomes the named export ns of library.mjs. Because
internal.mjs has a default export, ns has a property .default.
The following code demonstrates the two bullet points above:
//===== main.mjs =====
import * as library from './library.mjs';
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(library),
['DEF', 'INTERNAL_DEF', 'func', 'internalFunc',
'ns']
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(library.ns),
['INTERNAL_DEF', 'default', 'internalFunc']
);
29.9 More details on exporting and importing
29.9.1 Imports are read-only views on exports
So far, we have used imports and exports intuitively, and everything seems
to have worked as expected. But now it is time to take a closer look at how
imports and exports are really related.
Consider the following two modules:
counter.mjs
main.mjs
counter.mjs exports a (mutable!) variable and a function:
export let counter = 3;
export function incCounter() {
counter++;
}
main.mjs name-imports both exports. When we use incCounter(), we discover
that the connection to counter is live – we can always access the live state of
that variable:
import { counter, incCounter } from './counter.mjs';
// The imported value `counter` is live
assert.equal(counter, 3);
incCounter();
assert.equal(counter, 4);
Note that while the connection is live and we can read counter, we cannot
change this variable (e.g., via counter++).
There are two benefits to handling imports this way:
It is easier to split modules because previously shared variables can
become exports.
This behavior is crucial for supporting transparent cyclic imports. Read
on for more information.
29.9.2 ESM’s transparent support for cyclic imports (advanced)
ESM supports cyclic imports transparently. To understand how that is
achieved, consider the following example: figure 29.1 shows a directed
graph of modules importing other modules. P importing M is the cycle in
this case.
Figure 29.1: A directed graph of modules importing modules: M
imports N and O, N imports P and Q, etc.
After parsing, these modules are set up in two phases:
Instantiation: Every module is visited and its imports are connected to
its exports. Before a parent can be instantiated, all of its children must
be instantiated.
Evaluation: The bodies of the modules are executed. Once again,
children are evaluated before parents.
This approach handles cyclic imports correctly, due to two features of ES
modules:
Due to the static structure of ES modules, the exports are already
known after parsing. That makes it possible to instantiate P before its
child M: P can already look up M’s exports.
When P is evaluated, M hasn’t been evaluated, yet. However, entities in
P can already mention imports from M. They just can’t use them, yet,
because the imported values are filled in later. For example, a function
in P can access an import from M. The only limitation is that we must
wait until after the evaluation of M, before calling that function.
Imports being filled in later is enabled by them being “live immutable
views” on exports.
29.10 npm packages
The npm software registry is the dominant way of distributing JavaScript
libraries and apps for Node.js and web browsers. It is managed via the npm
package manager (short: npm). Software is distributed as so-called
packages. A package is a directory containing arbitrary files and a file
package.json at the top level that describes the package. For example, when
npm creates an empty package inside a directory my-package/, we get this
package.json:
{
"name": "my-package",
"version": "1.0.0",
"description": "",
"main": "index.js",
"scripts": {
"test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" &&
exit 1"
},
"keywords": [],
"author": "",
"license": "ISC"
}
Some of these properties contain simple metadata:
name specifies the name of this package. Once it is uploaded to the npm
registry, it can be installed via npm install my-package.
version is used for version management and follows semantic
versioning, with three numbers:
Major version: is incremented when incompatible API changes
are made.
Minor version: is incremented when functionality is added in a
backward compatible manner.
Patch version: is incremented when backward compatible changes
are made.
description, keywords, author make it easier to find packages.
license clarifies how we can use this package.
Other properties enable advanced configuration:
main: specifies the module that “is” the package (explained later in this
chapter).
scripts: are commands that we can execute via npm run. For example, the
script test can be executed via npm run test.
For more information on package.json, consult the npm documentation.
29.10.1 Packages are installed inside a directory node_modules/
npm always installs packages inside a directory node_modules. There are
usually many of these directories. Which one npm uses, depends on the
directory where one currently is. For example, if we are inside a directory
/tmp/a/b/, npm tries to find a node_modules in the current directory, its parent
directory, the parent directory of the parent, etc. In other words, it searches
the following chain of locations:
/tmp/a/b/node_modules
/tmp/a/node_modules
/tmp/node_modules
When installing a package some-pkg, npm uses the closest node_modules. If, for
example, we are inside /tmp/a/b/ and there is a node_modules in that directory,
then npm puts the package inside the directory:
/tmp/a/b/node_modules/some-pkg/
When importing a module, we can use a special module specifier to tell
Node.js that we want to import it from an installed package. How exactly
that works, is explained later. For now, consider the following example:
// /home/jane/proj/main.mjs
import * as theModule from 'the-package/the-
module.mjs';
To find the-module.mjs (Node.js prefers the filename extension .mjs for ES
modules), Node.js walks up the node_module chain and searches the following
locations:
/home/jane/proj/node_modules/the-package/the-module.mjs
/home/jane/node_modules/the-package/the-module.mjs
/home/node_modules/the-package/the-module.mjs
29.10.2 Why can npm be used to install frontend libraries?
Finding installed modules in node_modules directories is only supported on
Node.js. So why can we also use npm to install libraries for browsers?
That is enabled via bundling tools, such as webpack, that compile and
optimize code before it is deployed online. During this compilation process,
the code in npm packages is adapted so that it works in browsers.
29.11 Naming modules
There are no established best practices for naming module files and the
variables they are imported into.
In this chapter, I’m using the following naming style:
The names of module files are dash-cased and start with lowercase
letters:
./my-module.mjs
./some-func.mjs
The names of namespace imports are lowercased and camel-cased:
import * as myModule from './my-module.mjs';
The names of default imports are lowercased and camel-cased:
import someFunc from './some-func.mjs';
What are the rationales behind this style?
npm doesn’t allow uppercase letters in package names (source). Thus,
we avoid camel case, so that “local” files have names that are
consistent with those of npm packages. Using only lowercase letters
also minimizes conflicts between file systems that are case-sensitive
and file systems that aren’t: the former distinguish files whose names
have the same letters, but with different cases; the latter don’t.
There are clear rules for translating dash-cased file names to camel-
cased JavaScript variable names. Due to how we name namespace
imports, these rules work for both namespace imports and default
imports.
I also like underscore-cased module file names because we can directly use
these names for namespace imports (without any translation):
import * as my_module from './my_module.mjs';
But that style does not work for default imports: I like underscore-casing for
namespace objects, but it is not a good choice for functions, etc.
29.12 Module specifiers
Module specifiers are the strings that identify modules. They work slightly
differently in browsers and Node.js. Before we can look at the differences,
we need to learn about the different categories of module specifiers.
29.12.1 Categories of module specifiers
In ES modules, we distinguish the following categories of specifiers. These
categories originated with CommonJS modules.
Relative path: starts with a dot. Examples:
'./some/other/module.mjs'
'../../lib/counter.mjs'
Absolute path: starts with a slash. Example:
'/home/jane/file-tools.mjs'
URL: includes a protocol (technically, paths are URLs, too). Examples:
'https://example.com/some-module.mjs'
'file:///home/john/tmp/main.mjs'
Bare path: does not start with a dot, a slash or a protocol, and consists
of a single filename without an extension. Examples:
'lodash'
'the-package'
Deep import path: starts with a bare path and has at least one slash.
Example:
'the-package/dist/the-module.mjs'
29.12.2 ES module specifiers in browsers
Browsers handle module specifiers as follows:
Relative paths, absolute paths, and URLs work as expected. They all
must point to real files (in contrast to CommonJS, which lets us omit
filename extensions and more).
The file name extensions of modules don’t matter, as long as they are
served with the content type text/javascript.
How bare paths will end up being handled is not yet clear. We will
probably eventually be able to map them to other specifiers via lookup
tables.
Note that bundling tools such as webpack, which combine modules into
fewer files, are often less strict with specifiers than browsers. That’s because
they operate at build/compile time (not at runtime) and can search for files
by traversing the file system.
29.12.3 ES module specifiers on Node.js
Node.js handles module specifiers as follows:
Relative paths are resolved as they are in web browsers – relative to the
path of the current module.
Absolute paths are currently not supported. As a workaround, we can
use URLs that start with file:///. We can create such URLs via
url.pathToFileURL().
Only file: is supported as a protocol for URL specifiers.
A bare path is interpreted as a package name and resolved relative to
the closest node_modules directory. What module should be loaded, is
determined by looking at property "main" of the package’s package.json
(similarly to CommonJS).
Deep import paths are also resolved relatively to the closest node_modules
directory. They contain file names, so it is always clear which module
is meant.
All specifiers, except bare paths, must refer to actual files. That is, ESM
does not support the following CommonJS features:
CommonJS automatically adds missing filename extensions.
CommonJS can import a directory dir if there is a dir/package.json with
a "main" property.
CommonJS can import a directory dir if there is a module dir/index.js.
All built-in Node.js modules are available via bare paths and have named
ESM exports – for example:
import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
import * as path from 'node:path';
assert.equal(
path.join('a/b/c', '../d'), 'a/b/d');
29.12.3.1 Filename extensions on Node.js
Node.js supports the following default filename extensions:
.mjs for ES modules
.cjs for CommonJS modules
The filename extension .js stands for either ESM or CommonJS. Which one
it is is configured via the “closest” package.json (in the current directory, the
parent directory, etc.). Using package.json in this manner is independent of
packages.
In that package.json, there is a property "type", which has two settings:
"commonjs" (the default): files with the extension .js or without an
extension are interpreted as CommonJS modules.
"module": files with the extension .js or without an extension are
interpreted as ESM modules.
29.12.3.2 Interpreting non-file source code as either CommonJS or ESM
Not all source code executed by Node.js comes from files. We can also send
it code via stdin, --eval, and --print. The command line option --input-type
lets us specify how such code is interpreted:
As CommonJS (the default): --input-type=commonjs
As ESM: --input-type=module
29.13 import.meta – metadata for the current module
[ES2020]
The object import.meta holds metadata for the current module.
29.13.1 import.meta.url
The most important property of import.meta is .url which contains a string
with the URL of the current module’s file – for example:
'https://example.com/code/main.mjs'
29.13.2 import.meta.url and class URL
Class URL is available via a global variable in browsers and on Node.js. We
can look up its full functionality in the Node.js documentation. When
working with import.meta.url, its constructor is especially useful:
new URL(input: string, base?: string|URL)
Parameter input contains the URL to be parsed. It can be relative if the
second parameter, base, is provided.
In other words, this constructor lets us resolve a relative path against a base
URL:
> new URL('other.mjs',
'https://example.com/code/main.mjs').href
'https://example.com/code/other.mjs'
> new URL('../other.mjs',
'https://example.com/code/main.mjs').href
'https://example.com/other.mjs'
This is how we get a URL instance that points to a file data.txt that sits next to
the current module:
const urlOfData = new URL('data.txt',
import.meta.url);
29.13.3 import.meta.url on Node.js
On Node.js, import.meta.url is always a string with a file: URL – for
example:
'file:///Users/rauschma/my-module.mjs'
29.13.3.1 Example: reading a sibling file of a module
Many Node.js file system operations accept either strings with paths or
instances of URL. That enables us to read a sibling file data.txt of the current
module:
import * as fs from 'node:fs';
function readData() {
// data.txt sits next to current module
const urlOfData = new URL('data.txt',
import.meta.url);
return fs.readFileSync(urlOfData, {encoding: 'UTF-
8'});
}
29.13.3.2 Module fs and URLs
For most functions of the module fs, we can refer to files via:
Paths – in strings or instances of Buffer.
URLs – in instances of URL (with the protocol file:)
For more information on this topic, see the Node.js API documentation.
29.13.3.3 Converting between file: URLs and paths
The Node.js module url has two functions for converting between file:
URLs and paths:
fileURLToPath(url: URL|string): string
Converts a file: URL to a path.
pathToFileURL(path: string): URL
Converts a path to a file: URL.
If we need a path that can be used in the local file system, then property
.pathname of URL instances does not always work:
assert.equal(
new URL('file:///tmp/with%20space.txt').pathname,
'/tmp/with%20space.txt');
Therefore, it is better to use fileURLToPath():
import * as url from 'node:url';
assert.equal(
url.fileURLToPath('file:///tmp/with%20space.txt'),
'/tmp/with space.txt'); // result on Unix
Similarly, pathToFileURL() does more than just prepend 'file://' to an
absolute path.
29.14 Loading modules dynamically via import() [ES2020]
(advanced)
The import() operator uses Promises
Promises are a technique for handling results that are computed
asynchronously (i.e., not immediately). They are explained in
“Promises for asynchronous programming” (§42). It may make sense
to postpone reading this section until you understand them.
29.14.1 The limitations of static import statements
So far, the only way to import a module has been via an import statement.
That statement has several limitations:
We must use it at the top level of a module. That is, we can’t, for
example, import something when we are inside a function or inside an
if statement.
The module specifier is always fixed. That is, we can’t change what we
import depending on a condition. And we can’t assemble a specifier
dynamically.
29.14.2 Dynamic imports via the import() operator
The import() operator doesn’t have the limitations of import statements. It
looks like this:
import(moduleSpecifierStr)
.then((namespaceObject) => {
console.log(namespaceObject.namedExport);
});
This operator is used like a function, receives a string with a module
specifier and returns a Promise that resolves to a namespace object. The
properties of that object are the exports of the imported module.
import() is even more convenient to use via await:
const namespaceObject = await
import(moduleSpecifierStr);
console.log(namespaceObject.namedExport);
Note that await can be used at the top levels of modules (see next section).
Let’s look at an example of using import().
29.14.2.1 Example: loading a module dynamically
Consider the following files:
lib/my-math.mjs
main1.mjs
main2.mjs
We have already seen module my-math.mjs:
// Not exported, private to module
function times(a, b) {
return a * b;
}
export function square(x) {
return times(x, x);
}
export const LIGHTSPEED = 299792458;
We can use import() to load this module on demand:
// main1.mjs
const moduleSpecifier = './lib/my-math.mjs';
function mathOnDemand() {
return import(moduleSpecifier)
.then(myMath => {
const result = myMath.LIGHTSPEED;
assert.equal(result, 299792458);
return result;
});
}
await mathOnDemand()
.then((result) => {
assert.equal(result, 299792458);
});
Two things in this code can’t be done with import statements:
We are importing inside a function (not at the top level).
The module specifier comes from a variable.
Next, we’ll implement the same functionality as in main1.mjs but via a feature
called async function or async/await which provides nicer syntax for
Promises.
// main2.mjs
const moduleSpecifier = './lib/my-math.mjs';
async function mathOnDemand() {
const myMath = await import(moduleSpecifier);
const result = myMath.LIGHTSPEED;
assert.equal(result, 299792458);
return result;
}
Why is import() an operator and not a function?
import() looks like a function but couldn’t be implemented as a
function:
It needs to know the URL of the current module in order to
resolve relative module specifiers.
If import() were a function, we’d have to explicitly pass this
information to it (e.g. via an parameter).
In contrast, an operator is a core language construct and has
implicit access to more data, including the URL of the current
module.
29.14.3 Use cases for import()
29.14.3.1 Loading code on demand
Some functionality of web apps doesn’t have to be present when they start,
it can be loaded on demand. Then import() helps because we can put such
functionality into modules – for example:
button.addEventListener('click', event => {
import('./dialogBox.mjs')
.then(dialogBox => {
dialogBox.open();
})
.catch(error => {
/* Error handling */
})
});
29.14.3.2 Conditional loading of modules
We may want to load a module depending on whether a condition is true.
For example, a module with a polyfill that makes a new feature available on
legacy platforms:
if (isLegacyPlatform()) {
import('./my-polyfill.mjs')
.then(···);
}
29.14.3.3 Computed module specifiers
For applications such as internationalization, it helps if we can dynamically
compute module specifiers:
import(`messages_${getLocale()}.mjs`)
.then(···);
29.15 Top-level await in modules [ES2022] (advanced)
await is a feature of async functions
await is explained in “Async functions” (§43). It may make sense to
postpone reading this section until you understand async functions.
We can use the await operator at the top level of a module. If we do that, the
module becomes asynchronous and works differently. Thankfully, we don’t
usually see that as programmers because it is handled transparently by the
language.
29.15.1 Use cases for top-level await
Why would we want to use the await operator at the top level of a module? It
lets us initialize a module with asynchronously loaded data. The next three
subsections show three examples of where that is useful.
29.15.1.1 Loading modules dynamically
const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
const language = params.get('lang');
const messages = await
import(`./messages-${language}.mjs`); // (A)
console.log(messages.welcome);
In line A, we dynamically import a module. Thanks to top-level await, that is
almost as convenient as using a normal, static import.
29.15.1.2 Using a fallback if module loading fails
let mylib;
try {
mylib = await
import('https://primary.example.com/mylib');
} catch {
mylib = await
import('https://secondary.example.com/mylib');
}
29.15.1.3 Using whichever resource loads fastest
const resource = await Promise.any([
fetch('http://example.com/first.txt')
.then(response => response.text()),
fetch('http://example.com/second.txt')
.then(response => response.text()),
]);
Due to Promise.any(), variable resource is initialized via whichever download
finishes first.
29.15.2 How does top-level await work under the hood?
Consider the following two files.
first.mjs:
const response = await
fetch('http://example.com/first.txt');
export const first = await response.text();
main.mjs:
import {first} from './first.mjs';
import {second} from './second.mjs';
assert.equal(first, 'First!');
assert.equal(second, 'Second!');
Both are roughly equivalent to the following code:
first.mjs:
export let first;
export const promise = (async () => { // (A)
const response = await
fetch('http://example.com/first.txt');
first = await response.text();
})();
main.mjs:
import {promise as firstPromise, first} from
'./first.mjs';
import {promise as secondPromise, second} from
'./second.mjs';
export const promise = (async () => { // (B)
await Promise.all([firstPromise, secondPromise]);
// (C)
assert.equal(first, 'First!');
assert.equal(second, 'Second!');
})();
A module becomes asynchronous if:
1. It directly uses top-level await (first.mjs).
2. It imports one or more asynchronous modules (main.mjs).
Each asynchronous module exports a Promise (line A and line B) that is
fulfilled after its body was executed. At that point, it is safe to access the
exports of that module.
In case (2), the importing module waits until the Promises of all imported
asynchronous modules are fulfilled, before it enters its body (line C).
Synchronous modules are handled as usually.
Awaited rejections and synchronous exceptions are managed as in async
functions.
29.15.3 The pros and cons of top-level await
The two most important benefits of top-level await are:
It ensures that modules don’t access asynchronous imports before they
are fully initialized.
It handles asynchronicity transparently: Importers do not need to know
if an imported module is asynchronous or not.
On the downside, top-level await delays the initialization of importing
modules. Therefore, it’s best used sparingly. Asynchronous tasks that take
longer are better performed later, on demand.
However, even modules without top-level await can block importers (e.g. via
an infinite loop at the top level), so blocking per se is not an argument
against it.
29.16 Polyfills: emulating native web platform features
(advanced)
Backends have polyfills, too
This section is about frontend development and web browsers, but
similar ideas apply to backend development.
Polyfills help with a conflict that we are facing when developing a web
application in JavaScript:
On one hand, we want to use modern web platform features that make
the app better and/or development easier.
On the other hand, the app should run on as many browsers as
possible.
Given a web platform feature X:
A polyfill for X is a piece of code. If it is executed on a platform that
already has built-in support for X, it does nothing. Otherwise, it makes
the feature available on the platform. In the latter case, the polyfilled
feature is (mostly) indistinguishable from a native implementation. In
order to achieve that, the polyfill usually makes global changes. For
example, it may modify global data or configure a global module
loader. Polyfills are often packaged as modules.
The term polyfill was coined by Remy Sharp.
A speculative polyfill is a polyfill for a proposed web platform feature
(that is not standardized, yet).
Alternative term: prollyfill
A replica of X is a library that reproduces the API and functionality of
X locally. Such a library exists independently of a native (and global)
implementation of X.
Replica is a new term introduced in this section. Alternative term:
ponyfill
There is also the term shim, but it doesn’t have a universally agreed
upon definition. It often means roughly the same as polyfill.
Every time our web applications starts, it must first execute all polyfills for
features that may not be available everywhere. Afterwards, we can be sure
that those features are available natively.
29.16.1 Sources of this section
“What is a Polyfill?” by Remy Sharp
Inspiration for the term replica: The Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas
Useful clarification of “polyfill” and related terms: “Polyfills and the
evolution of the Web”. Edited by Andrew Betts.
30 Objects
30.1 Cheat sheet: objects
30.1.1 Cheat sheet: single objects
30.1.2 Cheat sheet: prototype chains
30.2 What is an object?
30.2.1 The two ways of using objects
30.3 Fixed-layout objects
30.3.1 Object literals: properties
30.3.2 Object literals: property value shorthands
30.3.3 Getting properties
30.3.4 Setting properties
30.3.5 Object literals: methods
30.3.6 Object literals: accessors
[ES2018]
30.4 Spreading into object literals (...)
30.4.1 Use case for spreading: copying objects
30.4.2 Use case for spreading: default values for missing
properties
30.4.3 Use case for spreading: non-destructively changing
properties
[ES6]
30.4.4 “Destructive spreading”: Object.assign()
30.5 Methods and the special variable this
30.5.1 Methods are properties whose values are functions
30.5.2 The special variable this
30.5.3 Methods and .call()
30.5.4 Methods and .bind()
30.5.5 this pitfall: extracting methods
30.5.6 this pitfall: accidentally shadowing this
30.5.7 The value of this in various contexts (advanced)
30.6 Optional chaining for property getting and method calls
[ES2020]
(advanced)
30.6.1 Example: optional fixed property getting
30.6.2 The operators in more detail (advanced)
30.6.3 Short-circuiting with optional property getting
30.6.4 Optional chaining: downsides and alternatives
30.6.5 Frequently asked questions
30.7 Dictionary objects (advanced)
30.7.1 Quoted keys in object literals
30.7.2 Computed keys in object literals
30.7.3 The in operator: is there a property with a given key?
30.7.4 Deleting properties
30.7.5 Enumerability
30.7.6 Listing property keys via Object.keys() etc.
30.7.7 Listing property values via Object.values()
[ES2017]
30.7.8 Listing property entries via Object.entries()
30.7.9 Properties are listed deterministically
[ES2019]
30.7.10 Assembling objects via Object.fromEntries()
30.7.11 The pitfalls of using an object as a dictionary
[ES5]
30.8 Property attributes and property descriptors
(advanced)
[ES5]
30.9 Protecting objects from being changed (advanced)
30.10 Prototype chains
30.10.1 JavaScript’s operations: all properties vs. own properties
30.10.2 Pitfall: only the first member of a prototype chain is
mutated
30.10.3 Tips for working with prototypes (advanced)
30.10.4 Object.hasOwn(): Is a given property own (non-inherited)?
[ES2022]
30.10.5 Sharing data via prototypes
30.11 FAQ: objects
30.11.1 Why do objects preserve the insertion order of
properties?
30.12 Quick reference: Object
30.12.1 Object.*: creating objects, handling prototypes
30.12.2 Object.*: property attributes
30.12.3 Object.*: property keys, values, entries
30.12.4 Object.*: protecting objects
30.12.5 Object.*: miscellaneous
30.12.6 Object.prototype.*
30.13 Quick reference: Reflect
30.13.1 Reflect.* vs. Object.*
In this book, JavaScript’s style of object-oriented programming (OOP) is
introduced in four steps. This chapter covers step 1 and 2; the next chapter
covers step 3 and 4. The steps are (figure 30.1):
1. Single objects (this chapter): How do objects, JavaScript’s basic OOP
building blocks, work in isolation?
2. Prototype chains (this chapter): Each object has a chain of zero or
more prototype objects. Prototypes are JavaScript’s core inheritance
mechanism.
3. Classes (next chapter): JavaScript’s classes are factories for objects.
The relationship between a class and its instances is based on prototypal
inheritance (step 2).
4. Subclassing (next chapter): The relationship between a subclass and
its superclass is also based on prototypal inheritance.
SuperClass
superData
superMthd
mthd ƒ
MyClass SubClass
mthd ƒ __proto__ data subData
data 4 data 4 mthd subMthd
1. Single objects 2. Prototype chains 3. Classes 4. Subclassing
Figure 30.1: This book introduces object-oriented programming in
JavaScript in four steps.
30.1 Cheat sheet: objects
30.1.1 Cheat sheet: single objects
Creating an object via an object literal (starts and ends with a curly brace):
const myObject = { // object literal
myProperty: 1,
myMethod() {
return 2;
}, // comma!
get myAccessor() {
return this.myProperty;
}, // comma!
set myAccessor(value) {
this.myProperty = value;
}, // last comma is optional
};
assert.equal(
myObject.myProperty, 1
);
assert.equal(
myObject.myMethod(), 2
);
assert.equal(
myObject.myAccessor, 1
);
myObject.myAccessor = 3;
assert.equal(
myObject.myProperty, 3
);
Being able to create objects directly (without classes) is one of the highlights
of JavaScript.
Spreading into objects:
const original = {
a: 1,
b: {
c: 3,
},
};
// Spreading (...) copies one object “into” another
one:
const modifiedCopy = {
...original, // spreading
d: 4,
};
assert.deepEqual(
modifiedCopy,
{
a: 1,
b: {
c: 3,
},
d: 4,
}
);
// Caveat: spreading copies shallowly (property
values are shared)
modifiedCopy.a = 5; // does not affect `original`
modifiedCopy.b.c = 6; // affects `original`
assert.deepEqual(
original,
{
a: 1, // unchanged
b: {
c: 6, // changed
},
},
);
We can also use spreading to make an unmodified (shallow) copy of an
object:
const exactCopy = {...obj};
30.1.2 Cheat sheet: prototype chains
Prototypes are JavaScript’s fundamental inheritance mechanism. Even
classes are based on it. Each object has null or an object as its prototype. The
latter object can also have a prototype, etc. In general, we get chains of
prototypes.
Prototypes are managed like this:
// `obj1` has no prototype (its prototype is `null`)
const obj1 = Object.create(null); // (A)
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(obj1), null // (B)
);
// `obj2` has the prototype `proto`
const proto = {
protoProp: 'protoProp',
};
const obj2 = {
__proto__: proto, // (C)
objProp: 'objProp',
}
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(obj2), proto
);
Notes:
Setting an object’s prototype while creating the object: line A, line C
Retrieving the prototype of an object: line B
Each object inherits all the properties of its prototype:
// `obj2` inherits .protoProp from `proto`
assert.equal(
obj2.protoProp, 'protoProp'
);
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(obj2),
['objProp'] // own properties of `obj2`
);
The non-inherited properties of an object are called its own properties.
The most important use case for prototypes is that several objects can share
methods by inheriting them from a common prototype.
30.2 What is an object?
Objects in JavaScript:
An object is a set of slots (key-value entries).
Public slots are called properties:
A property key can only be a string or a symbol.
Private slots can only be created via classes and are explained in
“Public slots (properties) vs. private slots” (§31.2.4).
30.2.1 The two ways of using objects
There are two ways of using objects in JavaScript:
Fixed-layout objects: Used this way, objects work like records in
databases. They have a fixed number of properties, whose keys are
known at development time. Their values generally have different types.
const fixedLayoutObject = {
product: 'carrot',
quantity: 4,
};
Dictionary objects: Used this way, objects work like lookup tables or
maps. They have a variable number of properties, whose keys are not
known at development time. All of their values have the same type.
const dictionaryObject = {
['one']: 1,
['two']: 2,
};
Note that the two ways can also be mixed: Some objects are both fixed-
layout objects and dictionary objects.
The ways of using objects influence how they are explained in this chapter:
First, we’ll explore fixed-layout objects. Even though property keys are
strings or symbols under the hood, they will appear as fixed identifiers
to us.
Later, we’ll explore dictionary objects. Note that Maps are usually
better dictionaries than objects. However, some of the operations that
we’ll encounter are also useful for fixed-layout objects.
30.3 Fixed-layout objects
Let’s first explore fixed-layout objects.
30.3.1 Object literals: properties
Object literals are one way of creating fixed-layout objects. They are a stand-
out feature of JavaScript: we can directly create objects – no need for
classes! This is an example:
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe', // optional trailing comma
};
In the example, we created an object via an object literal, which starts and
ends with curly braces {}. Inside it, we defined two properties (key-value
entries):
The first property has the key first and the value 'Jane'.
The second property has the key last and the value 'Doe'.
Since ES5, trailing commas are allowed in object literals.
We will later see other ways of specifying property keys, but with this way of
specifying them, they must follow the rules of JavaScript variable names.
For example, we can use first_name as a property key, but not first-name).
However, reserved words are allowed:
const obj = {
if: true,
const: true,
};
In order to check the effects of various operations on objects, we’ll
occasionally use Object.keys() in this part of the chapter. It lists property keys:
> Object.keys({a:1, b:2})
[ 'a', 'b' ]
30.3.2 Object literals: property value shorthands
Whenever the value of a property is defined via a variable that has the same
name as the key, we can omit the key.
function createPoint(x, y) {
return {x, y}; // Same as: {x: x, y: y}
}
assert.deepEqual(
createPoint(9, 2),
{ x: 9, y: 2 }
);
30.3.3 Getting properties
This is how we get (read) a property (line A):
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
};
// Get property .first
assert.equal(jane.first, 'Jane'); // (A)
Getting an unknown property produces undefined:
assert.equal(jane.unknownProperty, undefined);
30.3.4 Setting properties
This is how we set (write to) a property (line A):
const obj = {
prop: 1,
};
assert.equal(obj.prop, 1);
obj.prop = 2; // (A)
assert.equal(obj.prop, 2);
We just changed an existing property via setting. If we set an unknown
property, we create a new entry:
const obj = {}; // empty object
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(obj), []);
obj.unknownProperty = 'abc';
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(obj), ['unknownProperty']);
30.3.5 Object literals: methods
The following code shows how to create the method .says() via an object
literal:
const jane = {
first: 'Jane', // value property
says(text) { // method
return `${this.first} says “${text}”`; // (A)
}, // comma as separator (optional at end)
};
assert.equal(jane.says('hello'), 'Jane says
“hello”');
During the method call jane.says('hello'), jane is called the receiver of the
method call and assigned to the special variable this (more on this in
“Methods and the special variable this” (§30.5)). That enables method
.says() to access the sibling property .first in line A.
30.3.6 Object literals: accessors
An accessor is defined via syntax inside an object literal that looks like
methods: a getter and/or a setter (i.e., each accessor has one or both of
them).
Invoking an accessor looks like accessing a value property:
Reading the property invokes the getter.
Writing to the property invokes the setter.
30.3.6.1 Getters
A getter is created by prefixing a method definition with the modifier get:
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
get full() {
return `${this.first} ${this.last}`;
},
};
assert.equal(jane.full, 'Jane Doe');
jane.first = 'John';
assert.equal(jane.full, 'John Doe');
30.3.6.2 Setters
A setter is created by prefixing a method definition with the modifier set:
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
set full(fullName) {
const parts = fullName.split(' ');
this.first = parts[0];
this.last = parts[1];
},
};
jane.full = 'Richard Roe';
assert.equal(jane.first, 'Richard');
assert.equal(jane.last, 'Roe');
Exercise: Creating an object via an object literal
exercises/objects/color_point_object_test.mjs
30.4 Spreading into object literals ( ...) [ES2018]
Inside an object literal, a spread property adds the properties of another
object to the current one:
> const obj = {one: 1, two: 2};
> {...obj, three: 3}
{ one: 1, two: 2, three: 3 }
const obj1 = {one: 1, two: 2};
const obj2 = {three: 3};
assert.deepEqual(
{...obj1, ...obj2, four: 4},
{one: 1, two: 2, three: 3, four: 4}
);
If property keys clash, the property that is mentioned last “wins”:
> const obj = {one: 1, two: 2, three: 3};
> {...obj, one: true}
{ one: true, two: 2, three: 3 }
> {one: true, ...obj}
{ one: 1, two: 2, three: 3 }
All values are spreadable, even undefined and null:
> {...undefined}
{}
> {...null}
{}
> {...123}
{}
> {...'abc'}
{ '0': 'a', '1': 'b', '2': 'c' }
> {...['a', 'b']}
{ '0': 'a', '1': 'b' }
Property .length of strings and Arrays is hidden from this kind of operation
(it is not enumerable; see “Property attributes and property descriptors”
(§30.8) for more information).
Spreading includes properties whose keys are symbols (which are ignored by
Object.keys(), Object.values() and Object.entries()):
const symbolKey = Symbol('symbolKey');
const obj = {
stringKey: 1,
[symbolKey]: 2,
};
assert.deepEqual(
{...obj, anotherStringKey: 3},
{
stringKey: 1,
[symbolKey]: 2,
anotherStringKey: 3,
}
);
30.4.1 Use case for spreading: copying objects
We can use spreading to create a copy of an object original:
const copy = {...original};
Caveat – copying is shallow: copy is a fresh object with duplicates of all
properties (key-value entries) of original. But if property values are objects,
then those are not copied themselves; they are shared between original and
copy. Let’s look at an example:
const original = { a: 1, b: {prop: true} };
const copy = {...original};
The first level of copy is really a copy: If we change any properties at that
level, it does not affect the original:
copy.a = 2;
assert.deepEqual(
original, { a: 1, b: {prop: true} }); // no change
However, deeper levels are not copied. For example, the value of .b is shared
between original and copy. Changing .b in the copy also changes it in the
original.
copy.b.prop = false;
assert.deepEqual(
original, { a: 1, b: {prop: false} });
JavaScript doesn’t have built-in support for deep copying
JavaScript does not have a built-in operation for deeply copying
objects. Options:
Implement it ourselves.
The global function structuredClone() is supported by most
JavaScript platforms now – even though it is not part of
ECMAScript. Alas, this function has a number of limitations –
e.g., if we copy an instance of a class we created, the copy is not
an instance of that class.
The Lodash library has the functions _.cloneDeep() and
_.cloneDeepWith() that can help. They have fewer limitations than
structuredClone().
30.4.2 Use case for spreading: default values for missing properties
If one of the inputs of our code is an object with data, we can make
properties optional by specifying default values that are used if those
properties are missing. One technique for doing so is via an object whose
properties contain the default values. In the following example, that object is
DEFAULTS:
const DEFAULTS = {alpha: 'a', beta: 'b'};
const providedData = {alpha: 1};
const allData = {...DEFAULTS, ...providedData};
assert.deepEqual(allData, {alpha: 1, beta: 'b'});
The result, the object allData, is created by copying DEFAULTS and overriding its
properties with those of providedData.
But we don’t need an object to specify the default values; we can also specify
them inside the object literal, individually:
const providedData = {alpha: 1};
const allData = {alpha: 'a', beta: 'b',
...providedData};
assert.deepEqual(allData, {alpha: 1, beta: 'b'});
30.4.3 Use case for spreading: non-destructively changing properties
So far, we have encountered one way of changing a property .alpha of an
object: We set it (line A) and mutate the object. That is, this way of changing
a property is destructive.
const obj = {alpha: 'a', beta: 'b'};
obj.alpha = 1; // (A)
assert.deepEqual(obj, {alpha: 1, beta: 'b'});
With spreading, we can change .alpha non-destructively – we make a copy of
obj where .alpha has a different value:
const obj = {alpha: 'a', beta: 'b'};
const updatedObj = {...obj, alpha: 1};
assert.deepEqual(updatedObj, {alpha: 1, beta: 'b'});
Exercise: Non-destructively updating a property via spreading
(fixed key)
exercises/objects/update_name_test.mjs
[ES6]
30.4.4 “Destructive spreading”: Object.assign()
Object.assign() is a tool method:
Object.assign(target, source_1, source_2, ···)
This expression assigns all properties of source_1 to target, then all properties
of source_2, etc. At the end, it returns target – for example:
const target = { a: 1 };
const result = Object.assign(
target,
{b: 2},
{c: 3, b: true});
assert.deepEqual(
result, { a: 1, b: true, c: 3 });
// target was modified and returned:
assert.equal(result, target);
The use cases for Object.assign() are similar to those for spread properties. In
a way, it spreads destructively.
30.5 Methods and the special variable this
30.5.1 Methods are properties whose values are functions
Let’s revisit the example that was used to introduce methods:
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
says(text) {
return `${this.first} says “${text}”`;
},
};
Somewhat surprisingly, methods are functions:
assert.equal(typeof jane.says, 'function');
Why is that? We learned in the chapter on callable values that ordinary
functions play several roles. Method is one of those roles. Therefore,
internally, jane roughly looks as follows.
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
says: function (text) {
return `${this.first} says “${text}”`;
},
};
30.5.2 The special variable this
Consider the following code:
const obj = {
someMethod(x, y) {
assert.equal(this, obj); // (A)
assert.equal(x, 'a');
assert.equal(y, 'b');
}
};
obj.someMethod('a', 'b'); // (B)
In line B, obj is the receiver of a method call. It is passed to the function
stored in obj.someMethod via an implicit (hidden) parameter whose name is this
(line A).
How to understand this
The best way to understand this is as an implicit parameter of ordinary
functions (and therefore methods, too).
30.5.3 Methods and .call()
Methods are functions and functions have methods themselves. One of those
methods is .call(). Let’s look at an example to understand how this method
works.
In the previous section, there was this method invocation:
obj.someMethod('a', 'b')
This invocation is equivalent to:
obj.someMethod.call(obj, 'a', 'b');
Which is also equivalent to:
const func = obj.someMethod;
func.call(obj, 'a', 'b');
.call() makes the normally implicit parameter this explicit: When invoking a
function via .call(), the first parameter is this, followed by the regular
(explicit) function parameters.
As an aside, this means that there are actually two different dot operators:
1. One for accessing properties: obj.prop
2. Another one for calling methods: obj.prop()
They are different in that (2) is not just (1) followed by the function call
operator (). Instead, (2) additionally provides a value for this.
30.5.4 Methods and .bind()
.bind() is another method of function objects. In the following code, we use
.bind() to turn method .says() into the stand-alone function func():
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
says(text) {
return `${this.first} says “${text}”`; // (A)
},
};
const func = jane.says.bind(jane, 'hello');
assert.equal(func(), 'Jane says “hello”');
Setting this to jane via .bind() is crucial here. Otherwise, func() wouldn’t
work properly because this is used in line A. In the next section, we’ll
explore why that is.
30.5.5 this pitfall: extracting methods
We now know quite a bit about functions and methods and are ready to take
a look at the biggest pitfall involving methods and this: function-calling a
method extracted from an object can fail if we are not careful.
In the following example, we fail when we extract method jane.says(), store it
in the variable func, and function-call func.
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
says(text) {
return `${this.first} says “${text}”`;
},
};
const func = jane.says; // extract the method
assert.throws(
() => func('hello'), // (A)
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: "Cannot read properties of undefined
(reading 'first')",
});
In line A, we are making a normal function call. And in normal function
calls, this is undefined (if strict mode is active, which it almost always is).
Line A is therefore equivalent to:
assert.throws(
() => jane.says.call(undefined, 'hello'), // `this`
is undefined!
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: "Cannot read properties of undefined
(reading 'first')",
}
);
How do we fix this? We need to use .bind() to extract method .says():
const func2 = jane.says.bind(jane);
assert.equal(func2('hello'), 'Jane says “hello”');
The .bind() ensures that this is always jane when we call func().
We can also use arrow functions to extract methods:
const func3 = text => jane.says(text);
assert.equal(func3('hello'), 'Jane says “hello”');
30.5.5.1 Example: extracting a method
The following is a simplified version of code that we may see in actual web
development:
class ClickHandler {
constructor(id, elem) {
this.id = id;
elem.addEventListener('click', this.handleClick);
// (A)
}
handleClick(event) {
alert('Clicked ' + this.id);
}
}
In line A, we don’t extract the method .handleClick() properly. Instead, we
should do:
const listener = this.handleClick.bind(this);
elem.addEventListener('click', listener);
// Later, possibly:
elem.removeEventListener('click', listener);
Each invocation of .bind() creates a new function. That’s why we need to
store the result somewhere if we want to remove it later on.
30.5.5.2 How to avoid the pitfall of extracting methods
Alas, there is no simple way around the pitfall of extracting methods:
Whenever we extract a method, we have to be careful and do it properly – for
example, by binding this or by using an arrow function.
Exercise: Extracting a method
exercises/objects/method_extraction_exrc.mjs
30.5.6 this pitfall: accidentally shadowing this
Accidentally shadowing this is only an issue with ordinary
functions
Arrow functions don’t shadow this.
Consider the following problem: when we are inside an ordinary function,
we can’t access the this of the surrounding scope because the ordinary
function has its own this. In other words, a variable in an inner scope hides a
variable in an outer scope. That is called shadowing. The following code is
an example:
const prefixer = {
prefix: '==> ',
prefixStringArray(stringArray) {
return stringArray.map(
function (x) {
return this.prefix + x; // (A)
});
},
};
assert.throws(
() => prefixer.prefixStringArray(['a', 'b']),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: "Cannot read properties of undefined
(reading 'prefix')",
}
);
In line A, we want to access the this of .prefixStringArray(). But we can’t
since the surrounding ordinary function has its own this that shadows (and
blocks access to) the this of the method. The value of the former this is
undefined due to the callback being function-called. That explains the error
message.
The simplest way to fix this problem is via an arrow function, which doesn’t
have its own this and therefore doesn’t shadow anything:
const prefixer = {
prefix: '==> ',
prefixStringArray(stringArray) {
return stringArray.map(
(x) => {
return this.prefix + x;
});
},
};
assert.deepEqual(
prefixer.prefixStringArray(['a', 'b']),
['==> a', '==> b']);
We can also store this in a different variable (line A), so that it doesn’t get
shadowed:
prefixStringArray(stringArray) {
const that = this; // (A)
return stringArray.map(
function (x) {
return that.prefix + x;
});
},
Another option is to specify a fixed this for the callback via .bind() (line A):
prefixStringArray(stringArray) {
return stringArray.map(
function (x) {
return this.prefix + x;
}.bind(this)); // (A)
},
Lastly, .map() lets us specify a value for this (line A) that it uses when
invoking the callback:
prefixStringArray(stringArray) {
return stringArray.map(
function (x) {
return this.prefix + x;
},
this); // (A)
},
30.5.6.1 Avoiding the pitfall of accidentally shadowing this
If we follow the advice in “Recommendation: prefer specialized functions
over ordinary functions” (§27.3.4), we can avoid the pitfall of accidentally
shadowing this. This is a summary:
Use arrow functions as anonymous inline functions. They don’t have
this as an implicit parameter and don’t shadow it.
For named stand-alone function declarations we can either use arrow
functions or function declarations. If we do the latter, we have to make
sure this isn’t mentioned in their bodies.
30.5.7 The value of this in various contexts (advanced)
What is the value of this in various contexts?
Inside a callable entity, the value of this depends on how the callable entity
is invoked and what kind of callable entity it is:
Function call:
Ordinary functions: this === undefined (in strict mode)
Arrow functions: this is same as in surrounding scope (lexical
this)
Method call: this is receiver of call
new: this refers to the newly created instance
We can also access this in all common top-level scopes:
<script> element: this === globalThis
ECMAScript modules: this === undefined
CommonJS modules: this === module.exports
Tip: pretend that this doesn’t exist in top-level scopes
I like to do that because top-level this is confusing and there are better
alternatives for its (few) use cases.
30.6 Optional chaining for property getting and method calls
[ES2020]
(advanced)
The following kinds of optional chaining operations exist:
obj?.prop // optional fixed property getting
obj?.[«expr»] // optional dynamic property getting
func?.(«arg0», «arg1») // optional function or method
call
The rough idea is:
If the value before the question mark is neither undefined nor null, then
perform the operation after the question mark.
Otherwise, return undefined.
Each of the three syntaxes is covered in more detail later. These are a few
first examples:
> null?.prop
undefined
> {prop: 1}?.prop
1
> null?.(123)
undefined
> String?.(123)
'123'
Mnemonic for the optional chaining operator (?.)
Are you occasionally unsure if the optional chaining operator starts
with a dot (.?) or a question mark (?.)? Then this mnemonic may help
you:
If (?) the left-hand side is not nullish
then (.) access a property.
30.6.1 Example: optional fixed property getting
Consider the following data:
const persons = [
{
surname: 'Zoe',
address: {
street: {
name: 'Sesame Street',
number: '123',
},
},
},
{
surname: 'Mariner',
},
{
surname: 'Carmen',
address: {
},
},
];
We can use optional chaining to safely extract street names:
const streetNames = persons.map(
p => p.address?.street?.name);
assert.deepEqual(
streetNames, ['Sesame Street', undefined,
undefined]
);
30.6.1.1 Handling defaults via nullish coalescing
The nullish coalescing operator allows us to use the default value '(no name)'
instead of undefined:
const streetNames = persons.map(
p => p.address?.street?.name ?? '(no name)');
assert.deepEqual(
streetNames, ['Sesame Street', '(no name)', '(no
name)']
);
30.6.2 The operators in more detail (advanced)
30.6.2.1 Optional fixed property getting
The following two expressions are equivalent:
o?.prop
(o !== undefined && o !== null) ? o.prop : undefined
Examples:
assert.equal(undefined?.prop, undefined);
assert.equal(null?.prop, undefined);
assert.equal({prop:1}?.prop, 1);
30.6.2.2 Optional dynamic property getting
The following two expressions are equivalent:
o?.[«expr»]
(o !== undefined && o !== null) ? o[«expr»] :
undefined
Examples:
const key = 'prop';
assert.equal(undefined?.[key], undefined);
assert.equal(null?.[key], undefined);
assert.equal({prop:1}?.[key], 1);
30.6.2.3 Optional function or method call
The following two expressions are equivalent:
f?.(arg0, arg1)
(f !== undefined && f !== null) ? f(arg0, arg1) :
undefined
Examples:
assert.equal(undefined?.(123), undefined);
assert.equal(null?.(123), undefined);
assert.equal(String?.(123), '123');
Note that this operator produces an error if its left-hand side is not callable:
assert.throws(
() => true?.(123),
TypeError);
Why? The idea is that the operator only tolerates deliberate omissions. An
uncallable value (other than undefined and null) is probably an error and
should be reported, rather than worked around.
30.6.3 Short-circuiting with optional property getting
In a chain of property gettings and method invocations, evaluation stops once
the first optional operator encounters undefined or null at its left-hand side:
function invokeM(value) {
return value?.a.b.m(); // (A)
}
const obj = {
a: {
b: {
m() { return 'result' }
}
}
};
assert.equal(
invokeM(obj), 'result'
);
assert.equal(
invokeM(undefined), undefined // (B)
);
Consider invokeM(undefined) in line B: undefined?.a is undefined. Therefore we’d
expect .b to fail in line A. But it doesn’t: The ?. operator encounters the
value undefined and the evaluation of the whole expression immediately
returns undefined.
This behavior differs from a normal operator where JavaScript always
evaluates all operands before evaluating the operator. It is called short-
circuiting. Other short-circuiting operators are:
(a && b): b is only evaluated if a is truthy.
(a || b): b is only evaluated if a is falsy.
(c ? t : e): If c is truthy, t is evaluated. Otherwise, e is evaluated.
30.6.4 Optional chaining: downsides and alternatives
Optional chaining also has downsides:
Deeply nested structures are more difficult to manage. For example,
refactoring is harder if there are many sequences of property names:
Each one enforces the structure of multiple objects.
Being so forgiving when accessing data hides problems that will
surface much later and are then harder to debug. For example, a typo
early in a sequence of optional property names has more negative
effects than a normal typo.
An alternative to optional chaining is to extract the information once, in a
single location:
We can either write a helper function that extracts the data.
Or we can write a function whose input is deeply nested data and whose
output is simpler, normalized data.
With either approach, it is possible to perform checks and to fail early if
there are problems.
Further reading:
“Overly defensive programming” by Carl Vitullo
30.6.5 Frequently asked questions
30.6.5.1 Why are there dots in o?.[x] and f?.()?
The syntaxes of the following two optional operator are not ideal:
obj?.[«expr»] // better: obj?[«expr»]
func?.(«arg0», «arg1») // better: func?(«arg0»,
«arg1»)
Alas, the less elegant syntax is necessary because distinguishing the ideal
syntax (first expression) from the conditional operator (second expression) is
too complicated:
obj?['a', 'b', 'c'].map(x => x+x)
obj ? ['a', 'b', 'c'].map(x => x+x) : []
30.6.5.2 Why does null?.prop evaluate to undefined and not null?
The operator ?. is mainly about its right-hand side: Does property .prop
exist? If not, stop early. Therefore, keeping information about its left-hand
side is rarely useful. However, only having a single “early termination” value
does simplify things.
30.7 Dictionary objects (advanced)
Objects work best as fixed-layout objects. But before ES6, JavaScript did not
have a data structure for dictionaries (ES6 brought Maps). Therefore, objects
had to be used as dictionaries, which imposed a signficant constraint:
Dictionary keys had to be strings (symbols were also introduced with ES6).
We first look at features of objects that are related to dictionaries but also
useful for fixed-layout objects. This section concludes with tips for actually
using objects as dictionaries. (Spoiler: If possible, it’s better to use Maps.)
30.7.1 Quoted keys in object literals
So far, we have always used fixed-layout objects. Property keys were fixed
tokens that had to be valid identifiers and internally became strings:
const obj = {
mustBeAnIdentifier: 123,
};
// Get property
assert.equal(obj.mustBeAnIdentifier, 123);
// Set property
obj.mustBeAnIdentifier = 'abc';
assert.equal(obj.mustBeAnIdentifier, 'abc');
As a next step, we’ll go beyond this limitation for property keys: In this
subsection, we’ll use arbitrary fixed strings as keys. In the next subsection,
we’ll dynamically compute keys.
Two syntaxes enable us to use arbitrary strings as property keys.
First, when creating property keys via object literals, we can quote property
keys (with single or double quotes):
const obj = {
'Can be any string!': 123,
};
Second, when getting or setting properties, we can use square brackets with
strings inside them:
// Get property
assert.equal(obj['Can be any string!'], 123);
// Set property
obj['Can be any string!'] = 'abc';
assert.equal(obj['Can be any string!'], 'abc');
We can also use these syntaxes for methods:
const obj = {
'A nice method'() {
return 'Yes!';
},
};
assert.equal(obj['A nice method'](), 'Yes!');
30.7.2 Computed keys in object literals
In the previous subsection, property keys were specified via fixed strings
inside object literals. In this section we learn how to dynamically compute
property keys. That enables us to use either arbitrary strings or symbols.
The syntax of dynamically computed property keys in object literals is
inspired by dynamically accessing properties. That is, we can use square
brackets to wrap expressions:
const obj = {
['Hello world!']: true,
['p'+'r'+'o'+'p']: 123,
[Symbol.toStringTag]: 'Goodbye', // (A)
};
assert.equal(obj['Hello world!'], true);
assert.equal(obj.prop, 123);
assert.equal(obj[Symbol.toStringTag], 'Goodbye');
The main use case for computed keys is having symbols as property keys
(line A).
Note that the square brackets operator for getting and setting properties
works with arbitrary expressions:
assert.equal(obj['p'+'r'+'o'+'p'], 123);
assert.equal(obj['==> prop'.slice(4)], 123);
Methods can have computed property keys, too:
const methodKey = Symbol();
const obj = {
[methodKey]() {
return 'Yes!';
},
};
assert.equal(obj[methodKey](), 'Yes!');
For the remainder of this chapter, we’ll mostly use fixed property keys again
(because they are syntactically more convenient). But all features are also
available for arbitrary strings and symbols.
Exercise: Non-destructively updating a property via spreading
(computed key)
exercises/objects/update_property_test.mjs
30.7.3 The in operator: is there a property with a given key?
The in operator checks if an object has a property with a given key:
const obj = {
alpha: 'abc',
beta: false,
};
assert.equal('alpha' in obj, true);
assert.equal('beta' in obj, true);
assert.equal('unknownKey' in obj, false);
30.7.3.1 Checking if a property exists via truthiness
We can also use a truthiness check to determine if a property exists:
assert.equal(
obj.alpha ? 'exists' : 'does not exist',
'exists');
assert.equal(
obj.unknownKey ? 'exists' : 'does not exist',
'does not exist');
The previous checks work because obj.alpha is truthy and because reading a
missing property returns undefined (which is falsy).
There is, however, one important caveat: truthiness checks fail if the property
exists, but has a falsy value (undefined, null, false, 0, "", etc.):
assert.equal(
obj.beta ? 'exists' : 'does not exist',
'does not exist'); // should be: 'exists'
30.7.4 Deleting properties
We can delete properties via the delete operator:
const obj = {
myProp: 123,
};
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(obj), ['myProp']);
delete obj.myProp;
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(obj), []);
30.7.5 Enumerability
Enumerability is an attribute of a property. Non-enumerable properties are
ignored by some operations – for example, by Object.keys() and when
spreading properties. By default, most properties are enumerable. The next
example shows how to change that and how it affects spreading.
const enumerableSymbolKey =
Symbol('enumerableSymbolKey');
const nonEnumSymbolKey = Symbol('nonEnumSymbolKey');
// We create enumerable properties via an object
literal
const obj = {
enumerableStringKey: 1,
[enumerableSymbolKey]: 2,
}
// For non-enumerable properties, we need a more
powerful tool
Object.defineProperties(obj, {
nonEnumStringKey: {
value: 3,
enumerable: false,
},
[nonEnumSymbolKey]: {
value: 4,
enumerable: false,
},
});
// Non-enumerable properties are ignored by
spreading:
assert.deepEqual(
{...obj},
{
enumerableStringKey: 1,
[enumerableSymbolKey]: 2,
}
);
Object.defineProperties() is explained later in this chapter. The next subsection
shows how these operations are affected by enumerability:
30.7.6 Listing property keys via Object.keys() etc.
non-
enumerable string symbol
e.
Object.keys() ✔ ✔
Object.getOwnPropertyNames() ✔ ✔ ✔
Object.getOwnPropertySymbols() ✔ ✔ ✔
Reflect.ownKeys() ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Table 30.1: Standard library methods for listing own (non-inherited)
property keys. All of them return Arrays with strings and/or symbols.
Each of the methods in table 30.1 returns an Array with the own property
keys of the parameter. In the names of the methods, we can see that the
following distinction is made:
A property key can be either a string or a symbol. (Object.keys() is older
and does not yet follow this convention.)
A property name is a property key whose value is a string.
A property symbol is a property key whose value is a symbol.
To demonstrate the four operations, we revisit the example from the previous
subsection:
const enumerableSymbolKey =
Symbol('enumerableSymbolKey');
const nonEnumSymbolKey = Symbol('nonEnumSymbolKey');
const obj = {
enumerableStringKey: 1,
[enumerableSymbolKey]: 2,
}
Object.defineProperties(obj, {
nonEnumStringKey: {
value: 3,
enumerable: false,
},
[nonEnumSymbolKey]: {
value: 4,
enumerable: false,
},
});
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(obj),
['enumerableStringKey']
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.getOwnPropertyNames(obj),
['enumerableStringKey', 'nonEnumStringKey']
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(obj),
[enumerableSymbolKey, nonEnumSymbolKey]
);
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(obj),
[
'enumerableStringKey', 'nonEnumStringKey',
enumerableSymbolKey, nonEnumSymbolKey,
]
);
30.7.7 Listing property values via Object.values()
Object.values() lists the values of all own enumerable string-keyed properties
of an object:
const firstName = Symbol('firstName');
const obj = {
[firstName]: 'Jane',
lastName: 'Doe',
};
assert.deepEqual(
Object.values(obj),
['Doe']);
[ES2017]
30.7.8 Listing property entries via Object.entries()
Object.entries(obj) returns an Array with one key-value pair for each of its
properties:
Each pair is encoded as a two-element Array.
Only own enumerable properties with string keys are included.
const firstName = Symbol('firstName');
const obj = {
[firstName]: 'Jane',
lastName: 'Doe',
};
Object.defineProperty(
obj, 'city', {value: 'Metropolis', enumerable:
false}
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.entries(obj),
[
['lastName', 'Doe'],
]);
30.7.8.1 A simple implementation of Object.entries()
The following function is a simplified version of Object.entries():
function entries(obj) {
return Object.keys(obj)
.map(key => [key, obj[key]]);
}
Exercise: Object.entries()
exercises/objects/find_key_test.mjs
30.7.9 Properties are listed deterministically
Own (non-inherited) properties of objects are always listed in the following
order:
1. Properties with string keys that contain integer indices (that includes
Array indices):
In ascending numeric order
2. Remaining properties with string keys:
In the order in which they were added
3. Properties with symbol keys:
In the order in which they were added
The following example demonstrates that property keys are sorted according
to these rules:
> Object.keys({b:'',a:'', 10:'',2:''})
[ '2', '10', 'b', 'a' ]
The order of properties
The ECMAScript specification describes in more detail how properties
are ordered.
[ES2019]
30.7.10 Assembling objects via Object.fromEntries()
Given an iterable over [key, value] pairs, Object.fromEntries() creates an
object:
const symbolKey = Symbol('symbolKey');
assert.deepEqual(
Object.fromEntries(
[
['stringKey', 1],
[symbolKey, 2],
]
),
{
stringKey: 1,
[symbolKey]: 2,
}
);
Object.fromEntries() does the opposite of Object.entries(). However, while
Object.entries() ignores symbol-keyed properties, Object.fromEntries() doesn’t
(see previous example).
To demonstrate both, we’ll use them to implement two tool functions from
the library Underscore in the next subsubsections.
30.7.10.1 Example: pick()
The Underscore function pick() has the following signature:
pick(object, ...keys)
It returns a copy of object that has only those properties whose keys are
mentioned in the trailing arguments:
const address = {
street: 'Evergreen Terrace',
number: '742',
city: 'Springfield',
state: 'NT',
zip: '49007',
};
assert.deepEqual(
pick(address, 'street', 'number'),
{
street: 'Evergreen Terrace',
number: '742',
}
);
We can implement pick() as follows:
function pick(object, ...keys) {
const filteredEntries = Object.entries(object)
.filter(([key, _value]) => keys.includes(key));
return Object.fromEntries(filteredEntries);
}
30.7.10.2 Example: invert()
The Underscore function invert() has the following signature:
invert(object)
It returns a copy of object where the keys and values of all properties are
swapped:
assert.deepEqual(
invert({a: 1, b: 2, c: 3}),
{1: 'a', 2: 'b', 3: 'c'}
);
We can implement invert() like this:
function invert(object) {
const reversedEntries = Object.entries(object)
.map(([key, value]) => [value, key]);
return Object.fromEntries(reversedEntries);
}
30.7.10.3 A simple implementation of Object.fromEntries()
The following function is a simplified version of Object.fromEntries():
function fromEntries(iterable) {
const result = {};
for (const [key, value] of iterable) {
let coercedKey;
if (typeof key === 'string' || typeof key ===
'symbol') {
coercedKey = key;
} else {
coercedKey = String(key);
}
result[coercedKey] = value;
}
return result;
}
Exercise: Using Object.entries() and Object.fromEntries()
exercises/objects/omit_properties_test.mjs
30.7.11 The pitfalls of using an object as a dictionary
If we use plain objects (created via object literals) as dictionaries, we have to
look out for two pitfalls.
The first pitfall is that the in operator also finds inherited properties:
const dict = {};
assert.equal('toString' in dict, true);
We want dict to be treated as empty, but the in operator detects the properties
it inherits from its prototype, Object.prototype.
The second pitfall is that we can’t use the property key __proto__ because it
has special powers (it sets the prototype of the object):
const dict = {};
dict['__proto__'] = 123;
// No property was added to dict:
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(dict), []);
30.7.11.1 Safely using objects as dictionaries
So how do we avoid the two pitfalls?
If we can, we use Maps. They are the best solution for dictionaries.
If we can’t, we use a library for objects-as-dictionaries that protects us
from making mistakes.
If that’s not possible or desired, we use an object without a prototype.
The following code demonstrates using prototype-less objects as
dictionaries:
const dict = Object.create(null); // prototype is
`null`
assert.equal('toString' in dict, false); // (A)
dict['__proto__'] = 123;
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(dict), ['__proto__']);
We avoided both pitfalls:
First, a property without a prototype does not inherit any properties
(line A).
Second, in modern JavaScript, __proto__ is implemented via
Object.prototype. That means that it is switched off if Object.prototype is
not in the prototype chain.
Exercise: Using an object as a dictionary
exercises/objects/simple_dict_test.mjs
[ES5]
30.8 Property attributes and property descriptors
(advanced)
Just as objects are composed of properties, properties are composed of
attributes. There are two kinds of properties and they are characterized by
their attributes:
A data property stores data. Its attribute value holds any JavaScript
value.
Methods are data properties whose values are functions.
An accessor property consists of a getter function and/or a setter
function. The former is stored in the attribute get, the latter in the
attribute set.
Additionally, there are attributes that both kinds of properties have. The
following table lists all attributes and their default values.
Kind of property Name and type of attribute Default value
All properties configurable: boolean false
enumerable: boolean false
Data property value: any undefined
writable: boolean false
Kind of property Name and type of attribute Default value
Accessor property get: (this: any) => any undefined
set: (this: any, v: any) => void undefined
We have already encountered the attributes value, get, and set. The other
attributes work as follows:
writable determines if the value of a data property can be changed.
configurable determines if the attributes of a property can be changed. If
it is false, then:
We cannot delete the property.
We cannot change a property from a data property to an accessor
property or vice versa.
We cannot change any attribute other than value.
However, one more attribute change is allowed: We can change
writable from true to false. The rationale behind this anomaly is
historical: Property .length of Arrays has always been writable and
non-configurable. Allowing its writable attribute to be changed
enables us to freeze Arrays.
enumerable influences some operations (such as Object.keys()). If it is
false, then those operations ignore the property. Enumerability is
covered in greater detail earlier in this chapter.
When we are using one of the operations for handling property attributes,
attributes are specified via property descriptors: objects where each property
represents one attribute. For example, this is how we read the attributes of a
property obj.myProp:
const obj = { myProp: 123 };
assert.deepEqual(
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(obj, 'myProp'),
{
value: 123,
writable: true,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true,
});
And this is how we change the attributes of obj.myProp:
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(obj), ['myProp']);
// Hide property `myProp` from Object.keys()
// by making it non-enumerable
Object.defineProperty(obj, 'myProp', {
enumerable: false,
});
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(obj), []);
Lastly, let’s see what methods and getters look like:
const obj = {
myMethod() {},
get myGetter() {},
};
const propDescs =
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptors(obj);
propDescs.myMethod.value = typeof
propDescs.myMethod.value;
propDescs.myGetter.get = typeof
propDescs.myGetter.get;
assert.deepEqual(
propDescs,
{
myMethod: {
value: 'function',
writable: true,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true
},
myGetter: {
get: 'function',
set: undefined,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true
}
}
);
Further reading
For more information on property attributes and property descriptors,
see Deep JavaScript.
[ES5]
30.9 Protecting objects from being changed (advanced)
JavaScript has three levels of protecting objects:
Preventing extensions makes it impossible to add new properties to an
object and to change its prototype. We can still delete and change
properties, though.
Apply: Object.preventExtensions(obj)
Check: Object.isExtensible(obj)
Sealing prevents extensions and makes all properties unconfigurable
(roughly: we can’t change how a property works anymore).
Apply: Object.seal(obj)
Check: Object.isSealed(obj)
Freezing seals an object after making all of its properties non-writable.
That is, the object is not extensible, all properties are read-only and
there is no way to change that.
Apply: Object.freeze(obj)
Check: Object.isFrozen(obj)
Caveat: Objects are only protected shallowly
All three of the aforementioned Object.* methods only affect the top
level of an object, not objects nested inside it.
This is what using Object.freeze() looks like:
const frozen = Object.freeze({ x: 2, y: 5 });
assert.throws(
() => frozen.x = 7,
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: /^Cannot assign to read only property
'x'/,
}
);
Changing frozen properties only causes an exception in strict mode. In
sloppy mode, it fails silently.
Further reading
For more information on freezing and other ways of locking down
objects, see Deep JavaScript.
30.10 Prototype chains
Prototypes are JavaScript’s only inheritance mechanism: Each object has a
prototype that is either null or an object. In the latter case, the object inherits
all of the prototype’s properties.
In an object literal, we can set the prototype via the special property
__proto__:
const proto = {
protoProp: 'a',
};
const obj = {
__proto__: proto,
objProp: 'b',
};
// obj inherits .protoProp:
assert.equal(obj.protoProp, 'a');
assert.equal('protoProp' in obj, true);
Given that a prototype object can have a prototype itself, we get a chain of
objects – the so-called prototype chain. Inheritance gives us the impression
that we are dealing with single objects, but we are actually dealing with
chains of objects.
Figure 30.2 shows what the prototype chain of obj looks like.
...
proto
__proto__
protoProp 'a'
obj
__proto__
objProp 'b'
Figure 30.2: obj starts a chain of objects that continues with proto and
other objects.
Non-inherited properties are called own properties. obj has one own
property, .objProp.
30.10.1 JavaScript’s operations: all properties vs. own properties
Some operations consider all properties (own and inherited) – for example,
getting properties:
> const obj = { one: 1 };
> typeof obj.one // own
'number'
> typeof obj.toString // inherited
'function'
Other operations only consider own properties – for example, Object.keys():
> Object.keys(obj)
[ 'one' ]
Read on for another operation that also only considers own properties:
setting properties.
30.10.2 Pitfall: only the first member of a prototype chain is mutated
Given an object obj with a chain of prototype objects, it makes sense that
setting an own property of obj only changes obj. However, setting an
inherited property via obj also only changes obj. It creates a new own
property in obj that overrides the inherited property. Let’s explore how that
works with the following object:
const proto = {
protoProp: 'a',
};
const obj = {
__proto__: proto,
objProp: 'b',
};
In the next code snippet, we set the inherited property obj.protoProp (line A).
That “changes” it by creating an own property: When reading obj.protoProp,
the own property is found first and its value overrides the value of the
inherited property.
// In the beginning, obj has one own property
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(obj), ['objProp']);
obj.protoProp = 'x'; // (A)
// We created a new own property:
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(obj), ['objProp',
'protoProp']);
// The inherited property itself is unchanged:
assert.equal(proto.protoProp, 'a');
// The own property overrides the inherited property:
assert.equal(obj.protoProp, 'x');
The prototype chain of obj is depicted in figure 30.3.
...
proto
__proto__
protoProp 'a'
obj
__proto__
objProp 'b'
protoProp 'x'
Figure 30.3: The own property .protoProp of obj overrides the property
inherited from proto.
30.10.3 Tips for working with prototypes (advanced)
30.10.3.1 Getting and setting prototypes
Recommendations for __proto__:
Don’t use __proto__ as a pseudo-property (a setter of all instances of
Object):
It can’t be used with all objects (e.g. objects that are not instances
of Object).
The language specification has deprecated it.
For more information on this feature see “Object.prototype.__proto__
(accessor)” (§31.8.8).
Using __proto__ in object literals to set prototypes is different: It’s a
feature of object literals that has no pitfalls.
The recommended ways of getting and setting prototypes are:
Getting the prototype of an object:
Object.getPrototypeOf(obj: Object) : Object
The best time to set the prototype of an object is when we are creating
it. We can do so via __proto__ in an object literal or via:
Object.create(proto: Object) : Object
If we have to, we can use Object.setPrototypeOf() to change the prototype
of an existing object. But that may affect performance negatively.
This is how these features are used:
const proto1 = {};
const proto2a = {};
const proto2b = {};
const obj1 = {
__proto__: proto1,
};
assert.equal(Object.getPrototypeOf(obj1), proto1);
const obj2 = Object.create(proto2a);
assert.equal(Object.getPrototypeOf(obj2), proto2a);
Object.setPrototypeOf(obj2, proto2b);
assert.equal(Object.getPrototypeOf(obj2), proto2b);
30.10.3.2 Checking if an object is in the prototype chain of another object
So far, “proto is a prototype of obj” always meant “proto is a direct prototype
of obj”. But it can also be used more loosely and mean that proto is in the
prototype chain of obj. That looser relationship can be checked via
.isPrototypeOf():
For example:
const a = {};
const b = {__proto__: a};
const c = {__proto__: b};
assert.equal(a.isPrototypeOf(b), true);
assert.equal(a.isPrototypeOf(c), true);
assert.equal(c.isPrototypeOf(a), false);
assert.equal(a.isPrototypeOf(a), false);
For more information on this method see “Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf()”
(§31.8.6).
[ES2022]
30.10.4 Object.hasOwn(): Is a given property own (non-inherited)?
The in operator (line A) checks if an object has a given property. In contrast,
Object.hasOwn() (lines B and C) checks if a property is own.
const proto = {
protoProp: 'protoProp',
};
const obj = {
__proto__: proto,
objProp: 'objProp',
}
assert.equal('protoProp' in obj, true); // (A)
assert.equal(Object.hasOwn(obj, 'protoProp'), false);
// (B)
assert.equal(Object.hasOwn(proto, 'protoProp'),
true); // (C)
Alternative before ES2022: .hasOwnProperty()
Before ES2022, we can use another feature:
“Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()” (§31.8.9). This feature has pitfalls,
but the referenced section explains how to work around them.
30.10.5 Sharing data via prototypes
Consider the following code:
const jane = {
firstName: 'Jane',
describe() {
return 'Person named '+this.firstName;
},
};
const tarzan = {
firstName: 'Tarzan',
describe() {
return 'Person named '+this.firstName;
},
};
assert.equal(jane.describe(), 'Person named Jane');
assert.equal(tarzan.describe(), 'Person named
Tarzan');
We have two objects that are very similar. Both have two properties whose
names are .firstName and .describe. Additionally, method .describe() is the
same. How can we avoid duplicating that method?
We can move it to an object PersonProto and make that object a prototype of
both jane and tarzan:
const PersonProto = {
describe() {
return 'Person named ' + this.firstName;
},
};
const jane = {
__proto__: PersonProto,
firstName: 'Jane',
};
const tarzan = {
__proto__: PersonProto,
firstName: 'Tarzan',
};
The name of the prototype reflects that both jane and tarzan are persons.
PersonProto
describe function() {···}
jane tarzan
__proto__ __proto__
firstName 'Jane' firstName 'Tarzan'
Figure 30.4: Objects jane and tarzan share method .describe(), via their
common prototype PersonProto.
Figure 30.4 illustrates how the three objects are connected: The objects at the
bottom now contain the properties that are specific to jane and tarzan. The
object at the top contains the properties that are shared between them.
When we make the method call jane.describe(), this points to the receiver of
that method call, jane (in the bottom-left corner of the diagram). That’s why
the method still works. tarzan.describe() works similarly.
assert.equal(jane.describe(), 'Person named Jane');
assert.equal(tarzan.describe(), 'Person named
Tarzan');
Looking ahead to the next chapter on classes – this is how classes are
organized internally:
All instances share a common prototype with methods.
Instance-specific data is stored in own properties in each instance.
“The internals of classes” (§31.3) explains this in more detail.
30.11 FAQ: objects
30.11.1 Why do objects preserve the insertion order of properties?
In principle, objects are unordered. The main reason for ordering properties
is so that operations that list entries, keys, or values are deterministic. That
helps, e.g., with testing.
30.12 Quick reference: Object
30.12.1 Object.*: creating objects, handling prototypes
[ES5]
Object.create(proto, propDescObj?)
Returns a new object whose prototype is proto.
The optional propDescObj is an object with property descriptors that
is used to define properties in the new object.
> const obj = Object.create(null);
> Object.getPrototypeOf(obj)
null
In the following example, we define own properties via the second
parameter:
const obj = Object.create(
null,
{
color: {
value: 'green',
writable: true,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true,
},
}
);
assert.deepEqual(
obj,
{
__proto__: null,
color: 'green',
}
);
[ES5]
Object.getPrototypeOf(obj)
Return the prototype of obj – which is either an object or null.
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf({__proto__: null}), null
);
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf({}), Object.prototype
);
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(Object.prototype), null
);
[ES6]
Object.setPrototypeOf(obj, proto)
Sets the prototype of obj to proto (which must be null or an object) and
returns the former.
const obj = {};
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(obj), Object.prototype
);
Object.setPrototypeOf(obj, null);
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(obj), null
);
30.12.2 Object.*: property attributes
[ES5]
Object.defineProperty(obj, propKey, propDesc)
Defines one property in obj, as specified by the property key propKey
and the property descriptor propDesc.
Returns obj.
const obj = {};
Object.defineProperty(
obj, 'color',
{
value: 'green',
writable: true,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true,
}
);
assert.deepEqual(
obj,
{
color: 'green',
}
);
[ES5]
Object.defineProperties(obj, propDescObj)
Defines properties in obj, as specified by the object propDescObj with
property descriptors.
Returns obj.
const obj = {};
Object.defineProperties(
obj,
{
color: {
value: 'green',
writable: true,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true,
},
}
);
assert.deepEqual(
obj,
{
color: 'green',
}
);
[ES5]
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(obj, propKey)
Returns a property descriptor for the own property of obj whose
key is propKey. If no such property exists, it returns undefined.
More information on property descriptors: “Property attributes and
property descriptors” (§30.8)
> Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor({a: 1, b: 2},
'a')
{ value: 1, writable: true, enumerable: true,
configurable: true }
> Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor({a: 1, b: 2},
'x')
undefined
[ES2017]
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptors(obj)
Returns an object with property descriptors, one for each own
property of obj.
More information on property descriptors: “Property attributes and
property descriptors” (§30.8)
> Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptors({a: 1, b: 2})
{
a: { value: 1, writable: true, enumerable:
true, configurable: true },
b: { value: 2, writable: true, enumerable:
true, configurable: true },
}
30.12.3 Object.*: property keys, values, entries
[ES5]
Object.keys(obj)
Returns an Array with all own enumerable property keys that are
strings.
const enumSymbolKey = Symbol('enumSymbolKey');
const nonEnumSymbolKey =
Symbol('nonEnumSymbolKey');
const obj = Object.defineProperties(
{},
{
enumStringKey: {
value: 1, enumerable: true,
},
[enumSymbolKey]: {
value: 2, enumerable: true,
},
nonEnumStringKey: {
value: 3, enumerable: false,
},
[nonEnumSymbolKey]: {
value: 4, enumerable: false,
},
}
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(obj),
['enumStringKey']
);
[ES5]
Object.getOwnPropertyNames(obj)
Returns an Array with all own property keys that are strings
(enumerable and non-enumerable ones).
const enumSymbolKey = Symbol('enumSymbolKey');
const nonEnumSymbolKey =
Symbol('nonEnumSymbolKey');
const obj = Object.defineProperties(
{},
{
enumStringKey: {
value: 1, enumerable: true,
},
[enumSymbolKey]: {
value: 2, enumerable: true,
},
nonEnumStringKey: {
value: 3, enumerable: false,
},
[nonEnumSymbolKey]: {
value: 4, enumerable: false,
},
}
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.getOwnPropertyNames(obj),
['enumStringKey', 'nonEnumStringKey']
);
[ES6]
Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(obj)
Returns an Array with all own property keys that are symbols
(enumerable and non-enumerable ones).
const enumSymbolKey = Symbol('enumSymbolKey');
const nonEnumSymbolKey =
Symbol('nonEnumSymbolKey');
const obj = Object.defineProperties(
{},
{
enumStringKey: {
value: 1, enumerable: true,
},
[enumSymbolKey]: {
value: 2, enumerable: true,
},
nonEnumStringKey: {
value: 3, enumerable: false,
},
[nonEnumSymbolKey]: {
value: 4, enumerable: false,
},
}
);
assert.deepEqual(
Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(obj),
[enumSymbolKey, nonEnumSymbolKey]
);
[ES2017]
Object.values(obj)
Returns an Array with the values of all enumerable own string-keyed
properties.
> Object.values({a: 1, b: 2})
[ 1, 2 ]
[ES2017]
Object.entries(obj)
Returns an Array with one key-value pair (encoded as a two-
element Array) per property of obj.
Only own enumerable properties with string keys are included.
Inverse operation: Object.fromEntries()
const obj = {
a: 1,
b: 2,
[Symbol('myKey')]: 3,
};
assert.deepEqual(
Object.entries(obj),
[
['a', 1],
['b', 2],
// Property with symbol key is ignored
]
);
[ES2019]
Object.fromEntries(keyValueIterable)
Creates an object whose own properties are specified by
keyValueIterable.
Inverse operation: Object.entries()
> Object.fromEntries([['a', 1], ['b', 2]])
{ a: 1, b: 2 }
[ES2022]
Object.hasOwn(obj, key)
Returns true if obj has an own property whose key is key. If not, it
returns false.
> Object.hasOwn({a: 1, b: 2}, 'a')
true
> Object.hasOwn({a: 1, b: 2}, 'x')
false
30.12.4 Object.*: protecting objects
More information: “Protecting objects from being changed” (§30.9)
[ES5]
Object.preventExtensions(obj)
Makes obj non-extensible and returns it.
Effect:
obj is non-extensible: We can’t add properties or change its
prototype.
Only the top level of obj is changed (shallow change). Nested
objects are not affected.
Related: Object.isExtensible()
[ES5]
Object.isExtensible(obj)
Returns true if obj is extensible and false if it isn’t.
Related: Object.preventExtensions()
[ES5]
Object.seal(obj)
Seals obj and returns it.
Effect:
obj is non-extensible: We can’t add properties or change its
prototype.
obj is sealed: Additionally, all of its properties are
unconfigurable.
Only the top level of obj is changed (shallow change). Nested
objects are not affected.
Related: Object.isSealed()
[ES5]
Object.isSealed(obj)
Returns true if obj is sealed and false if it isn’t.
Related: Object.seal()
[ES5]
Object.freeze(obj)
Freezes obj and returns it.
Effect:
obj is non-extensible: We can’t add properties or change its
prototype.
obj is sealed: Additionally, all of its properties are
unconfigurable.
obj is frozen: Additionally, all of its properties are non-
writable.
Only the top level of obj is changed (shallow change). Nested
objects are not affected.
Related: Object.isFrozen()
const frozen = Object.freeze({ x: 2, y: 5 });
assert.equal(
Object.isFrozen(frozen), true
);
assert.throws(
() => frozen.x = 7,
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: /^Cannot assign to read only
property 'x'/,
}
);
[ES5]
Object.isFrozen(obj)
Returns true if obj is frozen.
Related: Object.freeze()
30.12.5 Object.*: miscellaneous
[ES6]
Object.assign(target, ...sources)
Assigns all enumerable own string-keyed properties of each of the
sources to target and returns target.
> const obj = {a: 1, b: 1};
> Object.assign(obj, {b: 2, c: 2}, {d: 3})
{ a: 1, b: 2, c: 2, d: 3 }
> obj
{ a: 1, b: 2, c: 2, d: 3 }
[ES2024]
Object.groupBy(items, computeGroupKey)
Object.groupBy<K extends PropertyKey, T>(
items: Iterable<T>,
computeGroupKey: (item: T, index: number) => K,
): {[key: K]: Array<T>}
The callback computeGroupKey returns a group key for each of the
items.
The result of Object.groupBy() is an object where:
The key of each property is a group key and
its value is an Array with all items that have that group key.
assert.deepEqual(
Object.groupBy(
['orange', 'apricot', 'banana', 'apple',
'blueberry'],
(str) => str[0] // compute group key
),
{
__proto__: null,
'o': ['orange'],
'a': ['apricot', 'apple'],
'b': ['banana', 'blueberry'],
}
);
[ES6]
Object.is(value1, value2)
Is mostly equivalent to value1 === value2 – with two exceptions:
> NaN === NaN
false
> Object.is(NaN, NaN)
true
> -0 === 0
true
> Object.is(-0, 0)
false
Considering all NaN values to be equal can be useful – e.g., when
searching for a value in an Array.
The value -0 is rare and it’s usually best to pretend it is the same as
0.
30.12.6 Object.prototype.*
Object.prototype has the following properties:
Object.prototype.__proto__ (getter and setter)
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()
Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf()
Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable()
Object.prototype.toLocaleString()
Object.prototype.toString()
Object.prototype.valueOf()
These methods are explained in detail in “Quick reference:
Object.prototype.*” (§31.8.1).
30.13 Quick reference: Reflect
Reflect provides functionality for JavaScript proxies that is also occasionally
useful elsewhere:
Reflect.apply(target, thisArgument, argumentsList)
Invokes target with the arguments provided by argumentsList and
this set to thisArgument.
Equivalent to target.apply(thisArgument, argumentsList)
Reflect.construct(target, argumentsList, newTarget=target)
The new operator as a function.
target is the constructor to invoke.
The optional parameter newTarget points to the constructor that
started the current chain of constructor calls.
Reflect.defineProperty(target, propertyKey, propDesc)
Similar to Object.defineProperty().
Returns a boolean indicating whether or not the operation
succeeded.
Reflect.deleteProperty(target, propertyKey)
The delete operator as a function. It works slightly differently, though:
It returns true if it successfully deleted the property or if the
property never existed.
It returns false if the property could not be deleted and still exists.
In sloppy mode, the delete operator returns the same results as this
method. But in strict mode, it throws a TypeError instead of returning
false.
The only way to protect properties from deletion is by making them
non-configurable.
Reflect.get(target, propertyKey, receiver=target)
A function that gets properties. The optional parameter receiver is
needed if get reaches a getter (somewhere in the prototype chain). Then
it provides the value for this.
Reflect.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(target, propertyKey)
Same as Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor().
Reflect.getPrototypeOf(target)
Same as Object.getPrototypeOf().
Reflect.has(target, propertyKey)
The in operator as a function.
Reflect.isExtensible(target)
Same as Object.isExtensible().
Reflect.ownKeys(target)
Returns all own property keys (strings and symbols) in an Array.
Reflect.preventExtensions(target)
Similar to Object.preventExtensions().
Returns a boolean indicating whether or not the operation
succeeded.
Reflect.set(target, propertyKey, value, receiver=target)
Sets properties.
Returns a boolean indicating whether or not the operation
succeeded.
Reflect.setPrototypeOf(target, proto)
Same as Object.setPrototypeOf().
Returns a boolean indicating whether or not the operation
succeeded.
30.13.1 Reflect.* vs. Object.*
General recommendations:
Use Object.* whenever you can.
Use Reflect.* when working with ECMAScript proxies. Its methods are
well adapted to ECMAScript’s meta-object protocol (MOP) which also
return boolean error flags instead of exceptions.
What are use cases for Reflect beyond proxies?
Reflect.ownKeys() lists all own property keys – functionality that isn’t
provided anywhere else.
Same functionality as Object but different return values: Reflect
duplicates the following methods of Object, but its methods return
booleans indicating whether the operation succeeded (where the Object
methods return the object that was modified).
Object.defineProperty(obj, propKey, propDesc)
Object.preventExtensions(obj)
Object.setPrototypeOf(obj, proto)
Operators as functions: The following Reflect methods implement
functionality that is otherwise only available via operators:
Reflect.construct(target, argumentsList, newTarget=target)
Reflect.deleteProperty(target, propertyKey)
Reflect.get(target, propertyKey, receiver=target)
Reflect.has(target, propertyKey)
Reflect.set(target, propertyKey, value, receiver=target)
Shorter version of apply(): If we want to be completely safe about
invoking the method apply() on a function, we can’t do so via dynamic
dispatch, because the function may have an own property with the key
'apply':
func.apply(thisArg, argArray) // not safe
Function.prototype.apply.call(func, thisArg,
argArray) // safe
Using Reflect.apply() is shorter:
Reflect.apply(func, thisArg, argArray)
No exceptions when deleting properties: the delete operator throws in
strict mode if we try to delete a non-configurable own property.
Reflect.deleteProperty() returns false in that case.
[ES6]
31 Classes
31.1 Cheat sheet: classes
31.2 The essentials of classes
31.2.1 A class for persons
31.2.2 Class expressions
31.2.3 The instanceof operator
31.2.4 Public slots (properties) vs. private slots
[ES2022]
31.2.5 Private slots in more detail (advanced)
31.2.6 The pros and cons of classes in JavaScript
31.2.7 Tips for using classes
31.3 The internals of classes
31.3.1 A class is actually two connected objects
31.3.2 Classes set up the prototype chains of their instances
31.3.3 .__proto__ vs. .prototype
31.3.4 Person.prototype.constructor (advanced)
31.3.5 Dispatched vs. direct method calls (advanced)
31.3.6 Classes evolved from ordinary functions (advanced)
31.4 Prototype members of classes
31.4.1 Public prototype methods and accessors
[ES2022]
31.4.2 Private methods and accessors
[ES2022]
31.5 Instance members of classes
31.5.1 Instance public fields
31.5.2 Instance private fields
31.5.3 Private instance data before ES2022 (advanced)
31.5.4 Simulating protected visibility and friend visibility via
WeakMaps (advanced)
31.6 Static members of classes
31.6.1 Static public methods and accessors
[ES2022]
31.6.2 Static public fields
[ES2022]
31.6.3 Static private methods, accessors, and fields
[ES2022]
31.6.4 Static initialization blocks in classes
31.6.5 Pitfall: Using this to access static private fields
31.6.6 All members (static, prototype, instance) can access all
private members
31.6.7 Static private methods and data before ES2022
31.6.8 Static factory methods
31.7 Subclassing
31.7.1 The internals of subclassing (advanced)
31.7.2 instanceof and subclassing (advanced)
31.7.3 Not all objects are instances of Object (advanced)
31.7.4 Prototype chains of built-in objects (advanced)
31.7.5 Mixin classes (advanced)
31.8 The methods and accessors of Object.prototype (advanced)
31.8.1 Quick reference: Object.prototype.*
31.8.2 Using Object.prototype methods safely
31.8.3 Object.prototype.toString()
31.8.4 Object.prototype.toLocaleString()
31.8.5 Object.prototype.valueOf()
31.8.6 Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf()
31.8.7 Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable()
31.8.8 Object.prototype.__proto__ (accessor)
31.8.9 Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()
31.9 FAQ: classes
31.9.1 Why are they called “instance private fields” in this book
and not “private instance fields”?
31.9.2 Why the identifier prefix #? Why not declare private
fields via private?
In this book, JavaScript’s style of object-oriented programming (OOP) is
introduced in four steps. This chapter covers step 3 and 4, the previous
chapter covers step 1 and 2. The steps are (figure 31.1):
1. Single objects (previous chapter): How do objects, JavaScript’s basic
OOP building blocks, work in isolation?
2. Prototype chains (previous chapter): Each object has a chain of zero
or more prototype objects. Prototypes are JavaScript’s core inheritance
mechanism.
3. Classes (this chapter): JavaScript’s classes are factories for objects.
The relationship between a class and its instances is based on
prototypal inheritance (step 2).
4. Subclassing (this chapter): The relationship between a subclass and
its superclass is also based on prototypal inheritance.
SuperClass
superData
superMthd
mthd ƒ
MyClass SubClass
mthd ƒ __proto__ data subData
data 4 data 4 mthd subMthd
1. Single objects 2. Prototype chains 3. Classes 4. Subclassing
Figure 31.1: This book introduces object-oriented programming in
JavaScript in four steps.
31.1 Cheat sheet: classes
A JavaScript class:
class Person {
constructor(firstName) { // (A)
this.firstName = firstName; // (B)
}
describe() { // (C)
return 'Person named ' + this.firstName;
}
}
const tarzan = new Person('Tarzan');
assert.equal(
tarzan.firstName, 'Tarzan'
);
assert.equal(
tarzan.describe(),
'Person named Tarzan'
);
// One property (public slot)
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(tarzan), ['firstName']
);
Explanations:
Inside a class, this refers to the current instance
Line A: constructor of the class
Line B: Property .firstName (a public slot) is created (no prior
declaration necessary).
Line C: method .describe()
Public instance data such as .firstName is relatively common in JavaScript.
The same class Person, but with private instance data:
class Person {
#firstName; // (A)
constructor(firstName) {
this.#firstName = firstName; // (B)
}
describe() {
return 'Person named ' + this.#firstName;
}
}
const tarzan = new Person('Tarzan');
assert.equal(
tarzan.describe(),
'Person named Tarzan'
);
// No properties, only a private field
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(tarzan), []
);
Explanations:
Line A: private field .#firstName. In contrast to properties, private fields
must be declared (line A) before they can be used (line B). A private
field can only be accessed inside the class that declares it. It can’t even
be accessed by subclasses.
Class Employee is a subclass of Person:
class Employee extends Person {
#title;
constructor(firstName, title) {
super(firstName); // (A)
this.#title = title;
}
describe() {
return `${super.describe()} (${this.#title})`;
// (B)
}
}
const jane = new Employee('Jane', 'CTO');
assert.equal(
jane.describe(),
'Person named Jane (CTO)'
);
Line A: In subclasses, we can omit the constructor. If we don’t, we
have to call super().
Line B: We can refer to overridden methods via super.
The next class demonstrates how to create properties via public fields (line
A):
class StringBuilderClass {
string = ''; // (A)
add(str) {
this.string += str;
return this;
}
}
const sb = new StringBuilderClass();
sb.add('Hello').add(' everyone').add('!');
assert.equal(
sb.string, 'Hello everyone!'
);
JavaScript also supports static members, but external functions and
variables are often preferred.
31.2 The essentials of classes
Classes are basically a compact syntax for setting up prototype chains
(which are explained in the previous chapter). Under the hood, JavaScript’s
classes are unconventional. But that is something we rarely see when
working with them. They should normally feel familiar to people who have
used other object-oriented programming languages.
Note that we don’t need classes to create objects. We can also do so via
object literals. That’s why the singleton pattern isn’t needed in JavaScript
and classes are used less than in many other languages that have them.
31.2.1 A class for persons
We have previously worked with jane and tarzan, single objects representing
persons. Let’s use a class declaration to implement a factory for such
objects:
class Person {
#firstName; // (A)
constructor(firstName) {
this.#firstName = firstName; // (B)
}
describe() {
return `Person named ${this.#firstName}`;
}
static extractNames(persons) {
return persons.map(person => person.#firstName);
}
}
jane and tarzan can now be created via new Person():
const jane = new Person('Jane');
const tarzan = new Person('Tarzan');
Let’s examine what’s inside the body of class Person.
.constructor() is a special method that is called after the creation of a
new instance. Inside it, this refers to that instance.
[ES2022]
.#firstName is an instance private field: Such fields are stored in
instances. They are accessed similarly to properties, but their names
are separate – they always start with hash symbols (#). And they are
invisible to the world outside the class:
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(jane),
[]
);
Before we can initialize .#firstName in the constructor (line B), we need
to declare it by mentioning it in the class body (line A).
.describe() is a method. If we invoke it via obj.describe() then this refers
to obj inside the body of .describe().
assert.equal(
jane.describe(), 'Person named Jane'
);
assert.equal(
tarzan.describe(), 'Person named Tarzan'
);
.extractName() is a static method. “Static” means that it belongs to the
class, not to instances:
assert.deepEqual(
Person.extractNames([jane, tarzan]),
['Jane', 'Tarzan']
);
We can also create instance properties (public fields) in constructors:
class Container {
constructor(value) {
this.value = value;
}
}
const abcContainer = new Container('abc');
assert.equal(
abcContainer.value, 'abc'
);
In contrast to instance private fields, instance properties don’t have to be
declared in class bodies.
31.2.2 Class expressions
There are two kinds of class definitions (ways of defining classes):
Class declarations, which we have seen in the previous section.
Class expressions, which we’ll see next.
Class expressions can be anonymous and named:
// Anonymous class expression
const Person = class { ··· };
// Named class expression
const Person = class MyClass { ··· };
The name of a named class expression works similarly to the name of a
named function expression: It can only be accessed inside the body of a
class and stays the same, regardless of what the class is assigned to.
31.2.3 The instanceof operator
The instanceof operator tells us if a value is an instance of a given class:
> new Person('Jane') instanceof Person
true
> {} instanceof Person
false
> {} instanceof Object
true
> [] instanceof Array
true
We’ll explore the instanceof operator in more detail later, after we have
looked at subclassing.
31.2.4 Public slots (properties) vs. private slots
In the JavaScript language, objects can have two kinds of “slots”.
Public slots (which are are also called properties). For example,
methods are public slots.
[ES2022]
Private slots . For example, private fields are private slots.
These are the most important rules we need to know about properties and
private slots:
In classes, we can use public and private versions of fields, methods,
getters and setters. All of them are slots in objects. Which objects they
are placed in depends on whether the keyword static is used and other
factors.
A getter and a setter that have the same key create a single accessor
slot. An Accessor can also have only a getter or only a setter.
Properties and private slots are very different – for example:
They are stored separately.
Their keys are different. The keys of private slots can’t even be
accessed directly (see “Each private slot has a unique key (a
private name)” (§31.2.5.2) later in this chapter).
Properties are inherited from prototypes, private slots aren’t.
Private slots can only be created via classes.
The following class demonstrates the two kinds of slots. Each of its
instances has one private field and one property:
class MyClass {
#instancePrivateField = 1;
instanceProperty = 2;
getInstanceValues() {
return [
this.#instancePrivateField,
this.instanceProperty,
];
}
}
const inst = new MyClass();
assert.deepEqual(
inst.getInstanceValues(), [1, 2]
);
As expected, outside MyClass, we can only see the property:
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(inst),
['instanceProperty']
);
More information on properties
This chapter doesn’t cover all details of properties (just the essentials).
If you want to dig deeper, you can do so in “Property attributes and
property descriptors” (§30.8)
Next, we’ll look at some of the details of private slots.
[ES2022]
31.2.5 Private slots in more detail (advanced)
31.2.5.1 Private slots can’t be accessed in subclasses
A private slot really can only be accessed inside the class that declares it.
We can’t even access it from a subclass:
class SuperClass {
#superProp = 'superProp';
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
getSuperProp() {
return this.#superProp;
}
}
// SyntaxError: Private field '#superProp'
// must be declared in an enclosing class
Subclassing via extends is explained later in this chapter. How to work
around this limitation is explained in “Simulating protected visibility and
friend visibility via WeakMaps” (§31.5.4).
31.2.5.2 Each private slot has a unique key (a private name)
Private slots have unique keys that are similar to symbols. Consider the
following class from earlier:
class MyClass {
#instancePrivateField = 1;
instanceProperty = 2;
getInstanceValues() {
return [
this.#instancePrivateField,
this.instanceProperty,
];
}
}
Internally, the private field of MyClass is handled roughly like this:
let MyClass;
{ // Scope of the body of the class
const instancePrivateFieldKey = Symbol();
MyClass = class {
__PrivateElements__ = new Map([
[instancePrivateFieldKey, 1],
]);
instanceProperty = 2;
getInstanceValues() {
return [
this.__PrivateElements__.get(instancePrivateFieldKey
),
this.instanceProperty,
];
}
}
}
The value of instancePrivateFieldKey is called a private name. We can’t use
private names directly in JavaScript, we can only use them indirectly, via
the fixed identifiers of private fields, private methods, and private accessors.
Where the fixed identifiers of public slots (such as getInstanceValues) are
interpreted as string keys, the fixed identifiers of private slots (such as
#instancePrivateField) refer to private names (similarly to how variable names
refer to values).
Private slots in the ECMAScript language specification
Section “Object Internal Methods and Internal Slots” in the
ECMAScript language specification explains how private slots work.
Search for “[[PrivateElements]]”.
31.2.5.3 Private names are statically scoped (like variables)
A callable entity can only access the name of a private slot if it was born
inside the scope where the name was declared. However, it doesn’t lose this
ability if it moves somewhere else later on:
class MyClass {
#privateData = 'hello';
static createGetter() {
return (obj) => obj.#privateData; // (A)
}
}
const myInstance = new MyClass();
const getter = MyClass.createGetter();
assert.equal(
getter(myInstance), 'hello' // (B)
);
The arrow function getter was born inside MyClass (line A), but it can still
access the private name #privateData after it left its birth scope (line B).
31.2.5.4 The same private identifier refers to different private names in different classes
Because the identifiers of private slots aren’t used as keys, using the same
identifier in different classes produces different slots (line A and line C):
class Color {
#name; // (A)
constructor(name) {
this.#name = name; // (B)
}
static getName(obj) {
return obj.#name;
}
}
class Person {
#name; // (C)
constructor(name) {
this.#name = name;
}
}
assert.equal(
Color.getName(new Color('green')), 'green'
);
// We can’t access the private slot #name of a
Person in line B:
assert.throws(
() => Color.getName(new Person('Jane')),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Cannot read private member #name from'
+ ' an object whose class did not declare it',
}
);
31.2.5.5 The names of private fields never clash
Even if a subclass uses the same name for a private field, the two names
never clash because they refer to private names (which are always unique).
In the following example, .#privateField in SuperClass does not clash with
.#privateField in SubClass, even though both slots are stored directly in inst:
class SuperClass {
#privateField = 'super';
getSuperPrivateField() {
return this.#privateField;
}
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
#privateField = 'sub';
getSubPrivateField() {
return this.#privateField;
}
}
const inst = new SubClass();
assert.equal(
inst.getSuperPrivateField(), 'super'
);
assert.equal(
inst.getSubPrivateField(), 'sub'
);
Subclassing via extends is explained later in this chapter.
31.2.5.6 Using in to check if an object has a given private slot
The in operator can be used to check if a private slot exists (line A):
class Color {
#name;
constructor(name) {
this.#name = name;
}
static check(obj) {
return #name in obj; // (A)
}
}
Let’s look at more examples of in applied to private slots.
Private methods. The following code shows that private methods create
private slots in instances:
class C1 {
#priv() {}
static check(obj) {
return #priv in obj;
}
}
assert.equal(C1.check(new C1()), true);
Static private fields. We can also use in for a static private field:
class C2 {
static #priv = 1;
static check(obj) {
return #priv in obj;
}
}
assert.equal(C2.check(C2), true);
assert.equal(C2.check(new C2()), false);
Static private methods. And we can check for the slot of a static private
method:
class C3 {
static #priv() {}
static check(obj) {
return #priv in obj;
}
}
assert.equal(C3.check(C3), true);
Using the same private identifier in different classes. In the next example,
the two classes Color and Person both have a slot whose identifier is #name. The
in operator distinguishes them correctly:
class Color {
#name;
constructor(name) {
this.#name = name;
}
static check(obj) {
return #name in obj;
}
}
class Person {
#name;
constructor(name) {
this.#name = name;
}
static check(obj) {
return #name in obj;
}
}
// Detecting Color’s #name
assert.equal(
Color.check(new Color()), true
);
assert.equal(
Color.check(new Person()), false
);
// Detecting Person’s #name
assert.equal(
Person.check(new Person()), true
);
assert.equal(
Person.check(new Color()), false
);
31.2.6 The pros and cons of classes in JavaScript
I recommend using classes for the following reasons:
Classes are a common standard for object creation and inheritance that
is now widely supported across libraries and frameworks. This is an
improvement compared to how things were before, when almost every
framework had its own inheritance library.
They help tools such as IDEs and type checkers with their work and
enable new features there.
If you come from another language to JavaScript and are used to
classes, then you can get started more quickly.
JavaScript engines optimize them. That is, code that uses classes is
almost always faster than code that uses a custom inheritance library.
We can subclass built-in constructor functions such as Error.
That doesn’t mean that classes are perfect:
There is a risk of overdoing inheritance.
There is a risk of putting too much functionality in classes (when some
of it is often better put in functions).
Classes look familiar to programmers coming from other languages,
but they work differently and are used differently (see next subsection).
Therefore, there is a risk of those programmers writing code that
doesn’t feel like JavaScript.
How classes seem to work superficially is quite different from how
they actually work. In other words, there is a disconnect between
syntax and semantics. Two examples are:
A method definition inside a class C creates a method in the object
C.prototype.
Classes are functions.
The motivation for the disconnect is backward compatibility.
Thankfully, the disconnect causes few problems in practice; we are
usually OK if we go along with what classes pretend to be.
This was a first look at classes. We’ll explore more features soon.
Exercise: Writing a class
exercises/classes/point_class_test.mjs
31.2.7 Tips for using classes
Use inheritance sparingly – it tends to make code more complicated
and spread out related functionality across multiple locations.
Instead of static members, it is often better to use external functions
and variables. We can even make those private to a module, simply by
not exporting them. Two important exceptions to this rule are:
Operations that need access to private slots
Static factory methods
Only put core functionality in prototype methods. Other functionality
is better implemented via functions – especially algorithms that involve
instances of multiple classes.
31.3 The internals of classes
31.3.1 A class is actually two connected objects
Under the hood, a class becomes two connected objects. Let’s revisit class
Person to see how that works:
class Person {
#firstName;
constructor(firstName) {
this.#firstName = firstName;
}
describe() {
return `Person named ${this.#firstName}`;
}
static extractNames(persons) {
return persons.map(person => person.#firstName);
}
}
The first object created by the class is stored in Person. It has four properties:
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(Person),
['length', 'name', 'prototype', 'extractNames']
);
// The number of parameters of the constructor
assert.equal(
Person.length, 1
);
// The name of the class
assert.equal(
Person.name, 'Person'
);
The two remaining properties are:
Person.extractNames is the static method that we have already seen in
action.
Person.prototype points to the second object that is created by a class
definition.
These are the contents of Person.prototype:
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(Person.prototype),
['constructor', 'describe']
);
There are two properties:
Person.prototype.constructor points to the constructor.
Person.prototype.describe is the method that we have already used.
31.3.2 Classes set up the prototype chains of their instances
The object Person.prototype is the prototype of all instances:
const jane = new Person('Jane');
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(jane), Person.prototype
);
const tarzan = new Person('Tarzan');
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(tarzan), Person.prototype
);
That explains how the instances get their methods: They inherit them from
the object Person.prototype.
Figure 31.2 visualizes how everything is connected.
Person Person.prototype
prototype constructor
extractNames function() {···} describe function() {···}
jane tarzan
__proto__ __proto__
#firstName 'Jane' #firstName 'Tarzan'
Figure 31.2: The class Person has the property .prototype that points to
an object that is the prototype of all instances of Person. The objects
jane and tarzan are two such instances.
31.3.3 .__proto__ vs. .prototype
It is easy to confuse .__proto__ and .prototype. Hopefully, figure 31.2 makes it
clear how they differ:
Object.prototype.__proto__ is an accessor that most objects inherit that
gets and sets the prototype of the receiver. Therefore the following two
expressions are equivalent:
someObj.__proto__
Object.getPrototypeOf(someObj)
As are the following two expressions:
someObj.__proto__ = anotherObj
Object.setPrototypeOf(someObj, anotherObj)
SomeClass.prototype holds the object that becomes the prototype of all
instances of SomeClass. A better name for .prototype would be
.instancePrototype. This property is only special because the new operator
uses it to set up instances of SomeClass.
class SomeClass {}
const inst = new SomeClass();
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(inst),
SomeClass.prototype
);
31.3.4 Person.prototype.constructor (advanced)
There is one detail in figure 31.2 that we haven’t looked at, yet:
Person.prototype.constructor points back to Person:
> Person.prototype.constructor === Person
true
This setup exists due to backward compatibility. But it has two additional
benefits.
First, each instance of a class inherits property .constructor. Therefore, given
an instance, we can make “similar” objects via it:
const jane = new Person('Jane');
const cheeta = new jane.constructor('Cheeta');
// cheeta is also an instance of Person
assert.equal(cheeta instanceof Person, true);
Second, we can get the name of the class that created a given instance:
const tarzan = new Person('Tarzan');
assert.equal(tarzan.constructor.name, 'Person');
31.3.5 Dispatched vs. direct method calls (advanced)
In this subsection, we learn about two different ways of invoking methods:
Dispatched method calls
Direct method calls
Understanding both of them will give us important insights into how
methods work.
We’ll also need the second way later in this chapter: It will allow us to
borrow useful methods from Object.prototype.
31.3.5.1 Dispatched method calls
Let’s examine how method calls work with classes. We are revisiting jane
from earlier:
class Person {
#firstName;
constructor(firstName) {
this.#firstName = firstName;
}
describe() {
return 'Person named '+this.#firstName;
}
}
const jane = new Person('Jane');
Figure 31.3 has a diagram with jane’s prototype chain.
...
Person.prototype
__proto__
describe function() {···}
jane
__proto__
#firstName 'Jane'
Figure 31.3: The prototype chain of jane starts with jane and continues
with Person.prototype.
Normal method calls are dispatched – the method call
jane.describe()
happens in two steps:
Dispatch: JavaScript traverses the prototype chain starting with jane to
find the first object that has an own property with the key 'describe': It
first looks at jane and doesn’t find an own property .describe. It
continues with jane’s prototype, Person.prototype and finds an own
property describe whose value it returns.
const func = jane.describe;
Invocation: Method-invoking a value is different from function-
invoking a value in that it not only calls what comes before the
parentheses with the arguments inside the parentheses but also sets this
to the receiver of the method call (in this case, jane):
func.call(jane);
This way of dynamically looking for a method and invoking it is called
dynamic dispatch.
31.3.5.2 Direct method calls
We can also make method calls directly, without dispatching:
Person.prototype.describe.call(jane)
This time, we directly point to the method via Person.prototype.describe and
don’t search for it in the prototype chain. We also specify this differently –
via .call().
this always points to the instance
No matter where in the prototype chain of an instance a method is
located, this always points to the instance (the beginning of the
prototype chain). That enables .describe() to access .#firstName in the
example.
When are direct method calls useful? Whenever we want to borrow a
method from elsewhere that a given object doesn’t have – for example:
const obj = Object.create(null);
// `obj` is not an instance of Object and doesn’t
inherit
// its prototype method .toString()
assert.throws(
() => obj.toString(),
/^TypeError: obj.toString is not a function$/
);
assert.equal(
Object.prototype.toString.call(obj),
'[object Object]'
);
31.3.6 Classes evolved from ordinary functions (advanced)
Before ECMAScript 6, JavaScript didn’t have classes. Instead, ordinary
functions were used as constructor functions:
function StringBuilderConstr(initialString) {
this.string = initialString;
}
StringBuilderConstr.prototype.add = function (str) {
this.string += str;
return this;
};
const sb = new StringBuilderConstr('¡');
sb.add('Hola').add('!');
assert.equal(
sb.string, '¡Hola!'
);
Classes provide better syntax for this approach:
class StringBuilderClass {
constructor(initialString) {
this.string = initialString;
}
add(str) {
this.string += str;
return this;
}
}
const sb = new StringBuilderClass('¡');
sb.add('Hola').add('!');
assert.equal(
sb.string, '¡Hola!'
);
Subclassing is especially tricky with constructor functions. Classes also
offer benefits that go beyond more convenient syntax:
Built-in constructor functions such as Error can be subclassed.
We can access overridden properties via super.
Classes can’t be function-called.
Methods can’t be new-called and don’t have the property .prototype.
Support for private instance data.
And more.
Classes are so compatible with constructor functions that they can even
extend them:
function SuperConstructor() {}
class SubClass extends SuperConstructor {}
assert.equal(
new SubClass() instanceof SuperConstructor, true
);
extends and subclassing are explained later in this chapter.
31.3.6.1 A class is the constructor
This brings us to an interesting insight. On one hand, StringBuilderClass
refers to its constructor via StringBuilderClass.prototype.constructor.
On the other hand, the class is the constructor (a function):
> StringBuilderClass.prototype.constructor ===
StringBuilderClass
true
> typeof StringBuilderClass
'function'
Constructor (functions) vs. classes
Due to how similar they are, I use the terms constructor (function) and
class interchangeably.
31.4 Prototype members of classes
31.4.1 Public prototype methods and accessors
All members in the body of the following class declaration create properties
of PublicProtoClass.prototype.
class PublicProtoClass {
constructor(args) {
// (Do something with `args` here.)
}
publicProtoMethod() {
return 'publicProtoMethod';
}
get publicProtoAccessor() {
return 'publicProtoGetter';
}
set publicProtoAccessor(value) {
assert.equal(value, 'publicProtoSetter');
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(PublicProtoClass.prototype),
['constructor', 'publicProtoMethod',
'publicProtoAccessor']
);
const inst = new PublicProtoClass('arg1', 'arg2');
assert.equal(
inst.publicProtoMethod(), 'publicProtoMethod'
);
assert.equal(
inst.publicProtoAccessor, 'publicProtoGetter'
);
inst.publicProtoAccessor = 'publicProtoSetter';
31.4.1.1 All kinds of public prototype methods and accessors (advanced)
const accessorKey = Symbol('accessorKey');
const syncMethodKey = Symbol('syncMethodKey');
const syncGenMethodKey = Symbol('syncGenMethodKey');
const asyncMethodKey = Symbol('asyncMethodKey');
const asyncGenMethodKey =
Symbol('asyncGenMethodKey');
class PublicProtoClass2 {
// Identifier keys
get accessor() {}
set accessor(value) {}
syncMethod() {}
* syncGeneratorMethod() {}
async asyncMethod() {}
async * asyncGeneratorMethod() {}
// Quoted keys
get 'an accessor'() {}
set 'an accessor'(value) {}
'sync method'() {}
* 'sync generator method'() {}
async 'async method'() {}
async * 'async generator method'() {}
// Computed keys
get [accessorKey]() {}
set [accessorKey](value) {}
[syncMethodKey]() {}
* [syncGenMethodKey]() {}
async [asyncMethodKey]() {}
async * [asyncGenMethodKey]() {}
}
// Quoted and computed keys are accessed via square
brackets:
const inst = new PublicProtoClass2();
inst['sync method']();
inst[syncMethodKey]();
Quoted and computed keys can also be used in object literals:
“Quoted keys in object literals” (§30.7.1)
“Computed keys in object literals” (§30.7.2)
More information on accessors (defined via getters and/or setters),
generators, async methods, and async generator methods:
“Object literals: accessors” (§30.3.6)
“Synchronous generators” (§40)
“Async functions” (§43)
“Asynchronous generators” (§44.2)
[ES2022]
31.4.2 Private methods and accessors
Private methods (and accessors) are an interesting mix of prototype
members and instance members.
On one hand, private methods are stored in slots in instances (line A):
class MyClass {
#privateMethod() {}
static check() {
const inst = new MyClass();
assert.equal(
#privateMethod in inst, true // (A)
);
assert.equal(
#privateMethod in MyClass.prototype, false
);
assert.equal(
#privateMethod in MyClass, false
);
}
}
MyClass.check();
Why are they not stored in .prototype objects? Private slots are not inherited,
only properties are.
On the other hand, private methods are shared between instances – like
prototype public methods:
class MyClass {
#privateMethod() {}
static check() {
const inst1 = new MyClass();
const inst2 = new MyClass();
assert.equal(
inst1.#privateMethod,
inst2.#privateMethod
);
}
}
Due to that and due to their syntax being similar to prototype public
methods, they are covered here.
The following code demonstrates how private methods and accessors work:
class PrivateMethodClass {
#privateMethod() {
return 'privateMethod';
}
get #privateAccessor() {
return 'privateGetter';
}
set #privateAccessor(value) {
assert.equal(value, 'privateSetter');
}
callPrivateMembers() {
assert.equal(this.#privateMethod(),
'privateMethod');
assert.equal(this.#privateAccessor,
'privateGetter');
this.#privateAccessor = 'privateSetter';
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(new PrivateMethodClass()), []
);
31.4.2.1 All kinds of private methods and accessors (advanced)
With private slots, the keys are always identifiers:
class PrivateMethodClass2 {
get #accessor() {}
set #accessor(value) {}
#syncMethod() {}
* #syncGeneratorMethod() {}
async #asyncMethod() {}
async * #asyncGeneratorMethod() {}
}
More information on accessors (defined via getters and/or setters),
generators, async methods, and async generator methods:
“Object literals: accessors” (§30.3.6)
“Synchronous generators” (§40)
“Async functions” (§43)
“Asynchronous generators” (§44.2)
[ES2022]
31.5 Instance members of classes
31.5.1 Instance public fields
Instances of the following class have two instance properties (created in line
A and line B):
class InstPublicClass {
// Instance public field
instancePublicField = 0; // (A)
constructor(value) {
// We don’t need to mention .property elsewhere!
this.property = value; // (B)
}
}
const inst = new InstPublicClass('constrArg');
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(inst),
['instancePublicField', 'property']
);
assert.equal(
inst.instancePublicField, 0
);
assert.equal(
inst.property, 'constrArg'
);
If we create an instance property inside the constructor (line B), we don’t
need to “declare” it elsewhere. As we have already seen, that is different for
instance private fields.
Note that instance properties are relatively common in JavaScript; much
more so than in, e.g., Java, where most instance state is private.
31.5.1.1 Instance public fields with quoted and computed keys (advanced)
const computedFieldKey = Symbol('computedFieldKey');
class InstPublicClass2 {
'quoted field key' = 1;
[computedFieldKey] = 2;
}
const inst = new InstPublicClass2();
assert.equal(inst['quoted field key'], 1);
assert.equal(inst[computedFieldKey], 2);
31.5.1.2 What is the value of this in instance public fields? (advanced)
In the initializer of a instance public field, this refers to the newly created
instance:
class MyClass {
instancePublicField = this;
}
const inst = new MyClass();
assert.equal(
inst.instancePublicField, inst
);
31.5.1.3 When are instance public fields executed? (advanced)
The execution of instance public fields roughly follows these two rules:
In base classes (classes without superclasses), instance public fields are
executed immediately before the constructor.
In derived classes (classes with superclasses):
The superclass sets up its instance slots when super() is called.
Instance public fields are executed immediately after super().
The following example demonstrates these rules:
class SuperClass {
superProp = console.log('superProp');
constructor() {
console.log('super-constructor');
}
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
subProp = console.log('subProp');
constructor() {
console.log('BEFORE super()');
super();
console.log('AFTER super()');
}
}
new SubClass();
Output:
BEFORE super()
superProp
super-constructor
subProp
AFTER super()
extends and subclassing are explained later in this chapter.
31.5.2 Instance private fields
The following class contains two instance private fields (line A and line B):
class InstPrivateClass {
#privateField1 = 'private field 1'; // (A)
#privateField2; // (B) required!
constructor(value) {
this.#privateField2 = value; // (C)
}
/**
* Private fields are not accessible outside the
class body.
*/
checkPrivateValues() {
assert.equal(
this.#privateField1, 'private field 1'
);
assert.equal(
this.#privateField2, 'constructor argument'
);
}
}
const inst = new InstPrivateClass('constructor
argument');
inst.checkPrivateValues();
// No instance properties were created
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(inst),
[]
);
Note that we can only use .#privateField2 in line C if we declare it in the
class body.
31.5.3 Private instance data before ES2022 (advanced)
In this section, we look at two techniques for keeping instance data private.
Because they don’t rely on classes, we can also use them for objects that
were created in other ways – e.g., via object literals.
31.5.3.1 Before ES6: private members via naming conventions
The first technique makes a property private by prefixing its name with an
underscore. This doesn’t protect the property in any way; it merely signals
to the outside: “You don’t need to know about this property.”
In the following code, the properties ._counter and ._action are private.
class Countdown {
constructor(counter, action) {
this._counter = counter;
this._action = action;
}
dec() {
this._counter--;
if (this._counter === 0) {
this._action();
}
}
}
// The two properties aren’t really private:
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(new Countdown()),
['_counter', '_action']);
With this technique, we don’t get any protection and private names can
clash. On the plus side, it is easy to use.
Private methods work similarly: They are normal methods whose names
start with underscores.
31.5.3.2 ES6 and later: private instance data via WeakMaps
We can also manage private instance data via WeakMaps:
const _counter = new WeakMap();
const _action = new WeakMap();
class Countdown {
constructor(counter, action) {
_counter.set(this, counter);
_action.set(this, action);
}
dec() {
let counter = _counter.get(this);
counter--;
_counter.set(this, counter);
if (counter === 0) {
_action.get(this)();
}
}
}
// The two pseudo-properties are truly private:
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(new Countdown()),
[]);
How exactly that works is explained in the chapter on WeakMaps.
This technique offers us considerable protection from outside access and
there can’t be any name clashes. But it is also more complicated to use.
We control the visibility of the pseudo-property _superProp by controlling
who has access to it – for example: If the variable exists inside a module and
isn’t exported, everyone inside the module and no one outside the module
can access it. In other words: The scope of privacy isn’t the class in this
case, it’s the module. We could narrow the scope, though:
let Countdown;
{ // class scope
const _counter = new WeakMap();
const _action = new WeakMap();
Countdown = class {
// ···
}
}
This technique doesn’t really support private methods. But module-local
functions that have access to _superProp are the next best thing:
const _counter = new WeakMap();
const _action = new WeakMap();
class Countdown {
constructor(counter, action) {
_counter.set(this, counter);
_action.set(this, action);
}
dec() {
privateDec(this);
}
}
function privateDec(_this) { // (A)
let counter = _counter.get(_this);
counter--;
_counter.set(_this, counter);
if (counter === 0) {
_action.get(_this)();
}
}
Note that this becomes the explicit function parameter _this (line A).
31.5.4 Simulating protected visibility and friend visibility via
WeakMaps (advanced)
As previously discussed, instance private fields are only visible inside their
classes and not even in subclasses. Thus, there is no built-in way to get:
Protected visibility: A class and all of its subclasses can access a piece
instance data.
Friend visibility: A class and its “friends” (designated functions,
objects, or classes) can access a piece of instance data.
In the previous subsection, we simulated “module visibility” (everyone
inside a module has access to a piece of instance data) via WeakMaps.
Therefore:
If we put a class and its subclasses into the same module, we get
protected visibility.
If we put a class and its friends into the same module, we get friend
visibility.
The next example demonstrates protected visibility:
const _superProp = new WeakMap();
class SuperClass {
constructor() {
_superProp.set(this, 'superProp');
}
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
getSuperProp() {
return _superProp.get(this);
}
}
assert.equal(
new SubClass().getSuperProp(),
'superProp'
);
Subclassing via extends is explained later in this chapter.
31.6 Static members of classes
31.6.1 Static public methods and accessors
All members in the body of the following class declaration create so-called
static properties – properties of StaticClass itself.
class StaticPublicMethodsClass {
static staticMethod() {
return 'staticMethod';
}
static get staticAccessor() {
return 'staticGetter';
}
static set staticAccessor(value) {
assert.equal(value, 'staticSetter');
}
}
assert.equal(
StaticPublicMethodsClass.staticMethod(),
'staticMethod'
);
assert.equal(
StaticPublicMethodsClass.staticAccessor,
'staticGetter'
);
StaticPublicMethodsClass.staticAccessor =
'staticSetter';
31.6.1.1 All kinds of static public methods and accessors (advanced)
const accessorKey = Symbol('accessorKey');
const syncMethodKey = Symbol('syncMethodKey');
const syncGenMethodKey = Symbol('syncGenMethodKey');
const asyncMethodKey = Symbol('asyncMethodKey');
const asyncGenMethodKey =
Symbol('asyncGenMethodKey');
class StaticPublicMethodsClass2 {
// Identifier keys
static get accessor() {}
static set accessor(value) {}
static syncMethod() {}
static * syncGeneratorMethod() {}
static async asyncMethod() {}
static async * asyncGeneratorMethod() {}
// Quoted keys
static get 'an accessor'() {}
static set 'an accessor'(value) {}
static 'sync method'() {}
static * 'sync generator method'() {}
static async 'async method'() {}
static async * 'async generator method'() {}
// Computed keys
static get [accessorKey]() {}
static set [accessorKey](value) {}
static [syncMethodKey]() {}
static * [syncGenMethodKey]() {}
static async [asyncMethodKey]() {}
static async * [asyncGenMethodKey]() {}
}
// Quoted and computed keys are accessed via square
brackets:
StaticPublicMethodsClass2['sync method']();
StaticPublicMethodsClass2[syncMethodKey]();
Quoted and computed keys can also be used in object literals:
“Quoted keys in object literals” (§30.7.1)
“Computed keys in object literals” (§30.7.2)
More information on accessors (defined via getters and/or setters),
generators, async methods, and async generator methods:
“Object literals: accessors” (§30.3.6)
“Synchronous generators” (§40)
“Async functions” (§43)
“Asynchronous generators” (§44.2)
[ES2022]
31.6.2 Static public fields
The following code demonstrates static public fields. StaticPublicFieldClass
has three of them:
const computedFieldKey = Symbol('computedFieldKey');
class StaticPublicFieldClass {
static identifierFieldKey = 1;
static 'quoted field key' = 2;
static [computedFieldKey] = 3;
}
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(StaticPublicFieldClass),
[
'length', // number of constructor parameters
'name', // 'StaticPublicFieldClass'
'prototype',
'identifierFieldKey',
'quoted field key',
computedFieldKey,
],
);
assert.equal(StaticPublicFieldClass.identifierFieldK
ey, 1);
assert.equal(StaticPublicFieldClass['quoted field
key'], 2);
assert.equal(StaticPublicFieldClass[computedFieldKey
], 3);
[ES2022]
31.6.3 Static private methods, accessors, and fields
The following class has two static private slots (line A and line B):
class StaticPrivateClass {
// Declare and initialize
static #staticPrivateField = 'hello'; // (A)
static #twice() { // (B)
const str =
StaticPrivateClass.#staticPrivateField;
return str + ' ' + str;
}
static getResultOfTwice() {
return StaticPrivateClass.#twice();
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
Reflect.ownKeys(StaticPrivateClass),
[
'length', // number of constructor parameters
'name', // 'StaticPublicFieldClass'
'prototype',
'getResultOfTwice',
],
);
assert.equal(
StaticPrivateClass.getResultOfTwice(),
'hello hello'
);
This is a complete list of all kinds of static private slots:
class MyClass {
static #staticPrivateMethod() {}
static * #staticPrivateGeneratorMethod() {}
static async #staticPrivateAsyncMethod() {}
static async *
#staticPrivateAsyncGeneratorMethod() {}
static get #staticPrivateAccessor() {}
static set #staticPrivateAccessor(value) {}
}
[ES2022]
31.6.4 Static initialization blocks in classes
To set up instance data via classes, we have two constructs:
Fields, to create and optionally initialize instance data
Constructors, blocks of code that are executed every time a new
instance is created
For static data, we have:
Static fields
Static blocks that are executed when a class is created
The following code demonstrates static blocks (line A):
class Translator {
static translations = {
yes: 'ja',
no: 'nein',
maybe: 'vielleicht',
};
static englishWords = [];
static germanWords = [];
static { // (A)
for (const [english, german] of
Object.entries(this.translations)) {
this.englishWords.push(english);
this.germanWords.push(german);
}
}
}
We could also execute the code inside the static block after the class (at the
top level). However, using a static block has two benefits:
All class-related code is inside the class.
The code in a static block has access to private slots.
31.6.4.1 Rules for static initialization blocks
The rules for how static initialization blocks work, are relatively simple:
There can be more than one static block per class.
The execution of static blocks is interleaved with the execution of static
field initializers.
The static members of a superclass are executed before the static
members of a subclass.
The following code demonstrates these rules:
class SuperClass {
static superField1 = console.log('superField1');
static {
assert.equal(this, SuperClass);
console.log('static block 1 SuperClass');
}
static superField2 = console.log('superField2');
static {
console.log('static block 2 SuperClass');
}
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
static subField1 = console.log('subField1');
static {
assert.equal(this, SubClass);
console.log('static block 1 SubClass');
}
static subField2 = console.log('subField2');
static {
console.log('static block 2 SubClass');
}
}
Output:
superField1
static block 1 SuperClass
superField2
static block 2 SuperClass
subField1
static block 1 SubClass
subField2
static block 2 SubClass
Subclassing via extends is explained later in this chapter.
31.6.5 Pitfall: Using this to access static private fields
In static public members, we can access static public slots via this. Alas, we
should not use it to access static private slots.
31.6.5.1 this and static public fields
Consider the following code:
class SuperClass {
static publicData = 1;
static getPublicViaThis() {
return this.publicData;
}
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
}
Subclassing via extends is explained later in this chapter.
Static public fields are properties. If we make the method call
assert.equal(SuperClass.getPublicViaThis(), 1);
then this points to SuperClass and everything works as expected. We can also
invoke .getPublicViaThis() via the subclass:
assert.equal(SubClass.getPublicViaThis(), 1);
SubClass inherits .getPublicViaThis() from its prototype SuperClass. this points
to SubClass and things continue to work, because SubClass also inherits the
property .publicData.
As an aside, if we assigned to this.publicData in getPublicViaThis() and
invoked it via SubClass.getPublicViaThis(), then we would create a new own
poperty of SubClass that (non-destructively) overrides the property inherited
from SuperClass.
31.6.5.2 this and static private fields
Consider the following code:
class SuperClass {
static #privateData = 2;
static getPrivateDataViaThis() {
return this.#privateData;
}
static getPrivateDataViaClassName() {
return SuperClass.#privateData;
}
}
class SubClass extends SuperClass {
}
Invoking .getPrivateDataViaThis() via SuperClass works, because this points to
SuperClass:
assert.equal(SuperClass.getPrivateDataViaThis(), 2);
However, invoking .getPrivateDataViaThis() via SubClass does not work,
because this now points to SubClass and SubClass has no static private field
.#privateData (private slots in prototype chains are not inherited):
assert.throws(
() => SubClass.getPrivateDataViaThis(),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'Cannot read private member
#privateData from'
+ ' an object whose class did not declare it',
}
);
The workaround is to accesss .#privateData directly, via SuperClass:
assert.equal(SubClass.getPrivateDataViaClassName(),
2);
With static private methods, we are facing the same issue.
31.6.6 All members (static, prototype, instance) can access all private
members
Every member inside a class can access all other members inside that class
– both public and private ones:
class DemoClass {
static #staticPrivateField = 1;
#instPrivField = 2;
static staticMethod(inst) {
// A static method can access static private
fields
// and instance private fields
assert.equal(DemoClass.#staticPrivateField, 1);
assert.equal(inst.#instPrivField, 2);
}
protoMethod() {
// A prototype method can access instance
private fields
// and static private fields
assert.equal(this.#instPrivField, 2);
assert.equal(DemoClass.#staticPrivateField, 1);
}
}
In contrast, no one outside can access the private members:
// Accessing private fields outside their classes
triggers
// syntax errors (before the code is even executed).
assert.throws(
() => eval('DemoClass.#staticPrivateField'),
{
name: 'SyntaxError',
message: "Private field '#staticPrivateField'
must"
+ " be declared in an enclosing class",
}
);
// Accessing private fields outside their classes
triggers
// syntax errors (before the code is even executed).
assert.throws(
() => eval('new DemoClass().#instPrivField'),
{
name: 'SyntaxError',
message: "Private field '#instPrivField' must"
+ " be declared in an enclosing class",
}
);
31.6.7 Static private methods and data before ES2022
The following code only works in ES2022 – due to every line that has a
hash symbol (#) in it:
class StaticClass {
static #secret = 'Rumpelstiltskin';
static #getSecretInParens() {
return `(${StaticClass.#secret})`;
}
static callStaticPrivateMethod() {
return StaticClass.#getSecretInParens();
}
}
Since private slots only exist once per class, we can move #secret and
#getSecretInParens to the scope surrounding the class and use a module to
hide them from the world outside the module.
const secret = 'Rumpelstiltskin';
function getSecretInParens() {
return `(${secret})`;
}
// Only the class is accessible outside the module
export class StaticClass {
static callStaticPrivateMethod() {
return getSecretInParens();
}
}
31.6.8 Static factory methods
Sometimes there are multiple ways in which a class can be instantiated.
Then we can implement static factory methods such as Point.fromPolar():
class Point {
static fromPolar(radius, angle) {
const x = radius * Math.cos(angle);
const y = radius * Math.sin(angle);
return new Point(x, y);
}
constructor(x=0, y=0) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
Point.fromPolar(13, 0.39479111969976155),
new Point(12, 5)
);
I like how descriptive static factory methods are: fromPolar describes how an
instance is created. JavaScript’s standard library also has such factory
methods – for example:
Array.from()
Object.create()
I prefer to either have no static factory methods or only static factory
methods. Things to consider in the latter case:
One factory method will probably directly call the constructor (but
have a descriptive name).
We need to find a way to prevent the constructor being called from
outside.
In the following code, we use a secret token (line A) to prevent the
constructor being called from outside the current module.
// Only accessible inside the current module
const secretToken = Symbol('secretToken'); // (A)
export class Point {
static create(x=0, y=0) {
return new Point(secretToken, x, y);
}
static fromPolar(radius, angle) {
const x = radius * Math.cos(angle);
const y = radius * Math.sin(angle);
return new Point(secretToken, x, y);
}
constructor(token, x, y) {
if (token !== secretToken) {
throw new TypeError('Must use static factory
method');
}
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
}
Point.create(3, 4); // OK
assert.throws(
() => new Point(3, 4),
TypeError
);
31.7 Subclassing
Classes can also extend existing classes. For example, the following class
Employee extends Person:
class Person {
#firstName;
constructor(firstName) {
this.#firstName = firstName;
}
describe() {
return `Person named ${this.#firstName}`;
}
static extractNames(persons) {
return persons.map(person => person.#firstName);
}
}
class Employee extends Person {
constructor(firstName, title) {
super(firstName);
this.title = title;
}
describe() {
return super.describe() +
` (${this.title})`;
}
}
const jane = new Employee('Jane', 'CTO');
assert.equal(
jane.title,
'CTO'
);
assert.equal(
jane.describe(),
'Person named Jane (CTO)'
);
Terminology related to extending:
Another word for extending is subclassing.
Person is the superclass of Employee.
Employee is the subclass of Person.
A base class is a class that has no superclasses.
A derived class is a class that has a superclass.
Inside the .constructor() of a derived class, we must call the super-
constructor via super() before we can access this. Why is that?
Let’s consider a chain of classes:
Base class A
Class B extends A.
Class C extends B.
If we invoke new C(), C’s constructor super-calls B’s constructor which super-
calls A’s constructor. Instances are always created in base classes, before the
constructors of subclasses add their slots. Therefore, the instance doesn’t
exist before we call super() and we can’t access it via this, yet.
Note that static public slots are inherited. For example, Employee inherits the
static method .extractNames():
> 'extractNames' in Employee
true
Exercise: Subclassing
exercises/classes/color_point_class_test.mjs
31.7.1 The internals of subclassing (advanced)
Function.prototype Object.prototype
__proto__ __proto__
prototype
Person Person.prototype
__proto__ __proto__
prototype
Employee Employee.prototype
__proto__
jane
Figure 31.4: These are the objects that make up class Person and its
subclass, Employee. The left column is about classes. The right column
is about the Employee instance jane and its prototype chain.
The classes Person and Employee from the previous section are made up of
several objects (figure 31.4). One key insight for understanding how these
objects are related is that there are two prototype chains:
The instance prototype chain, on the right.
The class prototype chain, on the left.
31.7.1.1 The instance prototype chain (right column)
The instance prototype chain starts with jane and continues with
Employee.prototype and Person.prototype. In principle, the prototype chain ends
at this point, but we get one more object: Object.prototype. This prototype
provides services to virtually all objects, which is why it is included here,
too:
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Person.prototype) ===
Object.prototype
true
31.7.1.2 The class prototype chain (left column)
In the class prototype chain, Employee comes first, Person next. Afterward, the
chain continues with Function.prototype, which is only there because Person is
a function and functions need the services of Function.prototype.
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Person) ===
Function.prototype
true
31.7.2 instanceof and subclassing (advanced)
We have not yet learned how instanceof really works. How does instanceof
determine if a value x is an instance of a class C (it can be a direct instance
of C or a direct instance of a subclass of C)? It checks if C.prototype is in the
prototype chain of x. That is, the following two expressions are equivalent:
x instanceof C
C.prototype.isPrototypeOf(x)
If we go back to figure 31.4, we can confirm that the prototype chain does
lead us to the following correct answers:
> jane instanceof Employee
true
> jane instanceof Person
true
> jane instanceof Object
true
Note that instanceof always returns false if its self-hand side is a primitive
value:
> 'abc' instanceof String
false
> 123 instanceof Number
false
31.7.3 Not all objects are instances of Object (advanced)
An object (a non-primitive value) is only an instance of Object if
Object.prototype is in its prototype chain (see previous subsection). Virtually
all objects are instances of Object – for example:
assert.equal(
{a: 1} instanceof Object, true
);
assert.equal(
['a'] instanceof Object, true
);
assert.equal(
/abc/g instanceof Object, true
);
assert.equal(
new Map() instanceof Object, true
);
class C {}
assert.equal(
new C() instanceof Object, true
);
In the next example, obj1 and obj2 are both objects (line A and line C), but
they are not instances of Object (line B and line D): Object.prototype is not in
their prototype chains because they don’t have any prototypes.
const obj1 = {__proto__: null};
assert.equal(
typeof obj1, 'object' // (A)
);
assert.equal(
obj1 instanceof Object, false // (B)
);
const obj2 = Object.create(null);
assert.equal(
typeof obj2, 'object' // (C)
);
assert.equal(
obj2 instanceof Object, false // (D)
);
Object.prototype is the object that ends most prototype chains. Its prototype is
null, which means it isn’t an instance of Object either:
> typeof Object.prototype
'object'
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Object.prototype)
null
> Object.prototype instanceof Object
false
31.7.4 Prototype chains of built-in objects (advanced)
Next, we’ll use our knowledge of subclassing to understand the prototype
chains of a few built-in objects. The following tool function p() helps us
with our explorations.
const p = Object.getPrototypeOf.bind(Object);
We extracted method .getPrototypeOf() of Object and assigned it to p.
31.7.4.1 The prototype chain of {}
Let’s start by examining plain objects:
> p({}) === Object.prototype
true
> p(p({})) === null
true
null
__proto__
Object.prototype
__proto__
{}
Figure 31.5: The prototype chain of an object created via an object
literal starts with that object, continues with Object.prototype, and ends
with null.
Figure 31.5 shows a diagram for this prototype chain. We can see that {}
really is an instance of Object – Object.prototype is in its prototype chain.
31.7.4.2 The prototype chain of []
What does the prototype chain of an Array look like?
> p([]) === Array.prototype
true
> p(p([])) === Object.prototype
true
> p(p(p([]))) === null
true
null
__proto__
Object.prototype
__proto__
Array.prototype
__proto__
[]
Figure 31.6: The prototype chain of an Array has these members: the
Array instance, Array.prototype, Object.prototype, null.
This prototype chain (visualized in figure 31.6) tells us that an Array object
is an instance of Array and of Object.
31.7.4.3 The prototype chain of function () {}
Lastly, the prototype chain of an ordinary function tells us that all functions
are objects:
> p(function () {}) === Function.prototype
true
> p(p(function () {})) === Object.prototype
true
31.7.4.4 The prototype chains of built-in classes
The prototype of a base class is Function.prototype which means that it is a
function (an instance of Function):
class A {}
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(A),
Function.prototype
);
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(class {}),
Function.prototype
);
The prototype of a derived class is its superclass:
class B extends A {}
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(B),
A
);
assert.equal(
Object.getPrototypeOf(class extends Object {}),
Object
);
Interestingly, Object, Array, and Function are all base classes:
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Object) ===
Function.prototype
true
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Array) ===
Function.prototype
true
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Function) ===
Function.prototype
true
However, as we have seen, even the instances of base classes have
Object.prototype in their prototype chains because it provides services that all
objects need.
Why are Array and Function base classes?
Base classes are where instances are actually created. Both Array and
Function need to create their own instances because they have so-called
“internal slots” which can’t be added later to instances created by
Object.
31.7.5 Mixin classes (advanced)
JavaScript’s class system only supports single inheritance. That is, each
class can have at most one superclass. One way around this limitation is via
a technique called mixin classes (short: mixins).
The idea is as follows: Let’s say we want a class C to inherit from two
superclasses S1 and S2. That would be multiple inheritance, which JavaScript
doesn’t support.
Our workaround is to turn S1 and S2 into mixins, factories for subclasses:
const S1 = (Sup) => class extends Sup { /*···*/ };
const S2 = (Sup) => class extends Sup { /*···*/ };
Each of these two functions returns a class that extends a given superclass
Sup. We create class C as follows:
class C extends S2(S1(Object)) {
/*···*/
}
We now have a class C that extends the class returned by S2() which extends
the class returned by S1() which extends Object.
31.7.5.1 Example: a mixin for name management
We implement a mixin Named adds a property .name and a method .toString()
to its superclass:
const Named = (Sup) => class extends Sup {
name = '(Unnamed)';
toString() {
const className = this.constructor.name;
return `${className} named ${this.name}`;
}
};
We use this mixin to implement a class City that has a name:
class City extends Named(Object) {
constructor(name) {
super();
this.name = name;
}
}
The following code confirms that the mixin works:
const paris = new City('Paris');
assert.equal(
paris.name, 'Paris'
);
assert.equal(
paris.toString(), 'City named Paris'
);
31.7.5.2 The benefits of mixins
Mixins free us from the constraints of single inheritance:
The same class can extend a single superclass and zero or more mixins.
The same mixin can be used by multiple classes.
31.8 The methods and accessors of Object.prototype
(advanced)
31.8.1 Quick reference: Object.prototype.*
As we have seen in “Not all objects are instances of Object” (§31.7.3),
almost all objects are instances of Object. This class provides useful
functionality to its instances:
Configuring how objects are converted to primitive values (e.g. by the +
operator): The following methods have default implementations but are
often overridden in subclasses or instances.
.toString(): Configures how an object is converted to a string.
.toLocaleString(): A version of .toString() that can be configured in
various ways via arguments (language, region, etc.).
.valueOf(): Configures how an object is converted to a non-string
primitive value (often a number).
Useful methods (with pitfalls – see next subsection):
.isPrototypeOf(): Is the receiver in the prototype chain of a given
object?
.propertyIsEnumerable(): Does the receiver have an enumerable own
property with the given key?
Avoid these features (there are better alternatives):
.__proto__: Get and set the prototype of the receiver.
Using this accessor is not recommended. Alternatives:
Object.getPrototypeOf()
Object.setPrototypeOf()
.hasOwnProperty(): Does the receiver have an own property with a
given key?
Using this method is not recommended. Alternative in
ES2022 and later: Object.hasOwn().
Before we take a closer look at each of these features, we’ll learn about an
important pitfall (and how to work around it): We can’t use the features of
Object.prototype with all objects.
31.8.2 Using Object.prototype methods safely
Invoking one of the methods of Object.prototype on an arbitrary object
doesn’t always work. To illustrate why, we use method
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty, which returns true if an object has an own
property with a given key:
> {ownProp: true}.hasOwnProperty('ownProp')
true
> {ownProp: true}.hasOwnProperty('abc')
false
Invoking .hasOwnProperty() on an arbitrary object can fail in two ways. On
one hand, this method isn’t available if an object is not an instance of Object
(see “Not all objects are instances of Object” (§31.7.3)):
const obj = Object.create(null);
assert.equal(obj instanceof Object, false);
assert.throws(
() => obj.hasOwnProperty('prop'),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'obj.hasOwnProperty is not a function',
}
);
On the other hand, we can’t use .hasOwnProperty() if an object overrides it
with an own property (line A):
const obj = {
hasOwnProperty: 'yes' // (A)
};
assert.throws(
() => obj.hasOwnProperty('prop'),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'obj.hasOwnProperty is not a function',
}
);
There is, however, a safe way to use .hasOwnProperty():
function hasOwnProp(obj, propName) {
return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(obj,
propName); // (A)
}
assert.equal(
hasOwnProp(Object.create(null), 'prop'), false
);
assert.equal(
hasOwnProp({hasOwnProperty: 'yes'}, 'prop'), false
);
assert.equal(
hasOwnProp({hasOwnProperty: 'yes'},
'hasOwnProperty'), true
);
The method invocation in line A is explained in “Dispatched vs. direct
method calls” (§31.3.5).
We can also use .bind() to implement hasOwnProp():
const hasOwnProp = Function.prototype.call
.bind(Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty);
How does this code work? In line A in the example before the code above,
we used the function method .call() to turn the function hasOwnProperty with
one implicit parameter (this) and one explicit parameter (propName) into a
function that has two explicit parameters (obj and propName).
In other words – method .call() invokes the function f referred to by its
receiver (this):
The first (explicit) parameter of .call() becomes the this of f.
The second (explicit) parameter of .call() becomes the first argument
of f.
Etc.
We use .bind() to create a version .call() whose this always refers to
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty. That new version invokes .hasOwnProperty() in
the same manner as we did in line A – which is what we want.
Is it never OK to use Object.prototype methods via dynamic
dispatch?
In some cases we can be lazy and call Object.prototype methods like
normal methods: If we know the receivers and they are fixed-layout
objects.
If, on the other hand, we don’t know their receivers and/or they are
dictionary objects, then we need to take precautions.
31.8.3 Object.prototype.toString()
By overriding .toString() (in a subclass or an instance), we can configure
how objects are converted to strings:
> String({toString() { return 'Hello!' }})
'Hello!'
> String({})
'[object Object]'
For converting objects to strings it’s better to use String() because that also
works with undefined and null:
> undefined.toString()
TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined
(reading 'toString')
> null.toString()
TypeError: Cannot read properties of null (reading
'toString')
> String(undefined)
'undefined'
> String(null)
'null'
31.8.4 Object.prototype.toLocaleString()
.toLocaleString() is a version of .toString() that can be configured via a locale
and often additional options. Any class or instance can implement this
method. In the standard library, the following classes do:
Array.prototype.toLocaleString()
Number.prototype.toLocaleString()
Date.prototype.toLocaleString()
TypedArray.prototype.toLocaleString()
BigInt.prototype.toLocaleString()
As an example, this is how numbers with decimal fractions are converted to
string differently, depending on locale ('fr' is French, 'en' is English):
> 123.45.toLocaleString('fr')
'123,45'
> 123.45.toLocaleString('en')
'123.45'
31.8.5 Object.prototype.valueOf()
By overriding .valueOf() (in a subclass or an instance), we can configure how
objects are converted to non-string values (often numbers):
> Number({valueOf() { return 123 }})
123
> Number({})
NaN
31.8.6 Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf()
proto.isPrototypeOf(obj) returns true if proto is in the prototype chain of obj
and false otherwise.
const a = {};
const b = {__proto__: a};
const c = {__proto__: b};
assert.equal(a.isPrototypeOf(b), true);
assert.equal(a.isPrototypeOf(c), true);
assert.equal(a.isPrototypeOf(a), false);
assert.equal(c.isPrototypeOf(a), false);
This is how to use this method safely (for details see “Using Object.prototype
methods safely” (§31.8.2)):
const obj = {
// Overrides Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf
isPrototypeOf: true,
};
// Doesn’t work in this case:
assert.throws(
() => obj.isPrototypeOf(Object.prototype),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'obj.isPrototypeOf is not a function',
}
);
// Safe way of using .isPrototypeOf():
assert.equal(
Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf.call(obj,
Object.prototype), false
);
31.8.7 Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable()
obj.propertyIsEnumerable(propKey) returns true if obj has an own enumerable
property whose key is propKey and false otherwise.
const proto = {
enumerableProtoProp: true,
};
const obj = {
__proto__: proto,
enumerableObjProp: true,
nonEnumObjProp: true,
};
Object.defineProperty(
obj, 'nonEnumObjProp',
{
enumerable: false,
}
);
assert.equal(
obj.propertyIsEnumerable('enumerableProtoProp'),
false // not an own property
);
assert.equal(
obj.propertyIsEnumerable('enumerableObjProp'),
true
);
assert.equal(
obj.propertyIsEnumerable('nonEnumObjProp'),
false // not enumerable
);
assert.equal(
obj.propertyIsEnumerable('unknownProp'),
false // not a property
);
This is how to use this method safely (for details see “Using Object.prototype
methods safely” (§31.8.2)):
const obj = {
// Overrides Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable
propertyIsEnumerable: true,
enumerableProp: 'yes',
};
// Doesn’t work in this case:
assert.throws(
() => obj.propertyIsEnumerable('enumerableProp'),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'obj.propertyIsEnumerable is not a
function',
}
);
// Safe way of using .propertyIsEnumerable():
assert.equal(
Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable.call(obj,
'enumerableProp'),
true
);
Another safe alternative is to use property descriptors:
assert.deepEqual(
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(obj,
'enumerableProp'),
{
value: 'yes',
writable: true,
enumerable: true,
configurable: true,
}
);
31.8.8 Object.prototype.__proto__ (accessor)
Property __proto__ exists in two versions:
An accessor that all instances of Object have.
A property of object literals that sets the prototypes of the objects
created by them.
I recommend to avoid the former feature:
As explained in “Using Object.prototype methods safely” (§31.8.2), it
doesn’t work with all objects.
The ECMAScript specification has deprecated it and calls it “optional”
and “legacy”.
In contrast, __proto__ in object literals always works and is not deprecated.
Read on if you are interested in how the accessor __proto__ works.
__proto__ is an accessor of Object.prototype that is inherited by all instances of
Object. Implementing it via a class would look like this:
class Object {
get __proto__() {
return Object.getPrototypeOf(this);
}
set __proto__(other) {
Object.setPrototypeOf(this, other);
}
// ···
}
Since __proto__ is inherited from Object.prototype, we can remove this feature
by creating an object that doesn’t have Object.prototype in its prototype chain
(see “Not all objects are instances of Object” (§31.7.3)):
> '__proto__' in {}
true
> '__proto__' in Object.create(null)
false
31.8.9 Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty()
[ES2022]
Better alternative to .hasOwnProperty(): Object.hasOwn()
See “Object.hasOwn(): Is a given property own (non-inherited)?”
(§30.10.4).
obj.hasOwnProperty(propKey) returns true if obj has an own (non-inherited)
property whose key is propKey and false otherwise.
const obj = { ownProp: true };
assert.equal(
obj.hasOwnProperty('ownProp'), true // own
);
assert.equal(
'toString' in obj, true // inherited
);
assert.equal(
obj.hasOwnProperty('toString'), false
);
This is how to use this method safely (for details see “Using Object.prototype
methods safely” (§31.8.2)):
const obj = {
// Overrides Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty
hasOwnProperty: true,
};
// Doesn’t work in this case:
assert.throws(
() => obj.hasOwnProperty('anyPropKey'),
{
name: 'TypeError',
message: 'obj.hasOwnProperty is not a function',
}
);
// Safe way of using .hasOwnProperty():
assert.equal(
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(obj,
'anyPropKey'), false
);
31.9 FAQ: classes
31.9.1 Why are they called “instance private fields” in this book and
not “private instance fields”?
That is done to highlight how different properties (public slots) and private
slots are: By changing the order of the adjectives, the words “public” and
“field” and the words “private” and “field” are always mentioned together.
31.9.2 Why the identifier prefix #? Why not declare private fields via
private?
Could private fields be declared via private and use normal identifiers? Let’s
examine what would happen if that were possible:
class MyClass {
private value; // (A)
compare(other) {
return this.value === other.value;
}
}
Whenever an expression such as other.value appears in the body of MyClass,
JavaScript has to decide:
Is .value a property?
Is .value a private field?
At compile time, JavaScript doesn’t know if the declaration in line A applies
to other (due to it being an instance of MyClass) or not. That leaves two
options for making the decision:
1. .value is always interpreted as a private field.
2. JavaScript decides at runtime:
If other is an instance of MyClass, then .value is interpreted as a
private field.
Otherwise .value is interpreted as a property.
Both options have downsides:
With option (1), we can’t use .value as a property, anymore – for any
object.
With option (2), performance is affected negatively.
That’s why the name prefix # was introduced. The decision is now easy: If
we use #, we want to access a private field. If we don’t, we want to access a
property.
private works for statically typed languages (such as TypeScript) because
they know at compile time if other is an instance of MyClass and can then treat
.value as private or public.
VII Collections
[ES6]
32 Synchronous iteration
32.1 What is synchronous iteration about?
32.2 Core iteration constructs: iterables and iterators
32.3 Iterating manually
32.3.1 Iterating over an iterable via while
32.4 Iteration in practice
32.4.1 Iterating over Arrays
32.4.2 Iterating over Sets
[ES2024]
32.5 Grouping iterables
32.5.1 Choosing between Map.groupBy() and Object.groupBy()
32.5.2 Example: handling cases
32.6 Example: grouping by property value
32.7 Quick reference: synchronous iteration
32.7.1 Iterable data structures
32.7.2 Synchronously iterating language constructs
32.1 What is synchronous iteration about?
Synchronous iteration is a protocol (interfaces plus rules for using them)
that connects two groups of entities in JavaScript:
Data sources: On one hand, data comes in all shapes and sizes. In
JavaScript’s standard library, we have the linear data structure Array,
the ordered collection Set (elements are ordered by time of addition),
the ordered dictionary Map (entries are ordered by time of addition),
and more. In libraries, we may find tree-shaped data structures and
more.
Data consumers: On the other hand, we have a whole class of
constructs and algorithms that only need to access their input
sequentially: one value at a time, until all values were visited.
Examples include the for-of loop and spreading into function calls (via
...).
The iteration protocol connects these two groups via the interface Iterable:
data sources deliver their contents sequentially “through it”; data consumers
get their input via it.
Data consumers Interface Data sources
for-of loop Arrays
Iterable Maps
spreading Strings
Figure 32.1: Data consumers such as the for-of loop use the interface
Iterable. Data sources such as Arrays implement that interface.
Figure 32.1 illustrates how iteration works: data consumers use the interface
Iterable; data sources implement it.
The JavaScript way of implementing interfaces
In JavaScript, an object implements an interface if it has all the
methods that it describes. The interfaces mentioned in this chapter
only exist in the ECMAScript specification.
Both sources and consumers of data profit from this arrangement:
If we develop a new data structure, we only need to implement Iterable
and a raft of tools can immediately be applied to it.
If we write code that uses iteration, it automatically works with many
sources of data.
32.2 Core iteration constructs: iterables and iterators
Two roles (described by interfaces) form the core of iteration (figure 32.2):
An iterable is an object whose contents can be traversed sequentially.
An iterator is the pointer used for the traversal.
Iterable: Iterator:
traversable data structure pointer for traversing iterable
··· returns next()
[Symbol.iterator]()
Figure 32.2: Iteration has two main interfaces: Iterable and Iterator.
The former has a method that returns the latter.
These are type definitions (in TypeScript’s notation) for the interfaces of the
iteration protocol:
interface Iterable<T> {
[Symbol.iterator]() : Iterator<T>;
}
interface Iterator<T> {
next() : IteratorResult<T>;
}
interface IteratorResult<T> {
value: T;
done: boolean;
}
The interfaces are used as follows:
We ask an Iterable for an iterator via the method whose key is
Symbol.iterator.
The Iterator returns the iterated values via its method .next().
The values are not returned directly, but wrapped in objects with two
properties:
.value is the iterated value.
.done indicates if the end of the iteration has been reached yet. It is
true after the last iterated value and false beforehand.
32.3 Iterating manually
This is an example of using the iteration protocol:
const iterable = ['a', 'b'];
// The iterable is a factory for iterators:
const iterator = iterable[Symbol.iterator]();
// Call .next() until .done is true:
assert.deepEqual(
iterator.next(), { value: 'a', done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
iterator.next(), { value: 'b', done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
iterator.next(), { value: undefined, done: true
});
32.3.1 Iterating over an iterable via while
The following code demonstrates how to use a while loop to iterate over an
iterable:
function logAll(iterable) {
const iterator = iterable[Symbol.iterator]();
while (true) {
const {value, done} = iterator.next();
if (done) break;
console.log(value);
}
}
logAll(['a', 'b']);
Output:
a
b
Exercise: Using sync iteration manually
exercises/sync-iteration/sync_iteration_manually_exrc.mjs
32.4 Iteration in practice
We have seen how to use the iteration protocol manually, and it is relatively
cumbersome. But the protocol is not meant to be used directly – it is meant
to be used via higher-level language constructs built on top of it. This
section shows what that looks like.
32.4.1 Iterating over Arrays
JavaScript’s Arrays are iterable. That enables us to use the for-of loop:
const myArray = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
for (const x of myArray) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
c
Destructuring via Array patterns (explained later) also uses iteration under
the hood:
const [first, second] = myArray;
assert.equal(first, 'a');
assert.equal(second, 'b');
32.4.2 Iterating over Sets
JavaScript’s Set data structure is iterable. That means for-of works:
const mySet = new Set().add('a').add('b').add('c');
for (const x of mySet) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
c
As does Array-destructuring:
const [first, second] = mySet;
assert.equal(first, 'a');
assert.equal(second, 'b');
[ES2024]
32.5 Grouping iterables
Map.groupBy() groups the items of an iterable into Map entries whose keys are
provided by a callback:
assert.deepEqual(
Map.groupBy([0, -5, 3, -4, 8, 9], x =>
Math.sign(x)),
new Map().set(0, [0]).set(-1, [-5,-4]).set(1,
[3,8,9])
);
The items to be grouped can come from any iterable:
function* generateNumbers() {
yield 2;
yield -7;
yield 4;
}
assert.deepEqual(
Map.groupBy(generateNumbers(), x => Math.sign(x)),
new Map().set(1, [2,4]).set(-1, [-7])
);
There is also Object.groupBy() which produces an object instead of a Map:
assert.deepEqual(
Object.groupBy([0, -5, 3, -4, 8, 9], x =>
Math.sign(x)),
{'0': [0], '-1': [-5,-4], '1': [3,8,9], __proto__:
null}
);
32.5.1 Choosing between Map.groupBy() and Object.groupBy()
Do you want group keys other than strings and symbols?
Then you need a Map. Objects can only have strings and symbols
as keys.
Do you want to destructure the result of .groupBy() (see example later in
this section)?
Then you need an object.
Otherwise, you are free to choose what you prefer.
32.5.2 Example: handling cases
The Promise combinator Promise.allSettled() returns Arrays such as the
following one:
const settled = [
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'Jhon' },
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: 'Jane' },
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: 'John' },
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'Jaen' },
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'Jnoh' },
];
We can group the Array elements as follows:
const {fulfilled, rejected} =
Object.groupBy(settled, x => x.status); // (A)
// Handle fulfilled results
assert.deepEqual(
fulfilled,
[
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: 'Jane' },
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: 'John' },
]
);
// Handle rejected results
assert.deepEqual(
rejected,
[
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'Jhon' },
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'Jaen' },
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'Jnoh' },
]
);
For this use case, Object.groupBy() works better because we can use
destructuring (line A).
32.6 Example: grouping by property value
In the next example, we’d like to group persons by country:
const persons = [
{ name: 'Louise', country: 'France' },
{ name: 'Felix', country: 'Germany' },
{ name: 'Ava', country: 'USA' },
{ name: 'Léo', country: 'France' },
{ name: 'Oliver', country: 'USA' },
{ name: 'Leni', country: 'Germany' },
];
assert.deepEqual(
Map.groupBy(persons, (person) => person.country),
new Map([
[
'France',
[
{ name: 'Louise', country: 'France' },
{ name: 'Léo', country: 'France' },
]
],
[
'Germany',
[
{ name: 'Felix', country: 'Germany' },
{ name: 'Leni', country: 'Germany' },
]
],
[
'USA',
[
{ name: 'Ava', country: 'USA' },
{ name: 'Oliver', country: 'USA' },
]
],
])
);
For this use case, Map.groupBy() is a better choice because we can use
arbitrary keys in Maps whereas in objects, keys are limited to strings and
symbols.
32.7 Quick reference: synchronous iteration
32.7.1 Iterable data structures
The following built-in data structures are iterable:
Arrays
Strings
Maps
Sets
(Browsers: DOM data structures)
To iterate over the properties of objects, we need helpers such as
Object.keys() and Object.entries(). That is necessary because properties exist
at a different level that is independent of the level of data structures.
32.7.2 Synchronously iterating language constructs
This section lists constructs that use synchronous iteration.
32.7.2.1 Language constructs that iterate
Destructuring via an Array pattern:
const [x,y] = iterable;
Spreading (via ...) into function calls and Array literals:
func(...iterable);
const arr = [...iterable];
The for-of loop:
for (const x of iterable) { /*···*/ }
yield*:
function* generatorFunction() {
yield* iterable;
}
32.7.2.2 Turning iterables into data structures and Promises
Object.fromEntries():
const obj =
Object.fromEntries(iterableOverKeyValuePairs);
Array.from():
const arr = Array.from(iterable);
new Map() and new WeakMap():
const m = new Map(iterableOverKeyValuePairs);
const wm = new
WeakMap(iterableOverKeyValuePairs);
new Set() and new WeakSet():
const s = new Set(iterableOverElements);
const ws = new WeakSet(iterableOverElements);
Promise combinator functions: Promise.all() etc.
const promise1 =
Promise.all(iterableOverPromises);
const promise2 =
Promise.race(iterableOverPromises);
const promise3 =
Promise.any(iterableOverPromises);
const promise4 =
Promise.allSettled(iterableOverPromises);
32.7.2.3 Grouping an iterable into a Map or an object
“Map.groupBy(items, computeGroupKey)”
“Object.groupBy(items, computeGroupKey)”
33 Arrays (Array)
33.1 Cheat sheet: Arrays
33.1.1 Using Arrays
33.1.2 The most commonly used Array methods
33.2 Ways of using Arrays: fixed layout vs. sequence
33.3 Basic Array operations
33.3.1 Creating, reading, writing Arrays
33.3.2 The .length of an Array
33.3.3 Referring to elements via negative indices
33.3.4 Clearing Arrays
33.3.5 Spreading into Array literals
33.3.6 Arrays: listing indices and entries
33.3.7 Checking if a value is an Array: Array.isArray()
33.4 for-of and Arrays
33.4.1 for-of: iterating over elements
33.4.2 for-of: iterating over indices
33.4.3 for-of: iterating over [index, element] pairs
33.5 Array-like objects
33.6 Converting iterables and Array-like values to Arrays
33.6.1 Converting iterables to Arrays via spreading (...)
33.6.2 Converting iterables and Array-like objects to Arrays via
Array.from()
33.7 Creating and filling Arrays with arbitrary lengths
33.7.1 Creating an Array and adding elements later
33.7.2 Creating an Array filled with a primitive value
33.7.3 Creating an Array filled with objects
33.7.4 Creating an Array with a range of integers
33.7.5 Typed Arrays work well if the elements are all integers or
all floats
33.8 Multidimensional Arrays
33.9 Arrays are actually dictionaries (advanced)
33.9.1 Array indices are (slightly special) property keys
33.9.2 Arrays can have holes
33.10 Destructive vs. non-destructive Array operations
33.10.1 How to make destructive Array methods non-
destructive
33.10.2 Non-destructive versions of .reverse(), .sort(), .splice()
[ES2023]
33.11 Adding and removing elements at either end of an Array
33.11.1 Destructively adding and removing elements at either
end of an Array
33.11.2 Non-destructively prepending and appending elements
33.12 Array methods that accept element callbacks
33.13 Transforming with element callbacks: .map(), .filter(),
.flatMap()
33.13.1 .map(): Each output element is derived from its input
element
33.13.2 .filter(): Only keep some of the elements
33.13.3 .flatMap(): Replace each input element with zero or
[ES2019]
more output elements
33.14 .reduce(): computing a summary for an Array
33.14.1 .reduceRight(): the end-to-start version of .reduce()
33.15 .sort(): sorting Arrays
33.15.1 Customizing the sort order
33.15.2 Sorting numbers
33.15.3 A trick for sorting numbers
33.15.4 Sorting human-language strings
33.15.5 Sorting objects
33.16 Arrays can use operations for iterables
33.17 Quick reference: Array
33.17.1 new Array()
33.17.2 Array.*
33.17.3 Array.prototype.*: getting, setting and visiting single
elements
33.17.4 Array.prototype.*: keys and values
33.17.5 Array.prototype.*: destructively adding or removing
elements at either end of an Array
33.17.6 Array.prototype.*: combining, extracting and changing
sequences of elements
33.17.7 Array.prototype.*: searching for elements
33.17.8 Array.prototype.*: filtering and mapping
33.17.9 Array.prototype.*: computing summaries
33.17.10 Array.prototype.*: converting to string
33.17.11 Array.prototype.*: sorting and reversing
33.17.12 Sources of the quick reference
33.1 Cheat sheet: Arrays
JavaScript Arrays are a very flexible data structure and used as lists, stacks,
queues, tuples (e.g. pairs), and more.
Some Array-related operations destructively change Arrays. Others non-
destructively produce new Arrays with the changes applied to a copy of the
original content.
33.1.1 Using Arrays
Creating an Array, reading and writing elements:
// Creating an Array
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c']; // Array literal
assert.deepEqual(
arr,
[ // Array literal
'a',
'b',
'c', // trailing commas are ignored
]
);
// Reading elements
assert.equal(
arr[0], 'a' // negative indices don’t work
);
assert.equal(
arr.at(-1), 'c' // negative indices work
);
// Writing an element
arr[0] = 'x';
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['x', 'b', 'c']
);
The length of an Array:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(
arr.length, 3 // number of elements
);
arr.length = 1; // removing elements
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['a']
);
arr[arr.length] = 'b'; // adding an element
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['a', 'b']
);
Adding elements destructively via .push():
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
arr.push('c'); // adding an element
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['a', 'b', 'c']
);
// Pushing Arrays (used as arguments via spreading
(...)):
arr.push(...['d', 'e']);
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']
);
Adding elements non-destructively via spreading (...):
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
const arr2 = ['c'];
assert.deepEqual(
[...arr1, ...arr2, 'd', 'e'],
['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']
);
Looping over elements:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
for (const value of arr) {
console.log(value);
}
Output:
a
b
c
Looping over index-value pairs:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
for (const [index, value] of arr.entries()) {
console.log(index, value);
}
Output:
0 a
1 b
2 c
33.1.2 The most commonly used Array methods
This section demonstrates a few common Array methods. There is a more
comprehensive quick reference at the end of this chapter.
Destructively adding or removing an Array element at the start or the end:
// Adding and removing at the start
const arr1 = ['■', '●'];
arr1.unshift('▲');
assert.deepEqual(
arr1, ['▲', '■', '●']
);
arr1.shift();
assert.deepEqual(
arr1, ['■', '●']
);
// Adding and removing at the end
const arr2 = ['■', '●'];
arr2.push('▲');
assert.deepEqual(
arr2, ['■', '●', '▲']
);
arr2.pop();
assert.deepEqual(
arr2, ['■', '●']
);
Finding Array elements:
> ['■', '●', '■'].includes('■')
true
> ['■', '●', '■'].indexOf('■')
0
> ['■', '●', '■'].lastIndexOf('■')
2
> ['●', '', '▲'].find(x => x.length > 0)
'●'
> ['●', '', '▲'].findLast(x => x.length > 0)
'▲'
> ['●', '', '▲'].findIndex(x => x.length > 0)
0
> ['●', '', '▲'].findLastIndex(x => x.length > 0)
2
Transforming Arrays (creating new ones without changing the originals):
> ['▲', '●'].map(x => x+x)
['▲▲', '●●']
> ['■', '●', '■'].filter(x => x === '■')
['■', '■']
> ['▲', '●'].flatMap(x => [x,x])
['▲', '▲', '●', '●']
Copying parts of an Array:
> ['■', '●', '▲'].slice(1, 3)
['●', '▲']
> ['■', '●', '▲'].slice() // complete copy
['■', '●', '▲']
Concatenating the strings in an Array:
> ['■','●','▲'].join('-')
'■-●-▲'
> ['■','●','▲'].join('')
'■●▲'
.sort() sorts its receiver and returns it (if we don’t want to change the
receiver, we can use .toSorted()):
// By default, string representations of the Array
elements
// are sorted lexicographically:
const arr = [200, 3, 10];
arr.sort();
assert.deepEqual(
arr, [10, 200, 3]
);
// Sorting can be customized via a callback:
assert.deepEqual(
[200, 3, 10].sort((a, z) => a - z), // sort
numerically
[3, 10, 200]
);
33.2 Ways of using Arrays: fixed layout vs. sequence
There are two ways of using Arrays in JavaScript:
Fixed-layout Arrays: Used this way, Arrays have a fixed number of
indexed elements. Each of those elements can have a different type.
Sequence Arrays: Used this way, Arrays have a variable number of
indexed elements. Each of those elements has the same type.
Normally, an Array is used in either of these ways. But we can also mix the
two approaches.
As an example of the difference between the two ways, consider the Array
returned by Object.entries():
> Object.entries({a:1, b:2, c:3})
[
[ 'a', 1 ],
[ 'b', 2 ],
[ 'c', 3 ],
]
It is a sequence of pairs – fixed-layout Arrays with a length of two.
Note that the difference between fixed layout and sequence may not
Sequence Arrays are very flexible that we can use them as (traditional)
arrays, stacks, and queues. We’ll see how later.
33.3 Basic Array operations
33.3.1 Creating, reading, writing Arrays
The best way to create an Array is via an Array literal:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
The Array literal starts and ends with square brackets []. It creates an Array
with three elements: 'a', 'b', and 'c'.
Trailing commas are allowed and ignored in Array literals:
const arr = [
'a',
'b',
'c',
];
To read an Array element, we put an index in square brackets (indices start
at zero):
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(arr[0], 'a');
To change an Array element, we assign to an Array with an index:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
arr[0] = 'x';
assert.deepEqual(arr, ['x', 'b', 'c']);
The range of Array indices is 32 bits (excluding the maximum length): [0,
32
2 −1)
33.3.2 The .length of an Array
Every Array has a property .length that can be used to both read and
change(!) the number of elements in an Array.
The length of an Array is always the highest index plus one:
> const arr = ['a', 'b'];
> arr.length
2
If we write to the Array at the index of the length, we append an element:
> arr[arr.length] = 'c';
> arr
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
> arr.length
3
Another way of (destructively) appending an element is via the Array
method .push():
> arr.push('d');
> arr
[ 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd' ]
If we set .length, we are pruning the Array by removing elements:
> arr.length = 1;
> arr
[ 'a' ]
Exercise: Removing empty lines via .push()
exercises/arrays/remove_empty_lines_push_test.mjs
33.3.3 Referring to elements via negative indices
Most Array methods support negative indices. If an index is negative, it is
added to the length of an Array to produce a usable index. Therefore, the
following two invocations of .slice() are equivalent: They both copy arr
starting at the last element.
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
> arr.slice(-1)
[ 'c' ]
> arr.slice(arr.length - 1)
[ 'c' ]
33.3.3.1 .at(): reading single elements (supports negative indices) [ES2022]
The Array method .at() returns the element at a given index. It supports
positive and negative indices (-1 refers to the last element, -2 refers to the
second-last element, etc.):
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].at(0)
'a'
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].at(-1)
'c'
In contrast, the bracket operator [] does not support negative indices (and
can’t be changed because that would break existing code). It interprets them
as keys of non-element properties:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
arr[-1] = 'non-element property';
// The Array elements didn’t change:
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(arr), // copy just the Array elements
['a', 'b', 'c']
);
assert.equal(
arr[-1], 'non-element property'
);
33.3.4 Clearing Arrays
To clear (empty) an Array, we can either set its .length to zero:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
arr.length = 0;
assert.deepEqual(arr, []);
or we can assign a new empty Array to the variable storing the Array:
let arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
arr = [];
assert.deepEqual(arr, []);
The latter approach has the advantage of not affecting other locations that
point to the same Array. If, however, we do want to reset a shared Array for
everyone, then we need the former approach.
33.3.5 Spreading into Array literals
Inside an Array literal, a spread element consists of three dots (...) followed
by an expression. It results in the expression being evaluated and then
iterated over. Each iterated value becomes an additional Array element – for
example:
> const iterable = ['b', 'c'];
> ['a', ...iterable, 'd']
[ 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd' ]
That means that we can use spreading to create a copy of an Array and to
convert an iterable to an Array:
const original = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const copy = [...original];
const iterable = original.keys();
assert.deepEqual(
[...iterable], [0, 1, 2]
);
However, for both previous use cases, I find Array.from() more self-
descriptive and prefer it:
const copy2 = Array.from(original);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(original.keys()), [0, 1, 2]
);
Spreading is also convenient for concatenating Arrays (and other iterables)
into Arrays:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
const arr2 = ['c', 'd'];
const concatenated = [...arr1, ...arr2, 'e'];
assert.deepEqual(
concatenated,
['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e']);
Due to spreading using iteration, it only works if the value is iterable:
> [...'abc'] // strings are iterable
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
> [...123]
TypeError: 123 is not iterable
> [...undefined]
TypeError: undefined is not iterable
Spreading and Array.from() produce shallow copies
Copying Arrays via spreading or via Array.from() is shallow: We get
new entries in a new Array, but the values are shared with the original
Array. The consequences of shallow copying are demonstrated in
“Spreading into object literals (...)” (§30.4).
33.3.6 Arrays: listing indices and entries
Method .keys() lists the indices of an Array:
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(arr.keys()), // (A)
[0, 1]);
.keys() returns an iterable. In line A, we convert that iterable to an Array.
Listing Array indices is different from listing properties. The former
produces numbers; the latter produces stringified numbers (in addition to
non-index property keys):
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
arr.prop = true;
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(arr),
['0', '1', 'prop']);
Method .entries() lists the contents of an Array as [index, element] pairs:
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(arr.entries()),
[[0, 'a'], [1, 'b']]);
33.3.7 Checking if a value is an Array: Array.isArray()
Array.isArray() checks if a value is an Array:
> Array.isArray([])
true
We can also use instanceof:
> [] instanceof Array
true
However, instanceof has one downside: It doesn’t work if a value comes from
another realm. Roughly, a realm is an instance of JavaScript’s global scope.
Some realms are isolated from each other (e.g., Web Workers in browsers),
but there are also realms between which we can move data – for example,
same-origin iframes in browsers. x instanceof Array checks the prototype
chain of x and therefore returns false if x is an Array from another realm.
typeof considers Arrays to be objects:
> typeof []
'object'
33.4 for-of and Arrays
We have already encountered the for-of loop earlier in this book. This
section briefly recaps how to use it for Arrays.
33.4.1 for-of: iterating over elements
The following for-of loop iterates over the elements of an Array:
for (const element of ['a', 'b']) {
console.log(element);
}
Output:
a
b
33.4.2 for-of: iterating over indices
This for-of loop iterates over the indices of an Array:
for (const element of ['a', 'b'].keys()) {
console.log(element);
}
Output:
0
1
33.4.3 for-of: iterating over [index, element] pairs
The following for-of loop iterates over [index, element] pairs. Destructuring
(described later), gives us convenient syntax for setting up index and element
in the head of for-of.
for (const [index, element] of ['a', 'b'].entries())
{
console.log(index, element);
}
Output:
0 a
1 b
33.5 Array-like objects
Some operations that work with Arrays require only the bare minimum:
values must only be Array-like. An Array-like value is an object with the
following properties:
.length: holds the length of the Array-like object. If this property is
missing, the value 0 is used.
[0]: holds the element at index 0 (etc.). Note that if we use numbers as
property names, they are always coerced to strings. Therefore, [0]
retrieves the value of the property whose key is '0'.
For example, Array.from() accepts Array-like objects and converts them to
Arrays:
// .length is implicitly 0 in this case
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from({}),
[]
);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from({length: 2, 0: 'a', 1: 'b'}),
[ 'a', 'b' ]
);
The TypeScript interface for Array-like objects is:
interface ArrayLike<T> {
length: number;
[n: number]: T;
}
Array-like objects are relatively rare in modern JavaScript
Array-like objects used to be more common before ES6; now we don’t
see them very often.
33.6 Converting iterables and Array-like values to Arrays
There are two common ways of converting iterables and Array-like values
to Arrays:
Spreading into Arrays
Array.from()
I prefer the latter – I find it more self-explanatory.
33.6.1 Converting iterables to Arrays via spreading (...)
Inside an Array literal, spreading via ... converts any iterable object into a
series of Array elements. For example:
// Get an Array-like collection from a web browser’s
DOM
const domCollection =
document.querySelectorAll('a');
// Alas, the collection is missing many Array
methods
assert.equal('slice' in domCollection, false);
// Solution: convert it to an Array
const arr = [...domCollection];
assert.deepEqual(
arr.map(x => x.href),
['https://2ality.com',
'https://exploringjs.com']);
The conversion works because the DOM collection is iterable.
33.6.2 Converting iterables and Array-like objects to Arrays via
Array.from()
Array.from() can be used in two modes.
33.6.2.1 Mode 1 of Array.from(): converting
The first mode has the following type signature:
.from<T>(iterable: Iterable<T> | ArrayLike<T>):
Array<T>
Interface Iterable is shown in the chapter on synchronous iteration. Interface
ArrayLike appeared earlier in this chapter.
With a single parameter, Array.from() converts anything iterable or Array-like
to an Array:
> Array.from(new Set(['a', 'b'])) // iterable
[ 'a', 'b' ]
> Array.from({length: 2, 0:'a', 1:'b'}) // Array-
like
[ 'a', 'b' ]
33.6.2.2 Mode 2 of Array.from(): converting and mapping
The second mode of Array.from() involves two parameters:
.from<T, U>(
iterable: Iterable<T> | ArrayLike<T>,
mapFunc: (v: T, i: number) => U,
thisArg?: any)
: Array<U>
In this mode, Array.from() does several things:
It iterates over iterable.
It calls mapFunc with each iterated value. The optional parameter thisArg
specifies a this for mapFunc.
It applies mapFunc to each iterated value.
It collects the results in a new Array and returns it.
In other words: we are going from an iterable with elements of type T to an
Array with elements of type U.
This is an example:
> Array.from(new Set(['a', 'b']), x => x + x)
[ 'aa', 'bb' ]
33.7 Creating and filling Arrays with arbitrary lengths
The best way of creating an Array is via an Array literal. However, we can’t
always use one: The Array may be too large, we may not know its length
during development, or we may want to keep its length flexible. Then I
recommend the following techniques for creating, and possibly filling,
Arrays.
33.7.1 Creating an Array and adding elements later
The most common technique for creating an Array and adding elements
later, is to start with an empty Array and push values into it:
const arr = [];
for (let i=0; i<3; i++) {
arr.push('*'.repeat(i));
}
assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['', '*', '**']
);
33.7.2 Creating an Array filled with a primitive value
The following code creates an Array that is filled with a primitive value:
> new Array(3).fill(0)
[ 0, 0, 0 ]
.fill() replaces each Array element or hole with a given value. We use it to
fill an Array that has 3 holes:
> new Array(3)
[ , , ,]
Note that the result has three holes (empty slots) – the last comma in an
Array literal is always ignored.
33.7.3 Creating an Array filled with objects
If we use .fill() with an object, then each Array element will refer to this
same single object:
const arr = new Array(3).fill({});
arr[0].prop = true;
assert.deepEqual(
arr, [
{prop: true},
{prop: true},
{prop: true},
]);
How can we fix this? We can use Array.from():
> Array.from(new Array(3), () => ({}))
[{}, {}, {}]
Calling Array.from() with two arguments:
extracts the elements of the first argument (which must be iterable or
Array-like),
maps them via the callback in the second argument and
returns the result in an Array.
In contrast to .fill(), which reuses the same object multiple times, the
previous code creates a new object for each element.
Could we have used .map() in this case? Unfortunately not because .map()
ignores but preserves holes (whereas Array.from() treats them as undefined
elements):
> new Array(3).map(() => ({}))
[ , , ,]
For large sizes, the temporary Array in the first argument can consume quite
a bit of memory. The following approach doesn’t have this downside but is
less self-descriptive:
> Array.from({length: 3}, () => ({}))
[{}, {}, {}]
Instead of a temporary Array, we are using a temporary Array-like object.
33.7.4 Creating an Array with a range of integers
To create an Array with a range of integers, we use Array.from() similarly to
how we did in the previous subsection:
function createRange(start, end) {
return Array.from({length: end-start}, (_, i) =>
i+start);
}
assert.deepEqual(
createRange(2, 5),
[2, 3, 4]);
Here is an alternative, slightly hacky technique for creating integer ranges
that start at zero:
/** Returns an iterable */
function createRange(end) {
return new Array(end).keys();
}
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(createRange(4)),
[0, 1, 2, 3]);
This works because .keys() treats holes like undefined elements and lists their
indices.
33.7.5 Typed Arrays work well if the elements are all integers or all
floats
When dealing with Arrays of integers or floats, we should consider Typed
Arrays, which were created for this purpose.
33.8 Multidimensional Arrays
JavaScript does not have real multidimensional Arrays; we need to resort to
Arrays whose elements are Arrays:
function initMultiArray(...dimensions) {
function initMultiArrayRec(dimIndex) {
if (dimIndex >= dimensions.length) {
return 0;
} else {
const dim = dimensions[dimIndex];
const arr = [];
for (let i=0; i<dim; i++) {
arr.push(initMultiArrayRec(dimIndex+1));
}
return arr;
}
}
return initMultiArrayRec(0);
}
const arr = initMultiArray(4, 3, 2);
arr[3][2][1] = 'X'; // last in each dimension
assert.deepEqual(arr, [
[ [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ] ],
[ [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ] ],
[ [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ] ],
[ [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 0 ], [ 0, 'X' ] ],
]);
33.9 Arrays are actually dictionaries (advanced)
In this section, we examine how exactly Arrays store their elements: in
properties. We usually don’t need to know that but it helps with
understanding a few rarer Array phenomena.
33.9.1 Array indices are (slightly special) property keys
You’d think that Array elements are special because we are accessing them
via numbers. But the square brackets operator [] for doing so is the same
operator that is used for accessing properties. It coerces any non-symbol
value to a string. Therefore, Array elements are (almost) normal properties
(line A) and it doesn’t matter if we use numbers or strings as indices (lines
B and C):
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
arr.prop = 123;
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(arr),
['0', '1', 'prop']); // (A)
assert.equal(arr[0], 'a'); // (B)
assert.equal(arr['0'], 'a'); // (C)
To make matters even more confusing:
This is only how the language specification defines things (the theory
of JavaScript, if you will).
Most JavaScript engines optimize under the hood and do use actual
integers to access Array elements (the practice of JavaScript, if you
will).
Property keys (strings!) that are used for Array elements are called indices.
A string str is an index if converting it to a 32-bit unsigned integer and back
results in the original value. Written as a formula:
ToString(ToUint32(str)) === str
33.9.1.1 Listing indices
When listing property keys, indices are treated specially – they always come
first and are sorted like numbers ('2' comes before '10'):
const arr = [];
arr.prop = true;
arr[1] = 'b';
arr[0] = 'a';
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(arr),
['0', '1', 'prop']);
Note that .length, .entries() and .keys() treat Array indices as numbers and
ignore non-index properties:
assert.equal(arr.length, 2);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(arr.keys()), [0, 1]);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(arr.entries()), [[0, 'a'], [1, 'b']]);
We used Array.from() to convert the iterables returned by .keys() and
.entries() to Arrays.
33.9.2 Arrays can have holes
We distinguish two kinds of Arrays in JavaScript:
An Array arr is dense if all indices i, with 0 ≤ i < arr.length, exist. That
is, the indices form a contiguous range.
An Array is sparse if the range of indices has holes in it. That is, some
indices are missing.
Arrays can be sparse in JavaScript because Arrays are actually dictionaries
from indices to values.
Recommendation: avoid holes
So far, we have only seen dense Arrays and it’s indeed recommended
to avoid holes: They make our code more complicated and are not
handled consistently by Array methods. Additionally, JavaScript
engines optimize dense Arrays, making them faster.
33.9.2.1 Creating holes
We can create holes by skipping indices when assigning elements:
const arr = [];
arr[0] = 'a';
arr[2] = 'c';
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(arr), ['0', '2']); //
(A)
assert.equal(0 in arr, true); // element
assert.equal(1 in arr, false); // hole
In line A, we are using Object.keys() because arr.keys() treats holes as if they
were undefined elements and does not reveal them.
Another way of creating holes is to skip elements in Array literals:
const arr = ['a', , 'c'];
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(arr), ['0', '2']);
We can also delete Array elements:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(arr), ['0', '1', '2']);
delete arr[1];
assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(arr), ['0', '2']);
33.9.2.2 How do Array operations treat holes?
Alas, there are many different ways in which Array operations treat holes.
Some Array operations remove holes:
> ['a',,'b'].filter(x => true)
[ 'a', 'b' ]
Some Array operations ignore holes:
> ['a', ,'a'].every(x => x === 'a')
true
Some Array operations ignore but preserve holes:
> ['a',,'b'].map(x => 'c')
[ 'c', , 'c' ]
Some Array operations treat holes as undefined elements:
> Array.from(['a',,'b'], x => x)
[ 'a', undefined, 'b' ]
> Array.from(['a',,'b'].entries())
[[0, 'a'], [1, undefined], [2, 'b']]
Object.keys() works differently than .keys() (strings vs. numbers, holes don’t
have keys):
> Array.from(['a',,'b'].keys())
[ 0, 1, 2 ]
> Object.keys(['a',,'b'])
[ '0', '2' ]
There is no rule to remember here. If it ever matters how an Array operation
treats holes, the best approach is to do a quick test in a console.
33.10 Destructive vs. non-destructive Array operations
Some Array operations are destructive: They change the Array they operate
on – e.g., setting an element:
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
> arr[1] = 'x';
> arr // the original was modified
[ 'a', 'x', 'c' ]
Other Array operations are non-destructive: They produce new Arrays that
contain the desired changes and don’t touch the originals – e.g., method
.with() is the non-destructive version of setting elements:
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
> arr.with(1, 'x') // produces copy with changes
[ 'a', 'x', 'c' ]
> arr // the original is unchanged
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
33.10.1 How to make destructive Array methods non-destructive
These are three common destructive Array methods:
.reverse()
.sort()
.splice()
We’ll get to .sort() and .splice() later in this chapter. .reverse() rearranges
an Array so that the order of its elements is reversed: The element that was
previously last now comes first; the second-last element comes second; etc.:
const original = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const reversed = original.reverse();
assert.deepEqual(reversed, ['c', 'b', 'a']);
assert.ok(reversed === original); // .reverse()
returned `this`
assert.deepEqual(original, ['c', 'b', 'a']);
To prevent a destructive method from changing an Array, we can make a
copy before using it – e.g.:
const reversed1 = original.slice().reverse();
const reversed2 = [...original].reverse();
const reversed3 = Array.from(original).reverse();
Another option is to use the non-destructive version of a destructive
method. That’s what we’ll explore next.
[ES2023]
33.10.2 Non-destructive versions of .reverse(), .sort(), .splice()
These are the non-destructive versions of the destructive Array methods
.reverse(), .sort() and .splice():
.toReversed(): Array
.toSorted(compareFn): Array
.toSpliced(start, deleteCount, ...items): Array
We have used .reverse() in the previous subsection. Its non-destructive
version is used like this:
const original = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const reversed = original.toReversed();
assert.deepEqual(reversed, ['c', 'b', 'a']);
// The original is unchanged
assert.deepEqual(original, ['a', 'b', 'c']);
33.11 Adding and removing elements at either end of an
Array
33.11.1 Destructively adding and removing elements at either end of
an Array
JavaScript’s Array is quite flexible and more like a combination of array,
stack, and queue. Let’s explore ways of destructively adding and removing
Array elements.
.push() adds elements at the end of an Array:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
arr1.push('x', 'y'); // append single elements
assert.deepEqual(arr1, ['a', 'b', 'x', 'y']);
const arr2 = ['a', 'b'];
arr2.push(...['x', 'y']); // (A) append Array
assert.deepEqual(arr2, ['a', 'b', 'x', 'y']);
Spread arguments (...) are a feature of function calls. In line A, we used it
to push an Array.
.pop() is the inverse of .push() and removes elements at the end of an Array:
const arr2 = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(arr2.pop(), 'c');
assert.deepEqual(arr2, ['a', 'b']);
.unshift() adds element at the beginning of an Array:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
arr1.unshift('x', 'y'); // prepend single elements
assert.deepEqual(arr1, ['x', 'y', 'a', 'b']);
const arr2 = ['a', 'b'];
arr2.unshift(...['x', 'y']); // prepend Array
assert.deepEqual(arr2, ['x', 'y', 'a', 'b']);
.shift() is the inverse of .unshift() and removes elements at the beginning of
an Array:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(arr1.shift(), 'a');
assert.deepEqual(arr1, ['b', 'c']);
Tip: remembering the functionality of push, pop, shift and unshift
My recommendation is to focus on remembering the following two
methods:
.push() is the most frequently used of the four methods. One
common use case is to assemble an output Array: We first push
the element at index 0; then the element at index 1; etc.
.shift() can be used to consume the elements of an Array: The
first time we shift, we get the element at index 0; then the element
at index 1; etc.
The remaining two methods, pop and unshift, are inverses of these two
methods.
Exercise: Implementing a queue via an Array
exercises/arrays/queue_via_array_test.mjs
33.11.2 Non-destructively prepending and appending elements
Spread elements (...) are a feature of Array literals. In this section, we’ll
use it to non-destructively prepend and append elements to Arrays.
Non-destructive prepending:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
['x', 'y', ...arr1], // prepend single elements
['x', 'y', 'a', 'b']);
assert.deepEqual(arr1, ['a', 'b']); // unchanged!
const arr2 = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
[...['x', 'y'], ...arr2], // prepend Array
['x', 'y', 'a', 'b']);
assert.deepEqual(arr2, ['a', 'b']); // unchanged!
Non-destructive appending:
const arr1 = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
[...arr1, 'x', 'y'], // append single elements
['a', 'b', 'x', 'y']);
assert.deepEqual(arr1, ['a', 'b']); // unchanged!
const arr2 = ['a', 'b'];
assert.deepEqual(
[...arr2, ...['x', 'y']], // append Array
['a', 'b', 'x', 'y']);
assert.deepEqual(arr2, ['a', 'b']); // unchanged!
33.12 Array methods that accept element callbacks
The following Array methods accept callbacks to which they feed Array
elements:
Finding:
.find
.findLast
.findIndex
.findLastIndex
Transforming:
.map
.flatMap
.filter
Computing summaries of Arrays:
.every
.some
.reduce
.reduceRight
Looping over Arrays:
.forEach
Element callbacks have type signatures that look as follows:
callback: (value: T, index: number, array: Array<T>)
=> boolean
That is, the callback gets three parameters (it is free to ignore any of them):
value is the most important one. This parameter holds the Array
element that is currently being processed.
index can additionally tell the callback what the index of the element is.
array points to the current Array (the receiver of the method call).
Some algorithms need to refer to the whole Array – e.g., to search
elsewhere additional data. This parameter lets us write reusable
callbacks for such algorithms.
What the callback is expected to return depends on the method it is passed
to. Possibilities include:
.map() fills its result with the values returned by its callback:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].map(x => x + x)
[ 'aa', 'bb', 'cc' ]
.find() returns the first Array element for which its callback returns
true:
> ['a', 'bb', 'ccc'].find(str => str.length >= 2)
'bb'
33.13 Transforming with element callbacks: .map(),
.filter(), .flatMap()
In this section, we explore methods that accept element callbacks which tell
them how to transform an input Array into an output Array.
33.13.1 .map(): Each output element is derived from its input element
Each element of the output Array is the result of applying the callback to the
corresponding input element:
> [1, 2, 3].map(x => x * 3)
[ 3, 6, 9 ]
> ['how', 'are', 'you'].map(str =>
str.toUpperCase())
[ 'HOW', 'ARE', 'YOU' ]
> [true, true, true].map((_x, index) => index)
[ 0, 1, 2 ]
.map() can be implemented as follows:
function map(arr, mapFunc) {
const result = [];
for (const [i, x] of arr.entries()) {
result.push(mapFunc(x, i, arr));
}
return result;
}
Exercise: Numbering lines via .map()
exercises/arrays/number_lines_test.mjs
33.13.2 .filter(): Only keep some of the elements
The Array method .filter() returns an Array collecting all elements for
which the callback returns a truthy value.
For example:
> [-1, 2, 5, -7, 6].filter(x => x >= 0)
[ 2, 5, 6 ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'].filter((_x,i) => (i%2)===0)
[ 'a', 'c' ]
.filter() can be implemented as follows:
function filter(arr, filterFunc) {
const result = [];
for (const [i, x] of arr.entries()) {
if (filterFunc(x, i, arr)) {
result.push(x);
}
}
return result;
}
Exercise: Removing empty lines via .filter()
exercises/arrays/remove_empty_lines_filter_test.mjs
33.13.3 .flatMap(): Replace each input element with zero or more
[ES2019]
output elements
The type signature of Array<T>.prototype.flatMap() is:
.flatMap<U>(
callback: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => U|Array<U>,
thisValue?: any
): Array<U>
Both .map() and .flatMap() take a function callback as a parameter that
controls how an input Array is translated to an output Array:
With .map(), each input Array element is translated to exactly one
output element. That is, callback returns a single value.
With .flatMap(), each input Array element is translated to zero or more
output elements. That is, callback returns an Array of values (it can also
return non-Array values, but that is rare).
This is .flatMap() in action:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].flatMap(x => [x,x])
[ 'a', 'a', 'b', 'b', 'c', 'c' ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].flatMap(x => [x])
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].flatMap(x => [])
[]
We’ll consider use cases next, before exploring how this method could be
implemented.
33.13.3.1 Use case: filtering and mapping at the same time
The result of the Array method .map() always has the same length as the
Array it is invoked on. That is, its callback can’t skip Array elements it isn’t
interested in. The ability of .flatMap() to do so is useful in the next example.
We will use the following function processArray() to create an Array that
we’ll then filter and map via .flatMap():
function processArray(arr, callback) {
return arr.map(x => {
try {
return { value: callback(x) };
} catch (e) {
return { error: e };
}
});
}
Next, we create an Array results via processArray():
const results = processArray([1, -5, 6],
throwIfNegative);
assert.deepEqual(results, [
{ value: 1 },
{ error: new Error('Illegal value: -5') },
{ value: 6 },
]);
function throwIfNegative(value) {
if (value < 0) {
throw new Error('Illegal value: '+value);
}
return value;
}
We can now use .flatMap() to extract just the values or just the errors from
results:
const values = results.flatMap(
result => result.value ? [result.value] : []);
assert.deepEqual(values, [1, 6]);
const errors = results.flatMap(
result => result.error ? [result.error] : []);
assert.deepEqual(errors, [new Error('Illegal value:
-5')]);
33.13.3.2 Use case: mapping single input values to multiple output values
The Array method .map() maps each input Array element to one output
element. But what if we want to map it to multiple output elements?
That becomes necessary in the following example:
> stringsToCodePoints(['many', 'a', 'moon'])
['m', 'a', 'n', 'y', 'a', 'm', 'o', 'o', 'n']
We want to convert an Array of strings to an Array of Unicode characters
(code points). The following function achieves that via .flatMap():
function stringsToCodePoints(strs) {
return strs.flatMap(str => Array.from(str));
}
33.13.3.3 A simple implementation
We can implement .flatMap() as follows. Note: This implementation is
simpler than the built-in version, which, for example, performs more checks.
function flatMap(arr, mapFunc) {
const result = [];
for (const [index, elem] of arr.entries()) {
const x = mapFunc(elem, index, arr);
// We allow mapFunc() to return non-Arrays
if (Array.isArray(x)) {
result.push(...x);
} else {
result.push(x);
}
}
return result;
}
Exercises: .flatMap()
exercises/arrays/convert_to_numbers_test.mjs
exercises/arrays/replace_objects_test.mjs
33.14 .reduce(): computing a summary for an Array
Method .reduce() is a powerful tool for computing a “summary” of an Array
arr. A summary can be any kind of value:
A number. For example, the sum of all elements of arr.
An Array. For example, a copy of arr, where each element is twice the
original element.
Etc.
reduce is also known as foldl (“fold left”) in functional programming and
popular there. One caveat is that it can make code difficult to understand.
.reduce() has the following type signature (inside an Array<T>):
.reduce<U>(
callback: (accumulator: U, element: T, index:
number, array: Array<T>) => U,
init?: U)
: U
T is the type of the Array elements, U is the type of the summary. The two
may or may not be different. accumulator is just another name for “summary”.
To compute the summary of an Array arr, .reduce() feeds all Array elements
to its callback one at a time:
const accumulator_0 = callback(init, arr[0]);
const accumulator_1 = callback(accumulator_0,
arr[1]);
const accumulator_2 = callback(accumulator_1,
arr[2]);
// Etc.
callback combines the previously computed summary (stored in its
parameter accumulator) with the current Array element and returns the next
accumulator. The result of .reduce() is the final accumulator – the last result of
callback after it has visited all elements.
In other words: callback does most of the work; .reduce() just invokes it in a
useful manner.
We could say that the callback folds Array elements into the accumulator.
That’s why this operation is called “fold” in functional programming.
Example: applying a binary operator to a whole Array
Let’s look at an example of .reduce() in action: function addAll() computes
the sum of all numbers in an Array arr.
function addAll(arr) {
const startSum = 0;
const callback = (sum, element) => sum + element;
return arr.reduce(callback, startSum);
}
assert.equal(addAll([1, 2, 3]), 6); // (A)
assert.equal(addAll([7, -4, 2]), 5);
In this case, the accumulator holds the sum of all Array elements that
callback has already visited.
How was the result 6 derived from the Array in line A? Via the following
invocations of callback:
callback(0, 1) --> 1
callback(1, 2) --> 3
callback(3, 3) --> 6
Notes:
The first parameters are the current accumulators (starting with
parameter init of .reduce()).
The second parameters are the current Array elements.
The results are the next accumulators.
The last result of callback is also the result of .reduce().
Alternatively, we could have implemented addAll() via a for-of loop:
function addAll(arr) {
let sum = 0;
for (const element of arr) {
sum = sum + element;
}
return sum;
}
It’s hard to say which of the two implementations is “better”: the one based
on .reduce() is a little more concise, while the one based on for-of may be a
little easier to understand – especially if someone is not familiar with
functional programming.
Example: finding indices via .reduce()
The following function is an implementation of the Array method .indexOf().
It returns the first index at which the given searchValue appears inside the
Array arr:
const NOT_FOUND = -1;
function indexOf(arr, searchValue) {
return arr.reduce(
(result, elem, index) => {
if (result !== NOT_FOUND) {
// We have already found something: don’t
change anything
return result;
} else if (elem === searchValue) {
return index;
} else {
return NOT_FOUND;
}
},
NOT_FOUND);
}
assert.equal(indexOf(['a', 'b', 'c'], 'b'), 1);
assert.equal(indexOf(['a', 'b', 'c'], 'x'), -1);
One limitation of .reduce() is that we can’t finish early. In a for-of loop, we
can immediately return the result once we have found it.
Example: doubling Array elements
Function double(arr) returns a copy of inArr whose elements are all
multiplied by 2:
function double(inArr) {
return inArr.reduce(
(outArr, element) => {
outArr.push(element * 2);
return outArr;
},
[]);
}
assert.deepEqual(
double([1, 2, 3]),
[2, 4, 6]);
We modify the initial value [] by pushing into it. A non-destructive, more
functional version of double() looks as follows:
function double(inArr) {
return inArr.reduce(
// Don’t change `outArr`, return a fresh Array
(outArr, element) => [...outArr, element * 2],
[]);
}
assert.deepEqual(
double([1, 2, 3]),
[2, 4, 6]);
This version is more elegant but also slower and uses more memory.
Exercises: .reduce()
map() via .reduce(): exercises/arrays/map_via_reduce_test.mjs
filter() via .reduce(): exercises/arrays/filter_via_reduce_test.mjs
countMatches() via .reduce():
exercises/arrays/count_matches_via_reduce_test.mjs
33.14.1 .reduceRight(): the end-to-start version of .reduce()
.reduce() visits elements from start to end:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].reduce((acc, x) => acc + x)
'abc'
.reduceRight() has the same functionality but visits elements from end to
start:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].reduceRight((acc, x) => acc + x)
'cba'
33.15 .sort(): sorting Arrays
.sort() has the following type definition:
sort(compareFunc?: (a: T, b: T) => number): this
By default, .sort() sorts string representations of the elements. These
representations are compared via <. This operator compares code unit values
(char codes) lexicographically (the first characters are most significant).
.sort() sorts in place; it changes and returns its receiver:
> const arr = ['a', 'c', 'b'];
> arr.sort() === arr
true
> arr
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
.sort() is stable
Since ECMAScript 2019, sorting is guaranteed to be stable: If
elements are considered equal by sorting, then sorting does not change
the order of those elements (relative to each other).
33.15.1 Customizing the sort order
We can customize the sort order via the parameter compareFunc, which must
return a number that is:
negative if a is less than b
zero if a is equal to b
positive if a is greater than b
We’ll see an example of a compare function in the next subsection.
Tip for remembering these rules
A negative number is less than zero (etc.).
33.15.2 Sorting numbers
Lexicographical sorting doesn’t work well for numbers:
> [200, 3, 10].sort()
[ 10, 200, 3 ]
We can fix this by writing a compare function:
function compareNumbers(a, b) {
if (a < b) {
return -1; // any negative number will do
} else if (a === b) {
return 0;
} else {
return 1; // any positive number will do
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
[200, 3, 10].sort(compareNumbers),
[3, 10, 200]
);
Why doesn’t .sort() automatically pick the right sorting
approach for numbers?
It would have to examine all Array elements and make sure that they
are numbers before switching from lexicographical sorting to numeric
sorting.
33.15.3 A trick for sorting numbers
The following trick uses the fact that (e.g.) the result for “less than” can be
any negative number:
> [200, 3, 10].sort((a, z) => a - z)
[ 3, 10, 200 ]
This time, we call the parameters a and z because that enables a
mnemonic: The callback sorts ascendingly, “from a to z” (a - z).
A downside of this trick is that we might get an arithmetic overflow if a
large positive and a large negative number are compared.
33.15.4 Sorting human-language strings
When sorting human-language strings, we need to be aware that they are
compared according to their code unit values (char codes):
> ['pie', 'cookie', 'éclair', 'Pie', 'Cookie',
'Éclair'].sort()
[ 'Cookie', 'Pie', 'cookie', 'pie', 'Éclair',
'éclair' ]
All unaccented uppercase letters come before all unaccented lowercase
letters, which come before all accented letters. We can use Intl, the
JavaScript internationalization API if we want proper sorting for human
languages:
const arr = ['pie', 'cookie', 'éclair', 'Pie',
'Cookie', 'Éclair'];
assert.deepEqual(
arr.sort(new Intl.Collator('en').compare),
['cookie', 'Cookie', 'éclair', 'Éclair', 'pie',
'Pie']
);
33.15.5 Sorting objects
We also need to use a compare function if we want to sort objects. As an
example, the following code shows how to sort objects by age.
const arr = [ {age: 200}, {age: 3}, {age: 10} ];
assert.deepEqual(
arr.sort((obj1, obj2) => obj1.age - obj2.age),
[{ age: 3 }, { age: 10 }, { age: 200 }]
);
Exercise: Sorting objects by name
exercises/arrays/sort_objects_test.mjs
33.16 Arrays can use operations for iterables
Arrays are iterable and therefore can use operations that accept iterables.
These are described elsewhere:
“Grouping iterables” (§32.5)
33.17 Quick reference: Array
Legend:
R: method does not change the Array (non-destructive).
W: method changes the Array (destructive).
Negative indices: If a method supports negative indices that means that
such indices are added to .length before they are used: -1 becomes
this.length-1, etc. In other words: -1 refers to the last element, -2 to the
second-last element, etc. .at() is one method that supports negative indices:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(
arr.at(-1), 'c'
);
33.17.1 new Array()
[ES1]
new Array(len = 0)
Creates an Array of length len that only contains holes:
// Trailing commas are always ignored.
// Therefore: number of commas = number of holes
assert.deepEqual(new Array(3), [,,,]);
33.17.2 Array.*
[ES6]
Array.from(iterableOrArrayLike, mapFunc?)
Array.from<T>(
iterableOrArrayLike: Iterable<T> | ArrayLike<T>
): Array<T>
Array.from<T, U>(
iterableOrArrayLike: Iterable<T> |
ArrayLike<T>,
mapFunc: (v: T, k: number) => U, thisArg?: any
): Array<U>
Converts an iterable or an Array-like object to an Array.
Optionally, the input values can be translated via mapFunc before
they are added to the output Array.
Examples:
> Array.from(new Set(['a', 'b'])) // iterable
[ 'a', 'b' ]
> Array.from({length: 2, 0:'a', 1:'b'}) // Array-
like object
[ 'a', 'b' ]
[ES6]
Array.of(...items)
Array.of<T>(
...items: Array<T>
): Array<T>
This static method is mainly useful for subclasses of Array, where it
serves as a custom Array literal:
class MyArray extends Array {}
assert.equal(
MyArray.of('a', 'b') instanceof MyArray, true
);
33.17.3 Array.prototype.*: getting, setting and visiting single elements
[R, ES2022]
Array.prototype.at(index)
Returns the Array element at index. If there is no such element, it
returns undefined.
This method is mostly equivalent to getting elements via square
brackets:
arr[index] === arr.at(index)
One reason for using .at() is that it supports negative indices:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].at(0)
'a'
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].at(-1)
'c'
[R, ES2023]
Array.prototype.with(index, value)
Returns the receiver of the method call, with one different
element: At index, there is now value.
This method is the non-destructive version of setting elements via
square brackets. It supports negative indices:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].with(2, 'x')
[ 'a', 'b', 'x' ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].with(-1, 'x')
[ 'a', 'b', 'x' ]
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.forEach(callback)
Array<T>.prototype.forEach(
callback: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => void,
thisArg?: any
): void
Calls callback for each element.
['a', 'b'].forEach((x, i) => console.log(x, i))
Output:
a 0
b 1
A for-of loop is usually a better choice: it’s faster, supports break and
can iterate over arbitrary iterables.
33.17.4 Array.prototype.*: keys and values
[R, ES6]
Array.prototype.keys()
Returns an iterable over the keys of the receiver.
> Array.from(['a', 'b'].keys())
[ 0, 1 ]
[R, ES6]
Array.prototype.values()
Returns an iterable over the values of the receiver.
> Array.from(['a', 'b'].values())
[ 'a', 'b' ]
[R, ES6]
Array.prototype.entries()
Returns an iterable over [index, element] pairs.
> Array.from(['a', 'b'].entries())
[ [ 0, 'a' ], [ 1, 'b' ] ]
33.17.5 Array.prototype.*: destructively adding or removing elements at
either end of an Array
[W, ES3]
Array.prototype.pop()
Removes and returns the last element of the receiver. That is, it treats
the end of the receiver as a stack. The opposite of .push().
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
> arr.pop()
'c'
> arr
[ 'a', 'b' ]
[W, ES3]
Array.prototype.push(...items)
Adds zero or more items to the end of the receiver. That is, it treats the
end of the receiver as a stack. The return value is the length of the
receiver after the change. The opposite of .pop().
> const arr = ['a', 'b'];
> arr.push('c', 'd')
4
> arr
[ 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd' ]
We can push an Array by spreading (...) it into arguments:
> const arr = ['x'];
> arr.push(...['y', 'z'])
3
> arr
[ 'x', 'y', 'z' ]
[W, ES3]
Array.prototype.shift()
Removes and returns the first element of the receiver. The inverse of
.unshift().
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
> arr.shift()
'a'
> arr
[ 'b', 'c' ]
[W, ES3]
Array.prototype.unshift(...items)
Inserts the items at the beginning of the receiver and returns its length
after this modification.
> const arr = ['c', 'd'];
> arr.unshift('e', 'f')
4
> arr
[ 'e', 'f', 'c', 'd' ]
We can push an Array by spreading (...) it into arguments:
> const arr = ['c'];
> arr.unshift(...['a', 'b'])
3
> arr
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
33.17.6 Array.prototype.*: combining, extracting and changing
sequences of elements
Tip: telling .slice() and .splice() apart
.slice() is much more commonly used. The verb “slice” is also
much more common than the verb “splice”.
Using .splice() is rare: Elements are more commonly (non-
destructively) removed via .filter(). “Splice” has one letter more
than “slice” and the method also does more.
[R, ES3]
Array.prototype.concat(...items)
Returns a new Array that is the concatenation of the receiver and all
items. Non-Array parameters (such as 'b' in the following example) are
treated as if they were Arrays with single elements.
> ['a'].concat('b', ['c', 'd'])
[ 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd' ]
[R, ES3]
Array.prototype.slice(start?, end?)
Returns a new Array containing the elements of the receiver whose
indices are between (including) start and (excluding) end.
> ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'].slice(1, 3)
[ 'b', 'c' ]
> ['a', 'b'].slice() // shallow copy
[ 'a', 'b' ]
.slice() supports negative indices:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].slice(-2)
[ 'b', 'c' ]
It can be used to (shallowly) copy Arrays:
const copy = original.slice();
[W, ES3]
Array.prototype.splice(start?, deleteCount?, ...items)
At index start,
removes deleteCount elements (default: all remaining elements) and
replaces them with items.
It returns the deleted elements.
The non-destructive version of this method is .toSpliced().
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
> arr.splice(1, 2, 'x', 'y')
[ 'b', 'c' ]
> arr
[ 'a', 'x', 'y', 'd' ]
If deleteCount is missing, .splice() deletes until the end of the Array:
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
> arr.splice(2)
[ 'c', 'd' ]
> arr
[ 'a', 'b' ]
start can be negative:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].splice(-2)
[ 'b', 'c' ]
[R, ES2023]
Array.prototype.toSpliced(start?, deleteCount?, ...items)
Creates a new Array where, starting at index start, deleteCount
elements are replaced with items.
If deleteCount is missing, all elements from start until the end are
deleted.
The destructive version of this method is .splice().
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
> arr.toSpliced(1, 2, 'x', 'y')
[ 'a', 'x', 'y', 'd' ]
start can be negative:
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].toSpliced(-2)
[ 'a' ]
[W, ES6]
Array.prototype.fill(start=0, end=this.length)
Returns this.
Assigns value to every index between (including) start and
(excluding) end.
> [0, 1, 2].fill('a')
[ 'a', 'a', 'a' ]
Caveat: Don’t use this method to fill an Array with an object obj; then
each element will refer to the same value (sharing it). In this case, it’s
better to use Array.from().
[W, ES6]
Array.prototype.copyWithin(target, start, end=this.length)
Returns this.
Copies the elements whose indices range from (including) start to
(excluding) end to indices starting with target. Overlapping is handled
correctly.
> ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'].copyWithin(0, 2, 4)
[ 'c', 'd', 'c', 'd' ]
start or end can be negative.
33.17.7 Array.prototype.*: searching for elements
[R, ES2016]
Array.prototype.includes(searchElement, fromIndex)
Returns true if the receiver has an element whose value is searchElement
and false, otherwise. Searching starts at index fromIndex.
> [0, 1, 2].includes(1)
true
> [0, 1, 2].includes(5)
false
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.indexOf(searchElement, fromIndex)
Returns the index of the first element that is strictly equal to
searchElement. Returns -1 if there is no such element. Starts searching at
index fromIndex, visiting higher indices next.
> ['a', 'b', 'a'].indexOf('a')
0
> ['a', 'b', 'a'].indexOf('a', 1)
2
> ['a', 'b', 'a'].indexOf('c')
-1
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.lastIndexOf(searchElement, fromIndex)
Returns the index of the last element that is strictly equal to
searchElement. Returns -1 if there is no such element. Starts searching at
index fromIndex, visiting lower indices next.
> ['a', 'b', 'a'].lastIndexOf('a')
2
> ['a', 'b', 'a'].lastIndexOf('a', 1)
0
> ['a', 'b', 'a'].lastIndexOf('c')
-1
[R, ES6]
Array.prototype.find(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.find(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, obj:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): T | undefined
Traverses an Array from start to end.
Returns the value of the first element for which predicate returns a
truthy value.
If there is no such element, it returns undefined.
> [-1, 2, -3].find(x => x < 0)
-1
> [1, 2, 3].find(x => x < 0)
undefined
[R, ES2023]
Array.prototype.findLast(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.findLast(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, obj:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): T | undefined
Traverses an Array from end to start.
Returns the value of the first element for which predicate returns a
truthy value.
If there is no such element, it returns undefined.
> [-1, 2, -3].findLast(x => x < 0)
-3
> [1, 2, 3].findLast(x => x < 0)
undefined
[R, ES6]
Array.prototype.findIndex(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.findIndex(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, obj:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): number
Traverses an Array from start to end.
Returns the index of the first element for which predicate returns a
truthy value.
If there is no such element, it returns -1.
> [-1, 2, -3].findIndex(x => x < 0)
0
> [1, 2, 3].findIndex(x => x < 0)
-1
[R, ES2023]
Array.prototype.findLastIndex(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.findLastIndex(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, obj:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): number
Traverses an Array from end to start.
Returns the index of the first element for which predicate returns a
truthy value.
If there is no such element, it returns -1.
> [-1, 2, -3].findLastIndex(x => x < 0)
2
> [1, 2, 3].findLastIndex(x => x < 0)
-1
33.17.8 Array.prototype.*: filtering and mapping
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.filter(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.filter(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): Array<T>
Returns an Array with only those elements for which predicate returns a
truthy value.
> [1, -2, 3].filter(x => x > 0)
[ 1, 3 ]
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.map(callback, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.map<U>(
mapFunc: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => U,
thisArg?: any
): Array<U>
Returns a new Array, in which every element is the result of mapFunc
being applied to the corresponding element of the receiver.
> [1, 2, 3].map(x => x * 2)
[ 2, 4, 6 ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].map((x, i) => i)
[ 0, 1, 2 ]
[R, ES2019]
Array.prototype.flatMap(callback, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.flatMap<U>(
callback: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => U|Array<U>,
thisValue?: any
): Array<U>
The result is produced by invoking callback() for each element of the
original Array and concatenating the Arrays it returns.
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].flatMap(x => [x,x])
[ 'a', 'a', 'b', 'b', 'c', 'c' ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].flatMap(x => [x])
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].flatMap(x => [])
[]
[R, ES2019]
Array.prototype.flat(depth = 1)
“Flattens” an Array: It descends into the Arrays that are nested inside
the input Array and creates a copy where all values it finds at level
depth or lower are moved to the top level.
> [ 1,2, [3,4], [[5,6]] ].flat(0) // no change
[ 1, 2, [3,4], [[5,6]] ]
> [ 1,2, [3,4], [[5,6]] ].flat(1)
[1, 2, 3, 4, [5,6]]
> [ 1,2, [3,4], [[5,6]] ].flat(2)
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
33.17.9 Array.prototype.*: computing summaries
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.every(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.every(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): boolean
Returns true if predicate returns a truthy value for every element.
Otherwise, it returns false:
> [1, 2, 3].every(x => x > 0)
true
> [1, -2, 3].every(x => x > 0)
false
Stops traversing an Array if the predicate returns a falsy value
(because then the result is guaranteed to be false).
Corresponds to universal quantification (“for all”, ∀) in
mathematics.
Related method: .some() (“exists”).
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.some(predicate, thisArg?)
Array<T>.prototype.some(
predicate: (value: T, index: number, array:
Array<T>) => boolean,
thisArg?: any
): boolean
Returns true if predicate returns a truthy value for at least one element.
Otherwise, it returns false.
> [1, 2, 3].some(x => x < 0)
false
> [1, -2, 3].some(x => x < 0)
true
Stops traversing an Array if the predicate returns a truthy value
(because then the result is guaranteed to be true).
Corresponds to existential quantification (“exists”, ∃) in
mathematics.
Related method: .every() (“for all”).
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.reduce(callback, initialValue?)
Array<T>.prototype.reduce<U>(
callback: (accumulator: U, element: T, index:
number, array: Array<T>) => U,
initialValue?: U
): U
This method produces a summary of the receiver: it feeds all Array
elements to callback, which combines a current summary (in parameter
accumulator) with the current Array element and returns the next
accumulator:
const accumulator_0 = callback(initialValue,
arr[0]);
const accumulator_1 = callback(accumulator_0,
arr[1]);
const accumulator_2 = callback(accumulator_1,
arr[2]);
// Etc.
The result of .reduce() is the last result of callback after it has visited all
Array elements.
> [1, 2, 3].reduce((accu, x) => accu + x, 0)
6
> [1, 2, 3].reduce((accu, x) => accu + String(x),
'')
'123'
If no initialValue is provided, the Array element at index 0 is used and
the element at index 1 is visited first. Therefore, the Array must have at
least length 1.
[R, ES5]
Array.prototype.reduceRight(callback, initialValue?)
Array<T>.prototype.reduceRight<U>(
callback: (accumulator: U, element: T, index:
number, array: Array<T>) => U,
initialValue?: U
): U
Works like .reduce(), but visits the Array elements backward, starting
with the last element.
> [1, 2, 3].reduceRight((accu, x) => accu +
String(x), '')
'321'
33.17.10 Array.prototype.*: converting to string
[R, ES1]
Array.prototype.join(separator = ',')
Creates a string by concatenating string representations of all elements,
separating them with separator.
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].join('##')
'a##b##c'
> ['a', 'b', 'c'].join()
'a,b,c'
[R, ES1]
Array.prototype.toString()
Converts all elements to strings via String(), concatenates them while
separating them with commas, and returns the result.
> [1, 2, 3].toString()
'1,2,3'
> ['1', '2', '3'].toString()
'1,2,3'
> [].toString()
''
[R, ES3]
Array.prototype.toLocaleString()
Works like .toString() but converts its elements to strings via
.toLocaleString() (not via .toString()) before separating them via
commas and concatenating them to a single string – that it returns.
33.17.11 Array.prototype.*: sorting and reversing
[W, ES1]
Array.prototype.sort(compareFunc?)
Array<T>.prototype.sort(
compareFunc?: (a: T, b: T) => number
): this
Sorts the receiver and returns it.
The non-destructive version of this method is .toSorted().
Sorts string representations of the elements lexicographically.
Sorting numbers:
// Default: lexicographical sorting
assert.deepEqual(
[200, 3, 10].sort(),
[10, 200, 3]
);
// Ascending numerical sorting (“from a to z”)
assert.deepEqual(
[200, 3, 10].sort((a, z) => a - z),
[3, 10, 200]
);
Sorting strings: By default, strings are sorted by code unit values (char
codes), where, e.g., all unaccented uppercase letters come before all
unaccented lowercase letters:
> ['pie', 'cookie', 'éclair', 'Pie', 'Cookie',
'Éclair'].sort()
[ 'Cookie', 'Pie', 'cookie', 'pie', 'Éclair',
'éclair' ]
For human languages, we can use Intl.Collator:
const arr = ['pie', 'cookie', 'éclair', 'Pie',
'Cookie', 'Éclair'];
assert.deepEqual(
arr.sort(new Intl.Collator('en').compare),
['cookie', 'Cookie', 'éclair', 'Éclair', 'pie',
'Pie']
);
[R, ES2023]
Array.prototype.toSorted(compareFunc?)
Array<T>.prototype.toSorted.toSorted(
compareFunc?: (a: T, b: T) => number
): Array<T>
Returns a sorted copy of the current Array.
The destructive version of this method is .sort().
const original = ['y', 'z', 'x'];
const sorted = original.toSorted();
assert.deepEqual(
// The original is unchanged
original, ['y', 'z', 'x']
);
assert.deepEqual(
// The copy is sorted
sorted, ['x', 'y', 'z']
);
See the description of .sort() for more information on how to use this
method.
[W, ES1]
Array.prototype.reverse()
Rearranges the elements of the receiver so that they are in reverse order
and then returns the receiver.
> const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
> arr.reverse()
[ 'c', 'b', 'a' ]
> arr
[ 'c', 'b', 'a' ]
The non-destructive version of this method is .toReversed().
[R, ES2023]
Array.prototype.toReversed()
Returns a reversed copy of the current Array.
The destructive version of this method is .reverse().
const original = ['x', 'y', 'z'];
const reversed = original.toReversed();
assert.deepEqual(
// The original is unchanged
original, ['x', 'y', 'z']
);
assert.deepEqual(
// The copy is reversed
reversed, ['z', 'y', 'x']
);
33.17.12 Sources of the quick reference
ECMAScript language specification
TypeScript’s built-in typings
MDN web docs for JavaScript
34 Typed Arrays: handling binary data
[ES6]
(advanced)
34.1 An overview of the API
34.1.1 Use cases for Typed Arrays
34.1.2 The core classes: ArrayBuffer, Typed Arrays, DataView
[ES2017]
34.1.3 SharedArrayBuffer
34.2 Using Typed Arrays
34.2.1 Creating Typed Arrays
34.2.2 The wrapped ArrayBuffer
34.2.3 Getting and setting elements
34.2.4 Concatenating Typed Arrays
34.2.5 Typed Arrays vs. normal Arrays
34.3 Using DataViews
34.4 Element types
34.4.1 Handling overflow and underflow
34.4.2 Endianness
34.5 Converting to and from Typed Arrays
34.5.1 The static method «ElementType»Array.from()
34.5.2 Typed Arrays are iterable
34.5.3 Converting Typed Arrays to and from normal Arrays
[ES2024]
34.6 Resizing ArrayBuffers
34.6.1 New features for ArrayBuffers
34.6.2 How Typed Arrays react to changing ArrayBuffer sizes
34.6.3 Guidelines given by the ECMAScript specification
[ES2024]
34.7 Transferring and detaching ArrayBuffers
34.7.1 Preparation: transferring data and detaching
34.7.2 Methods related to transferring and detaching
34.7.3 Transferring ArrayBuffers via structuredClone()
34.7.4 Transferring an ArrayBuffer within the same agent
34.7.5 How does detaching an ArrayBuffer affect its wrappers?
34.7.6 ArrayBuffer.prototype.transferToFixedLength()
34.8 Quick references: indices vs. offsets
34.9 Quick reference: ArrayBuffers
34.9.1 new ArrayBuffer()
34.9.2 ArrayBuffer.*
34.9.3 ArrayBuffer.prototype.*: getting and slicing
34.9.4 ArrayBuffer.prototype.*: resizing
34.10 Quick reference: Typed Arrays
34.10.1 TypedArray.*
34.10.2 TypedArray.prototype.*
34.10.3 new «ElementType»Array()
34.10.4 «ElementType»Array.*
34.10.5 «ElementType»Array.prototype.*
34.11 Quick reference: DataViews
34.11.1 new DataView()
34.11.2 DataView.prototype.*
34.1 An overview of the API
Much data on the web is text: JSON files, HTML files, CSS files, JavaScript
code, etc. JavaScript handles such data well via its built-in strings.
However, before 2011, it did not handle binary data well. The Typed Array
Specification 1.0 was introduced on February 8, 2011 and provides tools for
working with binary data. With ECMAScript 6, Typed Arrays were added to
the core language and gained methods that were previously only available for
normal Arrays (.map(), .filter(), etc.).
34.1.1 Use cases for Typed Arrays
The main uses cases for Typed Arrays, are:
Processing binary data: managing image data, manipulating binary files,
handling binary network protocols, etc.
Interacting with native APIs: Native APIs often receive and return data in
a binary format, which we could neither store nor manipulate well in pre-
ES6 JavaScript. That meant that whenever we were communicating with
such an API, data had to be converted from JavaScript to binary and back
for every call. Typed Arrays eliminate this bottleneck. Examples include:
WebGL, “a low-level 3D graphics API based on OpenGL ES,
exposed to ECMAScript via the HTML5 Canvas element”. Typed
Arrays were initially created for WebGL. Section “History of Typed
Arrays” of the article “Typed Arrays: Binary Data in the Browser”
(by Ilmari Heikkinen for HTML5 Rocks) has more information.
WebGPU, “an API for performing operations, such as rendering and
computation, on a Graphics Processing Unit”. For example,
WebGPU uses ArrayBuffers as wrappers for backing stores.
WebAssembly (short: “Wasm”), “a binary instruction format for a
stack-based virtual machine. Wasm is designed as a portable
compilation target for programming languages, enabling deployment
on the web for client and server applications.” For example, the
memory of WebAssembly code is stored in an ArrayBuffer or a
SharedArrayBuffer (details).
34.1.2 The core classes: ArrayBuffer, Typed Arrays, DataView
The Typed Array API stores binary data in instances of ArrayBuffer:
const buf = new ArrayBuffer(4); // length in bytes
// buf is initialized with zeros
An ArrayBuffer itself is a black box: if we want to access its data, we must
wrap it in another object – a view object. Two kinds of view objects are
available:
Typed Arrays: let us access the data as an indexed sequence of elements
that all have the same type. Examples include:
Uint8Array: Elements are unsigned 8-bit integers. Unsigned means that
their ranges start at zero.
Int16Array: Elements are signed 16-bit integers. Signed means that
they have a sign and can be negative, zero, or positive.
Float32Array: Elements are 32-bit floating point numbers.
DataViews: let us interpret the data as various types (Uint8, Int16, Float32,
etc.) that we can read and write at any byte offset.
Figure 34.1 shows a class diagram of the API.
Figure 34.1: The classes of the Typed Array API.
[ES2017]
34.1.3 SharedArrayBuffer
SharedArrayBuffer is an ArrayBuffer whose memory can be accessed by
multiple agents (an agent being the main thread or a web worker) concurrently.
Where ArrayBuffers can be transferred (moved, not copied) between
agents, SharedArrayBuffers are not transferrable and must be cloned.
However, that only clones their outer parts. The data storage itself is
shared.
SharedArrayBuffers can be resized but they can only grow not shrink
because shrinking shared memory is too complicated.
Atomics is a global namespace for an API that complements
SharedArrayBuffers. The ECMAScript specification describes it as
“functions that operate indivisibly (atomically) on shared memory array
cells as well as functions that let agents wait for and dispatch primitive
events. When used with discipline, the Atomics functions allow multi-
agent programs that communicate through shared memory to execute in a
well-understood order even on parallel CPUs.”
See MDN Web Docs for more information on SharedArrayBuffer and Atomics.
34.2 Using Typed Arrays
Typed Arrays are used much like normal Arrays.
34.2.1 Creating Typed Arrays
The following code shows three different ways of creating the same Typed
Array:
// Argument: Typed Array or Array-like object
const ta1 = new Uint8Array([0, 1, 2]);
const ta2 = Uint8Array.of(0, 1, 2);
const ta3 = new Uint8Array(3); // length of Typed
Array
ta3[0] = 0;
ta3[1] = 1;
ta3[2] = 2;
assert.deepEqual(ta1, ta2);
assert.deepEqual(ta1, ta3);
34.2.2 The wrapped ArrayBuffer
const typedArray = new Int16Array(2); // 2 elements
assert.equal(typedArray.length, 2);
assert.deepEqual(
typedArray.buffer, new ArrayBuffer(4)); // 4 bytes
34.2.3 Getting and setting elements
const typedArray = new Int16Array(2);
assert.equal(typedArray[1], 0); // initialized with 0
typedArray[1] = 72;
assert.equal(typedArray[1], 72);
34.2.4 Concatenating Typed Arrays
Typed Arrays don’t have a method .concat(), like normal Arrays do. The
workaround is to use their overloaded method .set():
.set(typedArray: TypedArray, offset=0): void
.set(arrayLike: ArrayLike<number>, offset=0): void
It copies the existing typedArray or arrayLike into the receiver, at index offset.
TypedArray is an internal abstract superclass of all concrete Typed Array classes
(that doesn’t actually have a global name).
The following function uses that method to copy zero or more Typed Arrays (or
Array-like objects) into an instance of resultConstructor:
function concatenate(resultConstructor, ...arrays) {
let totalLength = 0;
for (const arr of arrays) {
totalLength += arr.length;
}
const result = new resultConstructor(totalLength);
let offset = 0;
for (const arr of arrays) {
result.set(arr, offset);
offset += arr.length;
}
return result;
}
assert.deepEqual(
concatenate(Uint8Array, Uint8Array.of(1, 2), [3,
4]),
Uint8Array.of(1, 2, 3, 4));
34.2.5 Typed Arrays vs. normal Arrays
Typed Arrays are much like normal Arrays: they have a .length, elements can
be accessed via the bracket operator [], and they have most of the standard
Array methods. They differ from normal Arrays in the following ways:
Typed Arrays have buffers. The elements of a Typed Array ta are not
stored in ta, they are stored in an associated ArrayBuffer that can be
accessed via ta.buffer:
const ta = new Uint16Array(2); // 2 elements
assert.deepEqual(
ta.buffer, new ArrayBuffer(4)); // 4 bytes
Typed Arrays are initialized with zeros:
new Array(4) creates a normal Array without any elements. It only has
four holes (indices less than the .length that have no associated
elements).
new Uint8Array(4) creates a Typed Array whose four elements are all 0.
assert.deepEqual(new Uint8Array(4),
Uint8Array.of(0, 0, 0, 0));
All of the elements of a Typed Array have the same type:
Setting elements converts values to that type.
const ta = new Uint8Array(1);
ta[0] = 257;
assert.equal(ta[0], 1); // 257 % 256 (overflow)
ta[0] = '2';
assert.equal(ta[0], 2);
Getting elements returns numbers or bigints.
const ta = new Uint8Array(1);
assert.equal(ta[0], 0);
assert.equal(typeof ta[0], 'number');
The .length of a Typed Array is derived from its ArrayBuffer and never
changes (unless we switch to a different ArrayBuffer).
Normal Arrays can have holes; Typed Arrays can’t.
34.3 Using DataViews
This is how DataViews are used:
const dataView = new DataView(new ArrayBuffer(4));
assert.equal(dataView.getInt16(0), 0);
assert.equal(dataView.getUint8(0), 0);
dataView.setUint8(0, 5);
34.4 Element types
Element Typed Array Bytes Description Get/Set
Int8 Int8Array 1 8-bit signed number ES6
integer
Uint8 Uint8Array 1 8-bit number ES6
unsigned int
Uint8C Uint8ClampedArray 1 8-bit number ES6
unsigned int
(clamped number ES6
conv.)
Int16 Int16Array 2 16-bit number ES6
signed int
Uint16 Uint16Array 2 16-bit number ES6
unsigned int
Int32 Int32Array 4 32-bit number ES6
signed int
Element Typed Array Bytes Description Get/Set
Uint32 Uint32Array 4 32-bit number ES6
unsigned int
BigInt64 BigInt64Array 8 64-bit bigint ES2020
signed int
BigUint64 BigUint64Array 8 64-bit bigint ES2020
unsigned int
Float32 Float32Array 4 32-bit number ES6
floating
point
Float64 Float64Array 8 64-bit number ES6
floating
point
Table 34.1: Element types supported by the Typed Array API.
Table 34.1 lists the available element types. These types (e.g., Int32) show up in
two locations:
In Typed Arrays, they specify the types of the elements. For example, all
elements of a Int32Array have the type Int32. The element type is the only
aspect of Typed Arrays that differs.
In DataViews, they are the lenses through which they access their
ArrayBuffers when we use methods such as .getInt32() and .setInt32().
The element type Uint8C is special: it is not supported by DataView and only exists
to enable Uint8ClampedArray. This Typed Array is used by the canvas element
(where it replaces CanvasPixelArray) and should otherwise be avoided. The only
difference between Uint8C and Uint8 is how overflow and underflow are handled
(as explained in the next subsection).
Typed Arrays and Array Buffers use numbers and bigints to import and export
values:
The types BigInt64 and BigUint64 are handled via bigints. For example,
setters accept bigints and getters return bigints.
All other element types are handled via numbers.
34.4.1 Handling overflow and underflow
Normally, when a value is out of the range of the element type, modulo
arithmetic is used to convert it to a value within range. For signed and unsigned
integers that means that:
The highest value plus one is converted to the lowest value (0 for unsigned
integers).
The lowest value minus one is converted to the highest value.
The following function helps illustrate how conversion works:
function setAndGet(typedArray, value) {
typedArray[0] = value;
return typedArray[0];
}
Modulo conversion for unsigned 8-bit integers:
const uint8 = new Uint8Array(1);
// Highest value of range
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8, 255), 255);
// Overflow
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8, 256), 0);
// Lowest value of range
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8, 0), 0);
// Underflow
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8, -1), 255);
Modulo conversion for signed 8-bit integers:
const int8 = new Int8Array(1);
// Highest value of range
assert.equal(setAndGet(int8, 127), 127);
// Overflow
assert.equal(setAndGet(int8, 128), -128);
// Lowest value of range
assert.equal(setAndGet(int8, -128), -128);
// Underflow
assert.equal(setAndGet(int8, -129), 127);
Clamped conversion is different:
All underflowing values are converted to the lowest value.
All overflowing values are converted to the highest value.
const uint8c = new Uint8ClampedArray(1);
// Highest value of range
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8c, 255), 255);
// Overflow
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8c, 256), 255);
// Lowest value of range
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8c, 0), 0);
// Underflow
assert.equal(setAndGet(uint8c, -1), 0);
34.4.2 Endianness
Whenever a type (such as Uint16) is stored as a sequence of multiple bytes,
endianness matters:
Big endian: the most significant byte comes first. For example, the Uint16
value 0x4321 is stored as two bytes – first 0x43, then 0x21.
Little endian: the least significant byte comes first. For example, the Uint16
value 0x4321 is stored as two bytes – first 0x21, then 0x43.
Endianness tends to be fixed per CPU architecture and consistent across native
APIs. Typed Arrays are used to communicate with those APIs, which is why
their endianness follows the endianness of the platform and can’t be changed.
On the other hand, the endianness of protocols and binary files varies, but is
fixed per format, across platforms. Therefore, we must be able to access data
with either endianness. DataViews serve this use case and let us specify
endianness when we get or set a value.
Quoting Wikipedia on Endianness:
Big-endian representation is the most common convention in data
networking; fields in the protocols of the Internet protocol suite, such as
IPv4, IPv6, TCP, and UDP, are transmitted in big-endian order. For this
reason, big-endian byte order is also referred to as network byte order.
Little-endian storage is popular for microprocessors in part due to
significant historical influence on microprocessor designs by Intel
Corporation.
Other orderings are also possible. Those are generically called middle-endian
or mixed-endian.
34.5 Converting to and from Typed Arrays
In this section, «ElementType»Array stands for Int8Array, Uint8Array, etc. ElementType
is Int8, Uint8, etc.
34.5.1 The static method «ElementType»Array.from()
This method has the type signature:
.from<S>(
source: Iterable<S>|ArrayLike<S>,
mapfn?: S => ElementType, thisArg?: any)
: «ElementType»Array
.from() converts source into an instance of this (a Typed Array).
For example, normal Arrays are iterable and can be converted with this
method:
assert.deepEqual(
Uint16Array.from([0, 1, 2]),
Uint16Array.of(0, 1, 2));
Typed Arrays are also iterable:
assert.deepEqual(
Uint16Array.from(Uint8Array.of(0, 1, 2)),
Uint16Array.of(0, 1, 2));
source can also be an Array-like object:
assert.deepEqual(
Uint16Array.from({0:0, 1:1, 2:2, length: 3}),
Uint16Array.of(0, 1, 2));
The optional mapfn lets us transform the elements of source before they become
elements of the result. Why perform the two steps mapping and conversion in
one go? Compared to mapping separately via .map(), there are two advantages:
1. No intermediate Array or Typed Array is needed.
2. When converting between Typed Arrays with different precisions, less can
go wrong.
Read on for an explanation of the second advantage.
34.5.1.1 Pitfall: mapping while converting between Typed Array types
The static method .from() can optionally both map and convert between Typed
Array types. Less can go wrong if we use that method.
To see why that is, let us first convert a Typed Array to a Typed Array with a
higher precision. If we use .from() to map, the result is automatically correct.
Otherwise, we must first convert and then map.
const typedArray = Int8Array.of(127, 126, 125);
assert.deepEqual(
Int16Array.from(typedArray, x => x * 2),
Int16Array.of(254, 252, 250));
assert.deepEqual(
Int16Array.from(typedArray).map(x => x * 2),
Int16Array.of(254, 252, 250)); // OK
assert.deepEqual(
Int16Array.from(typedArray.map(x => x * 2)),
Int16Array.of(-2, -4, -6)); // wrong
If we go from a Typed Array to a Typed Array with a lower precision, mapping
via .from() produces the correct result. Otherwise, we must first map and then
convert.
assert.deepEqual(
Int8Array.from(Int16Array.of(254, 252, 250), x => x
/ 2),
Int8Array.of(127, 126, 125));
assert.deepEqual(
Int8Array.from(Int16Array.of(254, 252, 250).map(x =>
x / 2)),
Int8Array.of(127, 126, 125)); // OK
assert.deepEqual(
Int8Array.from(Int16Array.of(254, 252, 250)).map(x
=> x / 2),
Int8Array.of(-1, -2, -3)); // wrong
The problem is that if we map via .map(), then input type and output type are
the same. In contrast, .from() goes from an arbitrary input type to an output
type that we specify via its receiver.
34.5.2 Typed Arrays are iterable
Typed Arrays are iterable. That means that we can use the for-of loop and other
iteration-based mechanisms:
const ui8 = Uint8Array.of(0, 1, 2);
for (const byte of ui8) {
console.log(byte);
}
Output:
0
1
2
ArrayBuffers and DataViews are not iterable.
34.5.3 Converting Typed Arrays to and from normal Arrays
To convert a normal Array to a Typed Array, we pass it to:
A Typed Array constructor – which accepts Typed Arrays, iterable values
and Array-like objects.
«ElementType»Array.from() – which accepts iterable values and Array-like
values.
For example:
const ta1 = new Uint8Array([0, 1, 2]);
const ta2 = Uint8Array.from([0, 1, 2]);
assert.deepEqual(ta1, ta2);
To convert a Typed Array to a normal Array, we can use Array.from() or
spreading (because Typed Arrays are iterable):
assert.deepEqual(
[...Uint8Array.of(0, 1, 2)], [0, 1, 2]
);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(Uint8Array.of(0, 1, 2)), [0, 1, 2]
);
[ES2024]
34.6 Resizing ArrayBuffers
Before ArrayBuffers became resizable, they had fixed sizes. If we wanted one
to grow or shrink, we had to allocate a new one and copy the old one over. That
costs time and can fragment the address space on 32-bit systems.
34.6.1 New features for ArrayBuffers
These are the changes introduced by resizing:
The existing constructor gets one more parameter:
new ArrayBuffer(byteLength: number, options?:
{maxByteLength?: number})
There is one new method and two new getters:
ArrayBuffer.prototype.resize(newByteLength: number)
Resizes the ArrayBuffer.
get ArrayBuffer.prototype.resizable
Returns a boolean indicating if this ArrayBuffer is resizable.
get ArrayBuffer.prototype.maxByteLength
Returns options.maxByteLength if it was provided to the
constructor. Otherwise, it returns this.byteLength.
The existing method .slice() always returns non-resizable ArrayBuffers.
The options object of the constructor determines whether or not an ArrayBuffer
is resizable:
const resizableArrayBuffer = new ArrayBuffer(16,
{maxByteLength: 32});
assert.equal(
resizableArrayBuffer.resizable, true
);
const fixedArrayBuffer = new ArrayBuffer(16);
assert.equal(
fixedArrayBuffer.resizable, false
);
34.6.2 How Typed Arrays react to changing ArrayBuffer sizes
This is what constructors of Typed Arrays look like:
new «TypedArray»(
buffer: ArrayBuffer | SharedArrayBuffer,
byteOffset?: number,
length?: number
)
If length is undefined then the .length and .byteLength of the Typed Array instance
automatically tracks the length of a resizable buffer:
const buf = new ArrayBuffer(2, {maxByteLength: 4});
// `tarr1` starts at offset 0 (`length` is undefined)
const tarr1 = new Uint8Array(buf);
// `tarr2` starts at offset 2 (`length` is undefined)
const tarr2 = new Uint8Array(buf, 2);
assert.equal(
tarr1.length, 2
);
assert.equal(
tarr2.length, 0
);
buf.resize(4);
assert.equal(
tarr1.length, 4
);
assert.equal(
tarr2.length, 2
);
If an ArrayBuffer is resized then a wrapper with a fixed length can go out of
bounds: The wrapper’s range isn’t covered by the ArrayBuffer anymore. That is
treated by JavaScript as if the ArrayBuffer were detached:
.length, .byteLength and .byteOffset are zero.
Getting elements returns undefined.
Setting elements is silently ignored.
All element-related methods throw errors.
const buf = new ArrayBuffer(4, {maxByteLength: 4});
const tarr = new Uint8Array(buf, 2, 2);
assert.equal(
tarr.length, 2
);
buf.resize(3);
// `tarr` is now partially out of bounds
assert.equal(
tarr.length, 0
);
assert.equal(
tarr.byteLength, 0
);
assert.equal(
tarr.byteOffset, 0
);
assert.equal(
tarr[0], undefined
);
assert.throws(
() => tarr.at(0),
/^TypeError: Cannot perform
%TypedArray%.prototype.at on a detached ArrayBuffer$/
);
34.6.3 Guidelines given by the ECMAScript specification
The ECMAScript specification gives the following guidelines for working with
resizable ArrayBuffers:
We recommend that programs be tested in their deployment environments
where possible. The amount of available physical memory differs greatly
between hardware devices. Similarly, virtual memory subsystems also
differ greatly between hardware devices as well as operating systems. An
application that runs without out-of-memory errors on a 64-bit desktop
web browser could run out of memory on a 32-bit mobile web browser.
When choosing a value for the maxByteLength option for resizable
ArrayBuffer, we recommend that the smallest possible size for the
application be chosen. We recommend that maxByteLength does not exceed
30
1,073,741,824 (2 bytes or 1 GiB).
Please note that successfully constructing a resizable ArrayBuffer for a
particular maximum size does not guarantee that future resizes will
succeed.
[ES2024]
34.7 Transferring and detaching ArrayBuffers
34.7.1 Preparation: transferring data and detaching
The web API (not the ECMAScript standard) has long supported structured
cloning for safely moving values across realms (globalThis, iframes, web
workers, etc.). Some objects can also be transferred: After cloning, the original
becomes detached (inaccessible) and ownership switches from the original to
the clone. Transfering is usually faster than copying, especially if large amounts
of memory are involved. These are the most common classes of transferable
objects:
ArrayBuffer
Streams:
ReadableStream
TransformStream
WritableStream
DOM-related data:
ImageBitmap
OffscreenCanvas
Miscellaneous communication:
MessagePort
RTCDataChannel
34.7.2 Methods related to transferring and detaching
Two methods let us explicitly transfer an ArrayBuffer to a new object
(we’ll see soon why that is useful):
ArrayBuffer.prototype.transfer(newLength?: number)
ArrayBuffer.prototype.transferToFixedLength(newLength?: number)
One getter tells us if an ArrayBuffer is detached:
get ArrayBuffer.prototype.detached
34.7.3 Transferring ArrayBuffers via structuredClone()
The broadly supported structuredClone() also lets us transfer (and therefore
detach) ArrayBuffers:
const original = new ArrayBuffer(16);
const clone = structuredClone(original, {transfer:
[original]});
assert.equal(
original.byteLength, 0
);
assert.equal(
clone.byteLength, 16
);
assert.equal(
original.detached, true
);
assert.equal(
clone.detached, false
);
The ArrayBuffer method .transfer() simply gives us a more concise way to
detach an ArrayBuffer:
const original = new ArrayBuffer(16);
const transferred = original.transfer();
assert.equal(
original.detached, true
);
assert.equal(
transferred.detached, false
);
34.7.4 Transferring an ArrayBuffer within the same agent
Transferring is most often used between two agents (an agent being the main
thread or a web worker). However, transferring within the same agent can make
sense too: If a function gets a (potentially shared) ArrayBuffer as a parameter,
it can transfer it so that no external code can interfere with what it does.
Example (taken from the ECMAScript proposal and slightly edited):
async function
validateAndWriteSafeAndFast(arrayBuffer) {
const owned = arrayBuffer.transfer();
// We have `owned` and no one can access its data
via
// `arrayBuffer` now because the latter is detached:
assert.equal(
arrayBuffer.detached, true
);
// `await` pauses this function – which gives
external
// code the opportunity to access `arrayBuffer`.
await validate(owned);
await fs.writeFile("data.bin", owned);
}
34.7.5 How does detaching an ArrayBuffer affect its wrappers?
34.7.5.1 Typed Arrays with detached ArrayBuffers
Preparation:
> const arrayBuffer = new ArrayBuffer(16);
> const typedArray = new Uint8Array(arrayBuffer);
> arrayBuffer.transfer();
Lengths and offsets are all zero:
> typedArray.length
0
> typedArray.byteLength
0
> typedArray.byteOffset
0
Getting elements returns undefined; setting elements fails silently:
> typedArray[0]
undefined
> typedArray[0] = 128
128
All element-related methods throw exceptions:
> typedArray.at(0)
TypeError: Cannot perform %TypedArray%.prototype.at on
a detached ArrayBuffer
34.7.5.2 DataViews with detached ArrayBuffers
All data-related methods of DataViews throw:
> const arrayBuffer = new ArrayBuffer(16);
> const dataView = new DataView(arrayBuffer);
> arrayBuffer.transfer();
> dataView.byteLength
TypeError: Cannot perform get
DataView.prototype.byteLength on a detached
ArrayBuffer
> dataView.getUint8(0)
TypeError: Cannot perform DataView.prototype.getUint8
on a detached ArrayBuffer
34.7.5.3 We can’t create new wrappers with detached ArrayBuffers
> const arrayBuffer = new ArrayBuffer(16);
> arrayBuffer.transfer();
> new Uint8Array(arrayBuffer)
TypeError: Cannot perform Construct on a detached
ArrayBuffer
> new DataView(arrayBuffer)
TypeError: Cannot perform DataView constructor on a
detached ArrayBuffer
34.7.6 ArrayBuffer.prototype.transferToFixedLength()
This method rounds out the API: It transfers and converts a resizable
ArrayBuffer to one with a fixed length. That may free up memory that was held
in preparation for growth.
34.8 Quick references: indices vs. offsets
In preparation for the quick references on ArrayBuffers, Typed Arrays, and
DataViews, we need learn the differences between indices and offsets:
Indices for the bracket operator [ ]: We can only use non-negative indices
(starting at 0).
In normal Arrays, writing to negative indices creates properties:
const arr = [6, 7];
arr[-1] = 5;
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(arr), ['0', '1', '-1']);
In Typed Arrays, writing to negative indices is ignored:
const tarr = Uint8Array.of(6, 7);
tarr[-1] = 5;
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(tarr), ['0', '1']);
Indices for methods of ArrayBuffers, Typed Arrays, and DataViews:
Every index can be negative. If it is, it is added to the length of the entity
to produce the actual index. Therefore, -1 refers to the last element, -2 to
the second-last, etc. Methods of normal Arrays work the same way.
const ui8 = Uint8Array.of(0, 1, 2);
assert.deepEqual(ui8.slice(-1), Uint8Array.of(2));
Offsets passed to methods of Typed Arrays and DataViews: must be non-
negative – for example:
const dataView = new DataView(new ArrayBuffer(4));
assert.throws(
() => dataView.getUint8(-1),
{
name: 'RangeError',
message: 'Offset is outside the bounds of the
DataView',
});
Whether a parameter is an index or an offset can only be determined by looking
at documentation; there is no simple rule.
34.9 Quick reference: ArrayBuffers
ArrayBuffers store binary data, which is meant to be accessed via Typed Arrays
and DataViews.
34.9.1 new ArrayBuffer()
[ES6]
new ArrayBuffer(byteLength, options?)
new ArrayBuffer(
byteLength: number,
options?: { // ES2024
maxByteLength?: number
}
)
Invoking this constructor via new creates an instance whose capacity is
length bytes. Each of those bytes is initially 0.
If options.maxByteLength is provided, the ArrayBuffer can be resized.
Otherwise, it has a fixed length.
34.9.2 ArrayBuffer.*
[ES6]
ArrayBuffer.isView(arg)
Returns true if arg is a view for an ArrayBuffer (i.e., if it is a Typed Array
or a DataView).
> ArrayBuffer.isView(new Uint8Array())
true
> ArrayBuffer.isView(new DataView(new
ArrayBuffer()))
true
34.9.3 ArrayBuffer.prototype.*: getting and slicing
[ES6]
get ArrayBuffer.prototype.byteLength
Returns the capacity of this ArrayBuffer in bytes.
[ES6]
ArrayBuffer.prototype.slice(startIndex=0, endIndex=this.byteLength)
Creates a new ArrayBuffer that contains the bytes of this ArrayBuffer
whose indices are greater than or equal to startIndex and less than endIndex.
start and endIndex can be negative (see “Quick references: indices vs.
offsets” (§34.8)).
34.9.4 ArrayBuffer.prototype.*: resizing
[ES2024]
ArrayBuffer.prototype.resize(newByteLength)
Changes the size of this ArrayBuffer. For more information, see “Resizing
ArrayBuffers” (§34.6).
[ES2024]
get ArrayBuffer.prototype.resizable
Returns true if this ArrayBuffer is resizable and false if it is not.
[ES2024]
get ArrayBuffer.prototype.maxByteLength
Returns options.maxByteLength if it was provided to the constructor.
Otherwise, it returns this.byteLength.
34.10 Quick reference: Typed Arrays
The properties of the various Typed Array objects are introduced in two steps:
1. TypedArray: First, we look at the abstract superclass of all Typed Array
classes (which was shown in the class diagram at the beginning of this
chapter). That superclass is called TypedArray but it does not have a global
name in JavaScript:
> Object.getPrototypeOf(Uint8Array).name
'TypedArray'
2. «ElementType»Array: The concrete Typed Array classes are called Uint8Array,
Int16Array, Float32Array, etc. These are the classes that we use via new, .of,
and .from().
34.10.1 TypedArray.*
Both static TypedArray methods are inherited by its subclasses (Uint8Array, etc.).
Therefore, we can use these methods via the subclasses, which are concrete and
can have direct instances.
[ES6]
TypedArray.from(iterableOrArrayLike, mapFunc?)
// BigInt64Array: bigint instead of number
TypedArray.from<T>(
iterableOrArrayLike: Iterable<number> |
ArrayLike<number>
): TypedArray<T>
TypedArray.from<S, T>(
iterableOrArrayLike: Iterable<S> | ArrayLike<S>,
mapFunc: (v: S, k: number) => T, thisArg?: any
): TypedArray<T>
Converts an iterable (including Arrays and Typed Arrays) or an Array-like
object to an instance of the Typed Array class.
assert.deepEqual(
Uint16Array.from([0, 1, 2]),
Uint16Array.of(0, 1, 2));
The optional mapFunc lets us transform the elements of source before they
become elements of the result.
assert.deepEqual(
Int16Array.from(Int8Array.of(127, 126, 125), x =>
x * 2),
Int16Array.of(254, 252, 250));
[ES6]
TypedArray.of(...items)
// BigInt64Array: bigint instead of number
TypedArray.of<T>(
...items: Array<number>
): TypedArray<T>
Creates a new instance of the Typed Array class whose elements are items
(coerced to the element type).
assert.deepEqual(
Int16Array.of(-1234, 5, 67),
new Int16Array([-1234, 5, 67]) );
34.10.2 TypedArray.prototype.*
Indices accepted by Typed Array methods can be negative (they work like
traditional Array methods that way). Offsets must be non-negative. For details,
see “Quick references: indices vs. offsets” (§34.8).
34.10.2.1 Properties specific to Typed Arrays
The following properties are specific to Typed Arrays; normal Arrays don’t
have them:
get TypedArray.prototype.buffer
Returns the ArrayBuffer backing this Typed Array.
get TypedArray.prototype.length
Returns the length in elements of this Typed Array’s buffer.
> new Uint32Array(new ArrayBuffer(4)).length
1
get TypedArray.prototype.byteLength
Returns the size in bytes of this Typed Array’s buffer.
> new Uint32Array(new ArrayBuffer(4)).byteLength
4
get TypedArray.prototype.byteOffset
Returns the offset where this Typed Array “starts” inside its ArrayBuffer.
TypedArray.prototype.set(typedArrayOrArrayLike, offset=0)
Copies all elements of the first parameter to this Typed Array. The
element at index 0 of the parameter is written to index offset of this Typed
Array (etc.). For more information on Array-like objects, consult “Array-
like objects” (§33.5).
TypedArray.prototype.subarray(startIndex=0, endIndex=this.length)
Returns a new Typed Array that has the same buffer as this Typed Array,
but a (generally) smaller range. If startIndex is non-negative then the first
element of the resulting Typed Array is this[startIndex], the second
this[startIndex+1] (etc.). If startIndex in negative, it is converted
appropriately.
34.10.2.2 Array methods
The following methods are basically the same as the methods of normal Arrays
(the ECMAScript versions specify when the methods were added to Arrays –
Typed Arrays didn’t exist in ECMAScript before ES6):
[R, ES2022]
TypedArray.prototype.at(index)
[W, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.copyWithin(target, start, end=this.length)
[R, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.entries()
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.every(predicate, thisArg?)
[W, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.fill(start=0, end=this.length)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.filter(predicate, thisArg?)
[R, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.find(predicate, thisArg?)
[R, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.findIndex(predicate, thisArg?)
[R, ES2023]
TypedArray.prototype.findLast(predicate, thisArg?)
[R, ES2023]
TypedArray.prototype.findLastIndex(predicate, thisArg?)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.forEach(callback)
[R, ES2016]
TypedArray.prototype.includes(searchElement, fromIndex)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.indexOf(searchElement, fromIndex)
[R, ES1]
TypedArray.prototype.join(separator = ',')
[R, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.keys()
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.lastIndexOf(searchElement, fromIndex)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.map(callback, thisArg?)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.reduce(callback, initialValue?)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.reduceRight(callback, initialValue?)
[W, ES1]
TypedArray.prototype.reverse()
[R, ES3]
TypedArray.prototype.slice(start?, end?)
[R, ES5]
TypedArray.prototype.some(predicate, thisArg?)
[W, ES1]
TypedArray.prototype.sort(compareFunc?)
[R, ES3]
TypedArray.prototype.toLocaleString()
[R, ES2023]
TypedArray.prototype.toReversed()
[R, ES2023]
TypedArray.prototype.toSorted(compareFunc?)
[R, ES2023]
TypedArray.prototype.toSpliced(start?, deleteCount?, ...items)
[R, ES1]
TypedArray.prototype.toString()
[R, ES6]
TypedArray.prototype.values()
[R, ES2023]
TypedArray.prototype.with(index, value)
For details on how these methods work, see “Quick reference: Array” (§33.17).
34.10.3 new «ElementType»Array()
Each Typed Array constructor has a name that follows the pattern
«ElementType»Array, where «ElementType» is one of the element types listed in Table
34.1. That means there are 11 constructors for Typed Arrays:
Float32Array, Float64Array
Int8Array, Int16Array, Int32Array
BigInt64Array
Uint8Array, Uint8ClampedArray, Uint16Array, Uint32Array
BigUint64Array
Each constructor has several overloaded versions – it behaves differently
depending on how many arguments it receives and what their types are:
new «ElementType»Array(length=0)
Creates a new «ElementType»Array with the given length and the appropriate
buffer. The buffer’s size in bytes is:
length * «ElementType»Array.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT
new «ElementType»Array(source: TypedArray)
Creates a new instance of «ElementType»Array whose elements have the same
values as the elements of source, but coerced to ElementType.
new «ElementType»Array(source: Iterable<number>)
BigInt64Array, BigUint64Array: bigint instead of number
Creates a new instance of «ElementType»Array whose elements have the
same values as the items of source, but coerced to ElementType. For
more information on iterables, see “Synchronous iteration” (§32).
new «ElementType»Array(source: ArrayLike<number>)
BigInt64Array, BigUint64Array: bigint instead of number
Creates a new instance of «ElementType»Array whose elements have the
same values as the elements of source, but coerced to ElementType. For
more information on Array-like objects, see “Array-like objects”
(§33.5).
new «ElementType»Array(buffer: ArrayBuffer, byteOffset=0, length=0)
Creates a new «ElementType»Array whose buffer is buffer. It starts accessing
the buffer at the given byteOffset and will have the given length. Note that
length counts elements of the Typed Array (with 1–8 bytes each), not
bytes.
34.10.4 «ElementType»Array.*
«ElementType»Array.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: number
Counts how many bytes are needed to store a single element:
> Uint8Array.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT
1
> Int16Array.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT
2
> Float64Array.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT
8
34.10.5 «ElementType»Array.prototype.*
«ElementType»Array.prototype.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT: number
The same as «ElementType»Array.BYTES_PER_ELEMENT.
34.11 Quick reference: DataViews
34.11.1 new DataView()
[ES6]
new DataView(arrayBuffer, byteOffset?, byteLength?)
Creates a new DataView whose data is stored in the ArrayBuffer buffer.
By default, the new DataView can access all of buffer. The last two
parameters allow us to change that.
34.11.2 DataView.prototype.*
In the remainder of this section, «ElementType» refers to either:
Int8, Int16, Int32, BigInt64
Uint8, Uint16, Uint32, BigUint64
Float32, Float64
These are the properties of DataView.prototype:
[ES6]
get DataView.prototype.buffer
Returns the ArrayBuffer of this DataView.
[ES6]
get DataView.prototype.byteLength
Returns how many bytes can be accessed by this DataView.
[ES6]
get DataView.prototype.byteOffset
Returns at which offset this DataView starts accessing the bytes in its
buffer.
[ES6]
DataView.prototype.get«ElementType»(byteOffset, littleEndian=false)
Returns:
BigInt64, BigUint64: bigint
All other element types: number
Reads a value from the buffer of this DataView.
[ES6]
DataView.prototype.set«ElementType»(byteOffset, value, littleEndian=false)
Type of value:
BigInt64, BigUint64: bigint
All other element types: number
Writes value to the buffer of this DataView.
[ES6]
35 Maps (Map)
35.1 Using Maps
35.1.1 Creating Maps
35.1.2 Copying Maps
35.1.3 Working with single entries
35.1.4 Determining the size of a Map and clearing it
35.1.5 Getting the keys and values of a Map
35.1.6 Getting the entries of a Map
35.1.7 Listed in insertion order: entries, keys, values
35.1.8 Converting between Maps and Objects
35.2 Example: Counting characters
35.3 A few more details about the keys of Maps (advanced)
35.3.1 What keys are considered equal?
35.4 Missing Map operations
35.4.1 Mapping and filtering Maps
35.4.2 Combining Maps
35.5 Quick reference: Map
35.5.1 new Map()
35.5.2 Map.*
35.5.3 Map.prototype.*: handling single entries
35.5.4 Map.prototype: handling all entries
35.5.5 Map.prototype: iterating and looping
35.6 FAQ: Maps
35.6.1 When should I use a Map, and when should I use an
object?
35.6.2 When would I use an object as a key in a Map?
35.6.3 Why do Maps preserve the insertion order of entries?
35.6.4 Why do Maps have a .size, while Arrays have a .length?
Before ES6, JavaScript didn’t have a data structure for dictionaries and
(ab)used objects as dictionaries from strings to arbitrary values. ES6
brought Maps, which are dictionaries from arbitrary values to arbitrary
values.
35.1 Using Maps
An instance of Map maps keys to values. A single key-value mapping is
called an entry.
35.1.1 Creating Maps
There are three common ways of creating Maps.
First, we can use the constructor without any parameters to create an empty
Map:
const emptyMap = new Map();
assert.equal(emptyMap.size, 0);
Second, we can pass an iterable (e.g., an Array) over key-value “pairs”
(Arrays with two elements) to the constructor:
const map = new Map([
[1, 'one'],
[2, 'two'],
[3, 'three'], // trailing comma is ignored
]);
Third, the .set() method adds entries to a Map and is chainable:
const map = new Map()
.set(1, 'one')
.set(2, 'two')
.set(3, 'three');
35.1.2 Copying Maps
As we’ll see later, Maps are also iterables over key-value pairs. Therefore,
we can use the constructor to create a copy of a Map. That copy is shallow:
keys and values are the same; they are not duplicated.
const original = new Map()
.set(false, 'no')
.set(true, 'yes');
const copy = new Map(original);
assert.deepEqual(original, copy);
35.1.3 Working with single entries
.set() and .get() are for writing and reading values (given keys).
const map = new Map();
map.set('foo', 123);
assert.equal(map.get('foo'), 123);
// Unknown key:
assert.equal(map.get('bar'), undefined);
// Use the default value '' if an entry is missing:
assert.equal(map.get('bar') ?? '', '');
.has() checks if a Map has an entry with a given key. .delete() removes
entries.
const map = new Map([['foo', 123]]);
assert.equal(map.has('foo'), true);
assert.equal(map.delete('foo'), true)
assert.equal(map.has('foo'), false)
35.1.4 Determining the size of a Map and clearing it
.size contains the number of entries in a Map. .clear() removes all entries of
a Map.
const map = new Map()
.set('foo', true)
.set('bar', false)
;
assert.equal(map.size, 2)
map.clear();
assert.equal(map.size, 0)
35.1.5 Getting the keys and values of a Map
.keys() returns an iterable over the keys of a Map:
const map = new Map()
.set(false, 'no')
.set(true, 'yes')
;
for (const key of map.keys()) {
console.log(key);
}
Output:
false
true
We use Array.from() to convert the iterable returned by .keys() to an Array:
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map.keys()),
[false, true]);
.values() works like .keys(), but for values instead of keys.
35.1.6 Getting the entries of a Map
.entries() returns an iterable over the entries of a Map:
const map = new Map()
.set(false, 'no')
.set(true, 'yes')
;
for (const entry of map.entries()) {
console.log(entry);
}
Output:
[ false, 'no' ]
[ true, 'yes' ]
Array.from() converts the iterable returned by .entries() to an Array:
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map.entries()),
[[false, 'no'], [true, 'yes']]);
Map instances are also iterables over entries. In the following code, we use
destructuring to access the keys and values of map:
for (const [key, value] of map) {
console.log(key, value);
}
Output:
false no
true yes
35.1.7 Listed in insertion order: entries, keys, values
Maps record in which order entries were created and honor that order when
listing entries, keys, or values:
const map1 = new Map([
['a', 1],
['b', 2],
]);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map1.keys()), ['a', 'b']);
const map2 = new Map([
['b', 2],
['a', 1],
]);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map2.keys()), ['b', 'a']);
35.1.8 Converting between Maps and Objects
As long as a Map only uses strings and symbols as keys, we can convert it
to an object (via Object.fromEntries()):
const map = new Map([
['a', 1],
['b', 2],
]);
const obj = Object.fromEntries(map);
assert.deepEqual(
obj, {a: 1, b: 2});
We can also convert an object to a Map with string or symbol keys (via
Object.entries()):
const obj = {
a: 1,
b: 2,
};
const map = new Map(Object.entries(obj));
assert.deepEqual(
map, new Map([['a', 1], ['b', 2]]));
35.2 Example: Counting characters
countChars() returns a Map that maps characters to numbers of occurrences.
function countChars(chars) {
const charCounts = new Map();
for (let ch of chars) {
ch = ch.toLowerCase();
const prevCount = charCounts.get(ch) ?? 0;
charCounts.set(ch, prevCount+1);
}
return charCounts;
}
const result = countChars('AaBccc');
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(result),
[
['a', 2],
['b', 1],
['c', 3],
]
);
35.3 A few more details about the keys of Maps (advanced)
Any value can be a key, even an object:
const map = new Map();
const KEY1 = {};
const KEY2 = {};
map.set(KEY1, 'hello');
map.set(KEY2, 'world');
assert.equal(map.get(KEY1), 'hello');
assert.equal(map.get(KEY2), 'world');
35.3.1 What keys are considered equal?
Most Map operations need to check whether a value is equal to one of the
keys. They do so via the internal operation SameValueZero, which works
like === but considers NaN to be equal to itself.
As a consequence, we can use NaN as a key in Maps, just like any other
value:
> const map = new Map();
> map.set(NaN, 123);
> map.get(NaN)
123
Different objects are always considered to be different. That is something
that can’t be changed (yet – configuring key equality is on TC39’s long-term
roadmap).
> new Map().set({}, 1).set({}, 2).size
2
35.4 Missing Map operations
35.4.1 Mapping and filtering Maps
We can .map() and .filter() an Array, but there are no such operations for a
Map. The solution is:
1. Convert the Map to an Array of [key, value] pairs.
2. Map or filter the Array.
3. Convert the result back to a Map.
I’ll use the following Map to demonstrate how that works.
const originalMap = new Map()
.set(1, 'a')
.set(2, 'b')
.set(3, 'c');
Mapping originalMap:
const mappedMap = new Map( // step 3
Array.from(originalMap) // step 1
.map(([k, v]) => [k * 2, '_' + v]) // step 2
);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(mappedMap),
[[2,'_a'], [4,'_b'], [6,'_c']]);
Filtering originalMap:
const filteredMap = new Map( // step 3
Array.from(originalMap) // step 1
.filter(([k, v]) => k < 3) // step 2
);
assert.deepEqual(Array.from(filteredMap),
[[1,'a'], [2,'b']]);
Array.from() converts any iterable to an Array.
35.4.2 Combining Maps
There are no methods for combining Maps, which is why we must use a
workaround that is similar to the one from the previous section.
Let’s combine the following two Maps:
const map1 = new Map()
.set(1, '1a')
.set(2, '1b')
.set(3, '1c')
;
const map2 = new Map()
.set(2, '2b')
.set(3, '2c')
.set(4, '2d')
;
To combine map1 and map2 we create a new Array and spread (...) the entries
(key-value pairs) of map1 and map2 into it (via iteration). Then we convert the
Array back into a Map. All of that is done in line A:
const combinedMap = new Map([...map1, ...map2]); //
(A)
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(combinedMap), // convert to Array for
comparison
[ [ 1, '1a' ],
[ 2, '2b' ],
[ 3, '2c' ],
[ 4, '2d' ] ]
);
Exercise: Combining two Maps
exercises/maps/combine_maps_test.mjs
35.5 Quick reference: Map
Note: For the sake of conciseness, I’m pretending that all keys have the
same type K and that all values have the same type V.
35.5.1 new Map()
[ES6]
new Map(entries?)
new Map<K, V>(
entries?: Iterable<[K, V]>
)
If we don’t provide the parameter entries, then an empty Map is
created. If we do provide an iterable over [key, value] pairs, then those
pairs are added as entries to the Map. For example:
const map = new Map([
[ 1, 'one' ],
[ 2, 'two' ],
[ 3, 'three' ], // trailing comma is ignored
]);
35.5.2 Map.*
[ES2024]
Map.groupBy(items, computeGroupKey)
Map.groupBy<K, T>(
items: Iterable<T>,
computeGroupKey: (item: T, index: number) => K,
): Map<K, Array<T>>;
The callback computeGroupKey returns a group key for each of the
items.
The result of Map.groupBy() is a Map where:
The key of each entry is a group key and
its value is an Array with all items that have that group key.
assert.deepEqual(
Map.groupBy(
['orange', 'apricot', 'banana', 'apple',
'blueberry'],
(str) => str[0] // compute group key
),
new Map()
.set('o', ['orange'])
.set('a', ['apricot', 'apple'])
.set('b', ['banana', 'blueberry'])
);
35.5.3 Map.prototype.*: handling single entries
[ES6]
Map.prototype.get(key)
Returns the value that key is mapped to in this Map. If there is no key
key in this Map, undefined is returned.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
assert.equal(map.get(1), 'one');
assert.equal(map.get(5), undefined);
[ES6]
Map.prototype.set(key, value)
Maps the given key to the given value.
If there is already an entry whose key is key, it is updated.
Otherwise, a new entry is created.
This method returns this, which means that we can chain it.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
map.set(1, 'ONE!') // update an existing entry
.set(3, 'THREE!') // create a new entry
;
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map.entries()),
[[1, 'ONE!'], [2, 'two'], [3, 'THREE!']]);
[ES6]
Map.prototype.has(key)
Returns whether the given key exists in this Map.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
assert.equal(map.has(1), true); // key exists
assert.equal(map.has(5), false); // key does not
exist
[ES6]
Map.prototype.delete(key)
If there is an entry whose key is key, it is removed and true is returned.
Otherwise, nothing happens and false is returned.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
assert.equal(map.delete(1), true);
assert.equal(map.delete(5), false); // nothing
happens
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map.entries()),
[[2, 'two']]);
35.5.4 Map.prototype: handling all entries
[ES6]
get Map.prototype.size
Returns how many entries this Map has.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
assert.equal(map.size, 2);
[ES6]
Map.prototype.clear()
Removes all entries from this Map.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
assert.equal(map.size, 2);
map.clear();
assert.equal(map.size, 0);
35.5.5 Map.prototype: iterating and looping
Both iterating and looping happen in the order in which entries were added
to a Map.
[ES6]
Map.prototype.entries()
Returns an iterable with one [key, value] pair for each entry in this
Map. The pairs are Arrays of length 2.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
for (const entry of map.entries()) {
console.log(entry);
}
Output:
[ 1, 'one' ]
[ 2, 'two' ]
[ES6]
Map.prototype.forEach(callback, thisArg?)
Map.prototype.forEach(
callback: (value: V, key: K, theMap: Map<K,V>)
=> void,
thisArg?: any
): void
The first parameter is a callback that is invoked once for each
entry in this Map.
If thisArg is provided, this is set to it for each invocation.
Otherwise, this is set to undefined.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
map.forEach((value, key) => console.log(value,
key));
Output:
one 1
two 2
[ES6]
Map.prototype.keys()
Returns an iterable over all keys in this Map.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
for (const key of map.keys()) {
console.log(key);
}
Output:
1
2
[ES6]
Map.prototype.values()
Returns an iterable over all values in this Map.
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
for (const value of map.values()) {
console.log(value);
}
Output:
one
two
[ES6]
Map.prototype[Symbol.iterator]()
The default way of iterating over Maps. Same as .entries().
const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);
for (const [key, value] of map) {
console.log(key, value);
}
Output:
1 one
2 two
35.6 FAQ: Maps
35.6.1 When should I use a Map, and when should I use an object?
If we need a dictionary-like data structure with keys that are neither strings
nor symbols, we have no choice: we must use a Map.
If, however, our keys are either strings or symbols, we must decide whether
or not to use an object. A rough general guideline is:
Is there a fixed set of keys (known at development time)?
Then use an object obj and access the values via fixed keys:
const value = obj.key;
Can the set of keys change at runtime?
Then use a Map map and access the values via keys stored in variables:
const theKey = 123;
map.get(theKey);
35.6.2 When would I use an object as a key in a Map?
We normally want Map keys to be compared by value (two keys are
considered equal if they have the same content). That excludes objects.
However, there is one use case for objects as keys: externally attaching data
to objects. But that use case is served better by WeakMaps, where entries
don’t prevent keys from being garbage-collected (for details, consult the
next chapter).
35.6.3 Why do Maps preserve the insertion order of entries?
In principle, Maps are unordered. The main reason for ordering entries is so
that operations that list entries, keys, or values are deterministic. That helps,
for example, with testing.
35.6.4 Why do Maps have a .size, while Arrays have a .length?
In JavaScript, indexable sequences (such as Arrays and strings) have a
.length, while unindexed collections (such as Maps and Sets) have a .size:
.length is based on indices; it is always the highest index plus one.
.size counts the number of elements in a collection.
[ES6]
36 WeakMaps (WeakMap) (advanced)
36.1 WeakMaps are black boxes
36.2 The keys of a WeakMap are weakly held
36.2.1 What values can be keys in WeakMaps?
[ES2023]
36.2.2 Why are symbols as WeakMap keys interesting?
36.3 Attaching values to objects via WeakMaps
36.3.1 Example: caching computed results
36.3.2 Example: keeping data of objects private
36.4 Quick reference: WeakMap
WeakMaps are similar to Maps, with the following differences:
They are black boxes, where a value can only be accessed if we have
both the WeakMap and the key.
The keys of a WeakMap are weakly held: If a value is a key in a
WeakMap, it can still be garbage-collected. That enables two important
use cases:
We can attach data to value that we don’t own – e.g., to cache
computed results.
We can keep part of a value private, by not making the WeakMap
public that contains that part.
The next two sections examine in more detail what that means.
36.1 WeakMaps are black boxes
It is impossible to inspect what’s inside a WeakMap:
For example, we can’t iterate or loop over keys, values or entries. And
we can’t compute the size.
Additionally, we can’t clear a WeakMap either – we have to create a
fresh instance.
These restrictions enable a security property. Quoting Mark Miller:
The mapping from weakmap/key pair value can only be observed or
affected by someone who has both the weakmap and the key. With
clear(), someone with only the WeakMap would’ve been able to affect
the WeakMap-and-key-to-value mapping.
36.2 The keys of a WeakMap are weakly held
The keys of a WeakMap are said to be weakly held: Normally if one object
refers to another one, then the latter object can’t be garbage-collected as
long as the former exists. With a WeakMap, that is different: If an object is a
key and not referred to elsewhere, it can be garbage-collected while the
WeakMap still exists. That also leads to the corresponding entry being
removed (but there is no way to observe that).
36.2.1 What values can be keys in WeakMaps?
Which values can be keys in WeakMaps is documented in the ECMAScript
specification, via the specification function CanBeHeldWeakly():
[ES6]
Objects
[ES2023]
Symbols – as long as they are not registered (created via
Symbol.for())
All kinds of keys have one thing in common – they have identity semantics:
1. When compared via ===, two keys are considered equal if they have the
same identity – they are not compared by comparing their contents
(their values). That means there are never two or more different keys
(“different” meaning “at different locations in memory”) that are all
considered equal. Each key is unique.
2. They are garbage-collected.
Both conditions are important so that WeakMaps can dispose entries when
keys disappear and no memory leaks.
Let’s look at examples:
Non-registered symbols can be used as WeakMap keys: They are
primitive but they are compared by identity and they are garbage-
collected.
The following two kinds of values cannot be used as WeakMap keys:
Strings are garbage-collected but they are compared by value.
Registered symbols are different from normal symbols – they do
not have identity semantics (source). This is how registered
symbols are used:
// Get a symbol from the registry
const mySymbol = Symbol.for('key-in-symbol-
registry');
assert.equal(
// Retrieve that symbol again
Symbol.for('key-in-symbol-registry'),
mySymbol
);
[ES2023]
36.2.2 Why are symbols as WeakMap keys interesting?
Symbols as WeakMap keys solve important issues for upcoming JavaScript
features:
We can put references to objects inside records and tuples.
We can pass references to objects in and out of ShadowRealms.
36.3 Attaching values to objects via WeakMaps
We can use WeakMaps to externally attach values to objects – for example:
const wm = new WeakMap();
{
const obj = {};
wm.set(obj, 'attachedValue'); // (A)
}
// (B)
In line A, we attach a value to obj. In line B, obj can already be garbage-
collected, even though wm still exists. This technique of attaching a value to
an object is equivalent to a property of that object being stored externally. If
wm were a property, the previous code would look as follows:
{
const obj = {};
obj.wm = 'attachedValue';
}
36.3.1 Example: caching computed results
With WeakMaps, we can associate previously computed results with objects
without having to worry about memory management. The following
function countOwnKeys() is an example: it caches previous results in the
WeakMap cache.
const cache = new WeakMap();
function countOwnKeys(obj) {
if (cache.has(obj)) {
return [cache.get(obj), 'cached'];
} else {
const count = Object.keys(obj).length;
cache.set(obj, count);
return [count, 'computed'];
}
}
If we use this function with an object obj, we can see that the result is only
computed for the first invocation, while a cached value is used for the
second invocation:
> const obj = { foo: 1, bar: 2};
> countOwnKeys(obj)
[2, 'computed']
> countOwnKeys(obj)
[2, 'cached']
36.3.2 Example: keeping data of objects private
In the following code, the WeakMaps _counter and _action are used to store
the values of virtual properties of instances of Countdown:
const _counter = new WeakMap();
const _action = new WeakMap();
class Countdown {
constructor(counter, action) {
_counter.set(this, counter);
_action.set(this, action);
}
dec() {
let counter = _counter.get(this);
counter--;
_counter.set(this, counter);
if (counter === 0) {
_action.get(this)();
}
}
}
// The two pseudo-properties are truly private:
assert.deepEqual(
Object.keys(new Countdown()),
[]);
This is how Countdown is used:
let invoked = false;
const cd = new Countdown(3, () => invoked = true);
cd.dec(); assert.equal(invoked, false);
cd.dec(); assert.equal(invoked, false);
cd.dec(); assert.equal(invoked, true);
Exercise: WeakMaps for private data
exercises/weakmaps/weakmaps_private_data_test.mjs
36.4 Quick reference: WeakMap
The constructor and the four methods of WeakMap work the same as their Map
equivalents:
[ES6]
new WeakMap<K, V>(entries?: Iterable<[K, V]>)
[ES6]
WeakMap.prototype.delete(key: K) : boolean
[ES6]
WeakMap.prototype.get(key: K) : V
[ES6]
WeakMap.prototype.has(key: K) : boolean
[ES6]
WeakMap.prototype.set(key: K, value: V) : this
[ES6]
37 Sets (Set)
37.1 Using Sets
37.1.1 Creating Sets
37.1.2 Adding, removing, checking membership
37.1.3 Determining the size of a Set and clearing it
37.1.4 Iterating over Sets
37.2 Examples of using Sets
37.2.1 Removing duplicates from an Array
37.2.2 Creating a set of Unicode characters (code points)
37.3 What Set elements are considered equal?
37.4 Missing Set operations
37.4.1 Union (a ∪ b)
37.4.2 Intersection (a ∩ b)
37.4.3 Difference (a \ b)
37.4.4 Mapping over Sets
37.4.5 Filtering Sets
37.5 Sets can use operations for iterables
37.6 Quick reference: Set
37.6.1 new Set()
37.6.2 Set.prototype.*: single Set elements
37.6.3 Set<T>.prototype: all Set elements
37.6.4 Set<T>.prototype: iterating and looping
37.6.5 Symmetry with Map
37.7 FAQ: Sets
37.7.1 Why do Sets have a .size, while Arrays have a .length?
Before ES6, JavaScript didn’t have a data structure for sets. Instead, two
workarounds were used:
The keys of an object were used as a set of strings.
Arrays were used as sets of arbitrary values. The downside is that
checking membership (if an Array contains a value) is slower.
Since ES6, JavaScript has the data structure Set, which can contain arbitrary
values and performs membership checks quickly.
37.1 Using Sets
37.1.1 Creating Sets
There are three common ways of creating Sets.
First, you can use the constructor without any parameters to create an empty
Set:
const emptySet = new Set();
assert.equal(emptySet.size, 0);
Second, you can pass an iterable (e.g., an Array) to the constructor. The
iterated values become elements of the new Set:
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
Third, the .add() method adds elements to a Set and is chainable:
const set = new Set()
.add('red')
.add('green')
.add('blue');
37.1.2 Adding, removing, checking membership
.add() adds an element to a Set.
const set = new Set();
set.add('red');
.has() checks if an element is a member of a Set.
assert.equal(set.has('red'), true);
.delete() removes an element from a Set.
assert.equal(set.delete('red'), true); // there was
a deletion
assert.equal(set.has('red'), false);
37.1.3 Determining the size of a Set and clearing it
.size contains the number of elements in a Set.
const set = new Set()
.add('foo')
.add('bar');
assert.equal(set.size, 2)
.clear() removes all elements of a Set.
set.clear();
assert.equal(set.size, 0)
37.1.4 Iterating over Sets
Sets are iterable and the for-of loop works as you’d expect:
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
for (const x of set) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
red
green
blue
As you can see, Sets preserve insertion order. That is, elements are always
iterated over in the order in which they were added.
Given that Sets are iterable, you can use Array.from() to convert them to
Arrays:
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
const arr = Array.from(set); // ['red', 'green',
'blue']
37.2 Examples of using Sets
37.2.1 Removing duplicates from an Array
Converting an Array to a Set and back, removes duplicates from the Array:
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(new Set([1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3])),
[1, 2, 3]);
37.2.2 Creating a set of Unicode characters (code points)
Strings are iterable and can therefore be used as parameters for new Set():
assert.deepEqual(
new Set('abc'),
new Set(['a', 'b', 'c']));
37.3 What Set elements are considered equal?
As with Map keys, Set elements are compared similarly to ===, with the
exception of NaN being equal to itself.
> const set = new Set([NaN, NaN, NaN]);
> set.size
1
> set.has(NaN)
true
As with ===, two different objects are never considered equal (and there is no
way to change that at the moment):
> const set = new Set();
> set.add({});
> set.size
1
> set.add({});
> set.size
2
37.4 Missing Set operations
Sets are missing several common operations. Such an operation can usually
be implemented by:
Converting the input Sets to Arrays by spreading into Array literals.
Performing the operation on Arrays.
Converting the result to a Set and returning it.
37.4.1 Union (a ∪ b)
Computing the union of two Sets a and b means creating a Set that contains
the elements of both a and b.
const a = new Set([1,2,3]);
const b = new Set([4,3,2]);
// Use spreading to concatenate two iterables
const union = new Set([...a, ...b]);
assert.deepEqual(Array.from(union), [1, 2, 3, 4]);
37.4.2 Intersection (a ∩ b)
Computing the intersection of two Sets a and b means creating a Set that
contains those elements of a that are also in b.
const a = new Set([1,2,3]);
const b = new Set([4,3,2]);
const intersection = new Set(
Array.from(a).filter(x => b.has(x))
);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(intersection), [2, 3]
);
37.4.3 Difference (a \ b)
Computing the difference between two Sets a and b means creating a Set
that contains those elements of a that are not in b. This operation is also
sometimes called minus (−).
const a = new Set([1,2,3]);
const b = new Set([4,3,2]);
const difference = new Set(
Array.from(a).filter(x => !b.has(x))
);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(difference), [1]
);
37.4.4 Mapping over Sets
Sets don’t have a method .map(). But we can borrow the one that Arrays
have:
const set = new Set([1, 2, 3]);
const mappedSet = new Set(
Array.from(set).map(x => x * 2)
);
// Convert mappedSet to an Array to check what’s
inside it
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(mappedSet), [2, 4, 6]
);
37.4.5 Filtering Sets
We can’t directly .filter() Sets, so we need to use the corresponding Array
method:
const set = new Set([1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
const filteredSet = new Set(
Array.from(set).filter(x => (x % 2) === 0)
);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(filteredSet), [2, 4]
);
37.5 Sets can use operations for iterables
Sets are iterable and therefore can use operations that accept iterables.
These are described elsewhere:
“Grouping iterables” (§32.5)
37.6 Quick reference: Set
37.6.1 new Set()
[ES6]
new Set(iterable)
If you don’t provide the parameter values, then an empty Set is
created.
If you do, then the iterated values are added as elements to the
Set.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
37.6.2 Set.prototype.*: single Set elements
[ES6]
Set.prototype.add(value)
Adds value to this Set.
This method returns this, which means that it can be chained.
const set = new Set(['red']);
set.add('green').add('blue');
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(set), ['red', 'green', 'blue']
);
[ES6]
Set.prototype.delete(value)
Removes value from this Set.
Returns true if something was deleted and false, otherwise.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
assert.equal(set.delete('red'), true); // there
was a deletion
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(set), ['green', 'blue']
);
[ES6]
Set.prototype.has(value)
Returns true if value is in this Set and false otherwise.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green']);
assert.equal(set.has('red'), true);
assert.equal(set.has('blue'), false);
37.6.3 Set<T>.prototype: all Set elements
[ES6]
get Set.prototype.size
Returns how many elements there are in this Set.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
assert.equal(set.size, 3);
[ES6]
Set.prototype.clear()
Removes all elements from this Set.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green', 'blue']);
assert.equal(set.size, 3);
set.clear();
assert.equal(set.size, 0);
37.6.4 Set<T>.prototype: iterating and looping
[ES6]
Set.prototype.values()
Returns an iterable over all elements of this Set.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green']);
for (const x of set.values()) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
red
green
[ES6]
Set.prototype[Symbol.iterator]()
Default way of iterating over Sets. Same as .values().
const set = new Set(['red', 'green']);
for (const x of set) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
red
green
[ES6]
Set.prototype.forEach(callback, thisArg?)
forEach(
callback: (value: T, key: T, theSet: Set<T>) =>
void,
thisArg?: any
): void
Feeds each element of this Set to callback(). value and key both contain
the current element. This redundancy was introduced so that this
callback has the same type signature as the callback of
Map.prototype.forEach().
You can specify the this of callback via thisArg. If you omit it, this is
undefined.
const set = new Set(['red', 'green']);
set.forEach(x => console.log(x));
Output:
red
green
37.6.5 Symmetry with Map
The following two methods mainly exist so that Sets and Maps have similar
interfaces. Each Set element is handled as if it were a Map entry whose key
and value are both the element.
[ES6]
Set.prototype.entries(): Iterable<[T,T]>
[ES6]
Set.prototype.keys(): Iterable<T>
.entries() enables you to convert a Set to a Map:
const set = new Set(['a', 'b', 'c']);
const map = new Map(set.entries());
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(map.entries()),
[['a','a'], ['b','b'], ['c','c']]
);
37.7 FAQ: Sets
37.7.1 Why do Sets have a .size, while Arrays have a .length?
The answer to this question is given in “Why do Maps have a .size, while
Arrays have a .length?” (§35.6.4).
[ES6]
38 WeakSets (WeakSet) (advanced)
38.1 Example: Marking objects as safe to use with a method
38.2 WeakSet API
WeakSets are similar to Sets, with the following differences:
They can hold objects without preventing those objects from being
garbage-collected.
They are black boxes: we only get any data out of a WeakSet if we have
both the WeakSet and a value. The only methods that are supported are
.add(), .delete(), .has(). Consult the section on WeakMaps as black
boxes for an explanation of why WeakSets don’t allow iteration,
looping, and clearing.
Given that we can’t iterate over their elements, there are not that many use
cases for WeakSets. They do enable us to mark objects.
38.1 Example: Marking objects as safe to use with a method
The following code demonstrates how a class can ensure that its methods
are only applied to instances that were created by it (based on code by
Domenic Denicola):
const instancesOfSafeClass = new WeakSet();
class SafeClass {
constructor() {
instancesOfSafeClass.add(this);
}
method() {
if (!instancesOfSafeClass.has(this)) {
throw new TypeError('Incompatible object!');
}
}
}
const safeInstance = new SafeClass();
safeInstance.method(); // works
assert.throws(
() => {
const obj = {};
SafeClass.prototype.method.call(obj); // throws
an exception
},
TypeError
);
38.2 WeakSet API
The constructor and the three methods of WeakSet work the same as their Set
equivalents:
[ES6]
new WeakSet<T>(values?: Iterable<T>)
[ES6]
.add(value: T): this
[ES6]
.delete(value: T): boolean
[ES6]
.has(value: T): boolean
[ES6]
39 Destructuring
39.1 A first taste of destructuring
39.2 Constructing vs. extracting
39.3 Where can we destructure?
39.4 Object-destructuring
39.4.1 Property value shorthands
39.4.2 Rest properties
39.4.3 Syntax pitfall: assigning via object destructuring
39.5 Array-destructuring
39.5.1 Array-destructuring works with any iterable
39.5.2 Rest elements
39.6 Examples of destructuring
39.6.1 Array-destructuring: swapping variable values
39.6.2 Array-destructuring: operations that return Arrays
39.6.3 Object-destructuring: multiple return values
39.7 What happens if a pattern part does not match anything?
39.7.1 Object-destructuring and missing properties
39.7.2 Array-destructuring and missing elements
39.8 What values can’t be destructured?
39.8.1 You can’t object-destructure undefined and null
39.8.2 You can’t Array-destructure non-iterable values
39.9 (Advanced)
39.10 Default values
39.10.1 Default values in Array-destructuring
39.10.2 Default values in object-destructuring
39.11 Parameter definitions are similar to destructuring
39.12 Nested destructuring
39.1 A first taste of destructuring
With normal assignment, you extract one piece of data at a time – for
example:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const x = arr[0]; // extract
const y = arr[1]; // extract
With destructuring, you can extract multiple pieces of data at the same time
via patterns in locations that receive data. The left-hand side of = in the
previous code is one such location. In the following code, the square
brackets in line A are a destructuring pattern:
const arr = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
const [x, y] = arr; // (A)
assert.equal(x, 'a');
assert.equal(y, 'b');
This code does the same as the previous code.
Note that the pattern is “smaller” than the data: we are only extracting what
we need.
39.2 Constructing vs. extracting
In order to understand what destructuring is, consider that JavaScript has
two kinds of operations that are opposites:
You can construct compound data, for example, by setting properties
and via object literals.
You can extract data out of compound data, for example, by getting
properties.
Constructing data looks as follows:
// Constructing: one property at a time
const jane1 = {};
jane1.first = 'Jane';
jane1.last = 'Doe';
// Constructing: multiple properties
const jane2 = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
};
assert.deepEqual(jane1, jane2);
Extracting data looks as follows:
const jane = {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
};
// Extracting: one property at a time
const f1 = jane.first;
const l1 = jane.last;
assert.equal(f1, 'Jane');
assert.equal(l1, 'Doe');
// Extracting: multiple properties (NEW!)
const {first: f2, last: l2} = jane; // (A)
assert.equal(f2, 'Jane');
assert.equal(l2, 'Doe');
The operation in line A is new: we declare two variables f2 and l2 and
initialize them via destructuring (multivalue extraction).
The following part of line A is a destructuring pattern:
{first: f2, last: l2}
Destructuring patterns are syntactically similar to the literals that are used
for multivalue construction. But they appear where data is received (e.g., at
the left-hand sides of assignments), not where data is created (e.g., at the
right-hand sides of assignments).
39.3 Where can we destructure?
Destructuring patterns can be used at “data sink locations” such as:
Variable declarations:
const [a] = ['x'];
assert.equal(a, 'x');
let [b] = ['y'];
assert.equal(b, 'y');
Assignments:
let b;
[b] = ['z'];
assert.equal(b, 'z');
Parameter definitions:
const f = ([x]) => x;
assert.equal(f(['a']), 'a');
Note that variable declarations include const and let declarations in for-of
loops:
const arr = ['a', 'b'];
for (const [index, element] of arr.entries()) {
console.log(index, element);
}
Output:
0 a
1 b
In the next two sections, we’ll look deeper into the two kinds of
destructuring: object-destructuring and Array-destructuring.
39.4 Object-destructuring
Object-destructuring lets you batch-extract values of properties via patterns
that look like object literals:
const address = {
street: 'Evergreen Terrace',
number: '742',
city: 'Springfield',
state: 'NT',
zip: '49007',
};
const { street: s, city: c } = address;
assert.equal(s, 'Evergreen Terrace');
assert.equal(c, 'Springfield');
You can think of the pattern as a transparent sheet that you place over the
data: the pattern key 'street' has a match in the data. Therefore, the data
value 'Evergreen Terrace' is assigned to the pattern variable s.
You can also object-destructure primitive values:
const {length: len} = 'abc';
assert.equal(len, 3);
And you can object-destructure Arrays:
const {0:x, 2:y} = ['a', 'b', 'c'];
assert.equal(x, 'a');
assert.equal(y, 'c');
Why does that work? Array indices are also properties.
39.4.1 Property value shorthands
Object literals support property value shorthands and so do object patterns:
const { street, city } = address;
assert.equal(street, 'Evergreen Terrace');
assert.equal(city, 'Springfield');
Exercise: Object-destructuring
exercises/destructuring/object_destructuring_exrc.mjs
39.4.2 Rest properties
In object literals, you can have spread properties. In object patterns, you can
have rest properties (which must come last):
const obj = { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 };
const { a: propValue, ...remaining } = obj; // (A)
assert.equal(propValue, 1);
assert.deepEqual(remaining, {b:2, c:3});
A rest property variable, such as remaining (line A), is assigned an object
with all data properties whose keys are not mentioned in the pattern.
remaining can also be viewed as the result of non-destructively removing
property a from obj.
39.4.3 Syntax pitfall: assigning via object destructuring
If we object-destructure in an assignment, we are facing a pitfall caused by
syntactic ambiguity – you can’t start a statement with a curly brace because
then JavaScript thinks you are starting a block:
let prop;
assert.throws(
() => eval("{prop} = { prop: 'hello' };"),
{
name: 'SyntaxError',
message: "Unexpected token '='",
});
Why eval()?
eval() delays parsing (and therefore the SyntaxError) until the callback
of assert.throws() is executed. If we didn’t use it, we’d already get an
error when this code is parsed and assert.throws() wouldn’t even be
executed.
The workaround is to put the whole assignment in parentheses:
let prop;
({prop} = { prop: 'hello' });
assert.equal(prop, 'hello');
39.5 Array-destructuring
Array-destructuring lets you batch-extract values of Array elements via
patterns that look like Array literals:
const [x, y] = ['a', 'b'];
assert.equal(x, 'a');
assert.equal(y, 'b');
You can skip elements by mentioning holes inside Array patterns:
const [, x, y] = ['a', 'b', 'c']; // (A)
assert.equal(x, 'b');
assert.equal(y, 'c');
The first element of the Array pattern in line A is a hole, which is why the
Array element at index 0 is ignored.
39.5.1 Array-destructuring works with any iterable
Array-destructuring can be applied to any value that is iterable, not just to
Arrays:
{ // Sets are iterable
const [a, b] = new
Set().add('fee').add('fi').add('fo');
assert.equal(a, 'fee');
assert.equal(b, 'fi');
}
{ // Maps are iterable
const [a, b] = new Map().set('one', 1).set('two',
2);
assert.deepEqual(
a, ['one',1]
);
assert.deepEqual(
b, ['two',2]
);
}
{ // Strings are iterable
const [a, b] = 'hello';
assert.equal(a, 'h');
assert.equal(b, 'e');
}
39.5.2 Rest elements
In Array literals, you can have spread elements. In Array patterns, you can
have rest elements (which must come last):
const [x, y, ...remaining] = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'];
// (A)
assert.equal(x, 'a');
assert.equal(y, 'b');
assert.deepEqual(remaining, ['c', 'd']);
A rest element variable, such as remaining (line A), is assigned an Array with
all elements of the destructured value that were not mentioned yet.
39.6 Examples of destructuring
39.6.1 Array-destructuring: swapping variable values
You can use Array-destructuring to swap the values of two variables without
needing a temporary variable:
let x = 'a';
let y = 'b';
[x,y] = [y,x]; // swap
assert.equal(x, 'b');
assert.equal(y, 'a');
39.6.2 Array-destructuring: operations that return Arrays
Array-destructuring is useful when operations return Arrays, as does, for
example, the regular expression method .exec():
// Skip the element at index 0 (the whole match):
const [, year, month, day] =
/^([0-9]{4})-([0-9]{2})-([0-9]{2})$/
.exec('2999-12-31');
assert.equal(year, '2999');
assert.equal(month, '12');
assert.equal(day, '31');
39.6.3 Object-destructuring: multiple return values
Destructuring is very useful if a function returns multiple values – either
packaged as an Array or packaged as an object.
Consider a function findElement() that finds elements in an Array:
findElement(array, (value, index) => «boolean
expression»)
Its second parameter is a function that receives the value and index of an
element and returns a boolean indicating if this is the element the caller is
looking for.
We are now faced with a dilemma: Should findElement() return the value of
the element it found or the index? One solution would be to create two
separate functions, but that would result in duplicated code because both
functions would be very similar.
The following implementation avoids duplication by returning an object that
contains both index and value of the element that is found:
function findElement(arr, predicate) {
for (let index=0; index < arr.length; index++) {
const value = arr[index];
if (predicate(value)) {
// We found something:
return { value, index };
}
}
// We didn’t find anything:
return { value: undefined, index: -1 };
}
Destructuring helps us with processing the result of findElement():
const arr = [7, 8, 6];
const {value, index} = findElement(arr, x => x % 2
=== 0);
assert.equal(value, 8);
assert.equal(index, 1);
As we are working with property keys, the order in which we mention value
and index doesn’t matter:
const {index, value} = findElement(arr, x => x % 2
=== 0);
The kicker is that destructuring also serves us well if we are only interested
in one of the two results:
const arr = [7, 8, 6];
const {value} = findElement(arr, x => x % 2 === 0);
assert.equal(value, 8);
const {index} = findElement(arr, x => x % 2 === 0);
assert.equal(index, 1);
All of these conveniences combined make this way of handling multiple
return values quite versatile.
39.7 What happens if a pattern part does not match
anything?
What happens if there is no match for part of a pattern? The same thing that
happens if you use non-batch operators: you get undefined.
39.7.1 Object-destructuring and missing properties
If a property in an object pattern has no match on the right-hand side, you
get undefined:
const {prop: p} = {};
assert.equal(p, undefined);
39.7.2 Array-destructuring and missing elements
If an element in an Array pattern has no match on the right-hand side, you
get undefined:
const [x] = [];
assert.equal(x, undefined);
39.8 What values can’t be destructured?
39.8.1 You can’t object-destructure undefined and null
Object-destructuring only fails if the value to be destructured is either
undefined or null. That is, it fails whenever accessing a property via the dot
operator would fail too.
> const {prop} = undefined
TypeError: Cannot destructure property 'prop' of
'undefined'
as it is undefined.
> const {prop} = null
TypeError: Cannot destructure property 'prop' of
'null'
as it is null.
39.8.2 You can’t Array-destructure non-iterable values
Array-destructuring demands that the destructured value be iterable.
Therefore, you can’t Array-destructure undefined and null. But you can’t
Array-destructure non-iterable objects either:
> const [x] = {}
TypeError: {} is not iterable
39.9 (Advanced)
All of the remaining sections are advanced.
39.10 Default values
Normally, if a pattern has no match, the corresponding variable is set to
undefined:
const {prop: p} = {};
assert.equal(p, undefined);
If you want a different value to be used, you need to specify a default value
(via =):
const {prop: p = 123} = {}; // (A)
assert.equal(p, 123);
In line A, we specify the default value for p to be 123. That default is used
because the data that we are destructuring has no property named prop.
39.10.1 Default values in Array-destructuring
Here, we have two default values that are assigned to the variables x and y
because the corresponding elements don’t exist in the Array that is
destructured.
const [x=1, y=2] = [];
assert.equal(x, 1);
assert.equal(y, 2);
The default value for the first element of the Array pattern is 1; the default
value for the second element is 2.
39.10.2 Default values in object-destructuring
You can also specify default values for object-destructuring:
const {first: f='', last: l=''} = {};
assert.equal(f, '');
assert.equal(l, '');
Neither property key first nor property key last exist in the object that is
destructured. Therefore, the default values are used.
With property value shorthands, this code becomes simpler:
const {first='', last=''} = {};
assert.equal(first, '');
assert.equal(last, '');
39.11 Parameter definitions are similar to destructuring
Considering what we have learned in this chapter, parameter definitions
have much in common with an Array pattern (rest elements, default values,
etc.). In fact, the following two function declarations are equivalent:
function f1(«pattern1», «pattern2») {
// ···
}
function f2(...args) {
const [«pattern1», «pattern2»] = args;
// ···
}
39.12 Nested destructuring
Until now, we have only used variables as assignment targets (data sinks)
inside destructuring patterns. But you can also use patterns as assignment
targets, which enables you to nest patterns to arbitrary depths:
const arr = [
{ first: 'Jane', last: 'Bond' },
{ first: 'Lars', last: 'Croft' },
];
const [, {first}] = arr; // (A)
assert.equal(first, 'Lars');
Inside the Array pattern in line A, there is a nested object pattern at index 1.
Nested patterns can become difficult to understand, so they are best used in
moderation.
[ES6]
40 Synchronous generators
(advanced)
40.1 What are synchronous generators?
40.1.1 Generator functions return iterables and fill them via
yield
40.1.2 yield pauses a generator function
40.1.3 Why does yield pause execution?
40.1.4 Example: Mapping over iterables
40.2 Calling generators from generators (advanced)
40.2.1 Calling generators via yield*
40.2.2 Example: Iterating over a tree
40.3 Background: external iteration vs. internal iteration
40.4 Use case for generators: reusing traversals
40.4.1 The traversal to reuse
40.4.2 Internal iteration (push)
40.4.3 External iteration (pull)
40.5 Advanced features of generators
40.1 What are synchronous generators?
Synchronous generators are special versions of function definitions and
method definitions that always return synchronous iterables:
// Generator function declaration
function* genFunc1() { /*···*/ }
// Generator function expression
const genFunc2 = function* () { /*···*/ };
// Generator method definition in an object literal
const obj = {
* generatorMethod() {
// ···
}
};
// Generator method definition in a class definition
// (class declaration or class expression)
class MyClass {
* generatorMethod() {
// ···
}
}
Asterisks (*) mark functions and methods as generators:
Functions: The pseudo-keyword function* is a combination of the
keyword function and an asterisk.
Methods: The * is a modifier (similar to static and get).
40.1.1 Generator functions return iterables and fill them via yield
If we call a generator function, it returns an iterable (actually, an iterator
that is also iterable). The generator fills that iterable via the yield operator:
function* genFunc1() {
yield 'a';
yield 'b';
}
const iterable = genFunc1();
// Convert the iterable to an Array, to check what’s
inside:
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(iterable), ['a', 'b']
);
// We can also use a for-of loop
for (const x of genFunc1()) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
40.1.2 yield pauses a generator function
Using a generator function involves the following steps:
Function-calling it returns an iterator iter (that is also an iterable).
Iterating over iter repeatedly invokes iter.next(). Each time, we jump
into the body of the generator function until there is a yield that returns
a value.
Therefore, yield does more than just add values to iterables – it also pauses
and exits the generator function:
Like return, a yield exits the body of the function and returns a value
(to/via .next()).
Unlike return, if we repeat the invocation (of .next()), execution
resumes directly after the yield.
Let’s examine what that means via the following generator function.
let location = 0;
function* genFunc2() {
location = 1; yield 'a';
location = 2; yield 'b';
location = 3;
}
In order to use genFunc2(), we must first create the iterator/iterable iter.
genFunc2() is now paused “before” its body.
const iter = genFunc2();
// genFunc2() is now paused “before” its body:
assert.equal(location, 0);
iter implements the iteration protocol. Therefore, we control the execution
of genFunc2() via iter.next(). Calling that method resumes the paused
genFunc2() and executes it until there is a yield. Then execution pauses and
.next() returns the operand of the yield:
assert.deepEqual(
iter.next(), {value: 'a', done: false});
// genFunc2() is now paused directly after the first
`yield`:
assert.equal(location, 1);
Note that the yielded value 'a' is wrapped in an object, which is how
iterators always deliver their values.
We call iter.next() again and execution continues where we previously
paused. Once we encounter the second yield, genFunc2() is paused and .next()
returns the yielded value 'b'.
assert.deepEqual(
iter.next(), {value: 'b', done: false});
// genFunc2() is now paused directly after the
second `yield`:
assert.equal(location, 2);
We call iter.next() one more time and execution continues until it leaves the
body of genFunc2():
assert.deepEqual(
iter.next(), {value: undefined, done: true});
// We have reached the end of genFunc2():
assert.equal(location, 3);
This time, property .done of the result of .next() is true, which means that the
iterator is finished.
40.1.3 Why does yield pause execution?
What are the benefits of yield pausing execution? Why doesn’t it simply
work like the Array method .push() and fill the iterable with values without
pausing?
Due to pausing, generators provide many of the features of coroutines (think
processes that are multitasked cooperatively). For example, when we ask for
the next value of an iterable, that value is computed lazily (on demand). The
following two generator functions demonstrate what that means.
/**
* Returns an iterable over lines
*/
function* genLines() {
yield 'A line';
yield 'Another line';
yield 'Last line';
}
/**
* Input: iterable over lines
* Output: iterable over numbered lines
*/
function* numberLines(lineIterable) {
let lineNumber = 1;
for (const line of lineIterable) { // input
yield lineNumber + ': ' + line; // output
lineNumber++;
}
}
Note that the yield in numberLines() appears inside a for-of loop. yield can be
used inside loops, but not inside callbacks (more on that later).
Let’s combine both generators to produce the iterable numberedLines:
const numberedLines = numberLines(genLines());
assert.deepEqual(
numberedLines.next(), {value: '1: A line', done:
false});
assert.deepEqual(
numberedLines.next(), {value: '2: Another line',
done: false});
The key benefit of using generators here is that everything works
incrementally: via numberedLines.next(), we ask numberLines() for only a single
numbered line. In turn, it asks genLines() for only a single unnumbered line.
This incrementalism continues to work if, for example, genLines() reads its
lines from a large text file: If we ask numberLines() for a numbered line, we
get one as soon as genLines() has read its first line from the text file.
Without generators, genLines() would first read all lines and return them.
Then numberLines() would number all lines and return them. We therefore
have to wait much longer until we get the first numbered line.
Exercise: Turning a normal function into a generator
exercises/sync-generators/fib_seq_test.mjs
40.1.4 Example: Mapping over iterables
The following function mapIter() is similar to the Array method .map(), but it
returns an iterable, not an Array, and produces its results on demand.
function* mapIter(iterable, func) {
let index = 0;
for (const x of iterable) {
yield func(x, index);
index++;
}
}
const iterable = mapIter(['a', 'b'], x => x + x);
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(iterable), ['aa', 'bb']
);
Exercise: Filtering iterables
exercises/sync-generators/filter_iter_gen_test.mjs
40.2 Calling generators from generators (advanced)
40.2.1 Calling generators via yield*
yield only works directly inside generators – so far we haven’t seen a way of
delegating yielding to another function or method.
Let’s first examine what does not work: in the following example, we’d like
foo() to call bar(), so that the latter yields two values for the former. Alas, a
naive approach fails:
function* bar() {
yield 'a';
yield 'b';
}
function* foo() {
// Nothing happens if we call `bar()`:
bar();
}
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(foo()), []
);
Why doesn’t this work? The function call bar() returns an iterable, which we
ignore.
What we want is for foo() to yield everything that is yielded by bar(). That’s
what the yield* operator does:
function* bar() {
yield 'a';
yield 'b';
}
function* foo() {
yield* bar();
}
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(foo()), ['a', 'b']
);
In other words, the previous foo() is roughly equivalent to:
function* foo() {
for (const x of bar()) {
yield x;
}
}
Note that yield* works with any iterable:
function* gen() {
yield* [1, 2];
}
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(gen()), [1, 2]
);
40.2.2 Example: Iterating over a tree
yield* lets us make recursive calls in generators, which is useful when
iterating over recursive data structures such as trees. Take, for example, the
following data structure for binary trees.
class BinaryTree {
constructor(value, left=null, right=null) {
this.value = value;
this.left = left;
this.right = right;
}
/** Prefix iteration: parent before children */
* [Symbol.iterator]() {
yield this.value;
if (this.left) {
// Same as yield* this.left[Symbol.iterator]()
yield* this.left;
}
if (this.right) {
yield* this.right;
}
}
}
Method [Symbol.iterator]() adds support for the iteration protocol, which
means that we can use a for-of loop to iterate over an instance of BinaryTree:
const tree = new BinaryTree('a',
new BinaryTree('b',
new BinaryTree('c'),
new BinaryTree('d')),
new BinaryTree('e'));
for (const x of tree) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
c
d
e
Exercise: Iterating over a nested Array
exercises/sync-generators/iter_nested_arrays_test.mjs
40.3 Background: external iteration vs. internal iteration
In preparation for the next section, we need to learn about two different
styles of iterating over the values “inside” an object:
External iteration (pull): Your code asks the object for the values via an
iteration protocol. For example, the for-of loop is based on JavaScript’s
iteration protocol:
for (const x of ['a', 'b']) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
Internal iteration (push): We pass a callback function to a method of
the object and the method feeds the values to the callback. For
example, Arrays have the method .forEach():
['a', 'b'].forEach((x) => {
console.log(x);
});
Output:
a
b
The next section has examples for both styles of iteration.
40.4 Use case for generators: reusing traversals
One important use case for generators is extracting and reusing traversals.
40.4.1 The traversal to reuse
As an example, consider the following function that traverses a tree of files
and logs their paths (it uses the Node.js API for doing so):
function logPaths(dir) {
for (const fileName of fs.readdirSync(dir)) {
const filePath = path.join(dir, fileName);
console.log(filePath);
const stats = fs.statSync(filePath);
if (stats.isDirectory()) {
logPaths(filePath); // recursive call
}
}
}
Consider the following directory:
mydir/
a.txt
b.txt
subdir/
c.txt
Let’s log the paths inside mydir/:
logPaths('mydir');
Output:
mydir/a.txt
mydir/b.txt
mydir/subdir
mydir/subdir/c.txt
How can we reuse this traversal and do something other than logging the
paths?
40.4.2 Internal iteration (push)
One way of reusing traversal code is via internal iteration: Each traversed
value is passed to a callback (line A).
function visitPaths(dir, callback) {
for (const fileName of fs.readdirSync(dir)) {
const filePath = path.join(dir, fileName);
callback(filePath); // (A)
const stats = fs.statSync(filePath);
if (stats.isDirectory()) {
visitPaths(filePath, callback);
}
}
}
const paths = [];
visitPaths('mydir', p => paths.push(p));
assert.deepEqual(
paths,
[
'mydir/a.txt',
'mydir/b.txt',
'mydir/subdir',
'mydir/subdir/c.txt',
]);
40.4.3 External iteration (pull)
Another way of reusing traversal code is via external iteration: We can
write a generator that yields all traversed values (line A).
function* iterPaths(dir) {
for (const fileName of fs.readdirSync(dir)) {
const filePath = path.join(dir, fileName);
yield filePath; // (A)
const stats = fs.statSync(filePath);
if (stats.isDirectory()) {
yield* iterPaths(filePath);
}
}
}
const paths = Array.from(iterPaths('mydir'));
40.5 Advanced features of generators
The chapter on generators in Exploring ES6 covers two features that are
beyond the scope of this book:
yield can also receive data, via an argument of .next().
Generators can also return values (not just yield them). Such values do
not become iteration values, but can be retrieved via yield*.
VIII Asynchronicity
41 Foundations of asynchronous
programming in JavaScript
41.1 A roadmap for asynchronous programming in JavaScript
41.1.1 Synchronous functions
41.1.2 JavaScript executes tasks sequentially in a single process
41.1.3 Callback-based asynchronous functions
41.1.4 Promise-based asynchronous functions
41.1.5 Async functions
41.1.6 Next steps
41.2 The call stack
41.3 The event loop
41.4 How to avoid blocking the JavaScript process
41.4.1 The user interface of the browser can be blocked
41.4.2 How can we avoid blocking the browser?
41.4.3 Taking breaks
41.4.4 Run-to-completion semantics
41.5 Patterns for delivering asynchronous results
41.5.1 Delivering asynchronous results via events
41.5.2 Delivering asynchronous results via callbacks
41.6 Asynchronous code: the downsides
41.7 Resources
This chapter explains the foundations of asynchronous programming in
JavaScript.
41.1 A roadmap for asynchronous programming in
JavaScript
This section provides a roadmap for the content on asynchronous
programming in JavaScript.
Don’t worry about the details!
Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything yet. This is just a
quick peek at what’s coming up.
41.1.1 Synchronous functions
Normal functions are synchronous: the caller waits until the callee is
finished with its computation. divideSync() in line A is a synchronous
function call:
function main() {
try {
const result = divideSync(12, 3); // (A)
assert.equal(result, 4);
} catch (err) {
assert.fail(err);
}
}
41.1.2 JavaScript executes tasks sequentially in a single process
By default, JavaScript tasks are functions that are executed sequentially in a
single process. That looks like this:
while (true) {
const task = taskQueue.dequeue();
task(); // run task
}
This loop is also called the event loop because events, such as clicking a
mouse, add tasks to the queue.
Due to this style of cooperative multitasking, we don’t want a task to block
other tasks from being executed while, for example, it waits for results
coming from a server. The next subsection explores how to handle this case.
41.1.3 Callback-based asynchronous functions
What if divide() needs a server to compute its result? Then the result should
be delivered in a different manner: The caller shouldn’t have to wait
(synchronously) until the result is ready; it should be notified
(asynchronously) when it is. One way of delivering the result
asynchronously is by giving divide() a callback function that it uses to notify
the caller.
function main() {
divideCallback(12, 3,
(err, result) => {
if (err) {
assert.fail(err);
} else {
assert.equal(result, 4);
}
});
}
When there is an asynchronous function call:
divideCallback(x, y, callback)
Then the following steps happen:
divideCallback() sends a request to a server.
Then the current task main() is finished and other tasks can be executed.
When a response from the server arrives, it is either:
An error err: Then the following task is added to the queue.
taskQueue.enqueue(() => callback(err));
A result value: Then the following task is added to the queue.
taskQueue.enqueue(() => callback(null,
result));
41.1.4 Promise-based asynchronous functions
Promises are two things:
A standard pattern that makes working with callbacks easier.
The mechanism on which async functions (the topic of the next
subsection) are built.
Invoking a Promise-based function looks as follows.
function main() {
dividePromise(12, 3)
.then(result => assert.equal(result, 4))
.catch(err => assert.fail(err));
}
41.1.5 Async functions
One way of looking at async functions is as better syntax for Promise-based
code:
async function main() {
try {
const result = await dividePromise(12, 3); //
(A)
assert.equal(result, 4);
} catch (err) {
assert.fail(err);
}
}
The dividePromise() we are calling in line A is the same Promise-based
function as in the previous section. But we now have synchronous-looking
syntax for handling the call. await can only be used inside a special kind of
function, an async function (note the keyword async in front of the keyword
function). await pauses the current async function and returns from it. Once
the awaited result is ready, the execution of the function continues where it
left off.
41.1.6 Next steps
In this chapter, we’ll see how synchronous function calls work. We’ll
also explore JavaScript’s way of executing code in a single process, via
its event loop.
Asynchronicity via callbacks is also described in this chapter.
The following chapters cover Promises and async functions.
This series of chapters on asynchronous programming concludes with
the chapter on asynchronous iteration, which is similar to synchronous
iteration, but iterated values are delivered asynchronously.
41.2 The call stack
Whenever a function calls another function, we need to remember where to
return to after the latter function is finished. That is typically done via a
stack – the call stack: the caller pushes onto it the location to return to, and
the callee jumps to that location after it is done.
This is an example where several calls happen:
function h(z) {
const error = new Error();
console.log(error.stack);
}
function g(y) {
h(y + 1);
}
function f(x) {
g(x + 1);
}
f(3);
Initially, before running this piece of code, the call stack is empty. After the
function call f(3) in line 11, the stack has one entry:
Line 12 (location in top-level scope)
After the function call g(x + 1) in line 9, the stack has two entries:
Line 10 (location in f())
Line 12 (location in top-level scope)
After the function call h(y + 1) in line 6, the stack has three entries:
Line 7 (location in g())
Line 10 (location in f())
Line 12 (location in top-level scope)
Logging error in line 3, produces the following output:
Error
at h (demos/async-js/stack_trace.mjs:2:17)
at g (demos/async-js/stack_trace.mjs:7:3)
at f (demos/async-js/stack_trace.mjs:10:3)
at demos/async-js/stack_trace.mjs:12:1
This is a so-called stack trace of where the Error object was created. Note
that it records where calls were made, not return locations. Creating the
exception in line 2 is yet another call. That’s why the stack trace includes a
location inside h().
After line 3, each of the functions terminates and each time, the top entry is
removed from the call stack. After function f is done, we are back in top-
level scope and the stack is empty. When the code fragment ends then that is
like an implicit return. If we consider the code fragment to be a task that is
executed, then returning with an empty call stack ends the task.
41.3 The event loop
By default, JavaScript runs in a single process – in both web browsers and
Node.js. The so-called event loop sequentially executes tasks (pieces of
code) inside that process. The event loop is depicted in figure 41.1.
func3 running Task sources:
• DOM manipulation
• User interaction
• Networking
func2 • History traversal
func1 •…
onTimeout Call stack
Event loop ↺
onClick onDone onClick
Task queue
Figure 41.1: Task sources add code to run to the task queue, which is
emptied by the event loop.
Two parties access the task queue:
Task sources add tasks to the queue. Some of those sources run
concurrently to the JavaScript process. For example, one task source
takes care of user interface events: if a user clicks somewhere and a
click listener was registered, then an invocation of that listener is added
to the task queue.
The event loop runs continuously inside the JavaScript process. During
each loop iteration, it takes one task out of the queue (if the queue is
empty, it waits until it isn’t) and executes it. That task is finished when
the call stack is empty and there is a return. Control goes back to the
event loop, which then retrieves the next task from the queue and
executes it. And so on.
The following JavaScript code is an approximation of the event loop:
while (true) {
const task = taskQueue.dequeue();
task(); // run task
}
41.4 How to avoid blocking the JavaScript process
41.4.1 The user interface of the browser can be blocked
Many of the user interface mechanisms of browsers also run in the
JavaScript process (as tasks). Therefore, long-running JavaScript code can
block the user interface. Let’s look at a web page that demonstrates that.
There are two ways in which you can try out that page:
You can run it online.
You can open the following file inside the repository with the
exercises: demos/async-js/blocking.html
The following HTML is the page’s user interface:
<a id="block" href="">Block</a>
<div id="statusMessage"></div>
<button>Click me!</button>
The idea is that you click “Block” and a long-running loop is executed via
JavaScript. During that loop, you can’t click the button because the
browser/JavaScript process is blocked.
A simplified version of the JavaScript code looks like this:
document.getElementById('block')
.addEventListener('click', doBlock); // (A)
function doBlock(event) {
// ···
displayStatus('Blocking...');
// ···
sleep(5000); // (B)
displayStatus('Done');
}
function sleep(milliseconds) {
const start = Date.now();
while ((Date.now() - start) < milliseconds);
}
function displayStatus(status) {
document.getElementById('statusMessage')
.textContent = status;
}
These are the key parts of the code:
Line A: We tell the browser to call doBlock() whenever the HTML
element is clicked whose ID is block.
doBlock() displays status information and then calls sleep() to block the
JavaScript process for 5000 milliseconds (line B).
sleep() blocks the JavaScript process by looping until enough time has
passed.
displayStatus() displays status messages inside the <div> whose ID is
statusMessage.
41.4.2 How can we avoid blocking the browser?
There are several ways in which you can prevent a long-running operation
from blocking the browser:
The operation can deliver its result asynchronously: Some operations,
such as downloads, can be performed concurrently to the JavaScript
process. The JavaScript code triggering such an operation registers a
callback, which is invoked with the result once the operation is
finished. The invocation is handled via the task queue. This style of
delivering a result is called asynchronous because the caller doesn’t
wait until the results are ready. Normal function calls deliver their
results synchronously.
Perform long computations in separate processes: This can be done via
so-called Web Workers. Web Workers are heavyweight processes that
run concurrently to the main process. Each one of them has its own
runtime environment (global variables, etc.). They are completely
isolated and must be communicated with via message passing. Consult
MDN web docs for more information.
Take breaks during long computations. The next subsection explains
how.
41.4.3 Taking breaks
The following global function executes its parameter callback after a delay of
ms milliseconds (the type signature is simplified – setTimeout() has more
features):
function setTimeout(callback: () => void, ms:
number): any
The function returns a handle (an ID) that can be used to clear the timeout
(cancel the execution of the callback) via the following global function:
function clearTimeout(handle?: any): void
setTimeout() is available on both browsers and Node.js. The next subsection
shows it in action.
setTimeout() lets tasks take breaks
Another way of looking at setTimeout() is that the current task takes a
break and continues later via the callback.
41.4.4 Run-to-completion semantics
JavaScript makes a guarantee for tasks:
Each task is always finished (“run to completion”) before the next task
is executed.
As a consequence, tasks don’t have to worry about their data being changed
while they are working on it (concurrent modification). That simplifies
programming in JavaScript.
The following example demonstrates this guarantee:
console.log('start');
setTimeout(() => {
console.log('callback');
}, 0);
console.log('end');
Output:
start
end
callback
setTimeout() puts its parameter into the task queue. The parameter is
therefore executed sometime after the current piece of code (task) is
completely finished.
The parameter ms only specifies when the task is put into the queue, not
when exactly it runs. It may even never run – for example, if there is a task
before it in the queue that never terminates. That explains why the previous
code logs 'end' before 'callback', even though the parameter ms is 0.
41.5 Patterns for delivering asynchronous results
In order to avoid blocking the main process while waiting for a long-
running operation to finish, results are often delivered asynchronously in
JavaScript. These are three popular patterns for doing so:
Events
Callbacks
Promises
The first two patterns are explained in the next two subsections. Promises
are explained in the next chapter.
41.5.1 Delivering asynchronous results via events
Events as a pattern work as follows:
They are used to deliver values asynchronously.
They do so zero or more times.
There are three roles in this pattern:
The event (an object) carries the data to be delivered.
The event listener is a function that receives events via a
parameter.
The event source sends events and lets you register event listeners.
Multiple variations of this pattern exist in the world of JavaScript. We’ll
look at three examples next.
41.5.1.1 Events: IndexedDB
IndexedDB is a database that is built into web browsers. This is an example
of using it:
const openRequest = indexedDB.open('MyDatabase', 1);
// (A)
openRequest.onsuccess = (event) => {
const db = event.target.result;
// ···
};
openRequest.onerror = (error) => {
console.error(error);
};
indexedDB has an unusual way of invoking operations:
Each operation has an associated method for creating request objects.
For example, in line A, the operation is “open”, the method is .open(),
and the request object is openRequest.
The parameters for the operation are provided via the request object,
not via parameters of the method. For example, the event listeners
(functions) are stored in the properties .onsuccess and .onerror.
The invocation of the operation is added to the task queue via the
method (in line A). That is, we configure the operation after its
invocation has already been added to the queue. Only run-to-
completion semantics saves us from race conditions here and ensures
that the operation runs after the current code fragment is finished.
41.5.1.2 Events: XMLHttpRequest
The XMLHttpRequest API lets us make downloads from within a web browser.
This is how we download the file http://example.com/textfile.txt:
const xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); // (A)
xhr.open('GET', 'http://example.com/textfile.txt');
// (B)
xhr.onload = () => { // (C)
if (xhr.status == 200) {
processData(xhr.responseText);
} else {
assert.fail(new Error(xhr.statusText));
}
};
xhr.onerror = () => { // (D)
assert.fail(new Error('Network error'));
};
xhr.send(); // (E)
function processData(str) {
assert.equal(str, 'Content of textfile.txt\n');
}
With this API, we first create a request object (line A), then configure it,
then activate it (line E). The configuration consists of:
Specifying which HTTP request method to use (line B): GET, POST, PUT,
etc.
Registering a listener (line C) that is notified if something could be
downloaded. Inside the listener, we still need to determine if the
download contains what we requested or informs us of an error. Note
that some of the result data is delivered via the request object xhr. (I’m
not a fan of this kind of mixing of input and output data.)
Registering a listener (line D) that is notified if there was a network
error.
41.5.1.3 Events: DOM
We have already seen DOM events in action in “The user interface of the
browser can be blocked” (§41.4.1). The following code also handles click
events:
const element = document.getElementById('my-link');
// (A)
element.addEventListener('click', clickListener); //
(B)
function clickListener(event) {
event.preventDefault(); // (C)
console.log(event.shiftKey); // (D)
}
We first ask the browser to retrieve the HTML element whose ID is 'my-link'
(line A). Then we add a listener for all click events (line B). In the listener,
we first tell the browser not to perform its default action (line C) – going to
the target of the link. Then we log to the console if the shift key is currently
pressed (line D).
41.5.2 Delivering asynchronous results via callbacks
Callbacks are another pattern for handling asynchronous results. They are
only used for one-off results and have the advantage of being less verbose
than events.
As an example, consider a function readFile() that reads a text file and
returns its contents asynchronously. This is how you call readFile() if it uses
Node.js-style callbacks:
readFile('some-file.txt', {encoding: 'utf-8'},
(error, data) => {
if (error) {
assert.fail(error);
return;
}
assert.equal(data, 'The content of some-
file.txt');
});
There is a single callback that handles both success and failure. If the first
parameter is not null then an error happened. Otherwise, the result can be
found in the second parameter.
Exercises: Callback-based code
The following exercises use tests for asynchronous code, which are
different from tests for synchronous code. Consult “Asynchronous
tests in Mocha” (§12.2.2) for more information.
From synchronous to callback-based code: exercises/async-
js/read_file_cb_exrc.mjs
Implementing a callback-based version of .map(): exercises/async-
js/map_cb_test.mjs
41.6 Asynchronous code: the downsides
In many situations, on either browsers or Node.js, you have no choice, you
must use asynchronous code. In this chapter, we have seen several patterns
that such code can use. All of them have two disadvantages:
Asynchronous code is more verbose than synchronous code.
If you call asynchronous code, your code must become asynchronous
too. That’s because you can’t wait synchronously for an asynchronous
result. Asynchronous code has an infectious quality.
The first disadvantage becomes less severe with Promises (covered in the
next chapter) and mostly disappears with async functions (covered in the
chapter after next).
Alas, the infectiousness of async code does not go away. But it is mitigated
by the fact that switching between sync and async is easy with async
functions.
41.7 Resources
“Help, I'm stuck in an event-loop” by Philip Roberts (video).
“Event loops”, section in HTML5 spec.
42 Promises for asynchronous
[ES6]
programming
42.1 The basics of using Promises
42.1.1 Using a Promise-based function
42.1.2 What is a Promise?
42.1.3 Implementing a Promise-based function
42.1.4 States of Promises
42.1.5 Creating resolved and rejected Promises via
Promise.resolve() and Promise.reject()
42.1.6 Returning and throwing in .then() callbacks
42.1.7 .catch() and its callback
42.1.8 Chaining method calls
[ES2018]
42.1.9 Promise.prototype.finally()
[ES2024]
42.1.10 Promise.withResolvers()
42.1.11 Advantages of promises over plain callbacks
42.2 Examples
42.2.1 Node.js: Reading a file asynchronously
42.2.2 Browsers: Promisifying XMLHttpRequest
42.2.3 Fetch API
42.3 Error handling: don’t mix rejections and exceptions
42.4 Promise-based functions start synchronously, settle
asynchronously
42.5 Promise combinator functions: working with Arrays of
Promises
42.5.1 What is a Promise combinator function?
42.5.2 Promise.all()
42.5.3 Promise.race()
[ES2021]
42.5.4 Promise.any()
[ES2020]
42.5.5 Promise.allSettled()
42.5.6 Short-circuiting (advanced)
42.6 Concurrency and Promise.all() (advanced)
42.6.1 Sequential execution vs. concurrent execution
42.6.2 Concurrency tip: focus on when operations start
42.6.3 Promise.all() is fork-join
42.7 Tips for chaining Promises
42.7.1 Chaining mistake: losing the tail
42.7.2 Chaining mistake: nesting
42.7.3 Chaining mistake: more nesting than necessary
42.7.4 Not all nesting is bad
42.7.5 Chaining mistake: creating Promises instead of chaining
42.8 Quick reference: Promise combinator functions
42.8.1 Promise.all()
42.8.2 Promise.race()
[ES2021]
42.8.3 Promise.any()
[ES2020]
42.8.4 Promise.allSettled()
Recommended reading
This chapter builds on the previous chapter with background on
asynchronous programming in JavaScript.
42.1 The basics of using Promises
Promises are a technique for delivering results asynchronously.
42.1.1 Using a Promise-based function
The following code is an example of using the Promise-based function
addAsync() (whose implementation is shown soon):
addAsync(3, 4)
.then(result => { // success
assert.equal(result, 7);
})
.catch(error => { // failure
assert.fail(error);
});
Promises are similar to the event pattern: There is an object (a Promise),
where we register callbacks:
Method .then() registers callbacks that handle results.
Method .catch() registers callbacks that handle errors.
A Promise-based function returns a Promise and sends it a result or an error
(if and when it is done). The Promise passes it on to the relevant callbacks.
In contrast to the event pattern, Promises are optimized for one-off results:
A result (or an error) is cached so that it doesn’t matter if we register a
callback before or after the result (or error) was sent.
We can chain the Promise methods .then() and .catch() because they
both return Promises. That helps with sequentially invoking multiple
asynchronous functions. More on that later.
42.1.2 What is a Promise?
What is a Promise? There are two ways of looking at it:
On one hand, it is a placeholder and container for the final result that
we are waiting for.
On the other hand, it is an object with which we can register listeners.
42.1.3 Implementing a Promise-based function
This is an implementation of a Promise-based function that adds two
numbers x and y:
function addAsync(x, y) {
return new Promise(
(resolve, reject) => { // (A)
if (x === undefined || y === undefined) {
reject(new Error('Must provide two
parameters'));
} else {
resolve(x + y);
}
});
}
addAsync() immediately invokes the Promise constructor. The actual
implementation of the functionality resides in the callback that is passed to
that constructor (line A). That callback is provided with two functions:
resolve is used for delivering a result (in case of success).
reject is used for delivering an error (in case of failure).
42.1.3.1 The revealing constructor pattern (advanced)
The Promise constructor uses the revealing constructor pattern:
const promise = new Promise(
(resolve, reject) => {
// ···
}
);
Quoting Domenic Denicola, one of the people behind JavaScript’s Promise
API:
I call this the revealing constructor pattern because the Promise
constructor is revealing its internal capabilities, but only to the code
that constructs the promise in question. The ability to resolve or reject
the promise is only revealed to the constructing code, and is crucially
not revealed to anyone using the promise. So if we hand off p to another
consumer, say
doThingsWith(p);
then we can be sure that this consumer cannot mess with any of the
internals that were revealed to us by the constructor. This is as opposed
to, for example, putting resolve and reject methods on p, which anyone
could call.
42.1.4 States of Promises
Settled
Pending Fulfilled
Rejected
Figure 42.1: A Promise can be in either one of three states: pending,
fulfilled, or rejected. If a Promise is in a final (non-pending) state, it is
called settled.
Figure 42.1 depicts the three states a Promise can be in. Promises specialize
in one-off results and protect us against race conditions (registering too
early or too late):
If we register a .then() callback or a .catch() callback too early, it is
notified once a Promise is settled.
Once a Promise is settled, the settlement value (result or error) is
cached. Thus, if .then() or .catch() are called after the settlement, they
receive the cached value.
Additionally, once a Promise is settled, its state and settlement value can’t
change anymore. That helps make code predictable and enforces the one-off
nature of Promises.
42.1.4.1 Some Promises are never settled
This is an example of a Promise that is never settled and forever pending:
new Promise(() => {})
42.1.4.2 What is the difference between resolving and fulfilling a Promise?
If the callback of new Promise() calls resolve(x) then it depends on x what
happens to the newly created Promise p:
If x is a non-Promise value then p is fulfilled with x.
If x is a Promise, then the state of p locked on the state of x. That is:
If x is fulfilled, p is fulfilled.
If x is rejected, p is rejected.
If x never settles, p never settles either.
In other words: The operation resolve only determines the fate of a Promise;
it may or may not fulfill it.
42.1.5 Creating resolved and rejected Promises via Promise.resolve()
and Promise.reject()
If x is a non-Promise value then Promise.resolve(x) creates a Promise that is
fulfilled with that value:
Promise.resolve(123)
.then(x => {
assert.equal(x, 123);
});
If the argument is already a Promise, it is returned unchanged:
const abcPromise = Promise.resolve('abc');
assert.equal(
Promise.resolve(abcPromise), abcPromise
);
Promise.reject(err) accepts a value err (that is normally not a Promise) and
returns a Promise that is rejected with it:
const myError = new Error('My error!');
Promise.reject(myError)
.catch(err => {
assert.equal(err, myError);
});
Why is that useful?
On one hand, we can use Promise.resolve() to convert a value that may
or may not be a Promise to a value that is guaranteed to be a Promise.
On the other hand, we may want to create a Promise that is fulfilled or
rejected with a given non-Promise value. Then we can use
Promise.resolve() and Promise.reject() – as demonstrated by the example
below.
function convertToNumber(stringOrNumber) {
if (typeof stringOrNumber === 'number') {
return Promise.resolve(stringOrNumber);
} else if (typeof stringOrNumber === 'string') {
return stringToNumberAsync(stringOrNumber);
} else {
return Promise.reject(new TypeError());
}
}
42.1.6 Returning and throwing in .then() callbacks
.then() handles Promise fulfillments. It also returns a new Promise. Doing
so enables method chaining: We can invoke .then() and .catch() on the result
and keep the asynchronous computation going.
How the Promise returned by .then() is resolved, depends on what happens
inside its callback. Let’s look at three common cases.
42.1.6.1 Returning a non-Promise value from the .then() callback
First, the callback can return a non-Promise value (line A). Consequently,
the Promise returned by .then() is fulfilled with that value (as checked in
line B):
Promise.resolve('abc')
.then(str => {
return str + str; // (A)
})
.then(str2 => {
assert.equal(str2, 'abcabc'); // (B)
});
42.1.6.2 Returning a Promise from the .then() callback
Second, the callback can return a Promise q (line A). Consequently, the
Promise p returned by .then() is resolved with q. In other words: p is
effectively replaced by q.
Promise.resolve('abc')
.then(str => {
return Promise.resolve(123); // (A)
})
.then(num => {
assert.equal(num, 123);
});
Why is that useful? We can return the result of a Promise-based operation
and process its fulfillment value via a “flat” (non-nested) .then(). Compare:
// Flat
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
/*···*/
return asyncFunc2();
})
.then(result2 => {
/*···*/
});
// Nested
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
/*···*/
asyncFunc2()
.then(result2 => {
/*···*/
});
});
42.1.6.3 Throwing an exception inside the .then() callback
Third, the callback can throw an exception. Consequently, the Promise
returned by .then() is rejected with that exception. That is, a synchronous
error is converted into an asynchronous error.
const myError = new Error('My error!');
Promise.resolve('abc')
.then(str => {
throw myError;
})
.catch(err => {
assert.equal(err, myError);
});
42.1.7 .catch() and its callback
The difference between .then() and .catch() is that the latter is triggered by
rejections, not fulfillments. However, both methods turn the actions of their
callbacks into Promises in the same manner. For example, in the following
code, the value returned by the .catch() callback in line A becomes a
fulfillment value:
const err = new Error();
Promise.reject(err)
.catch(e => {
assert.equal(e, err);
// Something went wrong, use a default value
return 'default value'; // (A)
})
.then(str => {
assert.equal(str, 'default value');
});
42.1.8 Chaining method calls
.then() and .catch() always returning Promises enables us to create arbitrary
long chains of method calls:
function myAsyncFunc() {
return asyncFunc1() // (A)
.then(result1 => {
// ···
return asyncFunc2(); // a Promise
})
.then(result2 => {
// ···
return result2 ?? '(Empty)'; // not a Promise
})
.then(result3 => {
// ···
return asyncFunc4(); // a Promise
});
}
Due to chaining, the return in line A returns the result of the last .then().
In a way, .then() is the asynchronous version of the synchronous semicolon:
asyncFunc1().then(asyncFunc2) executes the asynchronous operations
asyncFunc1 and asyncFunc2 sequentially.
syncFunc1(); syncFunc2() executes the synchronous operations syncFunc1
and syncFunc2 sequentially.
We can also add .catch() into the mix and let it handle multiple error
sources at the same time:
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
// ···
return asyncFunction2();
})
.then(result2 => {
// ···
})
.catch(error => {
// Failure: handle errors of asyncFunc1(),
asyncFunc2()
// and any (sync) exceptions thrown in previous
callbacks
});
[ES2018]
42.1.9 Promise.prototype.finally()
The Promise method .finally() is often used as follows:
somePromise
.then((result) => {
// ···
})
.catch((error) => {
// ···
})
.finally(() => {
// ···
})
;
The .finally() callback is always executed – independently of somePromise and
the values returned by .then() and/or .catch(). In contrast:
The .then() callback is only executed if somePromise is fulfilled.
The .catch() callback is only executed if:
either somePromise is rejected,
or the .then() callback returns a rejected Promise,
or the .then() callback throws an exception.
.finally() ignores what its callback returns and simply passes on the
settlement that existed before it was called:
Promise.resolve(123)
.finally(() => {})
.then((result) => {
assert.equal(result, 123);
});
Promise.reject('error')
.finally(() => {})
.catch((error) => {
assert.equal(error, 'error');
});
If, however, the .finally() callback throws an exception, the Promise
returned by .finally() is rejected:
Promise.reject('error (originally)')
.finally(() => {
throw 'error (finally)';
})
.catch((error) => {
assert.equal(error, 'error (finally)');
});
42.1.9.1 Use case for .finally(): cleaning up
One common use case for .finally() is similar to a common use case of the
synchronous finally clause: cleaning up after you are done with a resource.
That should always happen, regardless of whether everything went smoothly
or there was an error – for example:
let connection;
db.open()
.then((conn) => {
connection = conn;
return connection.select({ name: 'Jane' });
})
.then((result) => {
// Process result
// Use `connection` to make more queries
})
// ···
.catch((error) => {
// handle errors
})
.finally(() => {
connection.close();
});
42.1.9.2 Use case for .finally(): doing something first after any kind of settlement
We can also use .finally() before both .then() and .catch(). Then what we do
in the .finally() callback is always executed before the other two callbacks.
As an example, consider the following function handleAsyncResult():
function handleAsyncResult(promise) {
return promise
.finally(() => {
console.log('finally');
})
.then((result) => {
console.log('then ' + result);
})
.catch((error) => {
console.log('catch ' + error);
})
;
}
This is what happens with a fulfilled Promise:
handleAsyncResult(Promise.resolve('fulfilled'));
Output:
finally
then fulfilled
This is what happens with a rejected Promise:
handleAsyncResult(Promise.reject('rejected'));
Output:
finally
catch rejected
[ES2024]
42.1.10 Promise.withResolvers()
The most common way of creating and resolving a Promise is via the Promise
constructor:
new Promise(
(resolve, reject) => { ··· }
);
One limitation of creating Promises like that is that the settlement functions
resolve and reject are meant to only be used inside the callback. Sometimes
we want to use them outside of it. That’s when the following static factory
method is useful:
const { promise, resolve, reject } =
Promise.withResolvers();
This is what using that factory method looks like:
{
const { promise, resolve, reject } =
Promise.withResolvers();
resolve('fulfilled');
assert.equal(
await promise,
'fulfilled'
);
}
{
const { promise, resolve, reject } =
Promise.withResolvers();
reject('rejected');
try {
await promise;
} catch (err) {
assert.equal(err, 'rejected');
}
}
42.1.10.1 An implementation
We can implement Promise.withResolvers() as follows:
function promiseWithResolvers() {
let resolve;
let reject;
const promise = new Promise(
(res, rej) => {
// Executed synchronously!
resolve = res;
reject = rej;
});
return {promise, resolve, reject};
}
42.1.10.2 Example: one-element queue
class OneElementQueue {
#promise = null;
#resolve = null;
constructor() {
const { promise, resolve } =
Promise.withResolvers();
this.#promise = promise;
this.#resolve = resolve;
}
get() {
return this.#promise;
}
put(value) {
this.#resolve(value);
}
}
{ // Putting before getting
const queue = new OneElementQueue();
queue.put('one');
assert.equal(
await queue.get(),
'one'
);
}
{ // Getting before putting
const queue = new OneElementQueue();
setTimeout(
// Runs after `await` pauses the current
execution context
() => queue.put('two'),
0
);
assert.equal(
await queue.get(),
'two'
);
}
42.1.11 Advantages of promises over plain callbacks
These are some of the advantages of Promises over plain callbacks when it
comes to handling one-off results:
The type signatures of Promise-based functions and methods are
cleaner: if a function is callback-based, some parameters are about
input, while the one or two callbacks at the end are about output. With
Promises, everything output-related is handled via the returned value.
Chaining asynchronous processing steps is more convenient.
Promises handle both asynchronous errors (via rejections) and
synchronous errors: Inside the callbacks for new Promise(), .then(), and
.catch(), exceptions are converted to rejections. In contrast, if we use
callbacks for asynchronicity, exceptions are normally not handled for
us; we have to do it ourselves.
Promises are a single standard that is slowly replacing several,
mutually incompatible alternatives. For example, in Node.js, many
functions are now available in Promise-based versions. And new
asynchronous browser APIs are usually Promise-based.
One of the biggest advantages of Promises involves not working with them
directly: they are the foundation of async functions, a synchronous-looking
syntax for performing asynchronous computations. Asynchronous functions
are covered in the next chapter.
42.2 Examples
Seeing Promises in action helps with understanding them. Let’s look at
examples.
42.2.1 Node.js: Reading a file asynchronously
Consider the following text file person.json with JSON data in it:
{
"first": "Jane",
"last": "Doe"
}
Let’s look at two versions of code that reads this file and parses it into an
object. First, a callback-based version. Second, a Promise-based version.
42.2.1.1 The callback-based version
The following code reads the contents of this file and converts it to a
JavaScript object. It is based on Node.js-style callbacks:
import * as fs from 'node:fs';
fs.readFile('person.json',
(error, text) => {
if (error) { // (A)
// Failure
assert.fail(error);
} else {
// Success
try { // (B)
const obj = JSON.parse(text); // (C)
assert.deepEqual(obj, {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
});
} catch (e) {
// Invalid JSON
assert.fail(e);
}
}
});
fs is a built-in Node.js module for file system operations. We use the
callback-based function fs.readFile() to read a file whose name is person.json.
If we succeed, the content is delivered via the parameter text as a string. In
line C, we convert that string from the text-based data format JSON into a
JavaScript object. JSON is an object with methods for consuming and
producing JSON. It is part of JavaScript’s standard library and documented
later in this book.
Note that there are two error-handling mechanisms: the if in line A takes
care of asynchronous errors reported by fs.readFile(), while the try in line B
takes care of synchronous errors reported by JSON.parse().
42.2.1.2 The Promise-based version
The following code uses readFile() from node:fs/promises, the Promise-based
version of fs.readFile():
import {readFile} from 'node:fs/promises';
readFile('person.json')
.then(text => { // (A)
// Success
const obj = JSON.parse(text);
assert.deepEqual(obj, {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
});
})
.catch(err => { // (B)
// Failure: file I/O error or JSON syntax error
assert.fail(err);
});
Function readFile() returns a Promise. In line A, we specify a success
callback via method .then() of that Promise. The remaining code in then’s
callback is synchronous.
.then() returns a Promise, which enables the invocation of the Promise
method .catch() in line B. We use it to specify a failure callback.
Note that .catch() lets us handle both the asynchronous errors of readFile()
and the synchronous errors of JSON.parse() because exceptions inside a
.then() callback become rejections.
42.2.2 Browsers: Promisifying XMLHttpRequest
We have previously seen the event-based XMLHttpRequest API for downloading
data in web browsers. The following function promisifies that API:
function httpGet(url) {
return new Promise(
(resolve, reject) => {
const xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
xhr.onload = () => {
if (xhr.status === 200) {
resolve(xhr.responseText); // (A)
} else {
// Something went wrong (404, etc.)
reject(new Error(xhr.statusText)); // (B)
}
}
xhr.onerror = () => {
reject(new Error('Network error')); // (C)
};
xhr.open('GET', url);
xhr.send();
});
}
Note how the results and errors of XMLHttpRequest are handled via resolve()
and reject():
A successful outcome leads to the returned Promise being fullfilled
with it (line A).
An error leads to the Promise being rejected (lines B and C).
This is how to use httpGet():
httpGet('http://example.com/textfile.txt')
.then(content => {
assert.equal(content, 'Content of
textfile.txt\n');
})
.catch(error => {
assert.fail(error);
});
Exercise: Timing out a Promise
exercises/promises/promise_timeout_test.mjs
42.2.3 Fetch API
Most JavaScript platforms support Fetch, a Promise-based API for
downloading data. Think of it as a Promise-based version of XMLHttpRequest.
The following is an excerpt of the API:
interface Body {
text() : Promise<string>;
···
}
interface Response extends Body {
···
}
declare function fetch(str) : Promise<Response>;
That means we can use fetch() as follows:
fetch('http://example.com/textfile.txt')
.then(response => response.text())
.then(text => {
assert.equal(text, 'Content of textfile.txt\n');
});
Exercise: Using the fetch API
exercises/promises/fetch_json_test.mjs
42.3 Error handling: don’t mix rejections and exceptions
Rule for implementing functions and methods:
Don’t mix (asynchronous) rejections and (synchronous) exceptions.
This makes our synchronous and asynchronous code more predictable and
simpler because we can always focus on a single error-handling mechanism.
For Promise-based functions and methods, the rule means that they should
never throw exceptions. Alas, it is easy to accidentally get this wrong – for
example:
// Don’t do this
function asyncFunc() {
doSomethingSync(); // (A)
return doSomethingAsync()
.then(result => {
// ···
});
}
The problem is that if an exception is thrown in line A, then asyncFunc() will
throw an exception. Callers of that function only expect rejections and are
not prepared for an exception. There are three ways in which we can fix this
issue.
We can wrap the whole body of the function in a try-catch statement and
return a rejected Promise if an exception is thrown:
// Solution 1
function asyncFunc() {
try {
doSomethingSync();
return doSomethingAsync()
.then(result => {
// ···
});
} catch (err) {
return Promise.reject(err);
}
}
Given that .then() converts exceptions to rejections, we can execute
doSomethingSync() inside a .then() callback. To do so, we start a Promise chain
via Promise.resolve(). We ignore the fulfillment value undefined of that initial
Promise.
// Solution 2
function asyncFunc() {
return Promise.resolve()
.then(() => {
doSomethingSync();
return doSomethingAsync();
})
.then(result => {
// ···
});
}
Lastly, new Promise() also converts exceptions to rejections. Using this
constructor is therefore similar to the previous solution:
// Solution 3
function asyncFunc() {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
doSomethingSync();
resolve(doSomethingAsync());
})
.then(result => {
// ···
});
}
42.4 Promise-based functions start synchronously, settle
asynchronously
Most Promise-based functions are executed as follows:
Their execution starts right away, synchronously (in the current task).
But the Promise they return is guaranteed to be settled asynchronously
(in a later task) – if ever.
The following code demonstrates that:
function asyncFunc() {
console.log('asyncFunc');
return new Promise(
(resolve, _reject) => {
console.log('new Promise()');
resolve();
});
}
console.log('START');
asyncFunc()
.then(() => {
console.log('.then()'); // (A)
});
console.log('END');
Output:
START
asyncFunc
new Promise()
END
.then()
We can see that the callback of new Promise() is executed before the end of
the code, while the result is delivered later (line A).
Benefits of this approach:
Starting synchronously helps avoid race conditions because we can rely
on the order in which Promise-based functions begin. There is an
example in the next chapter, where text is written to a file and race
conditions are avoided.
Chaining Promises won’t starve other tasks of processing time because
before a Promise is settled, there will always be a break, during which
the event loop can run.
Promise-based functions always return results asynchronously; we can
be sure that there is never a synchronous return. This kind of
predictability makes code easier to work with.
More information on this approach
“Designing APIs for Asynchrony” by Isaac Z. Schlueter
42.5 Promise combinator functions: working with Arrays of
Promises
42.5.1 What is a Promise combinator function?
The combinator pattern is a pattern in functional programming for building
structures. It is based on two kinds of functions:
Primitive functions (short: primitives) create atomic pieces.
Combinator functions (short: combinators) combine atomic and/or
compound pieces to create compound pieces.
When it comes to JavaScript Promises:
Primitive functions include: Promise.resolve(), Promise.reject()
Combinators include: Promise.all(), Promise.race(), Promise.any(),
Promise.allSettled(). In each of these cases:
Input is an iterable over zero or more Promises.
Output is a single Promise.
Next, we’ll take a closer look at the mentioned Promise combinators.
42.5.2 Promise.all()
This is the type signature of Promise.all():
Promise.all<T>(promises: Iterable<Promise<T>>):
Promise<Array<T>>
Promise.all() returns a Promise which is:
Fulfilled if all promises are fulfilled.
Then its fulfillment value is an Array with the fulfillment values
of promises.
Rejected if at least one Promise is rejected.
Then its rejection value is the rejection value of that Promise.
This is a quick demo of the output Promise being fulfilled:
const promises = [
Promise.resolve('result a'),
Promise.resolve('result b'),
Promise.resolve('result c'),
];
Promise.all(promises)
.then((arr) => assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['result a', 'result b', 'result c']
));
The following example demonstrates what happens if at least one of the
input Promises is rejected:
const promises = [
Promise.resolve('result a'),
Promise.resolve('result b'),
Promise.reject('ERROR'),
];
Promise.all(promises)
.catch((err) => assert.equal(
err, 'ERROR'
));
Figure 42.2 illustrates how Promise.all() works.
✓ ✗ ✓ ✗
[ v 0
r 0 , v 1
r 1
, ··· ]
all
∀ ∃
✓ ✗
[v 0
, v 1
, ···] r i
Figure 42.2: The Promise combinator Promise.all().
42.5.2.1 Asynchronous .map() via Promise.all()
Array transformation methods such as .map(), .filter(), etc., are made for
synchronous computations. For example:
function timesTwoSync(x) {
return 2 * x;
}
const arr = [1, 2, 3];
const result = arr.map(timesTwoSync);
assert.deepEqual(result, [2, 4, 6]);
What happens if the callback of .map() is a Promise-based function (a
function that maps normal values to Promises)? Then the result of .map() is
an Array of Promises. Alas, that is not data that normal code can work with.
Thankfully, we can fix that via Promise.all(): It converts an Array of
Promises into a Promise that is fulfilled with an Array of normal values.
function timesTwoAsync(x) {
return new Promise(resolve => resolve(x * 2));
}
const arr = [1, 2, 3];
const promiseArr = arr.map(timesTwoAsync);
Promise.all(promiseArr)
.then(result => {
assert.deepEqual(result, [2, 4, 6]);
});
42.5.2.2 A more realistic .map() example
Next, we’ll use .map() and Promise.all() to downlooad text files from the web.
For that, we need the following tool function:
function downloadText(url) {
return fetch(url)
.then((response) => { // (A)
if (!response.ok) { // (B)
throw new Error(response.statusText);
}
return response.text(); // (C)
});
}
downloadText() uses the Promise-based fetch API to download a text file as a
string:
First, it asynchronously retrieves a response (line A).
response.ok (line B) checks if there were errors such as “file not found”.
If there weren’t any, we use .text() (line C) to retrieve the content of
the file as a string.
In the following example, we download two text files:
const urls = [
'http://example.com/first.txt',
'http://example.com/second.txt',
];
const promises = urls.map(
url => downloadText(url));
Promise.all(promises)
.then(
(arr) => assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['First!', 'Second!']
));
42.5.2.3 A simple implementation of Promise.all()
This is a simplified implementation of Promise.all() (e.g., it performs no
safety checks):
function all(iterable) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
let elementCount = 0;
let result;
let index = 0;
for (const promise of iterable) {
// Preserve the current value of `index`
const currentIndex = index;
promise.then(
(value) => {
result[currentIndex] = value;
elementCount++;
if (elementCount === result.length) {
resolve(result); // (A)
}
},
(err) => {
reject(err); // (B)
});
index++;
}
if (index === 0) {
resolve([]);
return;
}
// Now we know how many Promises there are in
`iterable`.
// We can wait until now with initializing
`result` because
// the callbacks of .then() are executed
asynchronously.
result = new Array(index);
});
}
The two main locations where the result Promise is settled are line A and
line B. After one of them settled, the other can’t change the settlement value
anymore because a Promise can only be settled once.
42.5.3 Promise.race()
This is the type signature of Promise.race():
Promise.race<T>(promises: Iterable<Promise<T>>):
Promise<T>
Promise.race() returns a Promise q which is settled as soon as the first
Promise p among promises is settled. q has the same settlement value as p.
In the following demo, the settlement of the fulfilled Promise (line A)
happens before the settlement of the rejected Promise (line B). Therefore,
the result is also fulfilled (line C).
const promises = [
new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
setTimeout(() => resolve('result'), 100)), //
(A)
new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
setTimeout(() => reject('ERROR'), 200)), // (B)
];
Promise.race(promises)
.then((result) => assert.equal( // (C)
result, 'result'));
In the next demo, the rejection happens first:
const promises = [
new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
setTimeout(() => resolve('result'), 200)),
new Promise((resolve, reject) =>
setTimeout(() => reject('ERROR'), 100)),
];
Promise.race(promises)
.then(
(result) => assert.fail(),
(err) => assert.equal(
err, 'ERROR'));
Note that the Promise returned by Promise.race() is settled as soon as the first
among its input Promises is settled. That means that the result of
Promise.race([]) is never settled.
Figure 42.3 illustrates how Promise.race() works.
✓ ✗ ✓ ✗
[ v 0
r 0 , v 1
r 1
, ··· ]
race
st st
1 1
✓ ✗
v i
r i
Figure 42.3: The Promise combinator Promise.race().
42.5.3.1 Using Promise.race() to time out a Promise
In this section, we are going to use Promise.race() to time out Promises. We
will be using the following helper functions:
/**
* Returns a Promise that is resolved with `value`
* after `ms` milliseconds.
*/
function resolveAfter(ms, value=undefined) {
return new Promise((resolve, _reject) => {
setTimeout(() => resolve(value), ms);
});
}
/**
* Returns a Promise that is rejected with `reason`
* after `ms` milliseconds.
*/
function rejectAfter(ms, reason=undefined) {
return new Promise((_resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => reject(reason), ms);
});
}
This function times out a Promise:
function timeout(timeoutInMs, promise) {
return Promise.race([
promise,
rejectAfter(timeoutInMs,
new Error('Operation timed out')
),
]);
}
timeout() returns a Promise whose settlement is the same as the one of
whichever Promise settles first among the following two:
1. The parameter promise
2. A Promise that is rejected after timeoutInMs milliseconds
To produce the second Promise, timeout() uses the fact that resolving a
pending Promise with a rejected Promise leads to the former being rejected.
Let’s see timeout() in action. Here, the input Promise is fulfilled before the
timeout. Therefore, the output Promise is fulfilled.
timeout(200, resolveAfter(100, 'Result!'))
.then(result => assert.equal(result, 'Result!'));
Here, the timeout happens before the input Promise is fulfilled. Therefore,
the output Promise is rejected.
timeout(100, resolveAfter(200, 'Result!'))
.catch(err => assert.deepEqual(err, new
Error('Operation timed out')));
It is important to understand what “timing out a Promise” really means:
If the input Promise is settled quickly enough, its settlement is passed
on to the output Promise.
If it isn’t settled quickly enough, the output Promise is rejected.
That is, timing out only prevents the input Promise from affecting the output
(since a Promise can only be settled once). But it does not stop the
asynchronous operation that produced the input Promise.
42.5.3.2 A simple implementation of Promise.race()
This is a simplified implementation of Promise.race() (e.g., it performs no
safety checks):
function race(iterable) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
for (const promise of iterable) {
promise.then(
(value) => {
resolve(value); // (A)
},
(err) => {
reject(err); // (B)
});
}
});
}
The result Promise is settled in either line A or line B. Once it is, the
settlement value can’t be changed anymore.
[ES2021]
42.5.4 Promise.any()
This is the type signature of Promise.any():
Promise.any<T>(promises: Iterable<Promise<T>>):
Promise<T>
Promise.any() returns a Promise p. How it is settled, depends on the parameter
promises (which refers to an iterable over Promises):
If and when the first Promise is fulfilled, p is resolved with that
Promise.
If all Promises are rejected, p is rejected with an instance of
AggregateError that contains all rejection values.
Figure 42.4 illustrates how Promise.any() works.
✓ ✗ ✓ ✗
[ v 0
r 0 , v 1
r 1
, ··· ]
any
∃ ∀
✓ ✗
v [r 0
, r 1
, ···]
i
Figure 42.4: The Promise combinator Promise.any().
42.5.4.1 AggregateError [ES2021]
This is the type signature of AggregateError (a subclass of Error):
class AggregateError extends Error {
// Instance properties (complementing the ones of
Error)
errors: Array<any>;
constructor(
errors: Iterable<any>,
message: string = '',
options?: ErrorOptions // ES2022
);
}
interface ErrorOptions {
cause?: any; // ES2022
}
42.5.4.2 Two first examples
This is what happens if one Promise is fulfilled:
const promises = [
Promise.reject('ERROR A'),
Promise.reject('ERROR B'),
Promise.resolve('result'),
];
Promise.any(promises)
.then((result) => assert.equal(
result, 'result'
));
This is what happens if all Promises are rejected:
const promises = [
Promise.reject('ERROR A'),
Promise.reject('ERROR B'),
Promise.reject('ERROR C'),
];
Promise.any(promises)
.catch((aggregateError) => assert.deepEqual(
aggregateError.errors,
['ERROR A', 'ERROR B', 'ERROR C']
));
42.5.4.3 Promise.any() vs. Promise.all()
There are two ways in which Promise.any() and Promise.all() can be
compared:
They are inverses of each other:
Promise.all(): First input rejection rejects the result Promise or its
fulfillment value is an Array with input fulfillment values.
Promise.any(): First input fulfillment fulfills the result Promise or
its rejection value is an Array with input rejection values (inside
an error object).
They have different focuses:
Promise.all() is interested in all fulfillments. The opposite case (at
least one rejection) leads to a rejection.
Promise.any() is interested in the first fulfillment. The opposite case
(only rejections) leads to a rejection.
42.5.4.4 Promise.any() vs. Promise.race()
Promise.any() and Promise.race() are also related, but interested in different
things:
Promise.race() is interested in settlements. The Promise which is settled
first, “wins”. In other words: We want to know about the asynchronous
computation that terminates first.
Promise.any() is interested in fulfillments. The Promise which is fulfilled
first, “wins”. In other words: We want to know about the asynchronous
computation that succeeds first.
The main – relatively rare – use case for .race() is timing out Promises. The
use cases for .any() are broader. We’ll look at them next.
42.5.4.5 Use cases for Promise.any()
We use Promise.any() if we have multiple asynchronous computations and we
are only interested in the first successful one. In a way, we let the
computations compete with each other and use whichever one is fastest.
The following code demonstrates what that looks like when downloading
resources:
const resource = await Promise.any([
fetch('http://example.com/first.txt')
.then(response => response.text()),
fetch('http://example.com/second.txt')
.then(response => response.text()),
]);
The same pattern enables us to use whichever module downloads more
quickly:
const mylib = await Promise.any([
import('https://primary.example.com/mylib'),
import('https://secondary.example.com/mylib'),
]);
For comparison, this is the code we’d use if the secondary server is only a
fallback – in case the primary server fails:
let mylib;
try {
mylib = await
import('https://primary.example.com/mylib');
} catch {
mylib = await
import('https://secondary.example.com/mylib');
}
42.5.4.6 How would we implement Promise.any()?
A simple implementation of Promise.any() is basically a mirror version of the
implementation of Promise.all().
[ES2020]
42.5.5 Promise.allSettled()
This time, the type signatures are a little more complicated. Feel free to skip
ahead to the first demo, which should be easier to understand.
This is the type signature of Promise.allSettled():
Promise.allSettled<T>(promises:
Iterable<Promise<T>>)
: Promise<Array<SettlementObject<T>>>
It returns a Promise for an Array whose elements have the following type
signature:
type SettlementObject<T> = FulfillmentObject<T> |
RejectionObject;
interface FulfillmentObject<T> {
status: 'fulfilled';
value: T;
}
interface RejectionObject {
status: 'rejected';
reason: unknown;
}
Promise.allSettled() returns a Promise out. Once all promises are settled, out is
fulfilled with an Array. Each element e of that Array corresponds to one
Promise p of promises:
If p is fulfilled with the fulfillment value v, then e is
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: v }
If p is rejected with the rejection value r, then e is
{ status: 'rejected', reason: r }
Unless there is an error when iterating over promises, the output Promise out
is never rejected.
Figure 42.5 illustrates how Promise.allSettled() works.
✓ ✗ ✓ ✗
[ v 0
r 0 , v 1
r 1
, ··· ]
x = { x = {
i allSettled i
status: 'fulfilled', status: 'rejected',
value: v i
reason: r i
}
✓ ✗ }
iteration
[x 0
, x 1
, ···]
error
Figure 42.5: The Promise combinator Promise.allSettled().
42.5.5.1 A first demo of Promise.allSettled()
This is a quick first demo of how Promise.allSettled() works:
Promise.allSettled([
Promise.resolve('a'),
Promise.reject('b'),
])
.then(arr => assert.deepEqual(arr, [
{ status: 'fulfilled', value: 'a' },
{ status: 'rejected', reason: 'b' },
]));
42.5.5.2 A longer example for Promise.allSettled()
The next example is similar to the .map() plus Promise.all() example (from
which we are borrowing the function downloadText()): We are downloading
multiple text files whose URLs are stored in an Array. However, this time,
we don’t want to stop when there is an error, we want to keep going.
Promise.allSettled() allows us to do that:
const urls = [
'http://example.com/exists.txt',
'http://example.com/missing.txt',
];
const result = Promise.allSettled(
urls.map(u => downloadText(u))
);
result.then(
(arr) => {
assert.deepEqual(
arr,
[
{
status: 'fulfilled',
value: 'Hello!',
},
{
status: 'rejected',
reason: new Error(),
},
]
)
}
);
42.5.5.3 A simple implementation of Promise.allSettled()
This is a simplified implementation of Promise.allSettled() (e.g., it performs
no safety checks):
function allSettled(iterable) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
let elementCount = 0;
let result;
function addElementToResult(i, elem) {
result[i] = elem;
elementCount++;
if (elementCount === result.length) {
resolve(result);
}
}
let index = 0;
for (const promise of iterable) {
// Capture the current value of `index`
const currentIndex = index;
promise.then(
(value) => addElementToResult(
currentIndex, {
status: 'fulfilled',
value
}),
(reason) => addElementToResult(
currentIndex, {
status: 'rejected',
reason
}));
index++;
}
if (index === 0) {
resolve([]);
return;
}
// Now we know how many Promises there are in
`iterable`.
// We can wait until now with initializing
`result` because
// the callbacks of .then() are executed
asynchronously.
result = new Array(index);
});
}
42.5.6 Short-circuiting (advanced)
For a Promise combinator, short-circuiting means that the output Promise is
settled early – before all input Promises are settled. The following
combinators short-circuit:
Promise.all(): The output Promise is rejected as soon as one input
Promise is rejected.
Promise.race(): The output Promise is settled as soon as one input
Promise is settled.
Promise.any(): The output Promise is fulfilled as soon as one input
Promise is fulfilled.
Once again, settling early does not mean that the operations behind the
ignored Promises are stopped. It just means that their settlements are
ignored.
42.6 Concurrency and Promise.all() (advanced)
42.6.1 Sequential execution vs. concurrent execution
Consider the following code:
const asyncFunc1 = () => Promise.resolve('one');
const asyncFunc2 = () => Promise.resolve('two');
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
assert.equal(result1, 'one');
return asyncFunc2();
})
.then(result2 => {
assert.equal(result2, 'two');
});
Using .then() in this manner executes Promise-based functions sequentially:
only after the result of asyncFunc1() is settled will asyncFunc2() be executed.
Promise.all() helps execute Promise-based functions more concurrently:
Promise.all([asyncFunc1(), asyncFunc2()])
.then(arr => {
assert.deepEqual(arr, ['one', 'two']);
});
42.6.2 Concurrency tip: focus on when operations start
Tip for determining how “concurrent” asynchronous code is: Focus on
when asynchronous operations start, not on how their Promises are handled.
For example, each of the following functions executes asyncFunc1() and
asyncFunc2() concurrently because they are started at nearly the same time.
function concurrentAll() {
return Promise.all([asyncFunc1(), asyncFunc2()]);
}
function concurrentThen() {
const p1 = asyncFunc1();
const p2 = asyncFunc2();
return p1.then(r1 => p2.then(r2 => [r1, r2]));
}
On the other hand, both of the following functions execute asyncFunc1() and
asyncFunc2() sequentially: asyncFunc2() is only invoked after the Promise of
asyncFunc1() is fulfilled.
function sequentialThen() {
return asyncFunc1()
.then(r1 => asyncFunc2()
.then(r2 => [r1, r2]));
}
function sequentialAll() {
const p1 = asyncFunc1();
const p2 = p1.then(() => asyncFunc2());
return Promise.all([p1, p2]);
}
42.6.3 Promise.all() is fork-join
Promise.all() is loosely related to the concurrency pattern “fork join”. Let’s
revisit an example that we have encountered previously:
Promise.all([
// (A) fork
downloadText('http://example.com/first.txt'),
downloadText('http://example.com/second.txt'),
])
// (B) join
.then(
(arr) => assert.deepEqual(
arr, ['First!', 'Second!']
));
Fork: In line A, we are forking two asynchronous computations and
executing them concurrently.
Join: In line B, we are joining these computations into a single
“thread” which is started once all of them are done.
42.7 Tips for chaining Promises
This section gives tips for chaining Promises.
42.7.1 Chaining mistake: losing the tail
Problem:
// Don’t do this
function foo() {
const promise = asyncFunc();
promise.then(result => {
// ···
});
return promise;
}
Computation starts with the Promise returned by asyncFunc(). But afterward,
computation continues and another Promise is created via .then(). foo()
returns the former Promise, but should return the latter. This is how to fix it:
function foo() {
const promise = asyncFunc();
return promise.then(result => {
// ···
});
}
42.7.2 Chaining mistake: nesting
Problem:
// Don’t do this
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
return asyncFunc2()
.then(result2 => { // (A)
// ···
});
});
The .then() in line A is nested. A flat structure would be better:
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
return asyncFunc2();
})
.then(result2 => {
// ···
});
42.7.3 Chaining mistake: more nesting than necessary
This is another example of avoidable nesting:
// Don’t do this
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
if (result1 < 0) {
return asyncFuncA()
.then(resultA => 'Result: ' + resultA);
} else {
return asyncFuncB()
.then(resultB => 'Result: ' + resultB);
}
});
We can once again get a flat structure:
asyncFunc1()
.then(result1 => {
return result1 < 0 ? asyncFuncA() :
asyncFuncB();
})
.then(resultAB => {
return 'Result: ' + resultAB;
});
42.7.4 Not all nesting is bad
In the following code, we actually benefit from nesting:
db.open()
.then(connection => { // (A)
return connection.select({ name: 'Jane' })
.then(result => { // (B)
// Process result
// Use `connection` to make more queries
})
// ···
.finally(() => {
connection.close(); // (C)
});
})
We are receiving an asynchronous result in line A. In line B, we are nesting
so that we have access to variable connection inside the callback and in line
C.
42.7.5 Chaining mistake: creating Promises instead of chaining
Problem:
// Don’t do this
class Model {
insertInto(db) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => { // (A)
db.insert(this.fields)
.then(resultCode => {
this.notifyObservers({event: 'created',
model: this});
resolve(resultCode);
}).catch(err => {
reject(err);
})
});
}
// ···
}
In line A, we are creating a Promise to deliver the result of db.insert(). That
is unnecessarily verbose and can be simplified:
class Model {
insertInto(db) {
return db.insert(this.fields)
.then(resultCode => {
this.notifyObservers({event: 'created',
model: this});
return resultCode;
});
}
// ···
}
The key idea is that we don’t need to create a Promise; we can return the
result of the .then() call. An additional benefit is that we don’t need to catch
and re-reject the failure of db.insert(). We simply pass its rejection on to the
caller of .insertInto().
42.8 Quick reference: Promise combinator functions
Unless noted otherwise, the functionality was introduced in ECMAScript 6
(which is when Promises were added to the language).
Glossary:
Short-circuiting: In some cases, the output Promise can be settled early
(before every input Promise is settled). More information on how this
works is given later.
42.8.1 Promise.all()
Promise.all<T>(promises: Iterable<Promise<T>>)
: Promise<Array<T>>
Fulfillment of P: if all input Promises are fulfilled.
Value: Array with the fulfillment values of the input Promises
Rejection of P: if one input Promise is rejected.
Value: rejection value of the input Promise
Short-circuits: yes
Use case: processing Arrays with Promises (rejections terminate
processing)
42.8.2 Promise.race()
Promise.race<T>(promises: Iterable<Promise<T>>)
: Promise<T>
Settlement of P: if the first input Promise is settled.
Value: settlement value of the input Promise
Short-circuits: yes
Use case: reacting to the first settlement among multiple Promises
[ES2021]
42.8.3 Promise.any()
Promise.any<T>(promises: Iterable<Promise<T>>):
Promise<T>
Fulfillment of P: if one input Promise is fulfilled.
Value: fulfillment value of the input Promise
Rejection of P: if all input Promises are rejected.
Value: AggregateError that contains the rejection values of the input
Promises.
Short-circuits: yes
Use case: Among several asynchronous computations, we are only
interested in the first successful one. That is, we are trying several
approaches and the fastest one should win.
This is the type signature of AggregateError (a few members were omitted):
class AggregateError {
constructor(errors: Iterable<any>, message:
string);
get errors(): Array<any>;
get message(): string;
}
[ES2020]
42.8.4 Promise.allSettled()
Promise.allSettled<T>(promises:
Iterable<Promise<T>>)
: Promise<Array<SettlementObject<T>>>
Fulfillment of P: if all input Promise are settled.
Value: Array with one settlement object for each input Promise. A
settlement object contains the kind of settlement and the
settlement value.
Rejection of P: if there is an error when iterating over the input
Promises.
Short-circuits: no
Use case: processing Arrays with Promises (rejections don’t terminate
processing)
This is the type signature of SettlementObject:
type SettlementObject<T> = FulfillmentObject<T> |
RejectionObject;
interface FulfillmentObject<T> {
status: 'fulfilled';
value: T;
}
interface RejectionObject {
status: 'rejected';
reason: unknown;
}
[ES2017]
43 Async functions
43.1 Async functions: the basics
43.1.1 Async constructs
43.2 Returning from async functions
43.2.1 Async functions always return Promises
43.2.2 Returned Promises are not wrapped
43.2.3 Executing async functions: synchronous start,
asynchronous settlement (advanced)
43.3 await: working with Promises
43.3.1 await and fulfilled Promises
43.3.2 await and rejected Promises
43.3.3 await is shallow (we can’t use it in callbacks)
[ES2022]
43.3.4 Using await at the top levels of modules
43.4 (Advanced)
43.5 Concurrency and await
43.5.1 await: running asynchronous functions sequentially
43.5.2 await: running asynchronous functions concurrently
43.6 Tips for using async functions
43.6.1 We don’t need await if we “fire and forget”
43.6.2 It can make sense to await and ignore the result
Roughly, async functions provide better syntax for code that uses Promises.
In order to use async functions, we should therefore understand Promises.
They are explained in the previous chapter.
43.1 Async functions: the basics
Consider the following async function:
async function fetchJsonAsync(url) {
try {
const request = await fetch(url); // async
const text = await request.text(); // async
return JSON.parse(text); // sync
}
catch (error) {
assert.fail(error);
}
}
The previous, rather synchronous-looking code is equivalent to the
following code that uses Promises directly:
function fetchJsonViaPromises(url) {
return fetch(url) // async
.then(request => request.text()) // async
.then(text => JSON.parse(text)) // sync
.catch(error => {
assert.fail(error);
});
}
A few observations about the async function fetchJsonAsync():
Async functions are marked with the keyword async.
Inside the body of an async function, we write Promise-based code as
if it were synchronous. We only need to apply the await operator
whenever a value is a Promise. That operator pauses the async function
and resumes it once the Promise is settled:
If the Promise is fulfilled, await returns the fulfillment value.
If the Promise is rejected, await throws the rejection value.
The result of an async function is always a Promise:
Any value that is returned (explicitly or implicitly) is used to
fulfill the Promise.
Any exception that is thrown is used to reject the Promise.
Both fetchJsonAsync() and fetchJsonViaPromises() are called in exactly the same
way, like this:
fetchJsonAsync('http://example.com/person.json')
.then(obj => {
assert.deepEqual(obj, {
first: 'Jane',
last: 'Doe',
});
});
Async functions are as Promise-based as functions that use
Promises directly
From the outside, it is virtually impossible to tell the difference
between an async function and a function that returns a Promise.
43.1.1 Async constructs
JavaScript has the following async versions of synchronous callable entities.
Their roles are always either real function or method.
// Async function declaration
async function func1() {}
// Async function expression
const func2 = async function () {};
// Async arrow function
const func3 = async () => {};
// Async method definition in an object literal
const obj = { async m() {} };
// Async method definition in a class definition
class MyClass { async m() {} }
Asynchronous functions vs. async functions
The difference between the terms asynchronous function and async
function is subtle, but important:
An asynchronous function is any function that delivers its result
asynchronously – for example, a callback-based function or a
Promise-based function.
An async function is defined via special syntax, involving the
keywords async and await. It is also called async/await due to these
two keywords. Async functions are based on Promises and
therefore also asynchronous functions (which is somewhat
confusing).
43.2 Returning from async functions
43.2.1 Async functions always return Promises
Each async function always returns a Promise.
Inside the async function, we fulfill the result Promise via return (line A):
async function asyncFunc() {
return 123; // (A)
}
asyncFunc()
.then(result => {
assert.equal(result, 123);
});
As usual, if we don’t explicitly return anything, undefined is returned for us:
async function asyncFunc() {
}
asyncFunc()
.then(result => {
assert.equal(result, undefined);
});
We reject the result Promise via throw (line A):
async function asyncFunc() {
throw new Error('Problem!'); // (A)
}
asyncFunc()
.catch(err => {
assert.deepEqual(err, new Error('Problem!'));
});
43.2.2 Returned Promises are not wrapped
If we return a Promise p from an async function, then p becomes the result
of the function (or rather, the result “locks in” on p and behaves exactly like
it). That is, the Promise is not wrapped in yet another Promise.
async function asyncFunc() {
return Promise.resolve('abc');
}
asyncFunc()
.then(result => assert.equal(result, 'abc'));
Recall that any Promise q is treated similarly in the following situations:
resolve(q) inside new Promise((resolve, reject) => { ··· })
return q inside .then(result => { ··· })
return q inside .catch(err => { ··· })
43.2.3 Executing async functions: synchronous start, asynchronous
settlement (advanced)
Async functions are executed as follows:
The Promise resultPromise for the result is created when the async
function is started.
Then the body is executed. There are two ways in which execution can
leave the body:
A permanent exit happens when resultPromise is settled:
return fulfills resultPromise.
throw rejects resultPromise.
A temporary exit happens when there is an await whose operand
is a Promise p:
The async function is paused and execution leaves it.
It is resumed asynchronously (in a new task) once p is
settled.
Promise resultPromise is returned after the first (permanent or
temporary) exit.
Note that the notification of the settlement of resultPromise happens
asynchronously, as is always the case with Promises.
The following code demonstrates that an async function is started
synchronously (line A), then the current task finishes (line C), then the
result Promise is settled – asynchronously (line B).
async function asyncFunc() {
console.log('asyncFunc() starts'); // (A)
return 'abc';
}
asyncFunc().
then(x => { // (B)
console.log(`Resolved: ${x}`);
});
console.log('Task ends'); // (C)
Output:
asyncFunc() starts
Task ends
Resolved: abc
43.3 await: working with Promises
The await operator can only be used inside async functions and async
generators (which are explained in “Asynchronous generators” (§44.2)). Its
operand is usually a Promise and leads to the following steps being
performed:
The current async function is paused and returned from. This step is
similar to how yield works in sync generators.
Eventually, the current task is finished and processing of the task queue
continues.
When and if the Promise is settled, the async function is resumed in a
new task:
If the Promise is fulfilled, await returns the fulfillment value.
If the Promise is rejected, await throws the rejection value.
Read on to find out more about how await handles Promises in various
states.
43.3.1 await and fulfilled Promises
If its operand ends up being a fulfilled Promise, await returns its fulfillment
value:
assert.equal(await Promise.resolve('yes!'), 'yes!');
Non-Promise values are allowed, too, and simply passed on (synchronously,
without pausing the async function):
assert.equal(await 'yes!', 'yes!');
43.3.2 await and rejected Promises
If its operand is a rejected Promise, then await throws the rejection value:
try {
await Promise.reject(new Error());
assert.fail(); // we never get here
} catch (e) {
assert.equal(e instanceof Error, true);
}
Exercise: Fetch API via async functions
exercises/async-functions/fetch_json2_test.mjs
43.3.3 await is shallow (we can’t use it in callbacks)
If we are inside an async function and want to pause it via await, we must do
so directly within that function; we can’t use it inside a nested function, such
as a callback. That is, pausing is shallow.
For example, the following code can’t be executed:
async function downloadContent(urls) {
return urls.map((url) => {
return await httpGet(url); // SyntaxError!
});
}
The reason is that normal arrow functions don’t allow await inside their
bodies.
OK, let’s try an async arrow function then:
async function downloadContent(urls) {
return urls.map(async (url) => {
return await httpGet(url);
});
}
Alas, this doesn’t work either: Now .map() (and therefore downloadContent())
returns an Array with Promises, not an Array with (unwrapped) values.
One possible solution is to use Promise.all() to unwrap all Promises:
async function downloadContent(urls) {
const promiseArray = urls.map(async (url) => {
return await httpGet(url); // (A)
});
return await Promise.all(promiseArray);
}
Can this code be improved? Yes it can: in line A, we are unwrapping a
Promise via await, only to re-wrap it immediately via return. If we omit await,
we don’t even need an async arrow function:
async function downloadContent(urls) {
const promiseArray = urls.map(
url => httpGet(url));
return await Promise.all(promiseArray); // (B)
}
For the same reason, we can also omit await in line B.
[ES2022]
43.3.4 Using await at the top levels of modules
We can use await at the top levels of modules – for example:
let mylib;
try {
mylib = await
import('https://primary.example.com/mylib');
} catch {
mylib = await
import('https://secondary.example.com/mylib');
}
For more information on this feature, see “Top-level await in modules”
(§29.15).
Exercise: Mapping and filtering asynchronously
exercises/async-functions/map_async_test.mjs
43.4 (Advanced)
All remaining sections are advanced.
43.5 Concurrency and await
In the next two subsections, we’ll use the helper function paused():
/**
* Resolves after `ms` milliseconds
*/
function delay(ms) {
return new Promise((resolve, _reject) => {
setTimeout(resolve, ms);
});
}
async function paused(id) {
console.log('START ' + id);
await delay(10); // pause
console.log('END ' + id);
return id;
}
43.5.1 await: running asynchronous functions sequentially
If we prefix the invocations of multiple asynchronous functions with await,
then those functions are executed sequentially:
async function sequentialAwait() {
const result1 = await paused('first');
assert.equal(result1, 'first');
const result2 = await paused('second');
assert.equal(result2, 'second');
}
Output:
START first
END first
START second
END second
That is, paused('second') is only started after paused('first') is completely
finished.
43.5.2 await: running asynchronous functions concurrently
If we want to run multiple functions concurrently, we can use the tool
method Promise.all():
async function concurrentPromiseAll() {
const result = await Promise.all([
paused('first'), paused('second')
]);
assert.deepEqual(result, ['first', 'second']);
}
Output:
START first
START second
END first
END second
Here, both asynchronous functions are started at the same time. Once both
are settled, await gives us either an Array of fulfillment values or – if at least
one Promise is rejected – an exception.
Recall from “Concurrency tip: focus on when operations start” (§42.6.2)
that what counts is when we start a Promise-based computation; not how we
process its result. Therefore, the following code is as “concurrent” as the
previous one:
async function concurrentAwait() {
const resultPromise1 = paused('first');
const resultPromise2 = paused('second');
assert.equal(await resultPromise1, 'first');
assert.equal(await resultPromise2, 'second');
}
Output:
START first
START second
END first
END second
43.6 Tips for using async functions
43.6.1 We don’t need await if we “fire and forget”
await is not required when working with a Promise-based function; we only
need it if we want to pause and wait until the returned Promise is settled. If
we only want to start an asynchronous operation, then we don’t need it:
async function asyncFunc() {
const writer = openFile('someFile.txt');
writer.write('hello'); // don’t wait
writer.write('world'); // don’t wait
await writer.close(); // wait for file to close
}
In this code, we don’t await .write() because we don’t care when it is
finished. We do, however, want to wait until .close() is done.
Note: Each invocation of .write() starts synchronously. That prevents race
conditions.
43.6.2 It can make sense to await and ignore the result
It can occasionally make sense to use await, even if we ignore its result – for
example:
await longRunningAsyncOperation();
console.log('Done!');
Here, we are using await to join a long-running asynchronous operation.
That ensures that the logging really happens after that operation is done.
[ES2018]
44 Asynchronous iteration
44.1 Basic asynchronous iteration
44.1.1 Protocol: async iteration
44.1.2 Using async iteration directly
44.1.3 Using async iteration via for-await-of
44.2 Asynchronous generators
44.2.1 Example: creating an async iterable via an async
generator
44.2.2 Example: converting a sync iterable to an async iterable
44.2.3 Example: converting an async iterable to an Array
44.2.4 Example: transforming an async iterable
44.2.5 Example: mapping over asynchronous iterables
44.3 Async iteration over Node.js streams
44.3.1 Node.js streams: async via callbacks (push)
44.3.2 Node.js streams: async via async iteration (pull)
44.3.3 Example: from chunks to lines
Required knowledge
For this chapter, you should be familiar with:
Promises
Async functions
44.1 Basic asynchronous iteration
44.1.1 Protocol: async iteration
To understand how asynchronous iteration works, let’s first revisit
synchronous iteration. It comprises the following interfaces:
interface Iterable<T> {
[Symbol.iterator]() : Iterator<T>;
}
interface Iterator<T> {
next() : IteratorResult<T>;
}
interface IteratorResult<T> {
value: T;
done: boolean;
}
An Iterable is a data structure whose contents can be accessed via
iteration. It is a factory for iterators.
An Iterator is a factory for iteration results that we retrieve by calling
the method .next().
Each IterationResult contains the iterated .value and a boolean .done that
is true after the last element and false before.
For the protocol for asynchronous iteration, we only want to change one
thing: the values produced by .next() should be delivered asynchronously.
There are two conceivable options:
The .value could contain a Promise<T>.
.next() could return Promise<IteratorResult<T>>.
In other words, the question is whether to wrap just values or whole iterator
results in Promises.
It has to be the latter because when .next() returns a result, it starts an
asynchronous computation. Whether or not that computation produces a
value or signals the end of the iteration can only be determined after it is
finished. Therefore, both .done and .value need to be wrapped in a Promise.
The interfaces for async iteration look as follows.
interface AsyncIterable<T> {
[Symbol.asyncIterator]() : AsyncIterator<T>;
}
interface AsyncIterator<T> {
next() : Promise<IteratorResult<T>>; // (A)
}
interface IteratorResult<T> {
value: T;
done: boolean;
}
The only difference to the synchronous interfaces is the return type of
.next() (line A).
44.1.2 Using async iteration directly
The following code uses the asynchronous iteration protocol directly:
const asyncIterable = syncToAsyncIterable(['a',
'b']); // (A)
const asyncIterator =
asyncIterable[Symbol.asyncIterator]();
// Call .next() until .done is true:
asyncIterator.next() // (B)
.then(iteratorResult => {
assert.deepEqual(
iteratorResult,
{ value: 'a', done: false });
return asyncIterator.next(); // (C)
})
.then(iteratorResult => {
assert.deepEqual(
iteratorResult,
{ value: 'b', done: false });
return asyncIterator.next(); // (D)
})
.then(iteratorResult => {
assert.deepEqual(
iteratorResult,
{ value: undefined, done: true });
})
;
In line A, we create an asynchronous iterable over the value 'a' and 'b'.
We’ll see an implementation of syncToAsyncIterable() later.
We call .next() in line B, line C and line D. Each time, we use .then() to
unwrap the Promise and assert.deepEqual() to check the unwrapped value.
We can simplify this code if we use an async function. Now we unwrap
Promises via await and the code looks almost like we are doing synchronous
iteration:
async function f() {
const asyncIterable = syncToAsyncIterable(['a',
'b']);
const asyncIterator =
asyncIterable[Symbol.asyncIterator]();
// Call .next() until .done is true:
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: 'a', done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: 'b', done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: undefined, done: true });
}
44.1.3 Using async iteration via for-await-of
The asynchronous iteration protocol is not meant to be used directly. One of
the language constructs that supports it is the for-await-of loop, which is an
asynchronous version of the for-of loop. It can be used in async functions
and async generators (which are introduced later in this chapter). This is an
example of for-await-of in use:
for await (const x of syncToAsyncIterable(['a',
'b'])) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
for-await-of is relatively flexible. In addition to asynchronous iterables, it
also supports synchronous iterables:
for await (const x of ['a', 'b']) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
And it supports synchronous iterables over values that are wrapped in
Promises:
const arr = [Promise.resolve('a'),
Promise.resolve('b')];
for await (const x of arr) {
console.log(x);
}
Output:
a
b
Exercise: Convert an async iterable to an Array
Warning: We’ll soon see the solution for this exercise in this chapter.
exercises/async-iteration/async_iterable_to_array_test.mjs
44.2 Asynchronous generators
An asynchronous generator is two things at the same time:
An async function (input): We can use await and for-await-of to retrieve
data.
A generator that returns an asynchronous iterable (output): We can use
yield and yield* to produce data.
Asynchronous generators are very similar to synchronous
generators
Due to async generators and sync generators being so similar, I don’t
explain how exactly yield and yield* work. Please consult
“Synchronous generators” (§40) if you have doubts.
Therefore, an asynchronous generator has:
Input that can be:
synchronous (single values, sync iterables) or
asynchronous (Promises, async iterables).
Output that is an asynchronous iterable.
This looks as follows:
async function* asyncGen() {
// Input: Promises, async iterables
const x = await somePromise;
for await (const y of someAsyncIterable) {
// ···
}
// Output
yield someValue;
yield* otherAsyncGen();
}
44.2.1 Example: creating an async iterable via an async generator
Let’s look at an example. The following code creates an async iterable with
three numbers:
async function* yield123() {
for (let i=1; i<=3; i++) {
yield i;
}
}
Does the result of yield123() conform to the async iteration protocol?
async function check() {
const asyncIterable = yield123();
const asyncIterator =
asyncIterable[Symbol.asyncIterator]();
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: 1, done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: 2, done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: 3, done: false });
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterator.next(),
{ value: undefined, done: true });
}
check();
44.2.2 Example: converting a sync iterable to an async iterable
The following asynchronous generator converts a synchronous iterable to an
asynchronous iterable. It implements the function syncToAsyncIterable() that
we have used previously.
async function* syncToAsyncIterable(syncIterable) {
for (const elem of syncIterable) {
yield elem;
}
}
Note: The input is synchronous in this case (no await is needed).
44.2.3 Example: converting an async iterable to an Array
The following function is a solution to a previous exercise. It converts an
async iterable to an Array (think spreading, but for async iterables instead
of sync iterables).
async function asyncIterableToArray(asyncIterable) {
const result = [];
for await (const value of asyncIterable) {
result.push(value);
}
return result;
}
Note that we can’t use an async generator in this case: We get our input via
for-await-of and return an Array wrapped in a Promise. The latter
requirement rules out async generators.
This is a test for asyncIterableToArray():
async function* createAsyncIterable() {
yield 'a';
yield 'b';
}
const asyncIterable = createAsyncIterable();
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterableToArray(asyncIterable), // (A)
['a', 'b']
);
Note the await in line A, which is needed to unwrap the Promise returned by
asyncIterableToArray(). In order for await to work, this code fragment must be
run inside an async function.
44.2.4 Example: transforming an async iterable
Let’s implement an async generator that produces a new async iterable by
transforming an existing async iterable.
async function* timesTwo(asyncNumbers) {
for await (const x of asyncNumbers) {
yield x * 2;
}
}
To test this function, we use asyncIterableToArray() from the previous section.
async function* createAsyncIterable() {
for (let i=1; i<=3; i++) {
yield i;
}
}
assert.deepEqual(
await
asyncIterableToArray(timesTwo(createAsyncIterable())
),
[2, 4, 6]
);
Exercise: Async generators
Warning: We’ll soon see the solution for this exercise in this chapter.
exercises/async-iteration/number_lines_test.mjs
44.2.5 Example: mapping over asynchronous iterables
As a reminder, this is how to map over synchronous iterables:
function* mapSync(iterable, func) {
let index = 0;
for (const x of iterable) {
yield func(x, index);
index++;
}
}
const syncIterable = mapSync(['a', 'b', 'c'], s =>
s.repeat(3));
assert.deepEqual(
Array.from(syncIterable),
['aaa', 'bbb', 'ccc']);
The asynchronous version looks as follows:
async function* mapAsync(asyncIterable, func) { //
(A)
let index = 0;
for await (const x of asyncIterable) { // (B)
yield func(x, index);
index++;
}
}
Note how similar the sync implementation and the async implementation
are. The only two differences are the async in line A and the await in line B.
That is comparable to going from a synchronous function to an
asynchronous function – we only need to add the keyword async and the
occasional await.
To test mapAsync(), we use the helper function asyncIterableToArray() (shown
earlier in this chapter):
async function* createAsyncIterable() {
yield 'a';
yield 'b';
}
const mapped = mapAsync(
createAsyncIterable(), s => s.repeat(3));
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterableToArray(mapped), // (A)
['aaa', 'bbb']);
Once again, we await to unwrap a Promise (line A) and this code fragment
must run inside an async function.
Exercise: filterAsyncIter()
exercises/async-iteration/filter_async_iter_test.mjs
44.3 Async iteration over Node.js streams
44.3.1 Node.js streams: async via callbacks (push)
Traditionally, reading asynchronously from Node.js streams is done via
callbacks:
function main(inputFilePath) {
const readStream =
fs.createReadStream(inputFilePath,
{ encoding: 'utf-8', highWaterMark: 1024 });
readStream.on('data', (chunk) => {
console.log('>>> '+chunk);
});
readStream.on('end', () => {
console.log('### DONE ###');
});
}
That is, the stream is in control and pushes data to the reader.
44.3.2 Node.js streams: async via async iteration (pull)
Starting with Node.js 10, we can also use asynchronous iteration to read
from streams:
async function main(inputFilePath) {
const readStream =
fs.createReadStream(inputFilePath,
{ encoding: 'utf-8', highWaterMark: 1024 });
for await (const chunk of readStream) {
console.log('>>> '+chunk);
}
console.log('### DONE ###');
}
This time, the reader is in control and pulls data from the stream.
44.3.3 Example: from chunks to lines
Node.js streams iterate over chunks (arbitrarily long pieces) of data. The
following asynchronous generator converts an async iterable over chunks to
an async iterable over lines:
/**
* @param chunkIterable An asynchronous or
synchronous iterable
* over “chunks” (arbitrary strings)
* @returns An asynchronous iterable over “lines”
* (strings with at most one newline that always
appears at the end)
*/
async function* chunksToLines(chunkIterable) {
let previous = '';
for await (const chunk of chunkIterable) {
let startSearch = previous.length;
previous += chunk;
while (true) {
// Works for EOL === '\n' and EOL === '\r\n'
const eolIndex = previous.indexOf('\n',
startSearch);
if (eolIndex < 0) break;
// Line includes the EOL
const line = previous.slice(0, eolIndex+1);
yield line;
previous = previous.slice(eolIndex+1);
startSearch = 0;
}
}
if (previous.length > 0) {
yield previous;
}
}
Let’s apply chunksToLines() to an async iterable over chunks (as produced by
chunkIterable()):
async function* chunkIterable() {
yield 'First\nSec';
yield 'ond\nThird\nF';
yield 'ourth';
}
const linesIterable =
chunksToLines(chunkIterable());
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterableToArray(linesIterable),
[
'First\n',
'Second\n',
'Third\n',
'Fourth',
]);
Now that we have an asynchronous iterable over lines, we can use the
solution of a previous exercise, numberLines(), to number those lines:
async function* numberLines(linesAsync) {
let lineNumber = 1;
for await (const line of linesAsync) {
yield lineNumber + ': ' + line;
lineNumber++;
}
}
const numberedLines =
numberLines(chunksToLines(chunkIterable()));
assert.deepEqual(
await asyncIterableToArray(numberedLines),
[
'1: First\n',
'2: Second\n',
'3: Third\n',
'4: Fourth',
]);
IX More standard library
45 Regular expressions (RegExp)
45.1 Creating regular expressions
45.1.1 Literal vs. constructor
45.1.2 Cloning and non-destructively modifying regular
expressions
45.2 Syntax characters and escaping
45.2.1 Syntax characters
45.2.2 Illegal top-level escaping
45.2.3 Escaping inside character classes ([···])
45.3 Syntax: atoms of regular expressions
45.4 Syntax: character class escapes
45.4.1 Basic character class escapes (sets of code units): \d \D \s
\S \w \W
[ES2018]
45.4.2 Unicode character property escapes
[ES2024]
45.4.3 Unicode string property escapes
45.5 Syntax: character classes
[ES2024]
45.5.1 String literals in character classes
[ES2024]
45.5.2 Set operations for character classes
45.6 Syntax: capture groups
45.7 Syntax: quantifiers
45.8 Syntax: assertions
45.8.1 Lookahead assertions
[ES2018]
45.8.2 Lookbehind assertions
45.9 Syntax: disjunction (|)
45.10 Regular expression flags
45.10.1 How to order regular expression flags?
45.10.2 Without /u and /v: matching UTF-16 code units
[ES6]
45.10.3 Flag /u: matching code points
45.10.4 Flag /v: limited support for multi-code-point grapheme
[ES2024]
clusters
45.11 Properties of regular expression objects
45.11.1 Flags as properties
45.11.2 Other properties
45.12 Match objects
[ES2022]
45.12.1 Match indices in match objects
45.13 Methods for working with regular expressions
45.13.1 By default, regular expressions match anywhere in a
string
[ES3]
45.13.2 regExp.test(str): is there a match?
[ES3]
45.13.3 str.search(regExp): at what index is the match?
[ES3]
45.13.4 regExp.exec(str): capturing groups
[ES3]
45.13.5 str.match(regExp): getting all group 0 captures
45.13.6 str.matchAll(regExp): getting an iterable over all match
[ES2020]
objects
45.13.7 regExp.exec() vs. str.match() vs. str.matchAll()
45.13.8 Replacing with str.replace() and str.replaceAll()
45.13.9 Other methods for working with regular expressions
45.14 The flags /g and /y, and the property .lastIndex (advanced)
45.14.1 The flags /g and /y
45.14.2 How exactly are methods affected by /g and /y?
45.14.3 Four pitfalls of /g and /y and how to deal with them
45.14.4 Use case for .lastIndex: starting matching at a given
index
45.14.5 The downsides of .lastIndex
45.14.6 Summary: .global (/g) and .sticky (/y)
45.15 Techniques for working with regular expressions
45.15.1 Escaping arbitrary text for regular expressions
45.15.2 Matching everything or nothing
45.15.3 Using a tagged template to write regular expressions
that are easier to understand
Availability of features
Unless stated otherwise, each regular expression feature has been
available since ES3.
45.1 Creating regular expressions
45.1.1 Literal vs. constructor
The two main ways of creating regular expressions are:
Literal: compiled statically (at load time).
/abc/iv
Constructor: compiled dynamically (at runtime).
new RegExp('abc', 'iv')
Both regular expressions have the same two parts:
The body abc – the actual regular expression.
The flags i and v. Flags configure how the pattern is interpreted. For
example, i enables case-insensitive matching. A list of available flags
is given later in this chapter.
45.1.2 Cloning and non-destructively modifying regular expressions
There are two variants of the constructor RegExp():
[ES3]
new RegExp(pattern : string, flags = '')
A new regular expression is created as specified via pattern. If flags is
missing, the empty string '' is used.
[ES6]
new RegExp(regExp : RegExp, flags = regExp.flags)
regExp is cloned. If flags is provided, then it determines the flags of the
clone.
The second variant is useful for cloning regular expressions, optionally
while modifying them. Flags are immutable and this is the only way of
changing them – for example:
function copyAndAddFlags(regExp, flagsToAdd='') {
// The constructor doesn’t allow duplicate flags;
// make sure there aren’t any:
const newFlags = Array.from(
new Set(regExp.flags + flagsToAdd)
).join('');
return new RegExp(regExp, newFlags);
}
assert.equal(/abc/i.flags, 'i');
assert.equal(copyAndAddFlags(/abc/i, 'g').flags,
'gi');
45.2 Syntax characters and escaping
45.2.1 Syntax characters
At the top level of a regular expression, the following syntax characters are
special. They are escaped by prefixing a backslash (\).
\ ^ $ . * + ? ( ) [ ] { } |
In regular expression literals, we must escape slashes:
> /\//.test('/')
true
In the argument of new RegExp(), we don’t have to escape slashes:
> new RegExp('/').test('/')
true
45.2.2 Illegal top-level escaping
Without flag /u and /v, an escaped non-syntax character at the top level
matches itself:
> /^\a$/.test('a')
true
With flag /u or /v, escaping a non-syntax character at the top level is a
syntax error:
assert.throws(
() => eval(String.raw`/\a/v`),
{
name: 'SyntaxError',
message: 'Invalid regular expression: /\\a/v:
Invalid escape',
}
);
assert.throws(
() => eval(String.raw`/\-/v`),
{
name: 'SyntaxError',
message: 'Invalid regular expression: /\\-/v:
Invalid escape',
}
);
45.2.3 Escaping inside character classes ([···])
Rules for escaping inside character classes without flag /v:
We always must escape: \ ]
Some characters only have to be escaped in some locations:
- only has to be escaped if it doesn’t come first or last.
^ only has to be escaped if it comes first.
Rules with flag /v:
A single ^ only has to be escaped if it comes first.
Class set syntax characters have to be escaped:
( ) [ ] { } / - \ |
Class set reserved double punctuators have to be escaped:
&& !! ## $$ %% ** ++ ,, .. :: ;; << == >> ?? @@
^^ `` ~~
45.3 Syntax: atoms of regular expressions
Atoms are the basic building blocks of regular expressions.
Pattern characters are all characters except syntax characters (^, $,
etc.). Pattern characters match themselves. Examples: A b %
. matches any character. We can use the flag /s (dotAll) to control if the
dot matches line terminators or not.
Character escapes (each escape matches a single fixed character):
Control escapes (for a few control characters):
\f: form feed (FF)
\n: line feed (LF)
\r: carriage return (CR)
\t: character tabulation
\v: line tabulation
Arbitrary control characters: \cA (Ctrl-A), …, \cZ (Ctrl-Z)
Unicode code units: \u00E4
Unicode code points (require flag /u or /v): \u{1F44D}
Character class escapes define sets of characters (or character
sequences) that match:
Basic character class escapes define sets of characters: \d \D \s \S
\w \W
Described in “Basic character class escapes (sets of code
units): \d \D \s \S \w \W” (§45.4.1).
[ES2018]
Unicode character property escapes define sets of code
points: \p{White_Space}, \P{White_Space}, etc.
Require flag /u or /v.
[ES2018]
Described in “Unicode character property escapes ”
(§45.4.2).
[ES2024]
Unicode string property escapes define sets of code point
sequences: \p{RGI_Emoji}, etc.
Require flag /v.
[ES2024]
Described in “Unicode string property escapes ”
(§45.4.3).
Without /u and /v, a character is a UTF-16 code unit. With those flags, a
character is a code point.
45.4 Syntax: character class escapes
45.4.1 Basic character class escapes (sets of code units): \d \D \s \S \w
\W
The following character class escapes and their complements are always
supported:
Escape Equivalent Complement
Digits \d [0-9] \D
“Word” characters \w [a-zA-Z0-9_] \W
Whitespace \s \S
Note:
Whitespace: \s matches all whitespace code points: space, tab, line
terminators, etc. They all fit into single UTF-16 code units.
“Word” characters are related to identifiers in programming languages.
Examples:
> 'a7x4'.match(/\d/g)
[ '7', '4' ]
> 'a7x4'.match(/\D/g)
[ 'a', 'x' ]
> 'high - low'.match(/\w+/g)
[ 'high', 'low' ]
> 'hello\t\n everyone'.replaceAll(/\s/g, '-')
'hello---everyone'
[ES2018]
45.4.2 Unicode character property escapes
With flag /u and flag /v, we can use \p{} and \P{} to specify sets of code
points via Unicode character properties (we’ll learn more about those in the
next subsection). That looks like this:
1. \p{prop=value}: matches all characters whose Unicode character property
prop has the value value.
2. \P{prop=value}: matches all characters that do not have a Unicode
character property prop whose value is value.
3. \p{bin_prop}: matches all characters whose binary Unicode character
property bin_prop is True.
4. \P{bin_prop}: matches all characters whose binary Unicode character
property bin_prop is False.
Comments:
Without the flags /u and /v, \p is the same as p.
Forms (3) and (4) can be used as abbreviations if the property is
General_Category. For example, the following two escapes are equivalent:
\p{Uppercase_Letter}
\p{General_Category=Uppercase_Letter}
Examples:
Checking for whitespace:
> /^\p{White_Space}+$/u.test('\t \n\r')
true
Checking for Greek letters:
> /^\p{Script=Greek}+$/u.test('μετά')
true
Deleting any letters:
> '1π2ü3é4'.replace(/\p{Letter}/ug, '')
'1234'
Deleting lowercase letters:
> 'AbCdEf'.replace(/\p{Lowercase_Letter}/ug, '')
'ACE'
45.4.2.1 Unicode character properties
In the Unicode standard, each character has properties – metadata
describing it. Properties play an important role in defining the nature of a
character. Quoting the Unicode Standard, Sect. 3.3, D3:
The semantics of a character are determined by its identity, normative
properties, and behavior.
These are a few examples of properties:
Name: a unique name, composed of uppercase letters, digits, hyphens,
and spaces – for example:
A: Name = LATIN CAPITAL LETTER A
🙂 Name = SLIGHTLY SMILING FACE
:
General_Category: categorizes characters – for example:
x: General_Category = Lowercase_Letter
$: General_Category = Currency_Symbol
White_Space: used for marking invisible spacing characters, such as
spaces, tabs and newlines – for example:
\t: White_Space = True
π: White_Space = False
Age: version of the Unicode Standard in which a character was
introduced – for example: The Euro sign € was added in version 2.1 of
the Unicode standard.
€: Age = 2.1
Block: a contiguous range of code points. Blocks don’t overlap and their
names are unique. For example:
S: Block = Basic_Latin (range 0x0000..0x007F)
🙂 Block = Emoticons
: (range 0x1F600..0x1F64F)
Script: is a collection of characters used by one or more writing
systems.
Some scripts support several writing systems. For example, the
Latin script supports the writing systems English, French,
German, Latin, etc.
Some languages can be written in multiple alternate writing
systems that are supported by multiple scripts. For example,
Turkish used the Arabic script before it transitioned to the Latin
script in the early 20th century.
Examples:
α: Script = Greek
Д: Script = Cyrillic
Further reading:
Lists of Unicode properties and their values: “Unicode Standard Annex
#44: Unicode Character Database” (Editors: Mark Davis, Laurențiu
Iancu, Ken Whistler)
[ES2024]
45.4.3 Unicode string property escapes
With /u, we can use Unicode property escapes (\p{} and \P{}) to specify sets
of code points via Unicode character properties.
With /v, we can additionally use \p{} to specify sets of code point sequences
via Unicode string properties (negation via \P{} is not supported):
> /^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test(' ⛔') // 1 code point (1
code unit)
🙂') // 1 code point (2
true
> /^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test('
code units)
😵💫') // 3 code points
true
> /^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test('
true
Let’s see how the character property Emoji would do with these inputs:
> /^\p{Emoji}$/u.test(' ⛔') // 1 code point (1 code
unit)
🙂') // 1 code point (2 code
true
> /^\p{Emoji}$/u.test('
units)
😵💫') // 3 code points
true
> /^\p{Emoji}$/u.test('
false
45.4.3.1 Unicode string properties
For now, the following Unicode properties of strings are supported by
JavaScript:
Basic_Emoji: single code points
Emoji_Keycap_Sequence
RGI_Emoji_Modifier_Sequence
RGI_Emoji_Flag_Sequence
RGI_Emoji_Tag_Sequence
RGI_Emoji_ZWJ_Sequence
RGI_Emoji: union of all of the above sets
Further reading:
Section “Properties of Strings” in “Unicode Technical Report #23: The
Unicode Character Property Model” defines what properties of strings
are.
Table “Binary Unicode properties of strings” in the ECMAScript
specification lists the properties of strings that are supported by
JavaScript.
The semantics of Unicode string properties are defined in text files that
enumerate code point sequences likes this:
0023 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
\x{23}
002A FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
*
0030 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
0
0031 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
1
0032 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
2
0033 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
3
0034 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
4
0035 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
5
0036 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
6
0037 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
7
0038 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
8
0039 FE0F 20E3 ; Emoji_Keycap_Sequence ; keycap:
9
45.5 Syntax: character classes
A character class wraps class ranges in square brackets. The class ranges
specify a set of characters:
[«class ranges»] matches any character in the set.
[^«class ranges»] matches any character not in the set.
Rules for class ranges:
Non-syntax characters stand for themselves: [abc]
Only the following four characters are special and must be escaped via
slashes:
^ \ - ]
^ only has to be escaped if it comes first.
- need not be escaped if it comes first or last.
Character escapes (\n, \u{1F44D}, etc.) have the usual meaning.
Watch out: \b stands for backspace. Elsewhere in a regular
expression, it matches word boundaries.
Character class escapes (\d, \P{White_Space}, \p{RGI_Emoji}, etc.) have the
usual meanings.
Ranges of characters are specified via dashes: [a-z]
[ES2024]
45.5.1 String literals in character classes
Flag /v enables a new feature inside character classes – we can use \q{} to
add code points sequences to their character sets:
> /^[\q{ 😵💫}]$/v.test('😵💫')
true
Without \q{}, grapheme clusters are still treated as several units:
😵💫
> /^[ ]$/v.test(' ') 😵💫
😵💫') //
false
> /^[\u{1F635}\u{200D}\u{1F4AB}]$/v.test('
equivalent
😵💫
false
> /^[ ]$/v.test('\u{1F635}')
true
We can use a single \q{} to add multiple code point sequences – if we
separate them with pipes:
> /^[\q{abc|def}]$/v.test('abc')
true
> /^[\q{abc|def}]$/v.test('def')
true
[ES2024]
45.5.2 Set operations for character classes
Flag /v enables set operations for character classes.
45.5.2.1 Nesting character classes
To enable set operations for character classes, we must be able to nest them.
Character class escapes already provides some kind of nesting:
> /^[\d\w]$/v.test('7')
true
> /^[\d\w]$/v.test('H')
true
> /^[\d\w]$/v.test('?')
false
With flag /v, we can additionally nest character classes (the regular
expression below is equivalent to the regular expression in the previous
example):
> /^[[0-9][A-Za-z0-9_]]$/v.test('7')
true
> /^[[0-9][A-Za-z0-9_]]$/v.test('H')
true
> /^[[0-9][A-Za-z0-9_]]$/v.test('?')
false
45.5.2.2 Subtraction of character sets via --
We can use the -- operator to set-theoretically subtract the character sets
defined by character classes or character class escapes:
> /^[\w--[a-g]]$/v.test('a')
false
> /^[\w--[a-g]]$/v.test('h')
true
> /^[\p{Number}--[0-9]]$/v.test('٣')
true
> /^[\p{Number}--[0-9]]$/v.test('3')
false
> /^[\p{RGI_Emoji}--\q{ 😵💫}]$/v.test('😵💫') // emoji
has 3 code points
😵💫}]$/v.test('🙂')
false
> /^[\p{RGI_Emoji}--\q{
true
Single code points can also be used on either side of the -- operator:
> /^[\w--a]$/v.test('a')
false
> /^[\w--a]$/v.test('b')
true
45.5.2.3 Intersection of character sets via &&
We can use the && operator to set-theoretically intersect the character sets
defined by character classes or character class escapes:
> /[\p{ASCII}&&\p{Letter}]/v.test('D')
true
> /[\p{ASCII}&&\p{Letter}]/v.test('Δ')
false
> /^[\p{Script=Arabic}&&\p{Number}]$/v.test('٣')
true
> /^[\p{Script=Arabic}&&\p{Number}]$/v.test(')'ج
false
45.5.2.4 Union of characters sets
Two compute the set-theoretical union of character sets, we only need to
write their definining constructs next to each other inside a character class:
2️⃣
> /^[\p{Emoji_Keycap_Sequence}[a-
z]]+$/v.test('a c')
true
45.6 Syntax: capture groups
Numbered capture group: (#+)
Backreference: \1, \2, etc.
[ES2018]
Named capture group : (?<hashes>#+)
Backreference: \k<hashes>
Noncapturing group: (?:#+)
45.7 Syntax: quantifiers
By default, all of the following quantifiers are greedy (they match as many
characters as possible):
?: match never or once
*: match zero or more times
+: match one or more times
{n}: match n times
{n,}: match n or more times
{n,m}: match at least n times, at most m times.
To make them reluctant (so that they match as few characters as possible),
put question marks (?) after them:
> /".*"/.exec('"abc"def"')[0] // greedy
'"abc"def"'
> /".*?"/.exec('"abc"def"')[0] // reluctant
'"abc"'
45.8 Syntax: assertions
^ matches only at the beginning of the input
$ matches only at the end of the input
\b matches only at a word boundary
\B matches only when not at a word boundary
Overview of available lookaround assertions:
Pattern Name
(?=«pattern») Positive lookahead ES3
(?!«pattern») Negative lookahead ES3
(?<=«pattern») Positive lookbehind ES2018
(?<!«pattern») Negative lookbehind ES2018
45.8.1 Lookahead assertions
Positive lookahead: (?=«pattern») matches if pattern matches what comes
next.
Example: sequences of lowercase letters that are followed by an X.
> 'abcX def'.match(/[a-z]+(?=X)/g)
[ 'abc' ]
Note that the X itself is not part of the matched substring.
Negative lookahead: (?!«pattern») matches if pattern does not match what
comes next.
Example: sequences of lowercase letters that are not followed by an X.
> 'abcX def'.match(/[a-z]+(?!X)/g)
[ 'ab', 'def' ]
[ES2018]
45.8.2 Lookbehind assertions
Positive lookbehind: (?<=«pattern») matches if pattern matches what came
before.
Example: sequences of lowercase letters that are preceded by an X.
> 'Xabc def'.match(/(?<=X)[a-z]+/g)
[ 'abc' ]
Negative lookbehind: (?<!«pattern») matches if pattern does not match what
came before.
Example: sequences of lowercase letters that are not preceded by an X.
> 'Xabc def'.match(/(?<!X)[a-z]+/g)
[ 'bc', 'def' ]
Example: replace “.js” with “.html”, but not in “Node.js”.
> 'Node.js: index.js and main.js'.replace(/(?
<!Node)\.js/g, '.html')
'Node.js: index.html and main.html'
45.9 Syntax: disjunction ( ) |
Caveat: this operator has low precedence. Use groups if necessary:
^aa|zz$ matches all strings that start with aa and/or end with zz.
Note that | has a lower precedence than ^ and $.
^(aa|zz)$ matches the two strings 'aa' and 'zz'.
^a(a|z)z$ matches the two strings 'aaz' and 'azz'.
45.10 Regular expression flags
Literal Property
ES Description
flag name
d hasIndices ES2022 Switch on match indices
g global ES3 Match multiple times
i ignoreCase ES3 Match case-insensitively
m multiline ES3 ^ and $ match per line
s dotAll ES2018 Dot matches line
terminators
u unicode ES6 Unicode mode
Literal Property
ES Description
flag name
v unicodeSets ES2024 Unicode sets mode
(recommended)
y sticky ES6 No characters between
matches
Table 45.1: These are the regular expression flags supported by
JavaScript.
The following regular expression flags are available in JavaScript (table 45.1
provides a compact overview):
/d (.hasIndices): Some RegExp-related methods return match objects
that describe where the regular expression matched in an input string.
If this flag is on, each match object includes match indices which tell
us where each group capture starts and ends. More information:
[ES2022]
“Match indices in match objects ” (§45.12.1).
/g (.global) fundamentally changes how the following methods work.
RegExp.prototype.test()
RegExp.prototype.exec()
String.prototype.match()
How, is explained in “The flags /g and /y, and the property .lastIndex”
(§45.14). In a nutshell, without /g, the methods only consider the first
match for a regular expression in an input string. With /g, they consider
all matches.
/i (.ignoreCase) switches on case-insensitive matching:
> /a/.test('A')
false
> /a/i.test('A')
true
/m (.multiline): If this flag is on, ^ matches the beginning of each line
and $ matches the end of each line. If it is off, ^ matches the beginning
of the whole input string and $ matches the end of the whole input
string.
> 'a1\na2\na3'.match(/^a./gm)
[ 'a1', 'a2', 'a3' ]
> 'a1\na2\na3'.match(/^a./g)
[ 'a1' ]
/s (.dotAll): By default, the dot does not match line terminators. With
this flag, it does:
> /./.test('\n')
false
> /./s.test('\n')
true
Workaround: If /s isn’t supported, we can use [^] instead of a dot.
> /[^]/.test('\n')
true
/u (.unicode): This flag provides better support for Unicode code points
[ES6]
and is explained in “Flag /u: matching code points ” (§45.10.3).
/v (.unicodeSets): This flag improves on flag /u and provides limited
support for multi-code-point grapheme clusters. It also supports set
operations in character classes. It is explained in “Flag /v: limited
[ES2024]
support for multi-code-point grapheme clusters ” (§45.10.4).
/y (.sticky): This flag mainly makes sense in conjunction with /g. When
both are switched on, any match must directly follow the previous one
(that is, it must start at index .lastIndex of the regular expression
object). Therefore, the first match must be at index 0.
> 'a1a2 a3'.match(/a./gy)
[ 'a1', 'a2' ]
> '_a1a2 a3'.match(/a./gy) // first match must be
at index 0
null
> 'a1a2 a3'.match(/a./g)
[ 'a1', 'a2', 'a3' ]
> '_a1a2 a3'.match(/a./g)
[ 'a1', 'a2', 'a3' ]
The main use case for /y is tokenization (during parsing). More
information on this flag: “The flags /g and /y, and the property
.lastIndex” (§45.14).
45.10.1 How to order regular expression flags?
Consider the following regular expression: /“([^”]+)”/udg
In which order should we list its flags? Two options are:
1. Alphabetical order: /dgu
2. In order of importance (arguably, /u is most fundamental etc.): /ugd
Given that (2) is not obvious, (1) is the better choice. JavaScript also uses it
for the RegExp property .flags :
> /-/gymdivs.flags
'dgimsvy'
45.10.2 Without /u and /v: matching UTF-16 code units
Without the flags /u and /v, most constructs work with single UTF-16 code
🙂
units – which is a problem whenever there is a code point with two code
units – such as :
> ' 🙂'.length
2
We can use code unit escapes – \u followed by four hexadecimal digits:
> /^\uD83D\uDE42$/.test(' 🙂')
true
The dot operator (.) matches code units:
🙂
> ' '.match(/./g)
[ '\uD83D', '\uDE42' ]
Quantifiers apply to code units:
🙂
> /^ {2}$/.test('\uD83D\uDE42\uDE42')
true
> /^\uD83D\uDE42{2}$/.test('\uD83D\uDE42\uDE42') //
equivalent
true
Character class escapes define sets of code units:
🙂
> ' '.match(/\D/g)
[ '\uD83D', '\uDE42' ]
Character classes define sets of code units:
🙂
> /^[ ]$/.test(' ') 🙂
false
> /^[\uD83D\uDE42]$/.test('\uD83D\uDE42') //
equivalent
🙂
false
> /^[ ]$/.test('\uD83D')
true
[ES6]
45.10.3 Flag /u: matching code points
🙂
In the previous subsection, we encountered problems when we wanted to
match a code point with more than one UTF-16 code unit – such as .
Flag /u enables support for this kind of code point and fixes those problems.
We can use code point escapes – \u{} with one to six hexadecimal digits:
> /^\u{1F642}$/u.test(' 🙂')
true
The dot operator (.) matches code points:
🙂'.match(/./gu)
🙂' ]
> '
[ '
Quantifiers apply to code points:
> /^ 🙂{2}$/u.test('🙂🙂')
true
Character class escapes define sets of code points:
🙂'.match(/\D/gu)
🙂' ]
> '
[ '
A new kind of character class escapes is supported – Unicode character
property escapes:
> /^\p{Emoji}$/u.test(' ⛔') // 1 code point (1 code
unit)
🙂') // 1 code point (2 code
true
> /^\p{Emoji}$/u.test('
units)
true
Character classes define sets of code points:
> /^[ 🙂]$/u.test('🙂')
🙂]$/u.test('\uD83D')
true
> /^[
false
45.10.4 Flag /v: limited support for multi-code-point grapheme
[ES2024]
clusters
Use flag /v whenever you can
This flag improves many aspects of JavaScript’s regular expressions
and should be used by default. If you can’t use it yet because it’s still
too new, you can use /u, instead.
Flag /v builds on the improvements brought by flag /u and fixes several
of its shortcomings.
Note that flag /v and flag /u are mutually exclusive – we can’t use them
both at the same time:
assert.throws(
() => eval('/-/uv'),
SyntaxError
);
45.10.4.1 Limitation of flag /u: handling grapheme clusters with more than one code point
😵💫
Some font glyphs are represented by grapheme clusters (code point
sequences) with more than one code point – e.g. :
> Array.from(' 😵💫').length // count code points
3
Flag /u does not help us with those kinds of grapheme clusters:
// Grapheme cluster is not matched by single dot
😵💫
assert.equal(
' '.match(/./gu).length, 3
);
// Quantifiers only repeat last code point of
grapheme cluster
😵💫 😵💫😵💫
assert.equal(
/^ {2}$/u.test(' '), false
);
// Character class escapes only match single code
points
😵💫
assert.equal(
/^\p{Emoji}$/u.test(' '), false
);
// Character classes only match single code points
😵💫 😵💫
assert.equal(
/^[ ]$/u.test(' '), false
);
45.10.4.2 Flag /v: Unicode string property escapes and character class string literals
Flag /v works like flag /u but provides better support for multi-code-point
grapheme clusters. It doesn’t switch from code points to grapheme clusters
everywhere, but it does fix the last two issues we encountered in the
previous subsection – by adding support for multi-code-point grapheme
clusters to:
Character class escapes – we can refer to Unicode string properties via
\p{}:
> /^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test(' ⛔') // 1 code point
(1 code unit)
🙂') // 1 code point
true
> /^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test('
(2 code units)
😵💫') // 3 code points
true
> /^\p{RGI_Emoji}$/v.test('
true
Character classes – \q{} lets us define string literals in character
classes:
> /^[\q{ 😵💫}]$/v.test('😵💫')
true
45.10.4.3 Flag /v: character class set operations
Character classes can be nested and combined via the set operations
subtraction and intersection – see “Set operations for character classes
[ES2024]
” (§45.5.2).
45.10.4.4 Flag /v: improved case-insensitive matching
Flag /u has a quirk when it comes to case-insensitive matching: Using
\P{···} produces different results than [^\p{···}]:
> /^\P{Lowercase_Letter}$/iu.test('A')
true
> /^\P{Lowercase_Letter}$/iu.test('a')
true
> /^[^\p{Lowercase_Letter}]$/iu.test('A')
false
> /^[^\p{Lowercase_Letter}]$/iu.test('a')
false
Observations:
Both ways of negating should produce the same results.
Intuitively, if we add /i to a regular expression, it should match at least
as many strings as before – not fewer.
Flag /v fixes that quirk:
> /^\P{Lowercase_Letter}$/iv.test('A')
false
> /^\P{Lowercase_Letter}$/iv.test('a')
false
> /^[^\p{Lowercase_Letter}]$/iv.test('A')
false
> /^[^\p{Lowercase_Letter}]$/iv.test('a')
false
Further reading:
A 2ality blog post explains why /u causes this behavior.
Source of this section: GitHub issue “IgnoreCase vs. complement vs.
nested class”
45.11 Properties of regular expression objects
Noteworthy:
Strictly speaking, only .lastIndex is a real instance property. All other
properties are implemented via getters.
Accordingly, .lastIndex is the only mutable property. All other
properties are read-only. If we want to change them, we need to copy
the regular expression (consult “Cloning and non-destructively
modifying regular expressions” (§45.1.2) for details).
45.11.1 Flags as properties
Each regular expression flag exists as a property with a longer, more
descriptive name:
> /a/i.ignoreCase
true
> /a/.ignoreCase
false
This is the complete list of flag properties:
.dotAll (/s)
.global (/g)
.hasIndices (/d)
.ignoreCase (/i)
.multiline (/m)
.sticky (/y)
.unicode (/u)
.unicodeSets (/v)
45.11.2 Other properties
Each regular expression also has the following properties:
[ES3]
.source : The regular expression pattern
> /abc/ig.source
'abc'
[ES6]
.flags : The flags of the regular expression
> /abc/ig.flags
'gi'
[ES3]
.lastIndex : Used when flag /g is switched on. Consult “The flags /g
and /y, and the property .lastIndex” (§45.14) for details.
45.12 Match objects
Several regular expression-related methods return so-called match objects to
provide detailed information for the locations where a regular expression
matches an input string. These methods are:
RegExp.prototype.exec() returns null or single match objects.
String.prototype.match() returns null or single match objects (if flag /g is
not set).
String.prototype.matchAll() returns an iterable of match objects (flag /g
must be set; otherwise, an exception is thrown).
This is an example:
assert.deepEqual(
/(a+)b/d.exec('ab aaab'),
{
0: 'ab',
1: 'a',
index: 0,
input: 'ab aaab',
groups: undefined,
indices: {
0: [0, 2],
1: [0, 1],
groups: undefined
},
}
);
The result of .exec() is a match object for the first match with the following
properties:
[0]: the complete substring matched by the regular expression
[1]: capture of numbered group 1 (etc.)
.index: where did the match occur?
.input: the string that was matched against
.groups: captures of named groups (see “Named capture groups
[ES2018]
” (§45.13.4.2))
.indices: the index ranges of captured groups
This property is only created if flag /d is switched on.
[ES2022]
45.12.1 Match indices in match objects
Match indices are a feature of match objects: If we turn it on via the regular
expression flag /d (property .hasIndices), they record the start and end
indices of where groups were captured.
45.12.1.1 Match indices for numbered groups
This is how we access the captures of numbered groups:
const matchObj = /(a+)(b+)/d.exec('aaaabb');
assert.equal(
matchObj[1], 'aaaa'
);
assert.equal(
matchObj[2], 'bb'
);
Due to the regular expression flag /d, matchObj also has a property .indices
that records for each numbered group where it was captured in the input
string:
assert.deepEqual(
matchObj.indices[1], [0, 4]
);
assert.deepEqual(
matchObj.indices[2], [4, 6]
);
45.12.1.2 Match indices for named groups
The captures of named groups are accessed likes this:
const matchObj = /(?<as>a+)(?
<bs>b+)/d.exec('aaaabb');
assert.equal(
matchObj.groups.as, 'aaaa');
assert.equal(
matchObj.groups.bs, 'bb');
Their indices are stored in matchObj.indices.groups:
assert.deepEqual(
matchObj.indices.groups.as, [0, 4]);
assert.deepEqual(
matchObj.indices.groups.bs, [4, 6]);
45.12.1.3 A more realistic example
One important use case for match indices are parsers that point to where
exactly a syntactic error is located. The following code solves a related
problem: It points to where quoted content starts and where it ends (see
demonstration at the end).
const reQuoted = /“([^”]+)”/dgu;
function pointToQuotedText(str) {
const startIndices = new Set();
const endIndices = new Set();
for (const match of str.matchAll(reQuoted)) {
const [start, end] = match.indices[1];
startIndices.add(start);
endIndices.add(end);
}
let result = '';
for (let index=0; index < str.length; index++) {
if (startIndices.has(index)) {
result += '[';
} else if (endIndices.has(index+1)) {
result += ']';
} else {
result += ' ';
}
}
return result;
}
assert.equal(
pointToQuotedText(
'They said “hello” and “goodbye”.'),
' [ ] [ ] '
);
45.13 Methods for working with regular expressions
45.13.1 By default, regular expressions match anywhere in a string
By default, regular expressions match anywhere in a string:
> /a/.test('__a__')
true
We can change that by using assertions such as ^ or by using the flag /y:
> /^a/.test('__a__')
false
> /^a/.test('a__')
true
[ES3]
45.13.2 regExp.test(str): is there a match?
The regular expression method .test() returns true if regExp matches str:
> /bc/.test('ABCD')
false
> /bc/i.test('ABCD')
true
> /\.mjs$/.test('main.mjs')
true
With .test() we should normally avoid the /g flag. If we use it, we generally
don’t get the same result every time we call the method:
> const r = /a/g;
> r.test('aab')
true
> r.test('aab')
true
> r.test('aab')
false
The results are due to /a/ having two matches in the string. After all of those
were found, .test() returns false.
[ES3]
45.13.3 str.search(regExp): at what index is the match?
The string method .search() returns the first index of str at which there is a
match for regExp:
> '_abc_'.search(/abc/)
1
> 'main.mjs'.search(/\.mjs$/)
4
[ES3]
45.13.4 regExp.exec(str): capturing groups
45.13.4.1 Getting a match object for the first match
Without the flag /g, .exec() returns a match object for the first match of
regExp in str:
assert.deepEqual(
/(a+)b/.exec('ab aab'),
{
0: 'ab',
1: 'a',
index: 0,
input: 'ab aab',
groups: undefined,
}
);
[ES2018]
45.13.4.2 Named capture groups
The previous example contained a single numbered group. The following
example demonstrates named groups:
assert.deepEqual(
/(?<as>a+)b/.exec('ab aab'),
{
0: 'ab',
1: 'a',
index: 0,
input: 'ab aab',
groups: { as: 'a' },
}
);
In the result of .exec(), we can see that a named group is also a numbered
group – its capture exists twice:
Once as a numbered capture (property '1').
Once as a named capture (property groups.as).
45.13.4.3 Looping over all matches
Better alternative for retrieving all matches: str.matchAll(regExp)
[ES2020]
Since ECMAScript 2020, JavaScript has another method for retrieving
all matches: str.matchAll(regExp). That method is easier to use and has
fewer caveats.
If we want to retrieve all matches of a regular expression (not just the first
one), we need to switch on the flag /g. Then we can call .exec() multiple
times and get one match each time. After the last match, .exec() returns null.
> const regExp = /(a+)b/g;
> regExp.exec('ab aab')
{ 0: 'ab', 1: 'a', index: 0, input: 'ab aab',
groups: undefined }
> regExp.exec('ab aab')
{ 0: 'aab', 1: 'aa', index: 3, input: 'ab aab',
groups: undefined }
> regExp.exec('ab aab')
null
Therefore, we can loop over all matches as follows:
const regExp = /(a+)b/g;
const str = 'ab aab';
let match;
// Check for null via truthiness
// Alternative: while ((match = regExp.exec(str))
!== null)
while (match = regExp.exec(str)) {
console.log(match[1]);
}
Output:
a
aa
Be careful when sharing regular expressions with /g!
Sharing regular expressions with /g has a few pitfalls, which are
explained later.
Exercise: Extracting quoted text via .exec()
exercises/regexps/extract_quoted_test.mjs
[ES3]
45.13.5 str.match(regExp): getting all group 0 captures
Without /g, .match() works like .exec() – it returns a single match object.
With /g, .match() returns all substrings of str that match regExp:
> 'ab aab'.match(/(a+)b/g)
[ 'ab', 'aab' ]
If there is no match, .match() returns null:
> 'xyz'.match(/(a+)b/g)
null
We can use the nullish coalescing operator (??) to protect ourselves against
null:
const numberOfMatches = (str.match(regExp) ??
[]).length;
45.13.6 str.matchAll(regExp): getting an iterable over all match objects
[ES2020]
This is how .matchAll() is invoked:
const matchIterable = str.matchAll(regExp);
Given a string and a regular expression, .matchAll() returns an iterable over
the match objects of all matches.
In the following example, we use Array.from() to convert iterables to Arrays
so that we can compare them better.
> Array.from('-a-a-a'.matchAll(/-(a)/ug))
[
{ 0:'-a', 1:'a', index: 0, input: '-a-a-a',
groups: undefined },
{ 0:'-a', 1:'a', index: 2, input: '-a-a-a',
groups: undefined },
{ 0:'-a', 1:'a', index: 4, input: '-a-a-a',
groups: undefined },
]
Flag /g must be set:
> Array.from('-a-a-a'.matchAll(/-(a)/u))
TypeError: String.prototype.matchAll called with a
non-global
RegExp argument
.matchAll() isn’t affected by regExp.lastIndex and doesn’t change it.
45.13.6.1 Implementing .matchAll()
.matchAll() could be implemented via .exec() as follows:
function* matchAll(str, regExp) {
if (!regExp.global) {
throw new TypeError('Flag /g must be set!');
}
const localCopy = new RegExp(regExp,
regExp.flags);
let match;
while (match = localCopy.exec(str)) {
yield match;
}
}
Making a local copy ensures two things:
regex.lastIndex isn’t changed.
localCopy.lastIndex is zero.
Using matchAll():
const str = '"fee" "fi" "fo" "fum"';
const regex = /"([^"]*)"/g;
for (const match of matchAll(str, regex)) {
console.log(match[1]);
}
Output:
fee
fi
fo
fum
45.13.7 regExp.exec() vs. str.match() vs. str.matchAll()
The following table summarizes the differences between three methods:
Without /g With /g
regExp.exec(str) First match object Next match object or null
str.match(regExp) First match object Array of group 0 captures
str.matchAll(regExp) TypeError Iterable over match objects
45.13.8 Replacing with str.replace() and str.replaceAll()
Both replacing methods have two parameters:
str.replace(searchValue, replacementValue)
str.replaceAll(searchValue, replacementValue)
searchValue can be:
A string
A regular expression
replacementValue can be:
String: Replace matches with this string. The character $ has special
meaning and lets us insert captures of groups and more (details are
explained later).
Function: Compute strings that replace matches via this function.
The two methods differ as follows:
.replace() replaces the first occurrence of a string or a regular
expression without /g.
.replaceAll() replaces all occurrences of a string or a regular expression
with /g.
This table summarizes how that works:
Search for:
string RegExp w/o /g RegExp with /g
→
.replace First First (All
occurrence occurrence occurrences)
.replaceAll All occurrences TypeError All occurrences
The last column of .replace() is in parentheses because this method existed
long before .replaceAll() and therefore supports functionality that should
now be handled via the latter method. If we could change that, .replace()
would throw a TypeError here.
We first explore how .replace() and .replaceAll() work individually when
replacementValue is a simple string (without the character $). Then we
examine how both are affected by more complicated replacement values.
45.13.8.1 str.replace(searchValue, replacementValue) [ES3]
How .replace() operates is influenced by its first parameter searchValue:
Regular expression without /g: Replace first match of this regular
expression.
> 'aaa'.replace(/a/, 'x')
'xaa'
String: Replace first occurrence of this string (the string is interpreted
verbatim, not as a regular expression).
> 'aaa'.replace('a', 'x')
'xaa'
Regular expression with /g: Replace all matches of this regular
expression.
> 'aaa'.replace(/a/g, 'x')
'xxx'
Recommendation: If .replaceAll() is available, it’s better to use that
method in this case – its purpose is to replace multiple occurrences.
If we want to replace every occurrence of a string, we have two options:
We can use .replaceAll() (which was introduced in ES2021).
Later in this chapter, we will encounter [the tool function
escapeForRegExp()) which will help us convert a string into a regular
expression that matches that string multiple times (e.g., '*' becomes
/\*/g).
45.13.8.2 str.replaceAll(searchValue, replacementValue) [ES2021]
How .replaceAll() operates is influenced by its first parameter searchValue:
Regular expression with /g: Replace all matches of this regular
expression.
> 'aaa'.replaceAll(/a/g, 'x')
'xxx'
String: Replace all occurrences of this string (the string is interpreted
verbatim, not as a regular expression).
> 'aaa'.replaceAll('a', 'x')
'xxx'
Regular expression without /g: A TypeError is thrown (because the
purpose of .replaceAll() is to replace multiple occurrences).
> 'aaa'.replaceAll(/a/, 'x')
TypeError: String.prototype.replaceAll called
with
a non-global RegExp argument
45.13.8.3 The parameter replacementValue of .replace() and .replaceAll()
So far, we have only used the parameter replacementValue with simple strings,
but it can do more. If its value is:
A string, then matches are replaced with this string. The character $ has
special meaning and lets us insert captures of groups and more (read
on for details).
A function, then matches are replaced by strings that are computed via
this function.
45.13.8.4 replacementValue is a string
If the replacement value is a string, the dollar sign has special meaning – it
inserts text matched by the regular expression:
Text Result
$$ single $
$& complete match
$` text before match
$' text after match
$n capture of numbered group n (n > 0)
[ES2018]
$<name> capture of named group name
Example: Inserting the text before, inside, and after the matched substring.
> 'a1 a2'.replaceAll(/a/g, "($`|$&|$')")
'(|a|1 a2)1 (a1 |a|2)2'
Example: Inserting the captures of numbered groups.
> const regExp = /^([A-Za-z]+): (.*)$/ug;
> 'first: Jane'.replaceAll(regExp, 'KEY: $1, VALUE:
$2')
'KEY: first, VALUE: Jane'
Example: Inserting the captures of named groups.
> const regExp = /^(?<key>[A-Za-z]+): (?
<value>.*)$/ug;
> 'first: Jane'.replaceAll(regExp, 'KEY: $<key>,
VALUE: $<value>')
'KEY: first, VALUE: Jane'
Exercise: Change quotes via .replace() and a named group
exercises/regexps/change_quotes_test.mjs
45.13.8.5 replacementValue is a function
If the replacement value is a function, we can compute each replacement. In
the following example, we multiply each non-negative integer that we find
by two.
assert.equal(
'3 cats and 4 dogs'.replaceAll(/[0-9]+/g, (all) =>
2 * Number(all)),
'6 cats and 8 dogs'
);
The replacement function gets the following parameters. Note how similar
they are to match objects. These parameters are all positional, but I’ve
included how one might name them:
all: complete match
g1: capture of numbered group 1
Etc.
index: where did the match occur?
input: the string in which we are replacing
[ES2018]
groups : captures of named groups (an object). Always the last
parameter.
If we are only interested in groups, we can use the following technique:
const result = 'first=jane, last=doe'.replace(
/(?<key>[a-z]+)=(?<value>[a-z]+)/g,
(...args) => { // (A)
const groups = args.at(-1); // (B)
const {key, value} = groups;
return key.toUpperCase() + '=' +
value.toUpperCase();
});
assert.equal(result, 'FIRST=JANE, LAST=DOE');
Due to the rest parameter in line A, args contains an Array with all
parameters. We access the last parameter via the Array method .at() in line
B.
45.13.9 Other methods for working with regular expressions
String.prototype.split() is described in the chapter on strings. Its first
parameter of String.prototype.split() is either a string or a regular
expression. If it is the latter, then captures of groups appear in the result:
> 'a:b : c'.split(':')
[ 'a', 'b ', ' c' ]
> 'a:b : c'.split(/ *: */)
[ 'a', 'b', 'c' ]
> 'a:b : c'.split(/( *):( *)/)
[ 'a', '', '', 'b', ' ', ' ', 'c' ]
45.14 The flags /g and /y, and the property .lastIndex
(advanced)
In this section, we examine how the RegExp flags /g and /y work and how
they depend on the RegExp property .lastIndex. We’ll also discover an
interesting use case for .lastIndex that you may find surprising.
45.14.1 The flags /g and /y
Every method reacts differently to /g and /y; this gives us a rough general
idea:
/g (.global, ES3): The regular expression should match multiple times,
anywhere in a string.
/y (.sticky, ES6): Any match inside a string should immediately follow
a previous match (the matches “stick” together).
If a regular expression has neither the flag /g nor the flag /y, matching
happens once and starts at the beginning.
With either /g or /y, matching is performed relative to a “current position”
inside the input string. That position is stored in the regular expression
property .lastIndex.
There are three groups of regular-expression-related methods:
1. The string methods .search(regExp) and .split(regExp) completely ignore
/g and /y (and therefore also .lastIndex).
2. The RegExp methods .exec(str) and .test(str) change in two ways if
either /g or /y is set.
First, we get multiple matches, by calling one method repeatedly. Each
time, it returns either another result (a match object or true) or an “end
of results” value (null or false).
Second, the regular expression property .lastIndex is used to step
through the input string. On one hand, .lastIndex determines where
matching starts:
/g means that a match must begin at .lastIndex or later.
/y means that a match must begin at .lastIndex. That is, the
beginning of the regular expression is anchored to .lastIndex.
Note that ^ and $ continue to work as usually: They anchor
matches to the beginning or end of the input string, unless
.multiline is set. Then they anchor to the beginnings or ends of
lines.
On the other hand, .lastIndex is set to one plus the last index of the
previous match.
3. All other methods are affected as follows:
/g leads to multiple matches.
/y leads to a single match that must start at .lastIndex.
/yg leads to multiple matches without gaps.
This was a first overview. The next sections get into more details.
45.14.2 How exactly are methods affected by /g and /y?
45.14.2.1 regExp.exec(str) [ES3]
Without /g and /y, .exec() ignores .lastIndex and always returns a match
object for the first match:
> const re = /#/; re.lastIndex = 1;
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 0, input: '##-#' }, 1]
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 0, input: '##-#' }, 1]
With /g, the match must start at .lastIndex or later. .lastIndex is updated. If
there is no match, null is returned.
> const re = /#/g; re.lastIndex = 1;
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 1, input: '##-#' }, 2]
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 3, input: '##-#' }, 4]
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[null, 0]
With /y, the match must start at exactly .lastIndex. .lastIndex is updated. If
there is no match, null is returned.
> const re = /#/y; re.lastIndex = 1;
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 1, input: '##-#' }, 2]
> [re.exec('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[null, 0]
With /yg, .exec() behaves the same as with /y.
45.14.2.2 regExp.test(str) [ES3]
This method behaves the same same as .exec(), but instead of returning a
match object, it returns true, and instead of returning null, it returns false.
For example, without either /g or /y, the result is always true:
> const re = /#/; re.lastIndex = 1;
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[true, 1]
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[true, 1]
With /g, there are two matches:
> const re = /#/g; re.lastIndex = 1;
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[true, 2]
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[true, 4]
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[false, 0]
With /y, there is only one match:
> const re = /#/y; re.lastIndex = 1;
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[true, 2]
> [re.test('##-#'), re.lastIndex]
[false, 0]
With /yg, .test() behaves the same as with /y.
45.14.2.3 str.match(regExp) [ES3]
Without /g, .match() works like .exec(). Either without /y:
> const re = /#/; re.lastIndex = 1;
> ['##-#'.match(re), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 0, input: '##-#' }, 1]
> ['##-#'.match(re), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 0, input: '##-#' }, 1]
Or with /y:
> const re = /#/y; re.lastIndex = 1;
> ['##-#'.match(re), re.lastIndex]
[{ 0: '#', index: 1, input: '##-#' }, 2]
> ['##-#'.match(re), re.lastIndex]
[null, 0]
With /g, we get all matches (group 0) in an Array. .lastIndex is ignored and
reset to zero.
> const re = /#/g; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.match(re)
['#', '#', '#']
> re.lastIndex
0
/yg works similarly to /g, but no gaps between matches are allowed:
> const re = /#/yg; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.match(re)
['#', '#']
> re.lastIndex
0
45.14.2.4 str.matchAll(regExp) [ES2020]
If /g is not set, .matchAll() throws an exception:
> const re = /#/y; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.matchAll(re)
TypeError: String.prototype.matchAll called with
a non-global RegExp argument
If /g is set, matching starts at .lastIndex and that property isn’t changed:
> const re = /#/g; re.lastIndex = 1;
> Array.from('##-#'.matchAll(re))
[
{ 0: '#', index: 1, input: '##-#' },
{ 0: '#', index: 3, input: '##-#' },
]
> re.lastIndex
1
/yg works similarly to /g, but no gaps between matches are allowed:
> const re = /#/yg; re.lastIndex = 1;
> Array.from('##-#'.matchAll(re))
[
{ 0: '#', index: 1, input: '##-#' },
]
> re.lastIndex
1
45.14.2.5 str.replace(regExp, str) [ES3]
Without /g and /y, only the first occurrence is replaced:
> const re = /#/; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.replace(re, 'x')
'x#-#'
> re.lastIndex
1
With /g, all occurrences are replaced. .lastIndex is ignored but reset to zero.
> const re = /#/g; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.replace(re, 'x')
'xx-x'
> re.lastIndex
0
With /y, only the (first) occurrence at .lastIndex is replaced. .lastIndex is
updated.
> const re = /#/y; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.replace(re, 'x')
'#x-#'
> re.lastIndex
2
/yg works like /g, but gaps between matches are not allowed:
> const re = /#/yg; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.replace(re, 'x')
'xx-#'
> re.lastIndex
0
45.14.2.6 str.replaceAll(regExp, str) [ES2021]
.replaceAll() works like .replace() but throws an exception if /g is not set:
> const re = /#/y; re.lastIndex = 1;
> '##-#'.replaceAll(re, 'x')
TypeError: String.prototype.replaceAll called
with a non-global RegExp argument
45.14.3 Four pitfalls of /g and /y and how to deal with them
We will first look at four pitfalls of /g and /y and then at ways of dealing
with those pitfalls.
45.14.3.1 Pitfall 1: We can’t inline a regular expression with /g or /y
A regular expression with /g can’t be inlined. For example, in the following
while loop, the regular expression is created fresh, every time the condition
is checked. Therefore, its .lastIndex is always zero and the loop never
terminates.
let matchObj;
// Infinite loop
while (matchObj = /a+/g.exec('bbbaabaaa')) {
console.log(matchObj[0]);
}
With /y, the problem is the same.
45.14.3.2 Pitfall 2: Removing /g or /y can break code
If code expects a regular expression with /g and has a loop over the results
of .exec() or .test(), then a regular expression without /g can cause an
infinite loop:
function collectMatches(regExp, str) {
const matches = [];
let matchObj;
// Infinite loop
while (matchObj = regExp.exec(str)) {
matches.push(matchObj[0]);
}
return matches;
}
collectMatches(/a+/, 'bbbaabaaa'); // Missing: flag
/g
Why is there an infinite loop? Because .exec() always returns the first result,
a match object, and never null.
With /y, the problem is the same.
45.14.3.3 Pitfall 3: Adding /g or /y can break code
With .test(), there is another caveat: It is affected by .lastIndex. Therefore, if
we want to check exactly once if a regular expression matches a string, then
the regular expression must not have /g. Otherwise, we generally get a
different result every time we call .test():
> const regExp = /^X/g;
> [regExp.test('Xa'), regExp.lastIndex]
[ true, 1 ]
> [regExp.test('Xa'), regExp.lastIndex]
[ false, 0 ]
> [regExp.test('Xa'), regExp.lastIndex]
[ true, 1 ]
The first invocation produces a match and updates .lastIndex. The second
invocation does not find a match and resets .lastIndex to zero.
If we create a regular expression specifically for .test(), then we probably
won’t add /g. However, the likeliness of encountering /g increases if we use
the same regular expression for replacing and for testing.
Once again, this problem also exists with /y:
> const regExp = /^X/y;
> regExp.test('Xa')
true
> regExp.test('Xa')
false
> regExp.test('Xa')
true
45.14.3.4 Pitfall 4: Code can produce unexpected results if .lastIndex isn’t zero
Given all the regular expression operations that are affected by .lastIndex,
we must be careful with many algorithms that .lastIndex is zero at the
beginning. Otherwise, we may get unexpected results:
function countMatches(regExp, str) {
let count = 0;
while (regExp.test(str)) {
count++;
}
return count;
}
const myRegExp = /a/g;
myRegExp.lastIndex = 4;
assert.equal(
countMatches(myRegExp, 'babaa'), 1); // should be
3
Normally, .lastIndex is zero in newly created regular expressions and we
won’t change it explicitly like we did in the example. But .lastIndex can still
end up not being zero if we use the regular expression multiple times.
45.14.3.5 How to avoid the pitfalls of /g and /y
As an example of dealing with /g and .lastIndex, we revisit countMatches()
from the previous example. How do we prevent a wrong regular expression
from breaking our code? Let’s look at three approaches.
45.14.3.5.1 Throwing exceptions
First, we can throw an exception if /g isn’t set or .lastIndex isn’t zero:
function countMatches(regExp, str) {
if (!regExp.global) {
throw new Error('Flag /g of regExp must be
set');
}
if (regExp.lastIndex !== 0) {
throw new Error('regExp.lastIndex must be
zero');
}
let count = 0;
while (regExp.test(str)) {
count++;
}
return count;
}
45.14.3.5.2 Cloning regular expressions
Second, we can clone the parameter. That has the added benefit that regExp
won’t be changed.
function countMatches(regExp, str) {
const cloneFlags = regExp.flags + (regExp.global ?
'' : 'g');
const clone = new RegExp(regExp, cloneFlags);
let count = 0;
while (clone.test(str)) {
count++;
}
return count;
}
45.14.3.5.3 Using an operation that isn’t affected by .lastIndex or flags
Several regular expression operations are not affected by .lastIndex or by
flags. For example, .match() ignores .lastIndex if /g is present:
function countMatches(regExp, str) {
if (!regExp.global) {
throw new Error('Flag /g of regExp must be
set');
}
return (str.match(regExp) ?? []).length;
}
const myRegExp = /a/g;
myRegExp.lastIndex = 4;
assert.equal(countMatches(myRegExp, 'babaa'), 3); //
OK!
Here, countMatches() works even though we didn’t check or fix .lastIndex.
45.14.4 Use case for .lastIndex: starting matching at a given index
Apart from storing state, .lastIndex can also be used to start matching at a
given index. This section describes how.
45.14.4.1 Example: Checking if a regular expression matches at a given index
Given that .test() is affected by /y and .lastIndex, we can use it to check if a
regular expression regExp matches a string str at a given index:
function matchesStringAt(regExp, str, index) {
if (!regExp.sticky) {
throw new Error('Flag /y of regExp must be
set');
}
regExp.lastIndex = index;
return regExp.test(str);
}
assert.equal(
matchesStringAt(/x+/y, 'aaxxx', 0), false);
assert.equal(
matchesStringAt(/x+/y, 'aaxxx', 2), true);
regExp is anchored to .lastIndex due to /y.
Note that we must not use the assertion ^ which would anchor regExp to the
beginning of the input string.
45.14.4.2 Example: Finding the location of a match, starting at a given index
.search() lets us find the location where a regular expression matches:
> '#--#'.search(/#/)
0
Alas, we can’t change where .search() starts looking for matches. As a
workaround, we can use .exec() for searching:
function searchAt(regExp, str, index) {
if (!regExp.global && !regExp.sticky) {
throw new Error('Either flag /g or flag /y of
regExp must be set');
}
regExp.lastIndex = index;
const match = regExp.exec(str);
if (match) {
return match.index;
} else {
return -1;
}
}
assert.equal(
searchAt(/#/g, '#--#', 0), 0);
assert.equal(
searchAt(/#/g, '#--#', 1), 3);
45.14.4.3 Example: Replacing an occurrence at a given index
When used without /g and with /y, .replace() makes one replacement – if
there is a match at .lastIndex:
function replaceOnceAt(str, regExp, replacement,
index) {
if (!(regExp.sticky && !regExp.global)) {
throw new Error('Flag /y must be set, flag /g
must not be set');
}
regExp.lastIndex = index;
return str.replace(regExp, replacement);
}
assert.equal(
replaceOnceAt('aa aaaa a', /a+/y, 'X', 0), 'X aaaa
a');
assert.equal(
replaceOnceAt('aa aaaa a', /a+/y, 'X', 3), 'aa X
a');
assert.equal(
replaceOnceAt('aa aaaa a', /a+/y, 'X', 8), 'aa
aaaa X');
45.14.5 The downsides of .lastIndex
The regular expression property .lastIndex has two significant downsides:
It makes regular expressions stateful:
We now have to be mindful of the states of regular expressions
and how we share them.
For many use cases, we can’t make them immutable via freezing,
either.
Support for .lastIndex is inconsistent among regular expression
operations.
On the upside, .lastIndex also gives us additional useful functionality: We
can dictate where matching should begin (for some operations).
45.14.6 Summary: .global (/g) and .sticky (/y)
The following two methods are completely unaffected by /g and /y:
String.prototype.search()
String.prototype.split()
This table explains how the remaining regular-expression-related methods
are affected by these two flags:
r.lastIndex = 2 Result r.lastIndex
exec /#/.exec("##-#") {i:0} ✘
/#/g.exec("##-#") {i:3} 4
/#/y.exec("##-#") null 0
test /#/.test("##-#") true ✘
/#/g.test("##-#") true 4
/#/y.test("##-#") false 0
match "##-#".match(/#/) {i:0} ✘
"##-#".match(/#/g) ["#","#","#"] 0
"##-#".match(/#/y) null 0
"##-#".match(/#/gy) ["#","#"] 0
matchAll "##-#".matchAll(/#/) TypeError ✘
"##-#".matchAll(/#/g) <{i:3}> ✘
"##-#".matchAll(/#/y) TypeError ✘
"##-#".matchAll(/#/gy) <> ✘
replace "##-#".replace(/#/, "x") "x#-#" ✘
"##-#".replace(/#/g, "x") "xx-x" 0
"##-#".replace(/#/y, "x") "##-#" 0
"##-#".replace(/#/gy, "x") "xx-#" 0
replaceAll "##-#".replaceAll(/#/, "x") TypeError ✘
r.lastIndex = 2 Result r.lastIndex
"##-#".replaceAll(/#/g, "x") "xx-x" 0
"##-#".replaceAll(/#/y, "x") TypeError ✘
"##-#".replaceAll(/#/gy, "x") "xx-#" 0
Abbreviations:
{i:2}: a match object whose property .index has the value 2.
<i1, i2>: an iterable with the two items i1 and i2.
✘ means “no change”
The Node.js script that generated the previous table
The previous table was generated via a Node.js script.
45.15 Techniques for working with regular expressions
45.15.1 Escaping arbitrary text for regular expressions
The following function escapes an arbitrary text so that it is matched
verbatim if we put it inside a regular expression (except inside character
classes ([···])):
function escapeForRegExp(str) {
return str.replace(/[\\^$.*+?\(\)\[\]\{\}\|]/gv,
'\\$&'); // (A)
}
assert.equal(escapeForRegExp('[yes?]'), String.raw`\
[yes\?\]`);
assert.equal(escapeForRegExp('_g_'),
String.raw`_g_`);
In line A, we escape all syntax characters. We have to be selective because
the regular expression flags /u and /v forbid many escapes – see “Syntax
characters and escaping” (§45.2). Examples: \a \: \-
escapeForRegExp() has two use cases:
We want to insert plain text into a regular expression that we create
dynamically via new RegExp().
We want to replace all occurrences of a plain text string via the regular
expression method .replace() (and can’t use .replaceAll()).
.replace() only lets us replace plain text once. With escapeForRegExp(), we can
work around that limitation:
const plainText = ':-)';
const regExp = new
RegExp(escapeForRegExp(plainText), 'ug');
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂'
assert.equal(
':-) :-) :-)'.replace(regExp, ' '), '
);
If you have more complicated requirements such as escaping plain text
inside character classes, you can take a look at the polyfill for the
ECMAScript proposal “RegExp.escape()”.
45.15.2 Matching everything or nothing
Sometimes, we may need a regular expression that matches everything or
nothing – for example, as a default value.
Match everything: /(?:)/
The empty group () matches everything. We make it non-capturing
(via ?:), to avoid unnecessary work.
> /(?:)/.test('')
true
> /(?:)/.test('abc')
true
Match nothing: /.^/
^ only matches at the beginning of a string. The dot moves matching
beyond the first character and now ^ doesn’t match anymore.
> /.^/.test('')
false
> /.^/.test('abc')
false
Regular expression literals can’t be empty because // starts a single-line
comment. Therefore, the first of the previous two regular expressions is used
in this case:
> new RegExp('')
/(?:)/
45.15.3 Using a tagged template to write regular expressions that are
easier to understand
For more information, see “Tag function library: regex” (§23.4.2).
46 Dates (Date)
46.1 Best practice: avoid the built-in Date
46.1.1 Things to look for in a date library
46.2 Time standards
46.2.1 Background: UTC vs. Z vs. GMT
46.2.2 Dates do not support time zones
46.3 Background: date time formats (ISO)
46.3.1 Tip: append a Z to make date parsing deterministic
46.4 Time values
46.4.1 Creating time values
46.4.2 Getting and setting time values
46.5 Creating Dates
46.5.1 Creating dates via numbers
46.5.2 Parsing dates from strings
46.5.3 Other ways of creating dates
46.6 Getters and setters
46.6.1 Time unit getters and setters
46.7 Converting Dates to strings
46.7.1 Strings with times
46.7.2 Strings with dates
46.7.3 Strings with dates and times
46.7.4 Other methods
This chapter describes JavaScript’s API for working with dates – the class
Date.
46.1 Best practice: avoid the built-in Date
The JavaScript Date API is cumbersome to use. Hence, it’s best to rely on a
library for anything related to dates. Popular libraries include:
Libraries with custom date objects (for complex use cases):
Luxon
Day.js
js-joda
Moment.js
Libraries that use the built-in Date objects (for simpler use cases):
Tempo
date-fns
The Intl API is supported by most JavaScript platforms:
Intl.DateTimeFormat provides language-sensitive date and time
formatting.
Additionally, TC39 is working on a new date API for JavaScript: Temporal.
46.1.1 Things to look for in a date library
Two things are important to keep in mind:
Tree-shaking can considerably reduce the size of a library. It is a
technique of only deploying those exports of a library to a web server
that are imported somewhere. Functions are much more amenable to
tree-shaking than classes.
Support for time zones: As explained later, Date does not support time
zones, which introduces a number of pitfalls and is a key weakness.
Make sure that your date library supports them.
46.2 Time standards
46.2.1 Background: UTC vs. Z vs. GMT
UTC, Z, and GMT are ways of specifying time that are similar, but subtly
different:
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the time standard that all times
zones are based on. They are specified relative to it. That is, no country
or territory has UTC as its local time zone.
Z (Zulu Time Zone) is a military time zone that is often used in
aviation and the military as another name for UTC+0.
GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is a time zone used in some European
and African countries. It is UTC plus zero hours and therefore has the
same time as UTC.
Sources:
“The Difference Between GMT and UTC” at TimeAndDate.com
“Z – Zulu Time Zone (Military Time)” at TimeAndDate.com
46.2.2 Dates do not support time zones
Dates support the following time standards:
The local time zone (which depends on the current location)
UTC
Time offsets (relative to UTC)
Depending on the operation, only some of those options are available. For
example, when converting dates to strings or extracting time units such as
the day of the month, you can only choose between the local time zone and
UTC.
Internally, Dates are stored as UTC. When converting from or to the local
time zone, the necessary offsets are determined via the date. In the
following example, the local time zone is Europe/Paris:
// CEST (Central European Summer Time)
assert.equal(
new Date('2122-06-29').getTimezoneOffset(), -120);
// CET (Central European Time)
assert.equal(
new Date('2122-12-29').getTimezoneOffset(), -60);
Whenever you create or convert dates, you need to be mindful of the time
standard being used – for example: new Date() uses the local time zone while
.toISOString() uses UTC.
> new Date(2077, 0, 27).toISOString()
'2077-01-26T23:00:00.000Z'
Dates interpret 0 as January. The day of the month is 27 in the local time
zone, but 26 in UTC.
Documenting the time standards supported by each operation
In the remainder of this chapter, the supported time standards are
noted for each operation.
46.2.2.1 The downsides of not being able to specify time zones
Not being able to specify time zones has two downsides:
It makes it impossible to support multiple time zones.
It can lead to location-specific bugs. For example, the previous
example produces different results depending on where it is executed.
To be safe:
Use UTC-based operations whenever possible
Use Z or a time offset when parsing strings (see the next section
for more information).
46.3 Background: date time formats (ISO)
Date time formats describe:
The strings accepted by:
Date.parse()
new Date()
The strings returned by (always longest format):
Date.prototype.toISOString()
The following is an example of a date time string returned by .toISOString():
'2033-05-28T15:59:59.123Z'
Date time formats have the following structures:
Date formats: Y=year; M=month; D=day
YYYY-MM-DD
YYYY-MM
YYYY
Time formats: T=separator (the string 'T'); H=hour; m=minute;
s=second and millisecond; Z=Zulu Time Zone (the string 'Z')
THH:mm:ss.sss
THH:mm:ss.sssZ
THH:mm:ss
THH:mm:ssZ
THH:mm
THH:mmZ
Date time formats: are date formats followed by time formats.
For example (longest): YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ
Instead of Z (which is UTC+0), we can also specify time offsets relative to
UTC:
THH:mm+HH:mm (etc.)
THH:mm-HH:mm (etc.)
46.3.1 Tip: append a Z to make date parsing deterministic
If you add a Z to the end of a string, date parsing doesn’t produce different
results at different locations:
Without Z: Input is January 27 (in the Europe/Paris time zone), output
is January 26 (in UTC).
> new Date('2077-01-27T00:00').toISOString()
'2077-01-26T23:00:00.000Z'
With Z: Input is January 27, output is January 27.
> new Date('2077-01-27T00:00Z').toISOString()
'2077-01-27T00:00:00.000Z'
46.4 Time values
A time value represents a date via the number of milliseconds since 1
January 1970 00:00:00 UTC.
Time values can be used to create Dates:
const timeValue = 0;
assert.equal(
new Date(timeValue).toISOString(),
'1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z');
Coercing a Date to a number returns its time value:
> Number(new Date(123))
123
Ordering operators coerce their operands to numbers. Therefore, you can
use these operators to compare Dates:
assert.equal(
new Date('1972-05-03') < new Date('2001-12-23'),
true);
// Internally:
assert.equal(73699200000 < 1009065600000, true);
46.4.1 Creating time values
The following methods create time values:
Date.now(): number (UTC)
Returns the current time as a time value.
Date.parse(dateTimeStr: string): number (local time zone, UTC, time
offset)
Parses dateTimeStr and returns the corresponding time value.
Date.UTC(year, month, date?, hours?, minutes?, seconds?, milliseconds?):
number (UTC)
Returns the time value for the specified UTC date time.
46.4.2 Getting and setting time values
Date.prototype.getTime(): number (UTC)
Returns the time value corresponding to the Date.
Date.prototype.setTime(timeValue) (UTC)
Sets this to the date encoded by timeValue.
46.5 Creating Dates
46.5.1 Creating dates via numbers
new Date(year: number, month: number, date?: number, hours?: number, minutes?:
number, seconds?: number, milliseconds?: number) (local time zone)
Two of the parameters have pitfalls:
For month, 0 is January, 1 is February, etc.
If 0 ≤ year ≤ 99, then 1900 is added:
> new Date(12, 1, 22, 19, 11).getFullYear()
1912
That’s why, elsewhere in this chapter, we avoid the time unit year and
always use fullYear. But in this case, we have no choice.
Example:
> new Date(2077,0,27, 21,49).toISOString() // CET
(UTC+1)
'2077-01-27T20:49:00.000Z'
Note that the input hours (21) are different from the output hours (20). The
former refer to the local time zone, the latter to UTC.
46.5.2 Parsing dates from strings
new Date(dateTimeStr: string) (local time zone, UTC, time offset)
If there is a Z at the end, UTC is used:
> new Date('2077-01-27T00:00Z').toISOString()
'2077-01-27T00:00:00.000Z'
If there is no Z or time offset at the end, the local time zone is used:
> new Date('2077-01-27T00:00').toISOString() // CET
(UTC+1)
'2077-01-26T23:00:00.000Z'
If a string only contains a date, it is interpreted as UTC:
> new Date('2077-01-27').toISOString()
'2077-01-27T00:00:00.000Z'
46.5.3 Other ways of creating dates
new Date(timeValue: number) (UTC)
> new Date(0).toISOString()
'1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'
new Date() (UTC)
The same as new Date(Date.now()).
46.6 Getters and setters
46.6.1 Time unit getters and setters
Dates have getters and setters for time units – for example:
Date.prototype.getFullYear()
Date.prototype.setFullYear(num)
These getters and setters conform to the following patterns:
Local time zone:
Date.prototype.get«Unit»()
Date.prototype.set«Unit»(num)
UTC:
Date.prototype.getUTC«Unit»()
Date.prototype.setUTC«Unit»(num)
These are the time units that are supported:
Date
FullYear
Month: month (0–11). Pitfall: 0 is January, etc.
Date: day of the month (1–31)
Day (getter only): day of the week (0–6, 0 is Sunday)
Time
Hours: hour (0–23)
Minutes: minutes (0–59)
Seconds: seconds (0–59)
Milliseconds: milliseconds (0–999)
There is one more getter that doesn’t conform to the previously mentioned
patterns:
Date.prototype.getTimezoneOffset()
Returns the time difference between local time zone and UTC in
minutes. For example, for Europe/Paris, it returns -120 (CEST, Central
European Summer Time) or -60 (CET, Central European Time):
> new Date('2122-06-29').getTimezoneOffset()
-120
> new Date('2122-12-29').getTimezoneOffset()
-60
46.7 Converting Dates to strings
Example Date:
const d = new Date(0);
46.7.1 Strings with times
Date.prototype.toTimeString() (local time zone)
> d.toTimeString()
'01:00:00 GMT+0100 (Central European Standard
Time)'
46.7.2 Strings with dates
Date.prototype.toDateString() (local time zone)
> d.toDateString()
'Thu Jan 01 1970'
46.7.3 Strings with dates and times
Date.prototype.toString() (local time zone)
> d.toString()
'Thu Jan 01 1970 01:00:00 GMT+0100 (Central
European Standard Time)'
Date.prototype.toUTCString() (UTC)
> d.toUTCString()
'Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT'
Date.prototype.toISOString() (UTC)
> d.toISOString()
'1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'
46.7.4 Other methods
The following three methods are not really part of ECMAScript, but rather
of the ECMAScript internationalization API. That API has much
functionality for formatting dates (including support for time zones), but not
for parsing them.
Date.prototype.toLocaleTimeString()
Date.prototype.toLocaleDateString()
Date.prototype.toLocaleString()
Exercise: Creating a date string
exercises/dates/create_date_string_test.mjs
47 Creating and parsing JSON (JSON)
47.1 The discovery and standardization of JSON
47.1.1 JSON’s grammar is frozen
47.2 JSON syntax
47.3 Using the JSON API
47.3.1 JSON.stringify(data, replacer?, space?)
47.3.2 JSON.parse(text, reviver?)
47.3.3 Example: converting to and from JSON
47.4 Customizing stringification and parsing (advanced)
47.4.1 .stringfy(): specifying which properties of objects to
stringify
47.4.2 .stringify() and .parse(): value visitors
47.4.3 Example: visiting values
47.4.4 Example: stringifying unsupported values
47.4.5 Example: parsing unsupported values
47.5 FAQ
47.5.1 Why doesn’t JSON support comments?
JSON (“JavaScript Object Notation”) is a storage format that uses text to
encode data. Its syntax is a subset of JavaScript expressions. As an example,
consider the following text, stored in a file jane.json:
{
"first": "Jane",
"last": "Porter",
"married": true,
"born": 1890,
"friends": [ "Tarzan", "Cheeta" ]
}
JavaScript has the global namespace object JSON that provides methods for
creating and parsing JSON.
47.1 The discovery and standardization of JSON
A specification for JSON was published by Douglas Crockford in 2001, at
json.org. He explains:
I discovered JSON. I do not claim to have invented JSON because it
already existed in nature. What I did was I found it, I named it, I
described how it was useful. I don't claim to be the first person to have
discovered it; I know that there are other people who discovered it at
least a year before I did. The earliest occurrence I've found was, there
was someone at Netscape who was using JavaScript array literals for
doing data communication as early as 1996, which was at least five
years before I stumbled onto the idea.
Later, JSON was standardized as ECMA-404:
1st edition: October 2013
2nd edition: December 2017
47.1.1 JSON’s grammar is frozen
Quoting the ECMA-404 standard:
Because it is so simple, it is not expected that the JSON grammar will
ever change. This gives JSON, as a foundational notation, tremendous
stability.
Therefore, JSON will never get improvements such as optional trailing
commas, comments, or unquoted keys – independently of whether or not
they are considered desirable. However, that still leaves room for creating
supersets of JSON that compile to plain JSON.
47.2 JSON syntax
JSON consists of the following parts of JavaScript:
Compound:
Object literals:
Property keys are double-quoted strings.
Property values are JSON values.
No trailing commas are allowed.
Array literals:
Elements are JSON values.
No holes or trailing commas are allowed.
Atomic:
null (but not undefined)
Booleans
Numbers (excluding NaN, +Infinity, -Infinity)
Strings (must be double-quoted)
As a consequence, you can’t (directly) represent cyclic structures in JSON.
47.3 Using the JSON API
The global namespace object JSON contains methods for working with JSON
data.
47.3.1 JSON.stringify(data, replacer?, space?)
.stringify() converts JavaScript data to a JSON string. In this section, we are
ignoring the parameter replacer; it is explained in “Customizing
stringification and parsing” (§47.4).
47.3.1.1 Result: a single line of text
If you only provide the first argument, .stringify() returns a single line of
text:
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify({foo: ['a', 'b']}),
'{"foo":["a","b"]}' );
47.3.1.2 Result: a tree of indented lines
If you provide a non-negative integer for space, then .stringify() returns one
or more lines and indents by space spaces per level of nesting:
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify({foo: ['a', 'b']}, null, 2),
`{
"foo": [
"a",
"b"
]
}`);
47.3.1.3 Details on how JavaScript data is stringified
Primitive values:
Supported primitive values are stringified as expected:
> JSON.stringify('abc')
'"abc"'
> JSON.stringify(123)
'123'
> JSON.stringify(null)
'null'
Unsupported numbers: 'null'
> JSON.stringify(NaN)
'null'
> JSON.stringify(Infinity)
'null'
Bigints: TypeError
> JSON.stringify(123n)
TypeError: Do not know how to serialize a BigInt
Other unsupported primitive values are not stringified; they produce
the result undefined:
> JSON.stringify(undefined)
undefined
> JSON.stringify(Symbol())
undefined
Objects:
If an object has a method .toJSON(), then the result of that method is
stringified:
> JSON.stringify({toJSON() {return true}})
'true'
Dates have a method .toJSON() that returns a string:
> JSON.stringify(new Date(2999, 11, 31))
'"2999-12-30T23:00:00.000Z"'
Wrapped primitive values are unwrapped and stringified:
> JSON.stringify(new Boolean(true))
'true'
> JSON.stringify(new Number(123))
'123'
Arrays are stringified as Array literals. Unsupported Array elements
are stringified as if they were null:
> JSON.stringify([undefined, 123, Symbol()])
'[null,123,null]'
All other objects – except for functions – are stringified as object
literals. Properties with unsupported values are omitted:
> JSON.stringify({a: Symbol(), b: true})
'{"b":true}'
Functions are not stringified:
> JSON.stringify(() => {})
undefined
47.3.2 JSON.parse(text, reviver?)
.parse() converts a JSON text to a JavaScript value. In this section, we are
ignoring the parameter reviver; it is explained in “Customizing
stringification and parsing” (§47.4).
This is an example of using .parse():
> JSON.parse('{"foo":["a","b"]}')
{ foo: [ 'a', 'b' ] }
47.3.3 Example: converting to and from JSON
The following class implements conversions from (line A) and to (line B)
JSON.
class Point {
static fromJson(jsonObj) { // (A)
return new Point(jsonObj.x, jsonObj.y);
}
constructor(x, y) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
toJSON() { // (B)
return {x: this.x, y: this.y};
}
}
Converting JSON to a point: We use the static method Point.fromJson()
to parse JSON and create an instance of Point.
assert.deepEqual(
Point.fromJson(JSON.parse('{"x":3,"y":5}')),
new Point(3, 5) );
Converting a point to JSON: JSON.stringify() internally calls the
previously mentioned method .toJSON().
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify(new Point(3, 5)),
'{"x":3,"y":5}' );
Exercise: Converting an object to and from JSON
exercises/json/to_from_json_test.mjs
47.4 Customizing stringification and parsing (advanced)
Stringification and parsing can be customized as follows:
JSON.stringify(data, replacer?, space?)
The optional parameter replacer contains either:
An Array with names of properties. If a value in data is stringified
as an object literal, then only the mentioned properties are
considered. All other properties are ignored.
A value visitor, a function that can transform JavaScript data
before it is stringified.
JSON.parse(text, reviver?)
The optional parameter reviver contains a value visitor that can
transform the parsed JSON data before it is returned.
47.4.1 .stringfy(): specifying which properties of objects to stringify
If the second parameter of .stringify() is an Array, then only object
properties, whose names are mentioned there, are included in the result:
const obj = {
a: 1,
b: {
c: 2,
d: 3,
}
};
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify(obj, ['b', 'c']),
'{"b":{"c":2}}');
47.4.2 .stringify() and .parse(): value visitors
What I call a value visitor is a function that transforms JavaScript data:
JSON.stringify() lets the value visitor in its parameter replacer transform
JavaScript data before it is stringified.
JSON.parse() lets the value visitor in its parameter reviver transform
parsed JavaScript data before it is returned.
In this section, JavaScript data is considered to be a tree of values. If the
data is atomic, it is a tree that only has a root. All values in the tree are fed
to the value visitor, one at a time. Depending on what the visitor returns, the
current value is omitted, changed, or preserved.
A value visitor has the following type signature:
type ValueVisitor = (key: string, value: any) =>
any;
The parameters are:
value: The current value.
this: Parent of current value. The parent of the root value r is {'': r}.
Note: this is an implicit parameter and only available if the value
visitor is an ordinary function.
key: Key or index of the current value inside its parent. The key of the
root value is ''.
The value visitor can return:
value: means there won’t be any change.
A different value x: leads to value being replaced with x in the output
tree.
undefined: leads to value being omitted in the output tree.
47.4.3 Example: visiting values
The following code shows in which order a value visitor sees values:
const log = [];
function valueVisitor(key, value) {
log.push({this: this, key, value});
return value; // no change
}
const root = {
a: 1,
b: {
c: 2,
d: 3,
}
};
JSON.stringify(root, valueVisitor);
assert.deepEqual(log, [
{ this: { '': root }, key: '', value: root },
{ this: root , key: 'a', value: 1 },
{ this: root , key: 'b', value: root.b },
{ this: root.b , key: 'c', value: 2 },
{ this: root.b , key: 'd', value: 3 },
]);
As we can see, the replacer of JSON.stringify() visits values top-down (root
first, leaves last). The rationale for going in that direction is that we are
converting JavaScript values to JSON values. And a single JavaScript object
may be expanded into a tree of JSON-compatible values.
In contrast, the reviver of JSON.parse() visits values bottom-up (leaves first,
root last). The rationale for going in that direction is that we are assembling
JSON values into JavaScript values. Therefore, we need to convert the parts
before we can convert the whole.
47.4.4 Example: stringifying unsupported values
JSON.stringify() has no special support for regular expression objects – it
stringifies them as if they were plain objects:
const obj = {
name: 'abc',
regex: /abc/ui,
};
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify(obj),
'{"name":"abc","regex":{}}');
We can fix that via a replacer:
function replacer(key, value) {
if (value instanceof RegExp) {
return {
__type__: 'RegExp',
source: value.source,
flags: value.flags,
};
} else {
return value; // no change
}
}
assert.equal(
JSON.stringify(obj, replacer, 2),
`{
"name": "abc",
"regex": {
"__type__": "RegExp",
"source": "abc",
"flags": "iu"
}
}`);
47.4.5 Example: parsing unsupported values
To JSON.parse() the result from the previous section, we need a reviver:
function reviver(key, value) {
// Very simple check
if (value && value.__type__ === 'RegExp') {
return new RegExp(value.source, value.flags);
} else {
return value;
}
}
const str = `{
"name": "abc",
"regex": {
"__type__": "RegExp",
"source": "abc",
"flags": "iu"
}
}`;
assert.deepEqual(
JSON.parse(str, reviver),
{
name: 'abc',
regex: /abc/ui,
});
47.5 FAQ
47.5.1 Why doesn’t JSON support comments?
Douglas Crockford explains why in a Google+ post from 1 May 2012:
I removed comments from JSON because I saw people were using
them to hold parsing directives, a practice which would have destroyed
interoperability. I know that the lack of comments makes some people
sad, but it shouldn't.
Suppose you are using JSON to keep configuration files, which you
would like to annotate. Go ahead and insert all the comments you like.
Then pipe it through JSMin [a minifier for JavaScript] before handing
it to your JSON parser.
X Miscellaneous topics
48 Next steps: overview of web
development
48.1 Tips against feeling overwhelmed
48.2 Things worth learning for web development
48.2.1 Keep an eye on WebAssembly (Wasm)!
48.3 An overview of JavaScript tools
48.3.1 Building: getting from the JavaScript we write to the
JavaScript we deploy
48.3.2 Static checking
48.3.3 Testing
48.3.4 Package managers
48.3.5 Libraries
48.4 Tools not related to JavaScript
You now know most of the JavaScript language. This chapter gives an
overview of web development and describes next steps. It answers questions
such as:
What should I learn next for web development?
What JavaScript-related tools should I know about?
48.1 Tips against feeling overwhelmed
Web development has become a vast field: Between JavaScript, web
browsers, server-side JavaScript, JavaScript libraries, and JavaScript tools,
there is a lot to know. Additionally, everything is always changing: some
things go out of style, new things are invented, etc.
How can you avoid feeling overwhelmed when faced with this constantly
changing vastness of knowledge?
Focus on the web technologies that you work with most often and learn
them well. If you do frontend development, that may be JavaScript,
CSS, SVG, or something else.
For JavaScript: Know the language, but also try out one tool in each of
the following categories (which are covered in more detail later).
Compilers: compile future JavaScript or supersets of JavaScript to
normal JavaScript.
Bundlers: combine all modules used by a web app into a single
file (a script or a module). That makes loading faster and enables
dead code elimination.
Static checkers. For example:
Linters: check for anti-patterns, style violations, and more.
Type checkers: type JavaScript statically and report errors.
Test libraries and tools
Version control (usually git)
Trust in your ability to learn on demand
It is commendable to learn something out of pure curiosity. But I’m
wary of trying to learn everything and spreading oneself too thin. That
also induces an anxiety of not knowing enough (because you never
will). Instead, trust in your ability to learn things on demand!
48.2 Things worth learning for web development
These are a few things worth learning for web development:
Browser APIs such as the Document Object Model (DOM), the
browsers’ representation of HTML in memory. They are the
foundations of any kind of frontend development.
JavaScript-adjacent technologies such as HTML and CSS.
Frontend frameworks: When you get started with web development, it
can be instructive to write user interfaces without any libraries. Once
you feel more confident, frontend frameworks make many things
easier, especially for larger apps. Popular frameworks include:
Alpine.js, Angular, Ember, Lit, Preact, Qwik, React, Solid, Stencil,
Svelte, Vue.js.
JavaScript runtimes: Some JavaScript platform are for running code on
servers. But they are also used for running command-line tools. The
most popular runtime is Node.js. Most JavaScript-related tools (even
compilers!) are implemented in Node.js-based JavaScript and installed
via npm. A good way to get started with Node.js, is to use it for shell
scripting.
Other JavaScript runtimes include: Deno, Bun.
Important standards group in this area: WinterCG (Web-
interoperable Runtimes Community Group). “This community
group aims to provide a space for JavaScript runtimes to
collaborate on API interoperability. We focus on documenting and
improving interoperability of web platform APIs across runtimes
(especially non-browser ones).”
JavaScript tooling: Modern web development involves many tools.
Later in this chapter, there is an overview of the current tooling
ecosystem.
Progressive web apps (PWAs): The driving idea behind progressive
web apps is to give web apps features that, traditionally, only native
apps had – for example: native installation on mobile and desktop
operating systems; offline operation; showing notifications to users.
Google has published a checklist detailing what makes a web app
progressive. The minimum requirements are:
The app must be served over HTTPS (not the unsecure HTTP).
The app must have a Web App Manifest file, specifying metadata
such as app name and icon (often in multiple resolutions). The
file(s) of the icon must also be present.
The app must have a service worker: a base layer of the app that
runs in the background, in a separate process (independently of
web pages). One of its responsibilities is to keep the app
functioning when there is no internet connection. Among others,
two mechanisms help it do that: It is a local proxy that supervises
all of the web resource requests of the app. And it has access to a
browser’s cache. Therefore, it can use the cache to fulfill requests
when the app is offline – after initially caching all critical
resources. Other capabilities of service workers include
synchronizing data in the background; receiving server-sent push
messages; and the aforementioned showing notifications to users.
One good resource for learning web development – including JavaScript – is
MDN web docs.
48.2.1 Keep an eye on WebAssembly (Wasm)!
WebAssembly is a universal virtual machine that is built into most
JavaScript engines. We often get the following distribution of work:
JavaScript is for dynamic, higher-level code.
WebAssembly is for static, lower-level code.
For static code, WebAssembly is quite fast: C/C++ code, compiled to
WebAssembly, is about 50% as fast as the same code, compiled to native
(source). Use cases include support for new video formats, machine
learning, gaming, etc. It helps that it is relatively easy to compile existing
code bases (e.g. ones written in C) to WebAssembly.
WebAssembly works well as a compilation target for various languages.
Does this mean JavaScript will be compiled to WebAssembly or replaced by
another language?
48.2.1.1 Will JavaScript be compiled to WebAssembly?
JavaScript engines perform many optimizations for JavaScript’s highly
dynamic features. If we wanted to compile JavaScript to WebAssembly,
we’d have to implement these optimizations on top of WebAssembly. The
result would be slower than current engines and have a similar code base.
Therefore, we wouldn’t gain anything.
48.2.1.2 Will JavaScript be replaced by another language?
Does WebAssembly mean that JavaScript is about to be replaced by another
language? WebAssembly does make it easier to support languages other
than JavaScript in web browsers. But those languages face several
challenges on that platform:
All browser APIs are based on JavaScript.
The runtimes (standard library, etc.) of other languages incur an
additional memory overhead, whereas JavaScript’s runtime is already
built into web browsers.
JavaScript is well-known, has many libraries and tools, etc.
For dynamic code, JavaScript is comparatively fast. Therefore, for the
foreseeable future, it will probably remain the most popular choice for high-
level code. For low-level code, compiling more static languages (such as
Rust) to WebAssembly is an intriguing option.
Given that it is just a virtual machine, there are not that many practically
relevant things to learn about WebAssembly. But it is worth keeping an eye
on its evolving role in web development. It is also becoming popular as a
stand-alone virtual machine:
Important standards group in this area: “The Bytecode Alliance is a
nonprofit organization dedicated to creating secure new software
foundations, building on standards such as WebAssembly and
WebAssembly System Interface (WASI).”
WebAssembly System Interface (WASI): “group of standard API
specifications for software compiled to the W3C WebAssembly
(Wasm) standard. WASI is designed to provide a secure standard
interface for applications that can be compiled to Wasm from any
language, and that may run anywhere – from browsers to clouds to
embedded devices.”
WebAssembly Component Model (WCM): “broad-reaching
architecture for building interoperable Wasm libraries, applications,
and environments.”
warg – secure registry protocol for Wasm packages: An important
foundation for WebAssembly package managers.
48.3 An overview of JavaScript tools
In this section, we take a look at:
Categories of tools
Names of specific tools in those categories
The former are much more important. The names change, as tools come into
and out of style, but I wanted you to see at least some of them.
48.3.1 Building: getting from the JavaScript we write to the
JavaScript we deploy
Building JavaScript means getting from the JavaScript we write to the
JavaScript we deploy. The following tools are often involved in this process.
48.3.1.1 Transpilers
A transpiler is a compiler that compiles source code to source code. Two
transpilers that are popular in the JavaScript community are:
TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript. Roughly, it is the latest version
of JavaScript plus static typing. The TypeScript compiler tsc performs
two tasks:
It type-checks the JavaScript code.
It compiles TypeScript to JavaScript (which still looks much the
same).
One important trend is to use faster tools (such as bundlers, see below)
for the relatively simply task of compiling TypeScript to JavaScript and
to use the TypeScript compiler only for type-checking during
development – which is a complicated task (so far no practical
alternatives to tsc have emerged).
Babel compiles upcoming and modern JavaScript features to older
versions of the language. That means we can use new features in our
code and still run it on older browsers.
Most browsers are now evergreen and frequently update
themselves. Before that happened, Babel was essential. Now it’s
being used less, also due to TypeScript having become popular.
48.3.1.2 Minification
Minification means compiling JavaScript to equivalent, smaller (as in fewer
characters) JavaScript. It does so by renaming variables, removing
comments, removing whitespace, etc.
For example, given the following input:
let numberOfOccurrences = 5;
if (Math.random()) {
// Math.random() is not zero
numberOfOccurrences++
}
A minifier might produce:
let a=5;Math.random()&&a++;
Bundlers (see below) usually support minification.
48.3.1.3 Bundlers
Bundlers compile and optimize the code of a JavaScript app. The input of a
bundler is many files – all of the app’s code plus the libraries it uses. A
bundler combines these input files to produce fewer output files (which
tends to improve performance).
A bundler minimizes the size of its output via techniques such as tree-
shaking. Tree-shaking is a form of dead code elimination: only those
module exports are put in the output that are imported somewhere (across
all code, while considering transitive imports).
It is also common to perform compilation steps such as transpiling and
minification while bundling.
Popular bundlers include:
More like a framework (the tool takes control):
Vite
More like a library (we control the tool):
esbuild
Rollup
Rolldown
Somewhere between:
Parcel
Rspack
TurboPack
webpack
48.3.1.4 Task runners
Sometimes there are build tasks that involve multiple tools or invoke tools
with specific arguments. Task runners (in the tradition of Unix make) let us
define simpler names for such tasks and often also help with connecting
tools and processing files. There are:
Dedicated task runners: grunt, gulp, broccoli, etc.
Tools that can be used as simple task runners:
Most package managers can run tasks, e.g. via "scripts" in
package.json.
Most runtimes also come with built-in support for running tasks.
48.3.2 Static checking
Static checking means analyzing source code statically (without running it).
It can be used to detect a variety of problems. Tools include:
Linters: check the source code for problematic patterns, unused
variables, etc. Linters are especially useful if you are still learning the
language because they point out if you are doing something wrong.
Popular linters include ESLint, Biome, oxlint, quick-lint-js
Code style checkers: check if code is formatted properly. They consider
indentation, spaces after brackets, spaces after commas, etc.
Example: JSCS (JavaScript Code Style checker)
Code formatters: automatically format our code for us, according to
rules that we can customize.
Examples: Prettier, Biome
Type checkers: add static type checking to JavaScript.
Most popular type checker: TypeScript (which is also a transpiler)
48.3.3 Testing
JavaScript has many testing frameworks – for example:
Unit testing: AVA, Jasmine, Jest, Mocha, QUnit, Vitest, etc.
The JavaScript runtimes Node.js, Deno and Bun all have built-in
test runners.
Integration testing: Jenkins, Cypress, etc.
User interface testing: CasperJS, Nightwatch.js, TestCafé, Cypress,
Playwright, Web Test Runner, etc.
Automating browsers (e.g. for testing): Puppeteer, Selenium, etc.
48.3.4 Package managers
The most popular package manager for JavaScript is npm. It started as a
package manager for Node.js but has since also become dominant for client-
side web development and tools of any kind.
The following alternatives to npm use npm’s package registry (think online
database):
Yarn is a different take on npm; some of the features it pioneered are
now also supported by npm.
pnpm focuses on saving space when installing packages locally.
Additionally, there is JSR (JavaScript Registry):
It focuses on TypeScript but also supports JavaScript.
It can be used by all of the aforementioned package managers
(including npm).
Support for it is built into Deno. JSR was created by the team behind
Deno and designed to be a good fit for it.
48.3.5 Libraries
Various helpers: lodash (which was originally based on the
Underscore.js library) is one of the most popular general helper
libraries for JavaScript.
Data structures: The following libraries are two examples among many.
Immutable.js provides immutable data structures for JavaScript.
Immer is an interesting lightweight alternative to Immutable.js. It
also doesn’t mutate the data it operates on, but it works with
normal objects, Arrays, Sets and Maps.
Date libraries: JavaScript’s built-in support for dates is limited and full
of pitfalls. The chapter on dates lists libraries that we can use instead.
Internationalization: In this area, ECMAScript’s standard library is
complemented by the ECMAScript Internationalization API (ECMA-
402). It is accessed via the global variable Intl and available in most
modern browsers.
Implementing and accessing services: The following are two popular
options that are supported by a variety of libraries and tools.
REST (Representative State Transfer) is one popular option for
services and based on HTTP(S).
RPC (remote procedure calls) are another popular paradigm for
communicating with servers. There are many standards and
approaches for RPC – two examples:
The JSON-RPC standard: “A light weight remote procedure
call protocol. It is designed to be simple!”
The gRPC framework: “gRPC is a modern open source high
performance Remote Procedure Call (RPC) framework that
can run in any environment. It can efficiently connect
services in and across data centers with pluggable support
for load balancing, tracing, health checking and
authentication. It is also applicable in last mile of distributed
computing to connect devices, mobile applications and
browsers to backend services.”
GraphQL is more sophisticated (for example, it can combine
multiple data sources) and supports a query language.
48.4 Tools not related to JavaScript
Given that JavaScript is just one of several kinds of artifacts involved in web
development, more tools exist. These are but a few examples:
CSS:
Minifiers: reduce the size of CSS by removing comments, etc.
Preprocessors: let us write compact CSS (sometimes augmented
with control flow constructs, etc.) that is expanded into
deployable, more verbose CSS.
Frameworks: provide help with layout, decent-looking user
interface components, etc.
Images: Automatically optimizing the size of bitmap images, etc.
XI Appendices
A Index
--x, #1
x--, #1
-x, #1
, (comma operator), #1
!x, #1
c ? t : e, #1
obj?.prop, #1
.__proto__, #1
x - y, #1
x ??= y, #1
x ?? d, #1
x ** y, #1
x * y, #1
x / y, #1
x && y, #1
x & y, #1
x ٪ y, #1
x ^ y, #1
x + y, #1
x << y, #1
x === y, #1
x >>> y, #1
x >> y, #1
x ¦¦ y, #1
x ¦ y, #1
++x, #1
x++, #1
+x, #1
=, #1
~x, #1
accessor (object literal), #1
addition, #1
AggregateError, #1
AMD module, #1
anonymous function expression, #1
argument, #1
argument vs. parameter, #1
Array, #1
Array hole, #1
Array index, #1
Array literal, #1
Array-destructuring, #1
Array-like object, #1
Array, dense, #1
Array, multidimensional, #1
new Array(), #1
Array, sparse, #1
Array.from(), #1
Array.of(), #1
Array.prototype.at(), #1
Array.prototype.concat(), #1
Array.prototype.copyWithin(), #1
Array.prototype.entries(), #1
Array.prototype.every(), #1
Array.prototype.fill(), #1
Array.prototype.filter(), #1
Array.prototype.find(), #1
Array.prototype.findIndex(), #1
Array.prototype.findLast(), #1
Array.prototype.findLastIndex(), #1
Array.prototype.flat(), #1
Array.prototype.flatMap(), #1
Array.prototype.forEach(), #1
Array.prototype.includes(), #1
Array.prototype.indexOf(), #1
Array.prototype.join(), #1
Array.prototype.keys(), #1
Array.prototype.lastIndexOf(), #1
Array.prototype.map(), #1
Array.prototype.pop(), #1
Array.prototype.push(), #1
Array.prototype.reduce(), #1
Array.prototype.reduceRight(), #1
Array.prototype.reverse(), #1
Array.prototype.shift(), #1
Array.prototype.slice(), #1
Array.prototype.some(), #1
Array.prototype.sort(), #1
Array.prototype.splice(), #1
Array.prototype.toLocaleString(), #1
Array.prototype.toReversed(), #1
Array.prototype.toSorted(), #1
Array.prototype.toSpliced(), #1
Array.prototype.toString(), #1
Array.prototype.unshift(), #1
Array.prototype.values(), #1
Array.prototype.with(), #1
ArrayBuffer, #1
new ArrayBuffer(), #1
ArrayBuffer.isView(), #1
ArrayBuffer.prototype.byteLength, #1
ArrayBuffer.prototype.maxByteLength, #1
ArrayBuffer.prototype.resizable, #1
ArrayBuffer.prototype.resize(), #1
ArrayBuffer.prototype.slice(), #1
Arrays, fixed-layout, #1
Arrays, sequence, #1
arrow function, #1
ASCII escape, #1
ASI (automatic semicolon insertion), #1
assert (module), #1
assert.deepEqual(), #1
assert.equal(), #1
assert.fail(), #1
assert.notDeepEqual(), #1
assert.notEqual(), #1
assert.throws(), #1
assertion, #1
assignment operator, #1
async, #1
async function, #1
async function*, #1
async-await, #1
asynchronous generator, #1
asynchronous iterable, #1
asynchronous iteration, #1
asynchronous iterator, #1
asynchronous programming, #1
attribute of a property, #1
automatic semicolon insertion (ASI), #1
await (async function), #1
await (asynchronous generator), #1
base class, #1
big endian, #1
bigint, #1
BigInt64Array, #1
BigUint64Array, #1
binary integer literal, #1
binding (variable), #1
bitwise And, #1
bitwise Not, #1
bitwise Or, #1
bitwise Xor, #1
boolean, #1
Boolean(), #1
bound variable, #1
break, #1
bundler, #1
bundling, #1
call stack, #1
callback (asynchronous pattern), #1
callback function, #1
camel case, #1, #2
case, camel, #1
case, dash, #1
case, kebab, #1
case, snake, #1
case, underscore, #1
catch, #1
class, #1, #2
class declaration, #1
class definition, #1
class expression, #1
class, base, #1
class, derived, #1
class, mixin, #1
classes, extending, #1
closure, #1
code point, #1
code unit, #1
coercion, #1
combinator function, Promise, #1
comma operator, #1
CommonJS module, #1
comparing by identity, #1
comparing by value, #1
computed property key, #1
concatenating strings, #1
conditional operator, #1
console, #1
console.error(), #1
console.log(), #1
const, #1
constant, #1
constructor function (role of an ordinary function), #1
continue, #1
Converting to [type], #1
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), #1
copy object deeply, #1
copy object shallowly, #1
dash case, #1, #2
DataView, #1
new DataView(), #1
DataView.prototype.buffer, #1
DataView.prototype.byteLength, #1
DataView.prototype.byteOffset, #1
DataView.prototype.get(), #1
DataView.prototype.set(), #1
date, #1
date time format, #1
decimal floating point literal, #1
decimal integer literal, #1
decrementation operator (prefix), #1
decrementation operator (suffix), #1
deep copy of an object, #1
default export, #1
default value (destructuring), #1
default value (parameter), #1
default value operator (??), #1
delete, #1
deleting a property, #1
dense Array, #1
derived class, #1
descriptor of a property, #1
destructive operation, #1
destructuring, #1
destructuring an Array, #1
destructuring an object, #1
dictionary object, #1
direct method call, #1
dispatched method call, #1
divided by operator, #1
division, #1
do-while, #1
dynamic imports, #1
dynamic this, #1
dynamic vs. static, #1
early activation, #1
Ecma, #1
ECMA-262, #1
ECMAScript, #1
ECMAScript module, #1
ECMAScript proposal, #1
Eich, Brendan, #1
endianness (Typed Arrays), #1
enumerability, #1
enumerable (property attribute), #1
equality operator, #1
ES module, #1
escape, ASCII, #1
escape, Unicode code point, #1
escape, Unicode code unit, #1
escaping HTML, #1
eval(), #1
evaluating an expression, #1
event (asynchronous pattern), #1
event loop, #1
exception, #1
exercises, getting started with, #1
exponentiation, #1
export, #1
export default, #1
export, default, #1
export, named, #1
expression, #1
extending classes, #1
extends, #1
external iteration, #1
extracting a method, #1
false, #1
falsiness, #1
falsy, #1
finally, #1
fixed-layout Arrays, #1
fixed-layout object, #1
flags (regular expression), #1
Float32Array, #1
Float64Array, #1
floating point literal, #1
for, #1
for-await-of, #1
for-in, #1
for-of, #1
free variable, #1
fulfilled (Promise state), #1
function declaration, #1
function expression, anonymous, #1
function expression, named, #1
function, arrow, #1
function, ordinary, #1
function, roles of an ordinary, #1
function, specialized, #1
function*, #1
garbage collection, #1
generator, asynchronous, #1
generator, synchronous, #1
getter (object literal), #1
global, #1
global object, #1
global scope, #1
global variable, #1
globalThis, #1
GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), #1
grapheme cluster, #1
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), #1
heap, #1
hexadecimal integer literal, #1
hoisting, #1
hole in an Array, #1
identifier, #1
identity of an object, #1
if, #1
IIFE (immediately invoked function expression), #1
immediately invoked function expression (IIFE), #1
import, #1
import, named, #1
import, namespace, #1
import.meta, #1
import.meta.url, #1
import(), #1
imports, dynamic, #1
in, #1
incrementation operator (prefix), #1
incrementation operator (suffix), #1
index of an Array, #1
Infinity, #1
inheritance, multiple, #1
inheritance, single, #1
instanceof, #1, #2
Int8Array, #1
Int16Array, #1
Int32Array, #1
integer numbers, #1
integer, safe, #1
internal iteration, #1
iterable (asynchronous), #1
iterable (synchronous), #1
iteration, asynchronous, #1
iteration, external, #1
iteration, internal, #1
iteration, synchronous, #1
iterator (asynchronous), #1
iterator (synchronous), #1
JSON (data format), #1
JSON (namespace object), #1
kebab case, #1, #2
keyword, #1
label, #1
leading surrogate, #1
left shift operator, #1
let, #1
lexical this, #1
listing properties, #1
little endian, #1
logical And, #1
logical Not, #1
logical Or, #1
lone surrogate, #1
Map, #1
Map vs. object, #1
new Map(), #1
Map.groupBy(), #1
Map.prototype.clear(), #1
Map.prototype.delete(), #1
Map.prototype.entries(), #1
Map.prototype.forEach(), #1
Map.prototype.get(), #1
Map.prototype.has(), #1
Map.prototype.keys(), #1
Map.prototype.set(), #1
Map.prototype.size, #1
Map.prototype.values(), #1
Map.prototype[Symbol.iterator](), #1
Math (namespace object), #1
method, #1
method (object literal), #1
method (role of an ordinary function), #1
method call, direct, #1
method call, dispatched, #1
method, extracting a, #1
minification, #1
minifier, #1
minus operator (binary), #1
minus operator (unary), #1
mixin class, #1
module specifier, #1
module, AMD, #1
module, CommonJS, #1
multidimensional Array, #1
multiple inheritance, #1
multiple return values, #1
multiplication, #1
named export, #1
named function expression, #1
named import, #1
named parameter, #1
namespace import, #1
NaN, #1
node_modules, #1
non-destructive operation, #1
npm, #1
npm package, #1
null, #1
nullish coalescing assignment operator (??=), #1
nullish coalescing operator (??), #1
number, #1
Number.EPSILON(), #1
Number.isFinite(), #1
Number.isInteger(), #1
Number.isNaN(), #1
Number.isSafeInteger(), #1
Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER(), #1
Number.MAX_VALUE(), #1
Number.MIN_SAFE_INTEGER(), #1
Number.MIN_VALUE(), #1
Number.NaN(), #1
Number.NEGATIVE_INFINITY(), #1
Number.parseFloat(), #1
Number.parseInt(), #1
Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY(), #1
Number.prototype.toExponential(), #1
Number.prototype.toFixed(), #1
Number.prototype.toPrecision(), #1
Number.prototype.toString(), #1
Number(), #1
object, #1
object literal, #1
object vs. Map, #1
object vs. primitive value, #1
object-destructuring, #1
object, copy deeply, #1
object, copy shallowly, #1
object, dictionary, #1
object, fixed-layout, #1
object, identity of an, #1
Object.assign(), #1
Object.create(), #1
Object.defineProperties(), #1
Object.defineProperty(), #1
Object.entries(), #1
Object.freeze(), #1
Object.fromEntries(), #1
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(), #1
Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptors(), #1
Object.getOwnPropertyNames(), #1
Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(), #1
Object.getPrototypeOf(), #1
Object.groupBy(), #1
Object.hasOwn(), #1
Object.is(), #1, #2
Object.isExtensible(), #1
Object.isFrozen(), #1
Object.isSealed(), #1
Object.keys(), #1
Object.preventExtensions(), #1
Object.prototype methods, #1
Object.prototype.__proto__, #1
Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty(), #1
Object.prototype.isPrototypeOf(), #1
Object.prototype.propertyIsEnumerable(), #1
Object.prototype.toLocaleString(), #1
Object.prototype.toString(), #1
Object.prototype.valueOf(), #1
Object.seal(), #1
Object.setPrototypeOf(), #1
Object.values(), #1
Object(), #1
octal integer literal, #1
ones’ complement, #1
operator, assignment, #1
operator, comma, #1
operator, default value (??), #1
operator, equality, #1
operator, nullish coalescing (??), #1
operator, nullish coalescing assignment (??=), #1
operator, void, #1
optional chaining (?.), #1
ordinary function, #1
ordinary function, roles of an, #1
overriding a property, #1
package, npm, #1
package.json, #1
parameter, #1
parameter default value, #1
parameter vs. argument, #1
passing by identity, #1
passing by value, #1
pattern (regular expression), #1
pending (Promise state), #1
plus operator (binary), #1
plus operator (unary), #1
polyfill, #1
polyfill, speculative, #1
ponyfill, #1
primitive value, #1
primitive value vs. object, #1
private name, #1
private slot, #1
progressive web app (PWA), #1
prollyfill, #1
Promise, #1, #2
Promise combinator function, #1
Promise, states of a, #1
Promise.all(), #1, #2
Promise.allSettled(), #1, #2
Promise.any(), #1, #2
Promise.race(), #1, #2
properties, listing, #1
property, #1
property (object), #1
property attribute, #1
property descriptor, #1
property key, #1
property key, computed, #1
property key, quoted, #1
property name, #1
property symbol, #1
property value shorthand, #1
property, deleting a, #1
prototype, #1
prototype chain, #1
public slot, #1
publicly known symbol, #1
PWA (progressive web app), #1
quoted property key, #1
real function (role of an ordinary function), #1
receiver, #1
Reflect.apply(), #1
Reflect.construct(), #1
Reflect.defineProperty(), #1
Reflect.deleteProperty(), #1
Reflect.get(), #1
Reflect.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(), #1
Reflect.getPrototypeOf(), #1
Reflect.has(), #1
Reflect.isExtensible(), #1
Reflect.ownKeys(), #1
Reflect.preventExtensions(), #1
Reflect.set(), #1
Reflect.setPrototypeOf(), #1
RegExp, #1
regular expression, #1
regular expression literal, #1
rejected (Promise state), #1
remainder operator, #1
REPL, #1
replica, #1
RequireJS, #1
reserved word, #1
rest element (Array-destructuring), #1
rest parameter (function call), #1
rest property (object-destructuring), #1
return values, multiple, #1
revealing module pattern, #1
roles of an ordinary function, #1
run-to-completion semantics, #1
safe integer, #1
scope of a variable, #1
script, #1
self, #1
sequence Arrays, #1
Set, #1, #2
new Set(), #1
Set.prototype.add(), #1
Set.prototype.clear(), #1
Set.prototype.delete(), #1
Set.prototype.forEach(), #1
Set.prototype.has(), #1
Set.prototype.size, #1
Set.prototype.values(), #1
Set.prototype[Symbol.iterator](), #1
setter (object literal), #1
settled (Promise state), #1
shadowing, #1
shallow copy of an object, #1
shim, #1
short-circuiting, #1
signed right shift operator, #1
single inheritance, #1
sloppy mode, #1
slot, private, #1
slot, public, #1
snake case, #1, #2
sparse Array, #1
specialized function, #1
specifier, module, #1
speculative polyfill, #1
spreading (...) into a function call, #1
spreading into an Array literal, #1
spreading into an object literal, #1
statement, #1
states of a Promise, #1
static, #1
static vs. dynamic, #1
strict mode, #1
string, #1
String.prototype.at(), #1
String.prototype.concat(), #1
String.prototype.endsWith(), #1
String.prototype.includes(), #1
String.prototype.indexOf(), #1
String.prototype.isWellFormed(), #1
String.prototype.lastIndexOf(), #1
String.prototype.match(), #1
String.prototype.normalize(), #1
String.prototype.padEnd(), #1
String.prototype.padStart(), #1
String.prototype.repeat(), #1
String.prototype.replace(), #1
String.prototype.replaceAll(), #1
String.prototype.search(), #1
String.prototype.slice(), #1
String.prototype.split(), #1
String.prototype.startsWith(), #1
String.prototype.substring(), #1
String.prototype.toLowerCase(), #1
String.prototype.toUpperCase(), #1
String.prototype.toWellFormed(), #1
String.prototype.trim(), #1
String.prototype.trimEnd(), #1
String.prototype.trimStart(), #1
String(), #1
subclass, #1
subclassing, #1
subtraction, #1
superclass, #1
surrogate, leading, #1
surrogate, lone, #1
surrogate, trailing, #1
switch, #1
symbol, #1
symbol, publicly known, #1
synchronous generator, #1
synchronous iterable, #1
synchronous iteration, #1
synchronous iterator, #1
syntax, #1
tagged template, #1
task queue, #1
task runner, #1
TC39, #1
TC39 process, #1
TDZ (temporal dead zone), #1
Technical Committee 39, #1
template literal, #1
temporal dead zone, #1
ternary operator, #1
this, #1
this, dynamic, #1
this, lexical, #1
this, values of, #1
throw, #1
time value, #1
times operator, #1
to the power of operator, #1
trailing commas in Array literals, #1
trailing commas in JSON, #1
trailing commas in object literals, #1
trailing commas in parameter lists, #1
trailing surrogate, #1
transpilation, #1
transpiler, #1
tree-shaking, #1
true, #1
truthiness, #1
truthy, #1
try, #1
type, #1
type hierarchy, #1
type signature, #1
Typed Array, #1
TypedArray.from(), #1
TypedArray.of(), #1
TypedArray.prototype.buffer, #1
TypedArray.prototype.byteLength, #1
TypedArray.prototype.byteOffset, #1
TypedArray.prototype.length, #1
TypedArray.prototype.set(), #1
TypedArray.prototype.subarray(), #1
typeof, #1
TypeScript, #1
Uint8Array, #1
Uint8ClampedArray, #1
Uint16Array, #1
Uint32Array, #1
undefined, #1
underscore case, #1, #2
Unicode, #1
Unicode code point escape, #1
Unicode code unit escape, #1
Unicode scalar, #1, #2
Unicode Transformation Format (UTF), #1
unit test, #1
unsigned right shift operator, #1
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), #1
UTF (Unicode Transformation Format), #1
UTF-8, #1
UTF-16, #1
UTF-32, #1
value-preservation, #1
variable, bound, #1
variable, free, #1
variable, scope of a, #1
void operator, #1
Wasm (WebAssembly), #1
WeakMap, #1, #2
WeakSet, #1, #2
Web Worker, #1
WebAssembly, #1
while, #1
window, #1
wrapper types (for primitive types), #1
yield (asynchronous generator), #1
yield (synchronous generator), #1
yield* (asynchronous generator), #1
yield* (synchronous generator), #1
Z (Zulu Time Zone), #1
Zulu Time Zone (Z), #1
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