Table Of ContentJavaScript Objects
Functions and Arrays
Explained
Tony de Araujo
Technical Writer/Instructor
New Jersey, USA
Last update: June 2014
Minor update: January 2015
copyright © Tony de Araujo
All Rights Reserved
Last update: June 2014
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"Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
To all the teachers, authors and fellow students I’ve learned from, my gratitude.
To my family and friends around the world,
a Big thanks!
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
A note from the author
About the Second Edition
Color Representation in This Book
PART I : AT THE GATES OF ENLIGHTENMENT
1.1 Prototypical versus Class-based
1.2 The Memory Concept
1.3 Variables vs. Reference Types
1.4 Everything comes from objects
1.4.1 Lab 1
1.4.2 Lab 2
1.5 More Variables, add Functions.
What happens when we assign a function to a variable?
1.5.1 Lab Work 3
1.6 Named Functions vs. Anonymous Functions
1.7 First Review
1.8 The Untouchable Object
Do you remember where an object resides?
How do we access the object?
What happens to the object when we remove the variable?
Can we directly touch and modify the object itself?
1.8.2 Native objects
1.8.3 Hosted Objects
1.8.4 What is a property?
1.8.5 What is a variable?
1.8.6 What is an execution context?
1.9 Second Review
1.10 The Window Object – Intro
1.10.2 An example of scope
1.11 More Primitive and Reference Values
1.11.2 How to pass in data from the stack to the heap
PART II – KNOW THY TOOLS
2.1 Strings as Objects in JavaScript
2.1.2 charAt( pos ) and charCodeAt( pos )
2.1.3 fromCharCode( )
2.1.4 concat( )
2.1.5 indexOf() and lastIndexOf( )
2.1.6 match( )
2.1.7 replace( )
2.1.8 search( )
2.1.9 slice( )
2.1.10 split( )
2.1.11 substr( )
2.1.12 substr( ) vs substring( )
2.1.13 toLowerCase() and toUpperCase()
2.1.14 trim( )
2.1.15 valueOf( )
Summary: String Object methods
2.2 The Array Object in JavaScript
2.2.1 concat()
2.2.2 join( )
2.2.3 reverse( )
2.2.4 sort( )
2.2.5 pop( ) and push( )
2.2.6 shift() and unshift()
2.2.7 slice( )
2.2.8 splice( )
2.3 New JavaScript Array Iteration Methods
2.3.1 forEach()
2.3.2 map( )
2.3.3 every( )
2.3.4 some( )
2.3.5 filter( )
2.4 New JavaScript Array Reduction and Location Methods
2.4.1 What is Reduction
2.4.2 reduce( )
2.4.3 reduceRight( )
2.4.4 Location Methods
2.4.5 indexOf( ) versus lastIndexOf( )
PART III – ENTERING THE SECOND REALM
3.1 JavaScript Functions and Arguments as Objects
3.1.1 arguments
3.1.2 Nested Functions
3.1.3 A Gentle Introduction to Closures
3.1.4 The closure principal
3.1.5 Lexical Scope
3.1.6 The arguments object versus inner functions
3.1.7 The “this” variable
3.1.8 Functions as Object Constructors
3.2 Function Properties and Methods
3.2.1 apply( ) and call( )
3.2.2 Adding more arguments to call( ) and apply( )
3.2.3 More practice with call( ), apply( ) methods.
PART IV – STRENGTHENING THE WARRIOR’S ARSENAL
4.1 The Math Object
4.1.1 Math.random( ), floor( ), ceil( ), round( )
4.1.2 Math.max( ) and Math.min( )
4.1.3 Math constants, PI
4.1.4 Useful Math Object references
4.2 The Date Object
4.2.1 Creating a working Date object instance
4.2.2 Converting Date to a string
4.2.3 Useful JavaScript date libraries
PART V – DEFEATING THE DRAGON
5.1 Unordered Lists as Objects
5.1.2 Accessor methods
5.1.3 Mutation methods
5.1.4 Practice and review: Create a Loan Application Object
5.1.5 How to automatically evaluate and call a method
5.1.6 Prototyping new methods
5.1.7 Objects that inherit from other objects
5.1.8 How to include prototype methods inside a constructor
Conclusion
APPENDIX
Other eBooks from the author
Resources
Errata and Contact
Copyright
Gentle Rain
Preface
Even when literature about JavaScript Objects is abundant and already
accessible to the reader, this book still fills a need. JavaScript Objects
Functions and Arrays Explained challenges the void between books for
teaching syntax and those covering specific implementations of the language.
This comprehensive approach revisits the foundation of JavaScript Objects
without asking anyone to memorize constructs that are seldom used in the real
world of JavaScript implementation. It dissects objects from the simplest form to
a more complex paradigm. It uses simple illustrations allowing the reader to stay
focused on the subject matter. Although most book sales happen in the US, this
book has also been written in international English and any idiomatic expression
has a link to a suitable explanation.
JavaScript Objects Functions and Arrays Explained is about concepts; it is
not about implementation of exotic scripts that may lose students before they
have a chance to grasp the idea behind the topic. Because JavaScript is such a
complex language, the author has chosen to simplify, but not to diminish, certain
areas that may be new to a great number of readers. One example is closures.
The author approaches closures in a minimalistic yet effective way, with
illustrations and simplified scripts in order to keep the concept from being lost
by the power of the code itself.
The author’s intent is to approach JavaScript in a manner he hoped to find when
first initiated his studies of the language. This book is not for the very beginner
because it does not cover basic rules of syntax. However, if you have been
exposed to the basics somewhere else before, you will not have any problem
grasping the written material. On the other hand if you come from a different
language or need a refresher, there is always an explanation of the scripts
presented, line by line.
For the early beginner or if you need a review, please refer to the following
eBook before attempting to read this one:
JavaScript in Plain Language – A Self-Study Method, JSON and AngularJS
Prep.
Each topic has been kept short on purpose; yet, packed with information
normally missed in introductory books or even in many of the more advanced
writings. The author assumes that anyone adventuring into JavaScript has the
capacity to learn, if given a change to do so.
The book has not just been written for newer developers. It is also intended for
those already involved with JavaScript but lacking time to search for detailed
explanations of why JavaScript works the way it does. This book is the result of
many hundreds of hours of research and lab testing by the author, and intends to
give every reader something worth taking.
JavaScript Objects Functions and Arrays Explained will give you the
foundation needed to move into more complex books: It will open many doors
of understanding without insulting anyone’s intelligence.
Welcome to the second edition of JavaScript Objects Functions and Arrays
Explained.
