JavaScript Library Design

Question

I have a general question about the design of JavaScript Libraries.

I am trying to consolidate common methods into one js file so they can be reused by different scripts.

I have taken a look at how the JSON library is structured and believe it was a good approach. JSON for Javascript.

So they start off creating an instance of the class:

if (!this.JSON) {     this.JSON = {}; } 

Then they do this:

(function () {     if (typeof JSON.stringify !== 'function') {         JSON.stringify = function (value, replacer, space) { 

This is works perfect if you just want to do JSON.[function_name], but what if I want to have a more structured library such that I want: JSON.[subgroup].[function]. How would I structure my JS library in such a way?

Any links to resources are greatly appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

I would recommend you to follow the Module Pattern in JavaScript instead of following JSON's pattern strictly. Your subgroup is actually referring to sub-modules. Take a look at the following excellent article:

Ben Cherry's JavaScript Module Pattern In-Depth

Other resources you should probably go through:

• John Resig's Learning Advanced JavaScript
• Seven JavaScript Things I Wish I Knew Much Earlier In My Career
• The Seven Deadly Sins Of JavaScript Implementation

Answer 2

There are problems with the module pattern. See http://snook.ca/archives/javascript/no-love-for-module-pattern. I used to use it before but stopped. Now I just tend to keep it simple. If you really want sub-namespacing you can make a simple namespace function for the job.

See http://blogger.ziesemer.com/2008/05/javascript-namespace-function.html