Summary of The Definitive Guide to Object-Oriented JavaScript

00:00:00 - 00:25:00

In this video, James Shore discusses the basics of object-oriented programming in JavaScript. He covers how objects and their properties work, how functions work, how prototypes and inheritance work, and how classes and instantiation work in the prototypal model. He also covers how the instanceof keyword works, how to delete properties from objects, and how the this keyword can be troublesome.

• 00:00:00 In this lesson, James Shore discusses the basics of object-oriented programming in JavaScript. He starts by reviewing the common primitive types, then moves on to discussing objects and their properties. He covers how functions work in JavaScript, how prototypes and inheritance work, and how classes and instantiation work with the prototypal model. Finally, he covers how the instanceof keyword works, how to delete properties from objects, and how the this keyword can be troublesome.
• 00:05:00 In JavaScript, inheritance is implemented via prototypal inheritance, which means that each object has a prototype, from which other objects can inherit. Objects also have a default prototype, which is usually Object.prototype. Polymorphism is possible by using the same property name but assigning different methods.
• 00:10:00 JS provides a convenient way to call one function from another, but this can be difficult to do in more complicated programs. To solve this problem, developers often use a prototype or class system to organize their code. One common way to initialize an object is to call its constructor.
• 00:15:00 In the prototypal model, an object is created by instantiating the object and then running a constructor. In the classical model, a function is created by defining the constructor first, and then the function object and prototype object are created. The get function on the class AnswerPrototype is also created. The classical model is more complicated, because it allows for subclasses.
• 00:20:00 This video introduces the concept of object-oriented JavaScript and demonstrates how to create an object by extending a prototype. The constructor property is set to point to the new object, and the get method is set. Then, the new objects can be created by calling the constructor with the appropriate parameter. Finally, the site "object visualizer" is introduced and demonstrated.
• 00:25:00 The author recommends using the classical object-oriented model, using strict mode, and using a linter to help catch mistakes. He also recommends using EcmaScript 6 when it becomes available.