PseudoClass

An OOP framework for Node.js and the browser

Sweet syntactic sugar for prototypal inheritance.

PseudoClass provides construct(), destruct(), _super(), and an init() method that runs after construction is complete.

All the same under the hood.

PseudoClass uses JavaScript constructors and prototypal inheritance under the hood. Monkey-patching, instanceof, and instance.constructor all work as expected.

Not afraid to mix it up.

Mixins can be added when a class is declared using the mixins option or after instantiation with the instance.mixin() method.

Crushes boilerplate with a classy touch.

Stay classy and boilerplate-free with string-based toString declarations and automatic chaining of construct() and destruct().

Define and override properties effortlessly.

Make instance properties non-writable, non-enumerable, or employ setters & getters with the properties option, then inherit and override individually.

Dependencies

PseudoClass is completely standalone. All you need to stay classy is Class.js.

Compatibility

As PseudoClass makes use of ECMAScript 5 features, it is only compatible with modern browsers.

• IE 9+
• Firefox 4+
• Chrome 6+
• Safari 5+
• Opera 12+
• Node 0.8+

PseudoClass can be used in a Node, AMD, or browser environment out of the box.

Usage

PseudoClass empowers you without getting in your way. See the examples below to see how PseudoClass makes prototypal inheritance painless.

Define a class

var Parent = Class({
  toString: 'Parent',
  properties: {
    visible: {
      value: true,
      enumerable: true
    }
  },
  construct: function() {
    console.log('Parent: Constructing');
  },
  destruct: function() {
    console.log('Parent: Destructing');
  },
  doStuff: function() {
    console.log('Parent: Doing stuff');
  }
});

Define a mixin

A mixin is a set methods you can plug into any class. Mixins can use _super, just like normal methods.

var stuffDoer = {
  doStuff: function() {
    this._super();
    console.log('Mixin: Doing stuff');
  }
};

Inherit from Parent and add a mixin to the class prototype

Mixins added at declaration time become part of the prototype.

var Child = Parent.extend({
  toString: 'Child',
  mixins: [stuffDoer],
  properties: {
    visible: {
      value: false // Only override the value
    }
  },
  construct: function() {
    console.log(this+': Constructing');
  },
  destruct: function() {
    console.log(this+': Destructing');
  },
  doStuff: function() {
    this._super();
    console.log(this+': Doing stuff');
  }
});

Create an instance

var child = new Child();
/* Output:
  Parent: Constructing
  Child: Constructing
*/

Call a method

child.doStuff();
/* Output:
  Parent: Doing stuff
  Child: Doing stuff
  Mixin: Doing stuff
*/

Add a mixin to the instance

Mixins added after instantiation become part of the instance.

child.mixin({
  doMoreStuff: function() {
    console.log(this+': Doing more stuff')
  }
});

child.doMoreStuff();
/* Output:
  Child: Doing more stuff
*/

Check yo' self

console.log(child.instanceOf(Child)); // true
console.log(child.instanceOf(Parent)); // true
console.log(child.constructor === Child) // true
console.log(child+''); // 'Child'

Wreck yo' self

child.destruct();
/* Output:
  Child: Destructing
  Parent: Destructing
*/

License

PseudoClass is licensed under the permissive BSD license.