RecipeJS

recipejs.md

Class

Classes are used to simplify JavaScript constructor creation. Both $.Controller and $.Model extend $.Class.

$.Class $.Class([name,] [classProperties,] [prototypeProperties])

To create a Class class of your own, call $.Class.extend with the:

• name of the class which can be used for introspection,
• classProperties that are attached directly to the constructor, and
• instance prototypeProperties.

$.Class sets up the prototype chain so subclasses created with extend can be further extended and sub-classed as far as you like:

$.Class("Note",{
  init : function(){},

  author : function(){ ... },

  coordinates : function(){ ... },

  allowedToEdit: function(account) { 
    return true;
  }
});

Note('PrivateNote',{
  allowedToEdit: function(account) {
    return account.owns(this);
  }
})

Brief aside on super. JavaScript does not provide a way to call super -the function of the same name higher on the prototype chain. However, you can either do it by using the [super] plugin, or by explicitly calling it like:

var SecureNote = PrivateNote({
  allowedToEdit: function(account) {
    return PrivateNote.prototype.allowedToEdit.call(this, account) && 
       this.isSecure();
  }
})

constructor / init new Class(arg1, arg2)

When a class instance is created, $.Class creates the instance and calls $.Class.prototype.init with the arguments passed to new Class(...).

Note = $.Class({
  init : function(text) {
    this.text = text
  },
  read : function(){
    console.log(this.text);
  }
})

var note = new Note("Hello World");
note.read()

Brief aside on init. $.Class actually calls $.Class.prototype.setup before init. setup can be used to change the arguments passed to init.

Model

Models are central to any application. They contain data and logic surrounding it. You extend $.Model with your domain specific methods and $.Model provides a set of methods for managing changes.

$.Model $.Model(name, [classProperties], prototypeProperties)

To create a Model class, call $.Model with the:

• name of the class,
• optional classProperties that are attached directly to the constructor, and
• prototype instance properties.

Other

init $.Class.init(baseClass, name, classProperties, prototypeProperties)

When a $.Class is extended, it calls .init with the arguments to .extend. This is useful for adding setup code.

$.Class("MyBase",{ defaults : { foo: 'bar' } },{})

MyBase("Inheriting",{ defaults : { newProp : 'newVal' } },{}

Inheriting.defaults -> {foo: 'bar', 'newProp': 'newVal'}

constructor/initialize