book

Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript

Name: Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript
Author: David Herman
ISBN: 9780132902281

by David Herman

November 2012

Intermediate to advanced

240 pages

4h 50m

English

Addison-Wesley Professional

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Title Page
Copyright Page
Praise for Effective JavaScript
The Effective Software Development Series
Dedication Page
Contents
Foreword
Preface
JavaScript versus ECMAScriptOn the WebA Note on Concurrency
Acknowledgments
About the Author

1. Accustoming Yourself to JavaScript
Item 1: Know Which JavaScript You Are UsingItem 2: Understand JavaScript’s Floating-Point NumbersItem 3: Beware of Implicit CoercionsItem 4: Prefer Primitives to Object WrappersItem 5: Avoid using == with Mixed TypesItem 6: Learn the Limits of Semicolon InsertionItem 7: Think of Strings As Sequences of 16-Bit Code Units
2. Variable Scope
Item 8: Minimize Use of the Global ObjectItem 9: Always Declare Local VariablesItem 10: Avoid withItem 11: Get Comfortable with ClosuresItem 12: Understand Variable HoistingItem 13: Use Immediately Invoked Function Expressions to Create Local ScopesItem 14: Beware of Unportable Scoping of Named Function ExpressionsItem 15: Beware of Unportable Scoping of Block-Local Function DeclarationsItem 16: Avoid Creating Local Variables with evalItem 17: Prefer Indirect eval to Direct eval
3. Working with Functions
Item 18: Understand the Difference between Function, Method, and Constructor CallsItem 19: Get Comfortable Using Higher-Order FunctionsItem 20: Use call to Call Methods with a Custom ReceiverItem 21: Use apply to Call Functions with Different Numbers of ArgumentsItem 22: Use arguments to Create Variadic FunctionsItem 23: Never Modify the arguments ObjectItem 24: Use a Variable to Save a Reference to argumentsItem 25: Use bind to Extract Methods with a Fixed ReceiverItem 26: Use bind to Curry FunctionsItem 27: Prefer Closures to Strings for Encapsulating CodeItem 28: Avoid Relying on the toString Method of FunctionsItem 29: Avoid Nonstandard Stack Inspection Properties
4. Objects and Prototypes
Item 30: Understand the Difference between prototype, getPrototypeOf, and __proto__Item 31: Prefer Object.getPrototypeOf to __proto__Item 32: Never Modify __proto__Item 33: Make Your Constructors new-AgnosticItem 34: Store Methods on PrototypesItem 35: Use Closures to Store Private DataItem 36: Store Instance State Only on Instance ObjectsItem 37: Recognize the Implicit Binding of thisItem 38: Call Superclass Constructors from Subclass ConstructorsItem 39: Never Reuse Superclass Property NamesItem 40: Avoid Inheriting from Standard ClassesItem 41: Treat Prototypes As an Implementation DetailItem 42: Avoid Reckless Monkey-Patching
5. Arrays and Dictionaries
Item 43: Build Lightweight Dictionaries from Direct Instances of ObjectItem 44: Use null Prototypes to Prevent Prototype PollutionItem 45: Use hasOwnProperty to Protect Against Prototype PollutionItem 46: Prefer Arrays to Dictionaries for Ordered CollectionsItem 47: Never Add Enumerable Properties to Object.prototypeItem 48: Avoid Modifying an Object during EnumerationItem 49: Prefer for Loops to for...in Loops for Array IterationItem 50: Prefer Iteration Methods to LoopsItem 51: Reuse Generic Array Methods on Array-Like ObjectsItem 52: Prefer Array Literals to the Array Constructor
6. Library and API Design
Item 53: Maintain Consistent ConventionsItem 54: Treat undefined As “No Value”Item 55: Accept Options Objects for Keyword ArgumentsItem 56: Avoid Unnecessary StateItem 57: Use Structural Typing for Flexible InterfacesItem 58: Distinguish between Array and Array-LikeItem 59: Avoid Excessive CoercionItem 60: Support Method Chaining
7. Concurrency
Item 61: Don’t Block the Event Queue on I/OItem 62: Use Nested or Named Callbacks for Asynchronous SequencingItem 63: Be Aware of Dropped ErrorsItem 64: Use Recursion for Asynchronous LoopsItem 65: Don’t Block the Event Queue on ComputationItem 66: Use a Counter to Perform Concurrent OperationsItem 67: Never Call Asynchronous Callbacks SynchronouslyItem 68: Use Promises for Cleaner Asynchronous Logic
Index
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Overview

“It’s uncommon to have a programming language wonk who can speak in such comfortable and friendly language as David does. His walk through the syntax and semantics of JavaScript is both charming and hugely insightful; reminders of gotchas complement realistic use cases, paced at a comfortable curve. You’ll find when you finish the book that you’ve gained a strong and comprehensive sense of mastery.”

—Paul Irish, developer advocate, Google Chrome

“This is not a book for those looking for shortcuts; rather it is hard-won experience distilled into a guided tour. It’s one of the few books on JS that I’ll recommend without hesitation.”

—Alex Russell, TC39 member, software engineer, Google

In order to truly master JavaScript, you need to learn how to work effectively with the language’s flexible, expressive features and how to avoid its pitfalls. No matter how long you’ve been writing JavaScript code, Effective JavaScript will help deepen your understanding of this powerful language, so you can build more predictable, reliable, and maintainable programs.

Author David Herman, with his years of experience on Ecma’s JavaScript standardization committee, illuminates the language’s inner workings as never before—helping you take full advantage of JavaScript’s expressiveness. Reflecting the latest versions of the JavaScript standard, the book offers well-proven techniques and best practices you’ll rely on for years to come.

Effective JavaScript is organized around 68 proven approaches for writing better JavaScript, backed by concrete examples. You’ll learn how to choose the right programming style for each project, manage unanticipated problems, and work more successfully with every facet of JavaScript programming from data structures to concurrency. Key features include

Better ways to use prototype-based object-oriented programming

Subtleties and solutions for working with arrays and dictionary objects

Precise and practical explanations of JavaScript’s functions and variable scoping semantics

Useful JavaScript programming patterns and idioms, such as options objects and method chaining

In-depth guidance on using JavaScript’s unique “run-to-completion” approach to concurrency

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