Javascript add method to object
you need to add it to Foo's prototype:
function Foo(){}
Foo.prototype.bar = function(){}
var x = new Foo()
x.bar()
This all depends on how you're creating Foo
, and how you intend to use .bar()
.
First, are you using a constructor-function for your object?
var myFoo = new Foo();
If so, then you can extend the Foo
function's prototype
property with .bar
, like so:
function Foo () { /*...*/ }
Foo.prototype.bar = function () { /*...*/ };
var myFoo = new Foo();
myFoo.bar();
In this fashion, each instance of Foo
now has access to the SAME instance of .bar
.
To wit: .bar
will have FULL access to this
, but will have absolutely no access to variables
within the constructor function:
function Foo () { var secret = 38; this.name = "Bob"; }
Foo.prototype.bar = function () { console.log(secret); };
Foo.prototype.otherFunc = function () { console.log(this.name); };
var myFoo = new Foo();
myFoo.otherFunc(); // "Bob";
myFoo.bar(); // error -- `secret` is undefined...
// ...or a value of `secret` in a higher/global scope
In another way, you could define a function to return any object (not this
), with .bar
created as a property of that object:
function giveMeObj () {
var private = 42,
privateBar = function () { console.log(private); },
public_interface = {
bar : privateBar
};
return public_interface;
}
var myObj = giveMeObj();
myObj.bar(); // 42
In this fashion, you have a function which creates new objects.
Each of those objects has a .bar
function created for them.
Each .bar
function has access, through what is called closure, to the "private" variables within the function that returned their particular object.
Each .bar
still has access to this
as well, as this
, when you call the function like myObj.bar();
will always refer to myObj
(public_interface
, in my example Foo
).
The downside to this format is that if you are going to create millions of these objects, that's also millions of copies of .bar
, which will eat into memory.
You could also do this inside of a constructor function, setting this.bar = function () {};
inside of the constructor -- again, upside would be closure-access to private variables in the constructor and downside would be increased memory requirements.
So the first question is:
Do you expect your methods to have access to read/modify "private" data, which can't be accessed through the object itself (through this
or myObj.X
)?
and the second question is: Are you making enough of these objects so that memory is going to be a big concern, if you give them each their own personal function, instead of giving them one to share?
For example, if you gave every triangle and every texture their own .draw
function in a high-end 3D game, that might be overkill, and it would likely affect framerate in such a delicate system...
If, however, you're looking to create 5 scrollbars per page, and you want each one to be able to set its position and keep track of if it's being dragged, without letting every other application have access to read/set those same things, then there's really no reason to be scared that 5 extra functions are going to kill your app, assuming that it might already be 10,000 lines long (or more).
There are many ways to create re-usable objects like this in JavaScript. Mozilla have a nice introduction here:
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/JavaScript/Introduction_to_Object-Oriented_JavaScript
The following will work in your example:
function Foo(){
this.bar = function (){
alert("Hello World!");
}
}
myFoo = new Foo();
myFoo.bar(); // Hello World
You can make bar a function making it a method.
Foo.bar = function(passvariable){ };
As a property it would just be assigned a string, data type or boolean
Foo.bar = "a place";