A better coding convention for lists and object literals in JavaScript

comma-first-var.js

// See comments below.

// This code sample and justification brought to you by
// Isaac Z. Schlueter, aka isaacs

// standard style
var a = "ape",
  b = "bat",
  c = "cat",
  d = "dog",
  e = "elf",
  f = "fly",
  g = "gnu",
  h = "hat",
  i = "ibu";

// comma-first style
var a = "ape"
  , b = "bat"
  , c = "cat"
  , d = "dog"
  , e = "elf"
  , f = "fly"
  , g = "gnu"
  , h = "hat"
  , i = "ibu"
  ;

// error in standard style
var a = "ape",
  b = "bat",
  c = "cat",
  d = "dog"
  e = "elf",
  f = "fly",
  g = "gnu",
  h = "hat",
  i = "ibu";

// error in comma-first style
var a = "ape"
  , b = "bat"
  , c = "cat"
  , d = "dog"
  e = "elf"
  , f = "fly"
  , g = "gnu"
  , h = "hat"
  , i = "ibu"
  ;

// Objects:

// JSON.stringify style
var o = {
    a : "ape",
    b : "bat",
    c : "cat",
    d : "dog",
    e : "elf",
    f : "fly",
    g : "gnu",
    h : "hat",
    i : "ibu"
  },
  a = [
    [ "ape", "bat" ],
    [ "cat", "dog" ],
    [ "elf", "fly" ],
    [ "gnu", "hat" ],
    [ "ibu" ]
  ];
  

// comma-first
var o =
    { a : "ape"
    , b : "bat"
    , c : "cat"
    , d : "dog"
    , e : "elf"
    , f : "fly"
    , g : "gnu"
    , h : "hat"
    , i : "ibu"
    }
  , a = 
    [ [ "ape", "bat" ]
    , [ "cat", "dog" ]
    , [ "elf", "fly" ]
    , [ "gnu", "hat" ]
    , [ "ibu" ]
    ];

// errors in objects:

// JSON.stringify style
var o = {
    a : "ape",
    b : "bat",
    c : "cat",
    d : "dog"
    e : "elf",
    f : "fly",
    g : "gnu",
    h : "hat",
    i : "ibu"
  },
  a = [
    [ "ape", "bat" ],
    [ "cat", "dog" ],
    [ "elf", "fly" ]
    [ "gnu", "hat" ],
    [ "ibu" ]
  ];
  

// comma-first
var o =
    { a : "ape"
    , b : "bat"
    , c : "cat"
    , d : "dog"
    e : "elf"
    , f : "fly"
    , g : "gnu"
    , h : "hat"
    , i : "ibu"
    }
  , a = 
    [ [ "ape", "bat" ]
    , [ "cat", "dog" ]
    , [ "elf", "fly" ]
    [ "gnu", "hat" ]
    , [ "ibu" ]
    ];

// Addendum: effects on the return statement.
// It does not break.

return [ 1
       , 2
       , 3
       ] // returns [1,2,3]

return { a : "ape"
       , b : "bat"
       } // returns {a:"ape",b:"bat"}

// even just separating two values by commas is fine,
// though a bit silly
return 1
     , 2
     , 3
     , 4 // returns the last value, 4

// this, however is wrong:
return
    1
  , 2 // returns undefined, because of semicolon-insertion.

// so is this. otb == fail.
return
  { a : "ape"
  , b : "bat"
  } // returns undefined,
    // then creates a block with two named statements.

// this is ok:
return ( 1
       , 2
       ) // returns 2

// so is this:
return (
  { a : "ape"
  , b : "bat"
  }
) // returns {a:"ape",b:"bat"}


// Addendum 2: A function call

doSomething( aPrettyLongVariableName
           , "A string, which has some useful information"
           , "If you put these all together, it'd be too long"
           , { a: "is for antelope", b: "is for bat" }
           , 42
           )

// Addendum 3: More realistic error in standard style:

// leaks FIVE globals!
var a = "ape eat banana",
  b = "bat, allowed to fly",
  c = "cat toy",
  d = "dog chasing the mailman,"
  e = "elf lord",
  f = "fly through the air",
  g = "gnu is not unix",
  h = "hat goes on your head",
  i = "ibu isn't a cow";

// Error: Can't call method 'forEach' of undefined.
// not passing in undefined as an argument!??
mergeLists([ apple, [ penelope, granger ] ],
           [ fun ],
           [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ]
           [ "mary's store has many pies, and cookies, and eggs," ]
           [ function() { doSomething() } ]);

For nearly 16 years of our lives, we write essay after essay using commas. On top of that, we write billions of emails. With all the variables and preferences in our shared environments, shouldn't we at least adhere to our life-long habit of left-to-right comma interpretation?

In my humble opinion, I prefer reading code that isn't totally opposite our natural tendencies.

This doesn't feel natural at all, although technically it is the same text:

For nearly 16 years of our lives
, we write essay after essay using commas. On top of that
, we write billions of emails. With all the variables and preferences in our shared environments
, shouldn't we at least adhere to our life-long habit of left-to-right comma interpretation?

^{@NoelBaron, linguistically, a compound-sentence has a comma so you'll pretty much know when to halt for a breather, but on your sample text, inserting a line-break before the comma (creating a comma-first look) also implies a full-stop or a new paragraph, comma on code has no linguistics value, and one should not be looking for such. On inventing a new program-language, we might as well use pipeline, hash-tag or any other characters to separate code-blocks, which do not have analogous meaning in English language-composition thus, not creating this confusion.}

^{Most of pro-comma-first developers usually mention their lack of forgotten commas at the end of a long line of code, or even the OCD relief of same-column-straightening of characters ;)}

^{Anyway, the comma-first convention is gaining quite a lot of popularity among users lately,
I can say that software-developers at Google (Israel) are using it on most of the new projects, due to its superb readability.}

I give a star here since I discovered this place lol.

I'm using commas-first style almost since I started JS around 6 years ago now.

Guys you also missed something, commas-first is essential when you use multilines keyboard shortcut.

In VS or Sublime, CTRL + D for few entry in a JSON then END then add somehting, paste, or select a value. You don't have to deal wth the comma at the end.
Also CTRL + SHIT + TOP or DOWN in VS will make a multi-line cursor, then SHIFT + END and you selected all values excepted commas (or just select the keys, or the values, whatever).

I use this everyday everytime and each times I show this to a developer that is not using these shortcuts (and not using commas-first) he reconsider his position lol.

As a general rule, you should split your statement at the highest place possible in your syntax tree. Usually at an operator.
Since that operator is the pivot between 2 lines, it should be put prominently at the begin of the line.
Therefore the comma, or any other operator, +, &&, should start the line.

Use ternjs / eslint and get a life.
Putting the least important characters of the code up front is ridiculous.

actually, I love it and have been using it for years.
the comma on the left just looks like a bullet list.
ever since I stared using it - I never forgot a comma or struggled with braces again, even when working with nano on remote files.

but - I'm working with a team now that will agree to this style only if it will be supported by the lindter.
so - is there an eslint rule I can use to enforce this style, especially for arrays and objects?

Is there an eslint rule that will not choke when you do something like this? My eslint configuration complains about Project being indented by 2 chars.

const {
      Project
    , Dimension
    , Task
    , View
    , Layout
    , User
    , Group
    , Organization
    , CustomField
} = db.model;

It's too bad so few people use comma (and operator) first.
There are so many bad examples here.
Comma and operator first is really useful when you nest complex data structures or code.
Here is a case where it is good at:

x = {
    a : ( b + 27 * (
        foo1(
            b
        +   (   (c + 232312)
            *   (   foo2(
                        (d + 3423423 * foo34(34))
                    *   (y+3243)
                    )
                +   foo3(
                        (234 * sdf + 23 * dfdse )
                    ,   23423 + foo45(23)
                    )
                )
            *   ( 23423 / 34)
            )
        +   (   234234 / sdf + 23423)
        +   (   foo4(234234)
            /   foo5(
                    foo34(
                        (   (   fo345(3434 + 2323423)
                            +   23423
                            )
                        /   234
                        )
                    ,   [ 23234, 23432, 234234]
                    )
                /   349
                )
            )
        )
    ))
,   b : 234
,   c : [
        34534
    ,   534634
    ,   98
    ]
,   d : {
        x1 : [
            23423
        ,   232
        ,   43+343*(
                343
            +   324
            )
        ,   23
        ]
    ,   x2: 234
    ,   x3: foo(2323 + (
                ( foo56(234) + 3434)
            /   (2342 + foo6(2323))
            ))
    ,   x4: 34534
    }
}

I don't know how I got there, probably about the trailing comma debate I had with a colleague, but honestly this hurts my eyes so much. You don't do comma-first because firstly it's ugly and unintuitive. Javascript was designed like any coding language to be human-friendly. The creators knew how to read and write english, meaning that you should respect the comma position as you would in an non programming language.

Now if you write like this ,you'll see that this is by far the dumbest way to say "Hey I'm a hipster I write code with comma first" ,that's not how you're supposed to do things and you'll be the only one to do this in a team that would dare to hire you.

Comma is not a operator so I don't see the point how saying it should be the first thing in a line and in english (or any other language), a comma is attached to the previous word and a space (or a new line) must be put after this comma.

I really think I'm in the flat earth conference.

@Mcfloy I feel you!

I cringe every time I see this comma-first garbage. And I think I have the best reason not to use comma-first: I used to work in a team where one developer, working alone on a project, had put them all around.

The guy was fired (for other reasons, the main one being that he had done a poor job). I was hired to replace him, and was then joined by two other developers. Every dev in the company, including others not working on this project - that is 15 persons roughly - kind of screamed in horror when I showed them the codebase we had inherited.

So if you want a single reason why not to use this crap, here it is: no one in his right mind does it, and no one wants to hear your explanation about why it's so brilliant, because it's just an insult to their eyes. If you do use it, you'll be looked upon by your teammates as being an insufferable know-it-all who thinks he's just invented hot water.

Thank God, common ESLint rules have banished this creature of doom from our world (hopefully).

Not a chance @bhubr, some of us like our "comma-style":[2,"first"] rule ;)

The only place I've seen it cause issues is with JSDOC blocks not being identified correctly by the IDE.

A lot of the examples in this thread are using variables values of same/same character lengths. When line length is random it becomes much more obvious that comma-first adds value.