Skip to content
This repository was archived by the owner on Feb 17, 2025. It is now read-only.

Coding Convention

MarieEveLegault edited this page Mar 5, 2019 · 6 revisions

Imports organisation

First imports should be react related, then our own components/variables/imports. Preferably in alphabetical order.

Commenting

Every component should be commented, including every function that has been newly created.

Order of a component

  1. constructor
  2. life cycle functions
  3. custom functions
  4. render function
  5. export of component

There should be a maximum of one component property per line.


Introduction

This document serves as the basic standards for source code in the JavaScript programming language.

References


  • 2.1 Use const for all of your references; avoid using var. eslint: prefer-const, no-const-assign

    Why? This ensures that you can’t reassign your references, which can lead to bugs and difficult to comprehend code.

    // bad
    var a = 1;
    var b = 2;
    
    // good
    const a = 1;
    const b = 2;

  • 2.2 If you must reassign references, use let instead of var. eslint: no-var

    Why? let is block-scoped rather than function-scoped like var.

    // bad
    var count = 1;
    if (true) {
      count += 1;
    }
    
    // good, use the let.
    let count = 1;
    if (true) {
      count += 1;
    }

  • 2.3 Note that both let and const are block-scoped.

    // const and let only exist in the blocks they are defined in.
    {
      let a = 1;
      const b = 1;
    }
    console.log(a); // ReferenceError
    console.log(b); // ReferenceError

Objects

  • 3.1 Use the literal syntax for object creation. eslint: no-new-object

    // bad
    const item = new Object();
    
    // good
    const item = {};

  • 3.3 Use object method shorthand. eslint: object-shorthand

    // bad
    const atom = {
      value: 1,
    
      addValue: function (value) {
        return atom.value + value;
      },
    };
    
    // good
    const atom = {
      value: 1,
    
      addValue(value) {
        return atom.value + value;
      },
    };

  • 3.4 Use property value shorthand. eslint: object-shorthand

    Why? It is shorter and descriptive.

    const lukeSkywalker = 'Luke Skywalker';
    
    // bad
    const obj = {
      lukeSkywalker: lukeSkywalker,
    };
    
    // good
    const obj = {
      lukeSkywalker,
    };

  • 3.8 Prefer the object spread operator over Object.assign to shallow-copy objects. Use the object rest operator to get a new object with certain properties omitted.

    // very bad
    const original = { a: 1, b: 2 };
    const copy = Object.assign(original, { c: 3 }); // this mutates `original` ಠ_ಠ
    delete copy.a; // so does this
    
    // bad
    const original = { a: 1, b: 2 };
    const copy = Object.assign({}, original, { c: 3 }); // copy => { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
    
    // good
    const original = { a: 1, b: 2 };
    const copy = { ...original, c: 3 }; // copy => { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
    
    const { a, ...noA } = copy; // noA => { b: 2, c: 3 }

Arrays

  • 4.1 Use the literal syntax for array creation. eslint: no-array-constructor

    // bad
    const items = new Array();
    
    // good
    const items = [];

  • 4.2 Use Array#push instead of direct assignment to add items to an array.

    const someStack = [];
    
    // bad
    someStack[someStack.length] = 'abracadabra';
    
    // good
    someStack.push('abracadabra');

  • 4.3 Use array spreads ... to copy arrays.

    // bad
    const len = items.length;
    const itemsCopy = [];
    let i;
    
    for (i = 0; i < len; i += 1) {
      itemsCopy[i] = items[i];
    }
    
    // good
    const itemsCopy = [...items];

  • 4.7 Use return statements in array method callbacks. It’s ok to omit the return if the function body consists of a single statement returning an expression without side effects, following 8.2. eslint: array-callback-return

    // good
    [1, 2, 3].map((x) => {
      const y = x + 1;
      return x * y;
    });
    
    // good
    [1, 2, 3].map(x => x + 1);
    
    // bad - no returned value means `acc` becomes undefined after the first iteration
    [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]].reduce((acc, item, index) => {
      const flatten = acc.concat(item);
      acc[index] = flatten;
    });
    
    // good
    [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]].reduce((acc, item, index) => {
      const flatten = acc.concat(item);
      acc[index] = flatten;
      return flatten;
    });
    
    // bad
    inbox.filter((msg) => {
      const { subject, author } = msg;
      if (subject === 'Mockingbird') {
        return author === 'Harper Lee';
      } else {
        return false;
      }
    });
    
    // good
    inbox.filter((msg) => {
      const { subject, author } = msg;
      if (subject === 'Mockingbird') {
        return author === 'Harper Lee';
      }
    
      return false;
    });

  • 4.8 Use line breaks after open and before close array brackets if an array has multiple lines

    // bad
    const arr = [
      [0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5],
    ];
    
    const objectInArray = [{
      id: 1,
    }, {
      id: 2,
    }];
    
    const numberInArray = [
      1, 2,
    ];
    
    // good
    const arr = [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]];
    
    const objectInArray = [
      {
        id: 1,
      },
      {
        id: 2,
      },
    ];
    
    const numberInArray = [
      1,
      2,
    ];

Destructuring

  • 5.1 Use object destructuring when accessing and using multiple properties of an object. eslint: prefer-destructuring

    Why? Destructuring saves you from creating temporary references for those properties.

    // bad
    function getFullName(user) {
      const firstName = user.firstName;
      const lastName = user.lastName;
    
      return `${firstName} ${lastName}`;
    }
    
    // good
    function getFullName(user) {
      const { firstName, lastName } = user;
      return `${firstName} ${lastName}`;
    }
    
    // best
    function getFullName({ firstName, lastName }) {
      return `${firstName} ${lastName}`;
    }

  • 5.2 Use array destructuring. eslint: prefer-destructuring

    const arr = [1, 2, 3, 4];
    
    // bad
    const first = arr[0];
    const second = arr[1];
    
    // good
    const [first, second] = arr;

  • 5.3 Use object destructuring for multiple return values, not array destructuring.

    Why? You can add new properties over time or change the order of things without breaking call sites.

    // bad
    function processInput(input) {
      // then a miracle occurs
      return [left, right, top, bottom];
    }
    
    // the caller needs to think about the order of return data
    const [left, __, top] = processInput(input);
    
    // good
    function processInput(input) {
      // then a miracle occurs
      return { left, right, top, bottom };
    }
    
    // the caller selects only the data they need
    const { left, top } = processInput(input);

Strings

  • 6.1 Use single quotes '' for strings. eslint: quotes

    // bad
    const name = "Capt. Janeway";
    
    // bad - template literals should contain interpolation or newlines
    const name = `Capt. Janeway`;
    
    // good
    const name = 'Capt. Janeway';

  • 6.2 Strings that cause the line to go over 100 characters should not be written across multiple lines using string concatenation.

    Why? Broken strings are painful to work with and make code less searchable.

    // bad
    const errorMessage = 'This is a super long error that was thrown because \
    of Batman. When you stop to think about how Batman had anything to do \
    with this, you would get nowhere \
    fast.';
    
    // bad
    const errorMessage = 'This is a super long error that was thrown because ' +
      'of Batman. When you stop to think about how Batman had anything to do ' +
      'with this, you would get nowhere fast.';
    
    // good
    const errorMessage = 'This is a super long error that was thrown because of Batman. When you stop to think about how Batman had anything to do with this, you would get nowhere fast.';

  • 6.3 When programmatically building up strings, use template strings instead of concatenation. eslint: prefer-template template-curly-spacing

    Why? Template strings give you a readable, concise syntax with proper newlines and string interpolation features.

    // bad
    function sayHi(name) {
      return 'How are you, ' + name + '?';
    }
    
    // bad
    function sayHi(name) {
      return ['How are you, ', name, '?'].join();
    }
    
    // bad
    function sayHi(name) {
      return `How are you, ${ name }?`;
    }
    
    // good
    function sayHi(name) {
      return `How are you, ${name}?`;
    }

  • 6.4 Never use eval() on a string, it opens too many vulnerabilities. eslint: no-eval

  • 6.5 Do not unnecessarily escape characters in strings. eslint: no-useless-escape

    Why? Backslashes harm readability, thus they should only be present when necessary.

    // bad
    const foo = '\'this\' \i\s \"quoted\"';
    
    // good
    const foo = '\'this\' is "quoted"';
    const foo = `my name is '${name}'`;

Functions

  • 7.1 Use named function expressions instead of function declarations. eslint: func-style

    Why? Function declarations are hoisted, which means that it’s easy - too easy - to reference the function before it is defined in the file. This harms readability and maintainability. If you find that a function’s definition is large or complex enough that it is interfering with understanding the rest of the file, then perhaps it’s time to extract it to its own module! Don’t forget to explicitly name the expression, regardless of whether or not the name is inferred from the containing variable (which is often the case in modern browsers or when using compilers such as Babel). This eliminates any assumptions made about the Error’s call stack. (Discussion)

    // bad
    function foo() {
      // ...
    }
    
    // bad
    const foo = function () {
      // ...
    };
    
    // good
    // lexical name distinguished from the variable-referenced invocation(s)
    const short = function longUniqueMoreDescriptiveLexicalFoo() {
      // ...
    };

  • 7.10 Never use the Function constructor to create a new function. eslint: no-new-func

    Why? Creating a function in this way evaluates a string similarly to eval(), which opens vulnerabilities.

    // bad
    var add = new Function('a', 'b', 'return a + b');
    
    // still bad
    var subtract = Function('a', 'b', 'return a - b');

  • 7.11 Spacing in a function signature. eslint: space-before-function-paren space-before-blocks

    Why? Consistency is good, and you shouldn’t have to add or remove a space when adding or removing a name.

    // bad
    const f = function(){};
    const g = function (){};
    const h = function() {};
    
    // good
    const x = function () {};
    const y = function a() {};

  • 7.15 Functions with multiline signatures, or invocations, should be indented just like every other multiline list in this guide: with each item on a line by itself, with a trailing comma on the last item. eslint: function-paren-newline

    // bad
    function foo(bar,
                 baz,
                 quux) {
      // ...
    }
    
    // good
    function foo(
      bar,
      baz,
      quux,
    ) {
      // ...
    }
    
    // bad
    console.log(foo,
      bar,
      baz);
    
    // good
    console.log(
      foo,
      bar,
      baz,
    );

Arrow Functions

  • 8.1 When you must use an anonymous function (as when passing an inline callback), use arrow function notation. eslint: prefer-arrow-callback, arrow-spacing

    Why? It creates a version of the function that executes in the context of this, which is usually what you want, and is a more concise syntax.

    Why not? If you have a fairly complicated function, you might move that logic out into its own named function expression.

    // bad
    [1, 2, 3].map(function (x) {
      const y = x + 1;
      return x * y;
    });
    
    // good
    [1, 2, 3].map((x) => {
      const y = x + 1;
      return x * y;
    });

  • 8.2 If the function body consists of a single statement returning an expression without side effects, omit the braces and use the implicit return. Otherwise, keep the braces and use a return statement. eslint: arrow-parens, arrow-body-style

    Why? Syntactic sugar. It reads well when multiple functions are chained together.

    // bad
    [1, 2, 3].map(number => {
      const nextNumber = number + 1;
      `A string containing the ${nextNumber}.`;
    });
    
    // good
    [1, 2, 3].map(number => `A string containing the ${number}.`);
    
    // good
    [1, 2, 3].map((number) => {
      const nextNumber = number + 1;
      return `A string containing the ${nextNumber}.`;
    });
    
    // good
    [1, 2, 3].map((number, index) => ({
      [index]: number,
    }));
    
    // No implicit return with side effects
    function foo(callback) {
      const val = callback();
      if (val === true) {
        // Do something if callback returns true
      }
    }
    
    let bool = false;
    
    // bad
    foo(() => bool = true);
    
    // good
    foo(() => {
      bool = true;
    });

Modules

  • 10.1 Always use modules (import/export) over a non-standard module system. You can always transpile to your preferred module system.

    Why? Modules are the future, let’s start using the future now.

    // bad
    const AirbnbStyleGuide = require('./AirbnbStyleGuide');
    module.exports = AirbnbStyleGuide.es6;
    
    // ok
    import AirbnbStyleGuide from './AirbnbStyleGuide';
    export default AirbnbStyleGuide.es6;
    
    // best
    import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide';
    export default es6;

  • 10.2 Do not use wildcard imports.

    Why? This makes sure you have a single default export.

    // bad
    import * as AirbnbStyleGuide from './AirbnbStyleGuide';
    
    // good
    import AirbnbStyleGuide from './AirbnbStyleGuide';

  • 10.3 And do not export directly from an import.

    Why? Although the one-liner is concise, having one clear way to import and one clear way to export makes things consistent.

    // bad
    // filename es6.js
    export { es6 as default } from './AirbnbStyleGuide';
    
    // good
    // filename es6.js
    import { es6 } from './AirbnbStyleGuide';
    export default es6;

  • 10.4 Only import from a path in one place. eslint: no-duplicate-imports

    Why? Having multiple lines that import from the same path can make code harder to maintain.

    // bad
    import foo from 'foo';
    // … some other imports … //
    import { named1, named2 } from 'foo';
    
    // good
    import foo, { named1, named2 } from 'foo';
    
    // good
    import foo, {
      named1,
      named2,
    } from 'foo';

  • 10.5 Do not export mutable bindings. eslint: import/no-mutable-exports

    Why? Mutation should be avoided in general, but in particular when exporting mutable bindings. While this technique may be needed for some special cases, in general, only constant references should be exported.

    // bad
    let foo = 3;
    export { foo };
    
    // good
    const foo = 3;
    export { foo };

  • 10.6 In modules with a single export, prefer default export over named export. eslint: import/prefer-default-export

    Why? To encourage more files that only ever export one thing, which is better for readability and maintainability.

    // bad
    export function foo() {}
    
    // good
    export default function foo() {}

  • 10.7 Put all imports above non-import statements. eslint: import/first

    Why? Since imports are hoisted, keeping them all at the top prevents surprising behavior.

    // bad
    import foo from 'foo';
    foo.init();
    
    import bar from 'bar';
    
    // good
    import foo from 'foo';
    import bar from 'bar';
    
    foo.init();

Iterators

  • 11.1 Don’t use iterators. Prefer JavaScript’s higher-order functions instead of loops like for-in or for-of. eslint: no-iterator no-restricted-syntax

    Why? This enforces our immutable rule. Dealing with pure functions that return values is easier to reason about than side effects.

    Use map() / every() / filter() / find() / findIndex() / reduce() / some() / ... to iterate over arrays, and Object.keys() / Object.values() / Object.entries() to produce arrays so you can iterate over objects.

    const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
    
    // bad
    let sum = 0;
    for (let num of numbers) {
      sum += num;
    }
    sum === 15;
    
    // good
    let sum = 0;
    numbers.forEach((num) => {
      sum += num;
    });
    sum === 15;
    
    // best (use the functional force)
    const sum = numbers.reduce((total, num) => total + num, 0);
    sum === 15;
    
    // bad
    const increasedByOne = [];
    for (let i = 0; i < numbers.length; i++) {
      increasedByOne.push(numbers[i] + 1);
    }
    
    // good
    const increasedByOne = [];
    numbers.forEach((num) => {
      increasedByOne.push(num + 1);
    });
    
    // best (keeping it functional)
    const increasedByOne = numbers.map(num => num + 1);

Properties

  • 12.1 Use dot notation when accessing properties. eslint: dot-notation

    const luke = {
      jedi: true,
      age: 28,
    };
    
    // bad
    const isJedi = luke['jedi'];
    
    // good
    const isJedi = luke.jedi;

  • 12.3 Use exponentiation operator ** when calculating exponentiations. eslint: no-restricted-properties.

    // bad
    const binary = Math.pow(2, 10);
    
    // good
    const binary = 2 ** 10;

Variables

  • 13.1 Always use const or let to declare variables. Not doing so will result in global variables. We want to avoid polluting the global namespace. Captain Planet warned us of that. eslint: no-undef prefer-const

    // bad
    superPower = new SuperPower();
    
    // good
    const superPower = new SuperPower();

  • 13.2 Use one const or let declaration per variable or assignment. eslint: one-var

    Why? It’s easier to add new variable declarations this way, and you never have to worry about swapping out a ; for a , or introducing punctuation-only diffs. You can also step through each declaration with the debugger, instead of jumping through all of them at once.

    // bad
    const items = getItems(),
        goSportsTeam = true,
        dragonball = 'z';
    
    // bad
    // (compare to above, and try to spot the mistake)
    const items = getItems(),
        goSportsTeam = true;
        dragonball = 'z';
    
    // good
    const items = getItems();
    const goSportsTeam = true;
    const dragonball = 'z';

  • 13.5 Don’t chain variable assignments. eslint: no-multi-assign

    Why? Chaining variable assignments creates implicit global variables.

    // bad
    (function example() {
      // JavaScript interprets this as
      // let a = ( b = ( c = 1 ) );
      // The let keyword only applies to variable a; variables b and c become
      // global variables.
      let a = b = c = 1;
    }());
    
    console.log(a); // throws ReferenceError
    console.log(b); // 1
    console.log(c); // 1
    
    // good
    (function example() {
      let a = 1;
      let b = a;
      let c = a;
    }());
    
    console.log(a); // throws ReferenceError
    console.log(b); // throws ReferenceError
    console.log(c); // throws ReferenceError
    
    // the same applies for `const`

  • 13.8 Disallow unused variables. eslint: no-unused-vars

    Why? Variables that are declared and not used anywhere in the code are most likely an error due to incomplete refactoring. Such variables take up space in the code and can lead to confusion by readers.

    // bad
    
    var some_unused_var = 42;
    
    // Write-only variables are not considered as used.
    var y = 10;
    y = 5;
    
    // A read for a modification of itself is not considered as used.
    var z = 0;
    z = z + 1;
    
    // Unused function arguments.
    function getX(x, y) {
        return x;
    }
    
    // good
    
    function getXPlusY(x, y) {
      return x + y;
    }
    
    var x = 1;
    var y = a + 2;
    
    alert(getXPlusY(x, y));
    
    // 'type' is ignored even if unused because it has a rest property sibling.
    // This is a form of extracting an object that omits the specified keys.
    var { type, ...coords } = data;
    // 'coords' is now the 'data' object without its 'type' property.

Comparison Operators & Equality

  • 15.1 Use === and !== over == and !=. eslint: eqeqeq

  • 15.3 Use shortcuts for booleans, but explicit comparisons for strings and numbers.

    // bad
    if (isValid === true) {
      // ...
    }
    
    // good
    if (isValid) {
      // ...
    }
    
    // bad
    if (name) {
      // ...
    }
    
    // good
    if (name !== '') {
      // ...
    }
    
    // bad
    if (collection.length) {
      // ...
    }
    
    // good
    if (collection.length > 0) {
      // ...
    }

Blocks

  • 16.1 Use braces with all multi-line blocks. eslint: nonblock-statement-body-position

    // bad
    if (test)
      return false;
    
    // good
    if (test) return false;
    
    // good
    if (test) {
      return false;
    }
    
    // bad
    function foo() { return false; }
    
    // good
    function bar() {
      return false;
    }

  • 16.2 If you’re using multi-line blocks with if and else, put else on the same line as your if block’s closing brace. eslint: brace-style

    // bad
    if (test) {
      thing1();
      thing2();
    }
    else {
      thing3();
    }
    
    // good
    if (test) {
      thing1();
      thing2();
    } else {
      thing3();
    }

  • 16.3 If an if block always executes a return statement, the subsequent else block is unnecessary. A return in an else if block following an if block that contains a return can be separated into multiple if blocks. eslint: no-else-return

    // bad
    function foo() {
      if (x) {
        return x;
      } else {
        return y;
      }
    }
    
    // bad
    function cats() {
      if (x) {
        return x;
      } else if (y) {
        return y;
      }
    }
    
    // bad
    function dogs() {
      if (x) {
        return x;
      } else {
        if (y) {
          return y;
        }
      }
    }
    
    // good
    function foo() {
      if (x) {
        return x;
      }
    
      return y;
    }
    
    // good
    function cats() {
      if (x) {
        return x;
      }
    
      if (y) {
        return y;
      }
    }
    
    // good
    function dogs(x) {
      if (x) {
        if (z) {
          return y;
        }
      } else {
        return z;
      }
    }

Comments

  • 18.1 Use /** ... */ for multi-line comments.

    // bad
    // make() returns a new element
    // based on the passed in tag name
    //
    // @param {String} tag
    // @return {Element} element
    function make(tag) {
    
      // ...
    
      return element;
    }
    
    // good
    /**
     * make() returns a new element
     * based on the passed-in tag name
     */
    function make(tag) {
    
      // ...
    
      return element;
    }

  • 18.3 Start all comments with a space to make it easier to read. eslint: spaced-comment

    // bad
    //is current tab
    const active = true;
    
    // good
    // is current tab
    const active = true;
    
    // bad
    /**
     *make() returns a new element
     *based on the passed-in tag name
     */
    function make(tag) {
    
      // ...
    
      return element;
    }
    
    // good
    /**
     * make() returns a new element
     * based on the passed-in tag name
     */
    function make(tag) {
    
      // ...
    
      return element;
    }

  • 18.6 Use // TODO: to annotate solutions to problems.

    class Calculator extends Abacus {
      constructor() {
        super();
    
        // TODO: total should be configurable by an options param
        this.total = 0;
      }
    }

Clone this wiki locally