Using the Module Pattern for larger projects

Question

I'm interested in using the Module Pattern to better organize my future projects. Unfortunately, there are only a few brief tutorials and proof-of-concept examples of the Module Pattern.

Using the module pattern, I would like to organize projects into this sort of structure:

project.arm.object.method();

Where "project" is my global project name, "arm" is a sub-section or branch of the project, "object" is an individual object, and so on to the methods and properties.

However, I'm not sure how I should be declaring and organizing multiple "arms" and "objects" under "project".

var project = window.project || {};
project.arm = project.arm || {};

project.arm.object = (function() {

    var privateVar = "Private contents.";

    function privateMethod() {
        alert(privateVar);
    }

    return {
        method: privateMethod
    };

}());

Are there any best practices or conventions when defining a complex module structure? Should I just declare a new arm/object underneath the last?

Answer 1

Here's a good write-up on what you're after; http://www.adequatelygood.com/2010/3/JavaScript-Module-Pattern-In-Depth

Answer 2

Dojo's dojo.declare is great for this kind of thing since it

Create a constructor using a compact notation for inheritance and prototype extension.

It's also really convenient if even for just removing this kind of boiler plate:

var project = window.project || {};
project.arm = project.arm || {};

If you just want that feature, then you could use dojo.setObject, but of course, writing something to do the same is trivial.

dojo.setObject("project.arm.object" (function() {
    var privateVar = "Private contents.";

    function privateMethod() {
        alert(privateVar);
    }

    return {
        method: privateMethod
    };
}()));

I recently used dojo.declare/dojo.setObject for a large JavaScript project (86 files, 7K+ lines (not counting comments and blank lines)), and it was a breeze to keep everything organized and manageable, especially when you have an inclusion mechanism like dojo.require and dojo.provide.