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
*/

No-conflict by default

PseudoClass is always accessible as PseudoClass. If you're using another library that defines Class, you can still use PseudoClass by referencing PseudoClass instead.

License

PseudoClass is licensed under the permissive BSD license.