How to implement class constants?

Solution 1:

TypeScript 2.0 has the readonly modifier:

class MyClass {
    readonly myReadOnlyProperty = 1;

    myMethod() {
        console.log(this.myReadOnlyProperty);
        this.myReadOnlyProperty = 5; // error, readonly
    }
}

new MyClass().myReadOnlyProperty = 5; // error, readonly

It's not exactly a constant because it allows assignment in the constructor, but that's most likely not a big deal.

Alternative Solution

An alternative is to use the static keyword with readonly:

class MyClass {
    static readonly myReadOnlyProperty = 1;

    constructor() {
        MyClass.myReadOnlyProperty = 5; // error, readonly
    }

    myMethod() {
        console.log(MyClass.myReadOnlyProperty);
        MyClass.myReadOnlyProperty = 5; // error, readonly
    }
}

MyClass.myReadOnlyProperty = 5; // error, readonly

This has the benefit of not being assignable in the constructor and only existing in one place.

Solution 2:

Constants can be declare outside of classes and use within your class. Otherwise the get property is a nice workaround

const MY_CONSTANT: string = "wazzup";

export class MyClass {

    public myFunction() {

        alert(MY_CONSTANT);
    }
}

Solution 3:

You can mark properties with readonly modifier in your declaration:

export class MyClass {
  public static readonly MY_PUBLIC_CONSTANT = 10;
  private static readonly myPrivateConstant = 5;
}

@see TypeScript Deep Dive book - Readonly