JavaScript CheatSheet by JavaScaler

Motivation
This document is a cheatsheet for JavaScript you will frequently encounter in modern
projects and most contemporary sample code.
This guide is not intended to teach you JavaScript from the ground up, but to help
developers with basic knowledge who may struggle to get familiar with modern codebases
(or let’s say to learn React for instance) because of the JavaScript concepts used.
Besides, I will sometimes provide personal tips that may be debatable but will take care to
mention that it’s a personal recommendation when I do so.
Note: Most of the concepts introduced here are coming from a JavaScript
language update (ES2015, often called ES6). You can find new features added by
this update here; it’s very well done.
Complementary Resources
When you struggle to understand a notion, I suggest you look for answers on the following
resources:
• MDN (Mozilla Developer Network)
• You don’t know JS (book)
• Eloquent JavaScript (book)
• Douglas Crockford’s blog
• Wes Bos blog (ES6)
• Javascript Basics for Beginners - a free Udacity course
• Reddit (JavaScript)
• Google to find specific blog and resources
• StackOverflow

Table of Contents
• Modern JavaScript cheatsheet
– Introduction
• Motivation
• Complementary resources
– Table of contents
– Notions
• Variable declaration: var, const, let
– Short explanation
– Sample code
– Detailed explanation
– External resource
• Arrow function
– Sample code
– Detailed explanation
• Concision
• this reference
– Useful resources
• Function default parameter value
– External resource
• Destructuring objects and arrays
– Explanation with sample code
– Useful resources
• Array methods - map / filter / reduce
– Sample code
– Explanation
• Array.prototype.map()
• Array.prototype.filter()
• Array.prototype.reduce()
• Array.prototype.find()
– External Resource
• Spread operator “…”
– Sample code
– Explanation
• In iterables (like arrays)
• Function rest parameter
• Object properties spreading
– External resources
• Object property shorthand
– Explanation
– External resources
• Promises
– Sample code
– Explanation
• Create the promise
• Promise handlers usage
– External Resources
• Template literals
– Sample code
– External resources
• Tagged Template Literals
– External resources
 • Imports / Exports
– Explanation with sample code
• Named exports
• Default import / export
– External resources
• JavaScript this
– External resources
• Class
– Samples
– External resources
• Extends and super keywords
– Sample Code
– External Resources
• Async Await
– Sample code
– Explanation with sample code
– Error handling
– External resources
• Truthy / Falsy
– External resources
• Anamorphisms / Catamporphisms
– Anamorphisms
– Catamorphisms
– External resources
• Generators
– External resources
• Static Methods
– Short Explanation
– Sample Code
– Detailed Explanation
• Calling other static methods from a static method
• Calling static methods from non-static methods
– External resources
– Glossary
• Scope
• Variable mutation
Notions
Variable declaration: var, const, let
In JavaScript, there are three keywords available to declare a variable, and each has its
differences. Those are var, let and const.

Short explanation
Variables declared with const keyword can’t be reassigned, while let and var can.
I recommend always declaring your variables with const by default, but with let if it is a
variable that you need to mutate or reassign later.
Scope
Reassignable
Mutable
Temporal Dead Zone
const
Block
No
Yes
Yes
let
Block
Yes
Yes
Yes
var
Function
Yes
Yes
No
Sample code
const person = "Nick";
person = "John" // Will raise an error, person can't be reassigned

let person = "Nick";

person = "John";
console.log(person) // "John", reassignment is allowed with let

Detailed explanation
The scope of a variable roughly means “where is this variable available in the code”.
var
var declared variables are function scoped, meaning that when a variable is created in a
function, everything in that function can access that variable. Besides, a function scoped
variable created in a function can’t be accessed outside this function.
I recommend you to picture it as if an X scoped variable meant that this variable was a
property of X.
function myFunction() {
var myVar = "Nick";
console.log(myVar); // "Nick" - myVar is accessible inside the function
}
console.log(myVar); // Throws a ReferenceError, myVar is not accessible outsi
de the function.

Still focusing on the variable scope, here is a more subtle example:

function myFunction() {
var myVar = "Nick";
if (true) {
var myVar = "John";
console.log(myVar); // "John"
// actually, myVar being function scoped, we just erased the previous myV
ar value "Nick" for "John"
}
console.log(myVar); // "John" - see how the instructions in the if block af
fected this value
}
console.log(myVar); // Throws a ReferenceError, myVar is not accessible outsi
de the function.

Besides, var declared variables are moved to the top of the scope at execution. This is what
we call var hoisting.
This portion of code:
console.log(myVar) // undefined -- no error raised
var myVar = 2;
is understood at execution like:
var myVar;
console.log(myVar) // undefined -- no error raised
myVar = 2;

let
var and let are about the same, but let declared variables

• are block scoped

• are not accessible before they are assigned
• can’t be re-declared in the same scope
Let’s see the impact of block-scoping taking our previous example:
function myFunction() {
let myVar = "Nick";
if (true) {
let myVar = "John";
console.log(myVar); // "John"
// actually, myVar being block scoped, we just created a new variable myV
ar.
// this variable is not accessible outside this block and totally indepen
dent
// from the first myVar created !
}
console.log(myVar); // "Nick", see how the instructions in the if block DID
NOT affect this value
}
console.log(myVar); // Throws a ReferenceError, myVar is not accessible outsi
de the function.

Now, what it means for let (and const) variables for not being accessible before being
assigned:
console.log(myVar) // raises a ReferenceError !
let myVar = 2;

By contrast with var variables, if you try to read or write on a let or const variable before
they are assigned an error will be raised. This phenomenon is often called Temporal dead
zone or TDZ.
Note: Technically, let and const variables declarations are being hoisted too, but
not their assignation. Since they’re made so that they can’t be used before
assignation, it intuitively feels like there is no hoisting, but there is. Find out more
on this very detailed explanation here if you want to know more.
In addition, you can’t re-declare a let variable:
let myVar = 2;
let myVar = 3; // Raises a SyntaxError

const
const declared variables behave like let variables, but also they can’t be reassigned.

To sum it up, const variables:

• are block scoped
• are not accessible before being assigned
• can’t be re-declared in the same scope
• can’t be reassigned
const myVar = "Nick";
myVar = "John" // raises an error, reassignment is not allowed

const myVar = "Nick";

const myVar = "John" // raises an error, re-declaration is not allowed

But there is a subtlety : const variables are not immutable ! Concretely, it means that
object and array const declared variables can be mutated.
For objects:
const person = {
name: 'Nick'
};
person.name = 'John' // this will work ! person variable is not completely re
assigned, but mutated
console.log(person.name) // "John"
person = "Sandra" // raises an error, because reassignment is not allowed wit
h const declared variables

For arrays:
const person = [];
person.push('John'); // this will work ! person variable is not completely re
assigned, but mutated
console.log(person[0]) // "John"
person = ["Nick"] // raises an error, because reassignment is not allowed wit
h const declared variables

External resource
• How let and const are scoped in JavaScript - WesBos
• Temporal Dead Zone (TDZ) Demystified
Arrow function
The ES6 JavaScript update has introduced arrow functions, which is another way to declare
and use functions. Here are the benefits they bring:
 • More concise
• this is picked up from surroundings
• implicit return

Sample code
• Concision and implicit return
function double(x) { return x * 2; } // Traditional way
console.log(double(2)) // 4

const double = x => x * 2; // Same function written as an arrow function with

implicit return
console.log(double(2)) // 4

• this reference
In an arrow function, this is equal to the this value of the enclosing execution context.
Basically, with arrow functions, you don’t have to do the “that = this” trick before calling a
function inside a function anymore.
function myFunc() {
this.myVar = 0;
setTimeout(() => {
this.myVar++;
console.log(this.myVar) // 1
}, 0);
}

Detailed explanation

Concision
Arrow functions are more concise than traditional functions in many ways. Let’s review all
the possible cases:
• Implicit VS Explicit return
An explicit return is a function where the return keyword is used in its body.
function double(x) {
return x * 2; // this function explicitly returns x * 2, *return* keyword
is used
}

In the traditional way of writing functions, the return was always explicit. But with arrow
functions, you can do implicit return which means that you don’t need to use the keyword
return to return a value.
const double = (x) => {
return x * 2; // Explicit return here
}
Since this function only returns something (no instructions before the return keyword) we
can do an implicit return.
const double = (x) => x * 2; // Correct, returns x*2

To do so, we only need to remove the brackets and the return keyword. That’s why it’s
called an implicit return, the return keyword is not there, but this function will indeed
return x * 2.
Note: If your function does not return a value (with side effects), it doesn’t do an
explicit nor an implicit return.
Besides, if you want to implicitly return an object you must have parentheses around it
since it will conflict with the block braces:
const getPerson = () => ({ name: "Nick", age: 24 })
console.log(getPerson()) // { name: "Nick", age: 24 } -- object implicitly re
turned by arrow function

• Only one argument

If your function only takes one parameter, you can omit the parentheses around it. If we
take back the above double code:
const double = (x) => x * 2; // this arrow function only takes one paramete
r

Parentheses around the parameter can be avoided:

const double = x => x * 2; // this arrow function only takes one parameter

• No arguments
When there is no argument provided to an arrow function, you need to provide
parentheses, or it won’t be valid syntax.
() => { // parentheses are provided, everything is fine
const x = 2;
return x;
}

=> { // No parentheses, this won't work!

const x = 2;
return x;
}

this reference
To understand this subtlety introduced with arrow functions, you must know how this
behaves in JavaScript.
In an arrow function, this is equal to the this value of the enclosing execution context. What
it means is that an arrow function doesn’t create a new this, it grabs it from its surrounding
instead.
Without arrow function, if you wanted to access a variable from this in a function inside a
function, you had to use the that = this or self = this trick.
For instance, using setTimeout function inside myFunc:
function myFunc() {
this.myVar = 0;
var that = this; // that = this trick
setTimeout(
function() { // A new *this* is created in this function scope
that.myVar++;
console.log(that.myVar) // 1

console.log(this.myVar) // undefined -- see function declaration above

},
0
);
}

But with arrow function, this is taken from its surrounding:

function myFunc() {
this.myVar = 0;
setTimeout(
() => { // this taken from surrounding, meaning myFunc here
this.myVar++;
console.log(this.myVar) // 1
},
0
);
}

Useful resources
• Arrow functions introduction - WesBos
• JavaScript arrow function - MDN
• Arrow function and lexical this
Function default parameter value
Starting from ES2015 JavaScript update, you can set default value to your function
parameters using the following syntax:
function myFunc(x = 10) {
return x;
}
console.log(myFunc()) // 10 -- no value is provided so x default value 10 is
assigned to x in myFunc
console.log(myFunc(5)) // 5 -- a value is provided so x is equal to 5 in myFu
nc

console.log(myFunc(undefined)) // 10 -- undefined value is provided so defaul

t value is assigned to x
console.log(myFunc(null)) // null -- a value (null) is provided, see below fo
r more details

The default parameter is applied in two and only two situations:

• No parameter provided
• undefined parameter provided
In other words, if you pass in null the default parameter won’t be applied.
Note: Default value assignment can be used with destructured parameters as well
(see next notion to see an example)
External resource
• Default parameter value - ES6 Features
• Default parameters - MDN
Destructuring objects and arrays
Destructuring is a convenient way of creating new variables by extracting some values from
data stored in objects or arrays.
To name a few use cases, destructuring can be used to destructure function parameters or
this.props in React projects for instance.
Explanation with sample code
• Object
Let’s consider the following object for all the samples:
const person = {
firstName: "Nick",
lastName: "Anderson",
age: 35,
sex: "M"
}

Without destructuring
const first = person.firstName;
const age = person.age;
const city = person.city || "Paris";

With destructuring, all in one line:

const { firstName: first, age, city = "Paris" } = person; // That's it !

console.log(age) // 35 -- A new variable age is created and is equal to perso

n.age
console.log(first) // "Nick" -- A new variable first is created and is equal
to person.firstName
console.log(firstName) // ReferenceError -- person.firstName exists BUT the n
ew variable created is named first
console.log(city) // "Paris" -- A new variable city is created and since pers
on.city is undefined, city is equal to the default value provided "Paris".

Note : In const { age } = person;, the brackets after const keyword are not used to
declare an object nor a block but is the destructuring syntax.
• Function parameters
Destructuring is often used to destructure objects parameters in functions.
Without destructuring
function joinFirstLastName(person) {
const firstName = person.firstName;
const lastName = person.lastName;
return firstName + '-' + lastName;
}

joinFirstLastName(person); // "Nick-Anderson"

In destructuring the object parameter person, we get a more concise function:

function joinFirstLastName({ firstName, lastName }) { // we create firstName
and lastName variables by destructuring person parameter
return firstName + '-' + lastName;
}

joinFirstLastName(person); // "Nick-Anderson"

Destructuring is even more pleasant to use with arrow functions:

const joinFirstLastName = ({ firstName, lastName }) => firstName + '-' + last
Name;

joinFirstLastName(person); // "Nick-Anderson"

• Array
Let’s consider the following array:
const myArray = ["a", "b", "c"];

Without destructuring
const x = myArray[0];
const y = myArray[1];

With destructuring
const [x, y] = myArray; // That's it !

console.log(x) // "a"
console.log(y) // "b"

Useful resources
• ES6 Features - Destructuring Assignment
• Destructuring Objects - WesBos
• ExploringJS - Destructuring
Array methods - map / filter / reduce / find
Map, filter, reduce and find are array methods that are coming from a programming
paradigm named functional programming.
To sum it up:
• Array.prototype.map() takes an array, does something on its elements and returns
an array with the transformed elements.
• Array.prototype.filter() takes an array, decides element by element if it should
keep it or not and returns an array with the kept elements only
• Array.prototype.reduce() takes an array and aggregates the elements into a single
value (which is returned)
• Array.prototype.find() takes an array, and returns the first element that satisfies
the provided condition.
I recommend to use them as much as possible in following the principles of functional
programming because they are composable, concise and elegant.
With those four methods, you can avoid the use of for and forEach loops in most situations.
When you are tempted to do a for loop, try to do it with map, filter, reduce and find
composed. You might struggle to do it at first because it requires you to learn a new way of
thinking, but once you’ve got it things get easier.

Sample code
const numbers = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6];
const doubledNumbers = numbers.map(n => n * 2); // [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12]
const evenNumbers = numbers.filter(n => n % 2 === 0); // [0, 2, 4, 6]
const sum = numbers.reduce((prev, next) => prev + next, 0); // 21
const greaterThanFour = numbers.find((n) => n>4); // 5

Compute total grade sum for students with grades 10 or above by composing map, filter
and reduce:
const students = [
{ name: "Nick", grade: 10 },
{ name: "John", grade: 15 },
{ name: "Julia", grade: 19 },
{ name: "Nathalie", grade: 9 },
];

const aboveTenSum = students

.map(student => student.grade) // we map the students array to an array of
their grades
.filter(grade => grade >= 10) // we filter the grades array to keep those 1
0 or above
.reduce((prev, next) => prev + next, 0); // we sum all the grades 10 or abo
ve one by one

console.log(aboveTenSum) // 44 -- 10 (Nick) + 15 (John) + 19 (Julia), Nathali

e below 10 is ignored

Explanation
Let’s consider the following array of numbers for our examples:
const numbers = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6];

Array.prototype.map()
const doubledNumbers = numbers.map(function(n) {
return n * 2;
});
console.log(doubledNumbers); // [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12]

What’s happening here? We are using .map on the numbers array, the map is iterating on
each element of the array and passes it to our function. The goal of the function is to
produce and return a new value from the one passed so that map can replace it.
Let’s extract this function to make it more clear, just for this once:
const doubleN = function(n) { return n * 2; };
const doubledNumbers = numbers.map(doubleN);
console.log(doubledNumbers); // [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12]

Note : You will frequently encounter this method used in combination with arrow
functions
const doubledNumbers = numbers.map(n => n * 2);
console.log(doubledNumbers); // [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12]

numbers.map(doubleN) produces [doubleN(0), doubleN(1), doubleN(2), doubleN(3),

doubleN(4), doubleN(5), doubleN(6)] which is equal to [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12].

Note: If you do not need to return a new array and just want to do a loop that has
side effects, you might just want to use a for / forEach loop instead of a map.
Array.prototype.filter()
const evenNumbers = numbers.filter(function(n) {
return n % 2 === 0; // true if "n" is par, false if "n" isn't
});
console.log(evenNumbers); // [0, 2, 4, 6]

Note : You will frequently encounter this method used in combination with arrow
functions
const evenNumbers = numbers.filter(n => n % 2 === 0);
console.log(evenNumbers); // [0, 2, 4, 6]

We are using .filter on the numbers array, filter is iterating on each element of the array and
passes it to our function. The goal of the function is to return a boolean that will determine
whether the current value will be kept or not. Filter then returns the array with only the
kept values.
Array.prototype.reduce()
The reduce method goal is to reduce all elements of the array it iterates on into a single
value. How it aggregates those elements is up to you.
const sum = numbers.reduce(
function(acc, n) {
return acc + n;
},
0 // accumulator variable value at first iteration step
);

console.log(sum) // 21

Note : You will frequently encounter this method used in combination with arrow
functions
const sum = numbers.reduce((acc, n) => acc + n, 0);
console.log(sum) // 21

Just like for .map and .filter methods, .reduce is applied on an array and takes a function as
the first parameter.
This time though, there are changes:
• .reduce takes two parameters
The first parameter is a function that will be called at each iteration step.
The second parameter is the value of the accumulator variable (acc here) at the first
iteration step (read next point to understand).
• Function parameters
The function you pass as the first parameter of .reduce takes two parameters. The first one
(acc here) is the accumulator variable, whereas the second parameter (n) is the current
element.
The accumulator variable is equal to the return value of your function at the previous
iteration step. At the first step of the iteration, acc is equal to the value you passed as
.reduce second parameter.
At first iteration step
acc = 0 because we passed in 0 as the second parameter for reduce

n = 0 first element of the number array

Function returns acc + n –> 0 + 0 –> 0

At second iteration step

acc = 0 because it’s the value the function returned at the previous iteration step

n = 1 second element of the number array

Function returns acc + n –> 0 + 1 –> 1

At third iteration step

acc = 1 because it’s the value the function returned at the previous iteration step

n = 2 third element of the number array

Function returns acc + n –> 1 + 2 –> 3

At fourth iteration step
acc = 3 because it’s the value the function returned at the previous iteration step

n = 3 fourth element of the number array

Function returns acc + n –> 3 + 3 –> 6

[…] At last iteration step

acc = 15 because it’s the value the function returned at the previous iteration step

n = 6 last element of the number array

Function returns acc + n –> 15 + 6 –> 21

As it is the last iteration step, .reduce returns 21.
Array.prototype.find()
const greaterThanZero = numbers.find(function(n) {
return n > 0; // return number just greater than 0 is present
});
console.log(greaterThanZero); // 1

Note : You will frequently encounter this method used in combination with arrow
functions
We are using .find on the numbers array, .find is iterating on each element of the array and
passes it to our function, until the condition is met. The goal of the function is to return the
element that satisfies the current testing function. The .find method executes the callback
function once for each index of the array until the callback returns a truthy value.
Note : It immediately returns the value of that element (that satisfies the condition) if
found. Otherwise, returns undefined.

External Resource
• Understanding map / filter / reduce in JS
Spread operator “…”
The spread operator ... has been introduced with ES2015 and is used to expand elements
of an iterable (like an array) into places where multiple elements can fit.
Sample code
const arr1 = ["a", "b", "c"];
const arr2 = [...arr1, "d", "e", "f"]; // ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f"]

function myFunc(x, y, ...params) {

console.log(x);
console.log(y);
console.log(params)
}

myFunc("a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f")

// "a"
// "b"
// ["c", "d", "e", "f"]

const { x, y, ...z } = { x: 1, y: 2, a: 3, b: 4 };
console.log(x); // 1
console.log(y); // 2
console.log(z); // { a: 3, b: 4 }

const n = { x, y, ...z };
console.log(n); // { x: 1, y: 2, a: 3, b: 4 }

Explanation

In iterables (like arrays)

If we have the two following arrays:
const arr1 = ["a", "b", "c"];
const arr2 = [arr1, "d", "e", "f"]; // [["a", "b", "c"], "d", "e", "f"]

arr2 the first element is an array because arr1 is injected as is into arr2. But what we want
is arr2 to be an array of letters. To do so, we can spread the elements of arr1 into arr2.
With spread operator
const arr1 = ["a", "b", "c"];
const arr2 = [...arr1, "d", "e", "f"]; // ["a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f"]

Function rest parameter

In function parameters, we can use the rest operator to inject parameters into an array we
can loop in. There is already an arguments object bound to every function that is equal to
an array of all the parameters passed into the function.
function myFunc() {
for (var i = 0; i < arguments.length; i++) {
console.log(arguments[i]);
}
}

myFunc("Nick", "Anderson", 10, 12, 6);

// "Nick"
// "Anderson"
// 10
// 12
// 6

But let’s say that we want this function to create a new student with its grades and with its
average grade. Wouldn’t it be more convenient to extract the first two parameters into two
separate variables, and then have all the grades in an array we can iterate over?
That’s exactly what the rest operator allows us to do!
function createStudent(firstName, lastName, ...grades) {
// firstName = "Nick"
// lastName = "Anderson"
// [10, 12, 6] -- "..." takes all other parameters passed and creates a "gr
ades" array variable that contains them

const avgGrade = grades.reduce((acc, curr) => acc + curr, 0) / grades.lengt

h; // computes average grade from grades

return {
firstName: firstName,
lastName: lastName,
grades: grades,
avgGrade: avgGrade
}
}

const student = createStudent("Nick", "Anderson", 10, 12, 6);

console.log(student);
// {
// firstName: "Nick",
// lastName: "Anderson",
// grades: [10, 12, 6],
// avgGrade: 9,33
// }

Note: createStudent function is bad because we don’t check if grades.length exists

or is different from 0. But it’s easier to read this way, so I didn’t handle this case.
Object properties spreading
For this one, I recommend you read previous explanations about the rest operator on
iterables and function parameters.
const myObj = { x: 1, y: 2, a: 3, b: 4 };
const { x, y, ...z } = myObj; // object destructuring here
console.log(x); // 1
console.log(y); // 2
console.log(z); // { a: 3, b: 4 }

// z is the rest of the object destructured: myObj object minus x and y prope
rties destructured

const n = { x, y, ...z };
console.log(n); // { x: 1, y: 2, a: 3, b: 4 }

// Here z object properties are spread into n

External resources
• TC39 - Object rest/spread
• Spread operator introduction - WesBos
• JavaScript & the spread operator
• 6 Great uses of the spread operator
Object property shorthand
When assigning a variable to an object property, if the variable name is equal to the
property name, you can do the following:
const x = 10;
const myObj = { x };
console.log(myObj.x) // 10
Explanation
Usually (pre-ES2015) when you declare a new object literal and want to use variables as
object properties values, you would write this kind of code:
const x = 10;
const y = 20;

const myObj = {
x: x, // assigning x variable value to myObj.x
y: y // assigning y variable value to myObj.y
};

console.log(myObj.x) // 10
console.log(myObj.y) // 20

As you can see, this is quite repetitive because the properties name of myObj are the same
as the variable names you want to assign to those properties.
With ES2015, when the variable name is the same as the property name, you can do this
shorthand:
const x = 10;
const y = 20;

const myObj = {
x,
y
};

console.log(myObj.x) // 10
console.log(myObj.y) // 20

External resources
• Property shorthand - ES6 Features
Promises
A promise is an object which can be returned synchronously from an asynchronous
function (ref).
Promises can be used to avoid callback hell, and they are more and more frequently
encountered in modern JavaScript projects.
Sample code
const fetchingPosts = new Promise((res, rej) => {
$.get("/posts")
.done(posts => res(posts))
.fail(err => rej(err));
});
fetchingPosts
.then(posts => console.log(posts))
.catch(err => console.log(err));

Explanation
When you do an Ajax request the response is not synchronous because you want a resource
that takes some time to come. It even may never come if the resource you have requested is
unavailable for some reason (404).
To handle that kind of situation, ES2015 has given us promises. Promises can have three
different states:
• Pending
• Fulfilled
• Rejected
Let’s say we want to use promises to handle an Ajax request to fetch the resource X.
Create the promise
We firstly are going to create a promise. We will use the jQuery get method to do our Ajax
request to X.
const xFetcherPromise = new Promise( // Create promise using "new" keyword an
d store it into a variable
function(resolve, reject) { // Promise constructor takes a function paramet
er which has resolve and reject parameters itself
$.get("X") // Launch the Ajax request
.done(function(X) { // Once the request is done...
resolve(X); // ... resolve the promise with the X value as parameter
})
.fail(function(error) { // If the request has failed...
reject(error); // ... reject the promise with the error as parameter
});
}
)

As seen in the above sample, the Promise object takes an executor function which takes two
parameters resolve and reject. Those parameters are functions which when called are
going to move the promise pending state to respectively a fulfilled and rejected state.
The promise is in pending state after instance creation and its executor function is executed
immediately. Once one of the function resolve or reject is called in the executor function, the
promise will call its associated handlers.
Promise handlers usage
To get the promise result (or error), we must attach to it handlers by doing the following:
xFetcherPromise
.then(function(X) {
console.log(X);
})
.catch(function(err) {
console.log(err)
})

If the promise succeeds, resolve is executed and the function passed as .then parameter is
executed.
If it fails, reject is executed and the function passed as .catch parameter is executed.
Note : If the promise has already been fulfilled or rejected when a corresponding
handler is attached, the handler will be called, so there is no race condition
between an asynchronous operation completing and its handlers being attached.
(Ref: MDN)

External Resources
• JavaScript Promises for dummies - Jecelyn Yeen
• JavaScript Promise API - David Walsh
• Using promises - MDN
• What is a promise - Eric Elliott
• JavaScript Promises: an Introduction - Jake Archibald
• Promise documentation - MDN
Template literals
Template literals is an expression interpolation for single and multiple-line strings.
In other words, it is a new string syntax in which you can conveniently use any JavaScript
expressions (variables for instance).
Sample code
const name = "Nick";
`Hello ${name}, the following expression is equal to four : ${2+2}`;

// Hello Nick, the following expression is equal to four: 4

External resources
• String interpolation - ES6 Features
• ES6 Template Strings - Addy Osmani
Tagged template literals
Template tags are functions that can be prefixed to a template literal. When a function is
called this way, the first parameter is an array of the strings that appear between the
template’s interpolated variables, and the subsequent parameters are the interpolated
values. Use a spread operator ... to capture all of them. (Ref: MDN).
 Note : A famous library named styled-components heavily relies on this feature.
Below is a toy example on how they work.
function highlight(strings, ...values) {
const interpolation = strings.reduce((prev, current) => {
return prev + current + (values.length ? "<mark>" + values.shift() + "</m
ark>" : "");
}, "");

return interpolation;
}

const condiment = "jam";

const meal = "toast";

highlight`I like ${condiment} on ${meal}.`;

// "I like <mark>jam</mark> on <mark>toast</mark>."

A more interesting example:

function comma(strings, ...values) {
return strings.reduce((prev, next) => {
let value = values.shift() || [];
value = value.join(", ");
return prev + next + value;
}, "");
}

const snacks = ['apples', 'bananas', 'cherries'];

comma`I like ${snacks} to snack on.`;
// "I like apples, bananas, cherries to snack on."

External resources
• Wes Bos on Tagged Template Literals
• Library of common template tags
Imports / Exports
ES6 modules are used to access variables or functions in a module explicitly exported by
the modules it imports.
I highly recommend to take a look at MDN resources on import/export (see external
resources below), it is both straightforward and complete.
Explanation with sample code

Named exports
Named exports are used to export several values from a module.
 Note : You can only name-export first-class citizens that have a name.
// mathConstants.js
export const pi = 3.14;
export const exp = 2.7;
export const alpha = 0.35;

// -------------

// myFile.js
import { pi, exp } from './mathConstants.js'; // Named import -- destructurin
g-like syntax
console.log(pi) // 3.14
console.log(exp) // 2.7

// -------------

// mySecondFile.js
import * as constants from './mathConstants.js'; // Inject all exported value
s into constants variable
console.log(constants.pi) // 3.14
console.log(constants.exp) // 2.7

While named imports looks like destructuring, they have a different syntax and are not the
same. They don’t support default values nor deep destructuring.
Besides, you can do aliases but the syntax is different from the one used in destructuring:
import { foo as bar } from 'myFile.js'; // foo is imported and injected into
a new bar variable

Default import / export

Concerning the default export, there is only a single default export per module. A default
export can be a function, a class, an object or anything else. This value is considered the
“main” exported value since it will be the simplest to import. Ref: MDN
// coolNumber.js
const ultimateNumber = 42;
export default ultimateNumber;

// ------------

// myFile.js
import number from './coolNumber.js';
// Default export, independently from its name, is automatically injected int
o number variable;
console.log(number) // 42

Function exporting:
// sum.js
export default function sum(x, y) {
return x + y;
}
// -------------

// myFile.js
import sum from './sum.js';
const result = sum(1, 2);
console.log(result) // 3

External resources
• ES6 Modules in bulletpoints
• Export - MDN
• Import - MDN
• Understanding ES6 Modules
• Destructuring special case - import statements
• Misunderstanding ES6 Modules - Kent C. Dodds
• Modules in JavaScript
JavaScript this
this operator behaves differently than in other languages and is in most cases determined
by how a function is called. (Ref: MDN).
This notion is having many subtleties and being quite hard, I highly suggest you to deep
dive in the external resources below. Thus, I will provide what I personally have in mind to
determine what this is equal to. I have learned this tip from this article written by Yehuda
Katz.
function myFunc() {
...
}

// After each statement, you find the value of *this* in myFunc

myFunc.call("myString", "hello") // "myString" -- first .call parameter value

is injected into *this*

// In non-strict-mode
myFunc("hello") // window -- myFunc() is syntax sugar for myFunc.call(window,
"hello")

// In strict-mode
myFunc("hello") // undefined -- myFunc() is syntax sugar for myFunc.call(unde
fined, "hello")
var person = {
myFunc: function() { ... }
}

person.myFunc.call(person, "test") // person Object -- first call parameter i

s injected into *this*
person.myFunc("test") // person Object -- person.myFunc() is syntax sugar for
person.myFunc.call(person, "test")

var myBoundFunc = person.myFunc.bind("hello") // Creates a new function in wh

ich we inject "hello" in *this* value
person.myFunc("test") // person Object -- The bind method has no effect on th
e original method
myBoundFunc("test") // "hello" -- myBoundFunc is person.myFunc with "hello" b
ound to *this*

External resources
• Understanding JavaScript Function Invocation and “this” - Yehuda Katz
• JavaScript this - MDN
Class
JavaScript is a prototype-based language (whereas Java is class-based language, for
instance). ES6 has introduced JavaScript classes which are meant to be a syntactic sugar for
prototype-based inheritance and not a new class-based inheritance model (ref).
The word class is indeed error prone if you are familiar with classes in other languages. If
you do, avoid assuming how JavaScript classes work on this basis and consider it an
entirely different notion.
Since this document is not an attempt to teach you the language from the ground up, I will
assume you know what prototypes are and how they behave. If you do not, see the external
resources listed below the sample code.
Samples
Before ES6, prototype syntax:
var Person = function(name, age) {
this.name = name;
this.age = age;
}
Person.prototype.stringSentence = function() {
return "Hello, my name is " + this.name + " and I'm " + this.age;
}

With ES6 class syntax:

class Person {
constructor(name, age) {
 this.name = name;
this.age = age;
}

stringSentence() {
return `Hello, my name is ${this.name} and I am ${this.age}`;
}
}

const myPerson = new Person("Manu", 23);

console.log(myPerson.age) // 23
console.log(myPerson.stringSentence()) // "Hello, my name is Manu and I'm 23

External resources
For prototype understanding:
• Understanding Prototypes in JS - Yehuda Katz
• A plain English guide to JS prototypes - Sebastian Porto
• Inheritance and the prototype chain - MDN
For classes understanding:
• ES6 Classes in Depth - Nicolas Bevacqua
• ES6 Features - Classes
• JavaScript Classes - MDN
Extends and super keywords

The extends keyword is used in class declarations or class expressions to create a class
which is a child of another class (Ref: MDN). The subclass inherits all the properties of the
superclass and additionally can add new properties or modify the inherited ones.
The super keyword is used to call functions on an object’s parent, including its constructor.
• super keyword must be used before the this keyword is used in constructor
• Invoking super() calls the parent class constructor. If you want to pass some
arguments in a class’s constructor to its parent’s constructor, you call it with
super(arguments).
• If the parent class have a method (even static) called X, you can use super.X() to
call it in a child class.

Sample Code
class Polygon {
constructor(height, width) {
this.name = 'Polygon';
this.height = height;
this.width = width;
}
 getHelloPhrase() {
return `Hi, I am a ${this.name}`;
}
}

class Square extends Polygon {

constructor(length) {
// Here, it calls the parent class' constructor with lengths
// provided for the Polygon's width and height
super(length, length);
// Note: In derived classes, super() must be called before you
// can use 'this'. Leaving this out will cause a reference error.
this.name = 'Square';
this.length = length;
}

getCustomHelloPhrase() {
const polygonPhrase = super.getHelloPhrase(); // accessing parent method
with super.X() syntax
return `${polygonPhrase} with a length of ${this.length}`;
}

get area() {
return this.height * this.width;
}
}

const mySquare = new Square(10);

console.log(mySquare.area) // 100
console.log(mySquare.getHelloPhrase()) // 'Hi, I am a Square' -- Square inher
its from Polygon and has access to its methods
console.log(mySquare.getCustomHelloPhrase()) // 'Hi, I am a Square with a len
gth of 10'

Note : If we had tried to use this before calling super() in Square class, a ReferenceError
would have been raised:
class Square extends Polygon {
constructor(length) {
this.height; // ReferenceError, super needs to be called first!

// Here, it calls the parent class' constructor with lengths

// provided for the Polygon's width and height
super(length, length);

// Note: In derived classes, super() must be called before you

// can use 'this'. Leaving this out will cause a reference error.
this.name = 'Square';
 }
}

External Resources
• Extends - MDN
• Super operator - MDN
• Inheritance - MDN
Async Await
In addition to Promises, there is a new syntax you might encounter to handle asynchronous
code named async / await.
The purpose of async/await functions is to simplify the behavior of using promises
synchronously and to perform some behavior on a group of Promises. Just as Promises are
similar to structured callbacks, async/await is similar to combining generators and
promises. Async functions always return a Promise. (Ref: MDN)
Note : You must understand what promises are and how they work before trying
to understand async / await since they rely on it.
Note 2: await must be used in an async function, which means that you can’t use
await in the top level of our code since that is not inside an async function.
Sample code
async function getGithubUser(username) { // async keyword allows usage of awa
it in the function and means function returns a promise
const response = await fetch(`https://api.github.com/users/${username}`); /
/ Execution is paused here until the Promise returned by fetch is resolved
return response.json();
}

getGithubUser('mbeaudru')
.then(user => console.log(user)) // logging user response - cannot use awai
t syntax since this code isn't in async function
.catch(err => console.log(err)); // if an error is thrown in our async func
tion, we will catch it here

Explanation with sample code

Async / Await is built on promises but they allow a more imperative style of code.
The async operator marks a function as asynchronous and will always return a Promise.
You can use the await operator in an async function to pause execution on that line until the
returned Promise from the expression either resolves or rejects.
async function myFunc() {
// we can use await operator because this function is async
return "hello world";
}
myFunc().then(msg => console.log(msg)) // "hello world" -- myFunc's return va
lue is turned into a promise because of async operator

When the return statement of an async function is reached, the Promise is fulfilled with the
value returned. If an error is thrown inside an async function, the Promise state will turn to
rejected. If no value is returned from an async function, a Promise is still returned and
resolves with no value when execution of the async function is complete.
await operator is used to wait for a Promise to be fulfilled and can only be used inside an
async function body. When encountered, the code execution is paused until the promise is
fulfilled.
Note : fetch is a function that returns a Promise that allows to do an AJAX request
Let’s see how we could fetch a github user with promises first:
function getGithubUser(username) {
return fetch(`https://api.github.com/users/${username}`).then(response => r
esponse.json());
}

getGithubUser('mbeaudru')
.then(user => console.log(user))
.catch(err => console.log(err));

Here’s the async / await equivalent:

async function getGithubUser(username) { // promise + await keyword usage all
owed
const response = await fetch(`https://api.github.com/users/${username}`); /
/ Execution stops here until fetch promise is fulfilled
return response.json();
}

getGithubUser('mbeaudru')
.then(user => console.log(user))
.catch(err => console.log(err));

async / await syntax is particularly convenient when you need to chain promises that are
interdependent.
For instance, if you need to get a token in order to be able to fetch a blog post on a database
and then the author informations:
Note : await expressions needs to be wrapped in parentheses to call its resolved
value’s methods and properties on the same line.
async function fetchPostById(postId) {
const token = (await fetch('token_url')).json().token;
const post = (await fetch(`/posts/${postId}?token=${token}`)).json();
 const author = (await fetch(`/users/${post.authorId}`)).json();

post.author = author;
return post;
}

fetchPostById('gzIrzeo64')
.then(post => console.log(post))
.catch(err => console.log(err));

Error handling
Unless we add try / catch blocks around await expressions, uncaught exceptions –
regardless of whether they were thrown in the body of your async function or while it’s
suspended during await – will reject the promise returned by the async function. Using the
throw statement in an async function is the same as returning a Promise that rejects. (Ref:
PonyFoo).
Note : Promises behave the same!
With promises, here is how you would handle the error chain:
function getUser() { // This promise will be rejected!
return new Promise((res, rej) => rej("User not found !"));
}

function getAvatarByUsername(userId) {
return getUser(userId).then(user => user.avatar);
}

function getUserAvatar(username) {
return getAvatarByUsername(username).then(avatar => ({ username, avatar }))
;
}

getUserAvatar('mbeaudru')
.then(res => console.log(res))
.catch(err => console.log(err)); // "User not found !"

The equivalent with async / await:

async function getUser() { // The returned promise will be rejected!
throw "User not found !";
}

async function getAvatarByUsername(userId) => {

const user = await getUser(userId);
return user.avatar;
}
async function getUserAvatar(username) {
var avatar = await getAvatarByUsername(username);
return { username, avatar };
}

getUserAvatar('mbeaudru')
.then(res => console.log(res))
.catch(err => console.log(err)); // "User not found !"

External resources
• Async/Await - JavaScript.Info
• ES7 Async/Await
• 6 Reasons Why JavaScript’s Async/Await Blows Promises Away
• JavaScript awaits
• Using Async Await in Express with Node 8
• Async Function
• Await
• Using async / await in express with node 8
Truthy / Falsy
In JavaScript, a truthy or falsy value is a value that is being casted into a boolean when
evaluated in a boolean context. An example of boolean context would be the evaluation of
an if condition:
Every value will be casted to true unless they are equal to:
• false
• 0
• "" (empty string)
• null
• undefined
• NaN

Here are examples of boolean context:

• if condition evaluation
if (myVar) {}

myVar can be any first-class citizen (variable, function, boolean) but it will be casted into a
boolean because it’s evaluated in a boolean context.
• After logical NOT ! operator
This operator returns false if its single operand can be converted to true; otherwise,
returns true.
!0 // true -- 0 is falsy so it returns true
!!0 // false -- 0 is falsy so !0 returns true so !(!0) returns false
!!"" // false -- empty string is falsy so NOT (NOT false) equals false

• With the Boolean object constructor

new Boolean(0) // false
new Boolean(1) // true

• In a ternary evaluation
myVar ? "truthy" : "falsy"

myVar is evaluated in a boolean context.

Be careful when comparing 2 values. The object values (that should be cast to true) is not
being casted to Boolean but it forced to convert into a primitive value one using
ToPrimitives specification. Internally, when an object is compared to Boolean value like []
== true, it does [].toString() == true so…
let a = [] == true // a is false since [].toString() give "" back.
let b = [1] == true // b is true since [1].toString() give "1" back.
let c = [2] == true // c is false since [2].toString() give "2" back.

External resources
• Truthy (MDN)
• Falsy (MDN)
• Truthy and Falsy values in JS - Josh Clanton
Anamorphisms and Catamorphisms

Anamorphisms
Anamorphisms are functions that map from some object to a more complex structure
containing the type of the object. It is the process of unfolding a simple structure into a
more complex one. Consider unfolding an integer to a list of integers. The integer is our
initial object and the list of integers is the more complex structure.
Sample code
function downToOne(n) {
const list = [];

for (let i = n; i > 0; --i) {

list.push(i);
}

return list;
}

downToOne(5)
//=> [ 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ]
Catamorphisms
Catamorphisms are the opposite of Anamorphisms, in that they take objects of more
complex structure and fold them into simpler structures. Take the following example
product which take a list of integers and returns a single integer.

Sample code
function product(list) {
let product = 1;

for (const n of list) {

product = product * n;
}

return product;
}

product(downToOne(5)) // 120

External resources
• Anamorphisms in JavaScript
• Anamorphism
• Catamorphism
Generators
Another way to write the downToOne function is to use a Generator. To instantiate a
Generator object, one must use the function * declaration. Generators are functions that
can be exited and later re-entered with its context (variable bindings) saved across re-
entrances.
For example, the downToOne function above can be rewritten as:
function * downToOne(n) {
for (let i = n; i > 0; --i) {
yield i;
}
}

[...downToOne(5)] // [ 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ]

Generators return an iterable object. When the iterator’s next() function is called, it is
executed until the first yield expression, which specifies the value to be returned from the
iterator or with yield*, which delegates to another generator function. When a return
expression is called in the generator, it will mark the generator as done and pass back as
the return value. Further calls to next() will not return any new values.
Sample code
// Yield Example
function * idMaker() {
var index = 0;
while (index < 2) {
yield index;
index = index + 1;
}
}

var gen = idMaker();

gen.next().value; // 0
gen.next().value; // 1
gen.next().value; // undefined

The yield* expression enables a generator to call another generator function during
iteration.
// Yield * Example
function * genB(i) {
yield i + 1;
yield i + 2;
yield i + 3;
}

function * genA(i) {
yield i;
yield* genB(i);
yield i + 10;
}

var gen = genA(10);

gen.next().value; // 10
gen.next().value; // 11
gen.next().value; // 12
gen.next().value; // 13
gen.next().value; // 20

// Generator Return Example

function* yieldAndReturn() {
yield "Y";
return "R";
yield "unreachable";
}

var gen = yieldAndReturn()

gen.next(); // { value: "Y", done: false }
gen.next(); // { value: "R", done: true }
gen.next(); // { value: undefined, done: true }
External resources
• Mozilla MDN Web Docs, Iterators and Generators

Static Methods

Short explanation
The static keyword is used in classes to declare static methods. Static methods are
functions in a class that belongs to the class object and are not available to any instance of
that class.
Sample code
class Repo {
static getName() {
return "Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet"
}
}

// Note that we did not have to create an instance of the Repo class
console.log(Repo.getName()) // Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet

let r = new Repo();

console.log(r.getName()) // Uncaught TypeError: r.getName is not a function

Detailed explanation
Static methods can be called within another static method by using the this keyword, this
doesn’t work for non-static methods though. Non-static methods cannot directly access
static methods using the this keyword.
Calling other static methods from a static method.
To call a static method from another static method, the this keyword can be used like so;
class Repo {
static getName() {
return "Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet"
}

static modifyName() {
return this.getName() + '-added-this'
}
}

console.log(Repo.modifyName()) // Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet-added-thi

s

Calling static methods from non-static methods.

Non-static methods can call static methods in 2 ways; 1. ###### Using the class name.
To get access to a static method from a non-static method we use the class name and call
the static method like a property. e.g ClassName.StaticMethodName
class Repo {
static getName() {
return "Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet"
}

useName() {
return Repo.getName() + ' and it contains some really important stuff'
}
}

// we need to instantiate the class to use non-static methods

let r = new Repo()
console.log(r.useName()) // Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet and it contains
some really important stuff

2. Using the constructor

Static methods can be called as properties on the constructor object.
class Repo {
static getName() {
return "Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet"
}

useName() {
// Calls the static method as a property of the constructor
return this.constructor.getName() + ' and it contains some really importa
nt stuff'
}
}

// we need to instantiate the class to use non-static methods

let r = new Repo()
console.log(r.useName()) // Repo name is modern-js-cheatsheet and it contains
some really important stuff

External resources
• static keyword- MDN
• Static Methods- Javascript.info
• Static Members in ES6- OdeToCode

Glossary
Scope
The context in which values and expressions are “visible,” or can be referenced. If a
variable or other expression is not “in the current scope,” then it is unavailable for use.
Source: MDN

Variable mutation
A variable is said to have been mutated when its initial value has changed afterward.
var myArray = [];
myArray.push("firstEl") // myArray is being mutated

A variable is said to be immutable if it can’t be mutated.

Check MDN Mutable article for more details.