When to use this in javascript OO?

Question

In Javascript OO, when should I use the this keyword?

Also, if I want to call a method of a class from another method of the same class, should I use this or just the name of the function? E.g is this correct?

function Foo()
{
   this.bar= function()
   {
      alert('bar');
   }

   this.baz= function()
   {
     this.bar(); //should I use this.bar() or just bar()?
   }
}

Answer 1

When it comes to "object-oriented" JavaScript, here's a nice guide Mark Dickinson here on SO linked to: Private Members in JavaScript. It does go into detail about some other stuff you don't really need now, but once you understand how JavaScript works, you'll see that it's quite different from your ordinary object-oriented language when it comes to things like what this really means.

I'd say that in your case, you should definitely use this, but maybe your functions should be in the prototype part of your "class" (this avoids redefining the function every time a new instance is created.)

Answer 2

I have found 3 Ways to define a javascript class helpful.