JavaScript Style Guide

A mostly reasonable approach to JavaScript. Read the fine manual here: http://bonsaiden.github.io/JavaScript-Garden/. Bonus read: http://eloquentjavascript.net.

Inspired by: Airbnb JavaScript Style Guide

Note: this guide assumes you are using Babel. It also assumes you are installing shims/polyfills in your app.

Types
References
Objects
Arrays
Destructuring
Functions
Arrow Functions
Classes & Constructors
Modules
Iterators and Generators
Properties
Variables
Hoisting
Comparison Operators & Equality
Control Statements
Comments
Type Casting & Coercion
Naming Conventions
Accessors
Events
jQuery
ECMAScript 5 Compatibility
ECMAScript 6+ (ES 2015+) Styles
Standard Library
Testing

Types

1.1 Primitives: When you access a primitive type you work directly on its value.
- string
- number
- boolean
- null
- undefined
- symbol
```
const foo = 1;
let bar = foo;

bar = 9;

console.log(foo, bar); // => 1, 9
```
- Symbols cannot be faithfully polyfilled, so they should not be used when targeting browsers/environments that don’t support them natively.

1.2 Complex: When you access a complex type you work on a reference to its value.

object
array
function

const foo = [1, 2];
const bar = foo;

bar[0] = 9;

console.log(foo[0], bar[0]); // => 9, 9

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References

2.1 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

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Objects

3.1 Use computed property names when creating objects with dynamic property names.

Why? They allow you to define all the properties of an object in one place.

function getKey(k) {
  return `a key named ${k}`;
}

// bad
const obj = {
  id: 5,
  name: 'San Francisco',
};
obj[getKey('enabled')] = true;

// good
const obj = {
  id: 5,
  name: 'San Francisco',
  [getKey('enabled')]: true,
};

3.2 Group your shorthand properties at the beginning of your object declaration.

Why? It’s easier to tell which properties are using the shorthand.

const anakinSkywalker = 'Anakin Skywalker';
const lukeSkywalker = 'Luke Skywalker';

// bad
const obj = {
  episodeOne: 1,
  twoJediWalkIntoACantina: 2,
  lukeSkywalker,
  episodeThree: 3,
  mayTheFourth: 4,
  anakinSkywalker,
};

// good
const obj = {
  lukeSkywalker,
  anakinSkywalker,
  episodeOne: 1,
  twoJediWalkIntoACantina: 2,
  episodeThree: 3,
  mayTheFourth: 4,
};

3.3 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 }

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Arrays

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

const someStack = [];

// bad
someStack[someStack.length] = 'abracadabra';

// good
someStack.push('abracadabra');

4.2 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.slice();

// best
const anotherCopy = [...items];

4.3 To convert an iterable object to an array, use spreads ... instead of Array.from.

const foo = document.querySelectorAll('.foo');

// good
const nodes = Array.from(foo);

// best
const nodes = [...foo];

4.4 Use Array.from for converting an array-like object to an array.

const arrLike = { 0: 'foo', 1: 'bar', 2: 'baz', length: 3 };

// bad
const arr = Array.prototype.slice.call(arrLike);

// good
const arr = Array.from(arrLike);

4.5 Use Array.from instead of spread ... for mapping over iterables, because it avoids creating an intermediate array. Use this for Map/Set etc.
```
// bad
const baz = [...foo].map(bar);

// good
const baz = Array.from(foo, bar);
```

4.6 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,
    anotherPropThatIsTooLong: 3,
  },
];

const numberInArray = [
  1,
  2,
];

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Destructuring

5.1 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);

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Functions

6.1 Use default parameter syntax rather than mutating function arguments.

// really bad
function (opts) {
  // No! We shouldn’t mutate function arguments.
  // Double bad: if opts is falsy it'll be set to an object which may
  // be what you want but it can introduce subtle bugs.
  opts = opts || {};
  // ...
}

// still bad
function (opts) {
  if (opts === void 0) {
    opts = {};
  }
  // ...
}

// good
function (opts = {}) {
  // ...
}

6.2 Avoid side effects with default parameters.

Why? They are confusing to reason about.

var b = 1;
// bad
function (a = b++) {
  console.log(a);
}
count();  // 1
count();  // 2
count(3); // 3
count();  // 3

6.3 Always put default parameters last.

// bad
function (opts = {}, name) {
  // ...
}

// good
function (name, opts = {}) {
  // ...
}

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Arrow Functions

7.1 In case the expression spans over multiple lines, wrap it in parentheses for better readability.

Why? It shows clearly where the function starts and ends.

// bad
['get', 'post', 'put'].map((httpMethod) => Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(
    httpMagicObjectWithAVeryLongName,
    httpMethod,
  )
);

// good
['get', 'post', 'put'].map((httpMethod) => (
  Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(
    httpMagicObjectWithAVeryLongName,
    httpMethod,
  )
));

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Classes & Constructors

8.1 Always use class. Avoid manipulating prototype directly.

Why? class syntax is more concise and easier to reason about.

// bad
function Queue(contents = []) {
  this.queue = [...contents];
}
Queue.prototype.pop = function () {
  const value = this.queue[0];
  this.queue.splice(0, 1);
  return value;
};

// good
class Queue {
  constructor(contents = []) {
    this.queue = [...contents];
  }
  pop() {
    const value = this.queue[0];
    this.queue.splice(0, 1);
    return value;
  }
}

8.2 Use extends for inheritance.

Why? It is a built-in way to inherit prototype functionality without breaking instanceof.

// bad
const inherits = require('inherits');
function PeekableQueue(contents) {
  Queue.apply(this, contents);
}
inherits(PeekableQueue, Queue);
PeekableQueue.prototype.peek = function () {
  return this.queue[0];
};

// good
class PeekableQueue extends Queue {
  peek() {
    return this.queue[0];
  }
}

8.3 Methods can return this to help with method chaining.

// bad
Jedi.prototype.jump = function () {
  this.jumping = true;
  return true;
};

Jedi.prototype.setHeight = function (height) {
  this.height = height;
};

const luke = new Jedi();
luke.jump(); // => true
luke.setHeight(20); // => undefined

// good
class Jedi {
  jump() {
    this.jumping = true;
    return this;
  }

  setHeight(height) {
    this.height = height;
    return this;
  }
}

const luke = new Jedi();

luke.jump()
  .setHeight(20);

8.4 It’s okay to write a custom toXXX() method, just make sure it works successfully and causes no side effects.

class Jedi {
  constructor(options = {}) {
    this.name = options.name || 'no name';
  }

  getName() {
    return this.name;
  }

  toString() {
    return `Jedi - ${this.getName()}`;
  }
}

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Modules

9.1 Prefer modules (import/export) over a non-standard module system.

// ok
const StyleGuide = require('./StyleGuide');
module.exports = StyleGuide.es6;

// better
import StyleGuide from './StyleGuide';
export default StyleGuide.es6;

// best
import { es6 } from './StyleGuide';
export default es6;

9.2 Do not use wildcard imports.

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

// bad
import * as StyleGuide from './StyleGuide';

// good
import StyleGuide from './StyleGuide';

9.3 Multiline imports should be indented just like multiline array and object literals.

Why? The curly braces follow the same indentation rules as every other curly brace block in the style guide, as do the trailing commas.
```
// bad
import {longNameA, longNameB, longNameC, longNameD, longNameE} from 'path';

// good
import {
  longNameA,
  longNameB,
  longNameC,
  longNameD,
  longNameE,
} from 'path';
```

9.4 (Webpack) Recommendation: Prevent long relative paths in import by using absolute paths.

Why? Relative imports traversing multiple parent directories can get unreadable.

// /client/components/feed_list/index.js

// bad
import State from '../../containers/feed/state';

// good
import State from '@/client/containers/feed/state';

// /client/components/feed_list/sub/component.js

// bad
import utils from '@/client/components/feed_list/utils';

// good 
import utils from '../utils';

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Iterators and Generators

10.1 Don’t use generators for now.

Why? They don’t transpile well to ES5.

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Properties

11.1 Use bracket notation [] when accessing properties with a variable.

const luke = {
  jedi: true,
  age: 28,
};

const getProp = function (prop) {
  return luke[prop];
}

const isJedi = getProp('jedi');

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Variables

12.1 Group all your consts and then group all your lets.

Why? This is helpful when later on you might need to assign a variable depending on one of the previous assigned variables.

// bad
let i, len, dragonball,
    items = getItems(),
    goSportsTeam = true;

// bad
let i;
const items = getItems();
let dragonball;
const goSportsTeam = true;
let len;

// good
const goSportsTeam = true;
const items = getItems();
let dragonball;
let i;
let length;

12.2 Assign variables where you need them, but place them in a reasonable place.

Why? let and const are block scoped and not function scoped.

// bad - unnecessary function call
const checkName = function (hasName) {
  const name = getName();

  if (hasName === 'test') {
    return false;
  }

  if (name === 'test') {
    this.setName('');
    return false;
  }

  return name;
}

// good
const checkName = function (hasName) {
  if (hasName === 'test') {
    return false;
  }

  const name = getName();

  if (name === 'test') {
    this.setName('');
    return false;
  }

  return name;
}

12.3 Avoid using unary increments and decrements (++, --). eslint no-plusplus

Why? Per the eslint documentation, unary increment and decrement statements are subject to automatic semicolon insertion and can cause silent errors with incrementing or decrementing values within an application. It is also more expressive to mutate your values with statements like num += 1 instead of num++ or num ++. Disallowing unary increment and decrement statements also prevents you from pre-incrementing/pre-decrementing values unintentionally which can also cause unexpected behavior in your programs.
```
// bad
const array = [1, 2, 3];
let num = 1;
num++;
--num;

let sum = 0;
let truthyCount = 0;
for (let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
  let value = array[i];
  sum += value;
  if (value) {
    truthyCount++;
  }
}

// good
const array = [1, 2, 3];
let num = 1;
num += 1;
num -= 1;

const sum = array.reduce((a, b) => (a + b), 0);
const truthyCount = array.filter(Boolean).length;
```

12.4 Avoid linebreaks before or after = in an assignment. If your assignment violates max-len, surround the value in parens. eslint operator-linebreak.

Why? Linebreaks surrounding = can obfuscate the value of an assignment.

// bad
const foo =
  superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongFunctionName();

// bad
const foo
  = 'superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongString';

// good
const foo = (
  superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongFunctionName()
);

// good
const foo = 'superLongLongLongLongLongLongLongLongString';

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Hoisting

13.1 var declarations get hoisted to the top of their closest enclosing function scope, their assignment does not. const and let declarations are blessed with a new concept called Temporal Dead Zones (TDZ). It’s important to know why typeof is no longer safe.

// we know this wouldn’t work (assuming there
// is no notDefined global variable)
function example() {
  console.log(notDefined); // => throws a ReferenceError
}

// creating a variable declaration after you
// reference the variable will work due to
// variable hoisting. Note: the assignment
// value of `true` is not hoisted.
function example() {
  console.log(declaredButNotAssigned); // => undefined
  var declaredButNotAssigned = true;
}

// the interpreter is hoisting the variable
// declaration to the top of the scope,
// which means our example could be rewritten as:
function example() {
  let declaredButNotAssigned;
  console.log(declaredButNotAssigned); // => undefined
  declaredButNotAssigned = true;
}

// using const and let
function example() {
  console.log(declaredButNotAssigned); // => throws a ReferenceError
  console.log(typeof declaredButNotAssigned); // => throws a ReferenceError
  const declaredButNotAssigned = true;
}

13.2 Anonymous function expressions hoist their variable name, but not the function assignment.

function example() {
  console.log(anonymous); // => undefined

  anonymous(); // => TypeError anonymous is not a function

  var anonymous = function () {
    console.log('anonymous function expression');
  };
}

13.3 Named function expressions hoist the variable name, not the function name or the function body.

function example() {
  console.log(named); // => undefined

  named(); // => TypeError named is not a function

  superPower(); // => ReferenceError superPower is not defined

  var named = function superPower() {
    console.log('Flying');
  };
}

// the same is true when the function name
// is the same as the variable name.
function example() {
  console.log(named); // => undefined

  named(); // => TypeError named is not a function

  var named = function named() {
    console.log('named');
  };
}

13.4 Function declarations hoist their name and the function body.

function example() {
  superPower(); // => Flying

  function superPower() {
    console.log('Flying');
  }
}

For more information refer to JavaScript Scoping & Hoisting by Ben Cherry.

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Comparison Operators & Equality

14.1 Conditional statements such as the if statement evaluate their expression using coercion with the ToBoolean abstract method and always follow these simple rules:
- Objects evaluate to true
- Undefined evaluates to false
- Null evaluates to false
- Booleans evaluate to the value of the boolean
- Numbers evaluate to false if +0, -0, or NaN, otherwise true
- Strings evaluate to false if an empty string '', otherwise true
```
if ([0] && []) {
  // true
  // an array (even an empty one) is an object, objects will evaluate to true
}
```

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Control Statements

15.1 In case your control statement (if, while etc.) gets too long or exceeds the maximum line length, each (grouped) condition could be put into a new line. The logical operator should begin the line.

Why? Requiring operators at the beginning of the line keeps the operators aligned and follows a pattern similar to method chaining. This also improves readability by making it easier to visually follow complex logic.

// bad
if ((foo === 123 || bar === 'abc') && doesItLookGoodWhenItBecomesThatLong() && isThisReallyHappening()) {
  thing1();
}

// bad
if (foo === 123 &&
  bar === 'abc') {
  thing1();
}

// bad
if (foo === 123
  && bar === 'abc') {
  thing1();
}

// ok
if (
  foo === 123 &&
  bar === 'abc'
) {
  thing1();
}

// good
if (
  foo === 123
  && bar === 'abc'
) {
  thing1();
}

// good
if (
  (foo === 123 || bar === 'abc')
  && doesItLookGoodWhenItBecomesThatLong()
  && isThisReallyHappening()
) {
  thing1();
}

// good
if (foo === 123 && bar === 'abc') {
  thing1();
}

15.2 Don't use selection operators in place of control statements.

// bad
!isRunning && startRunning();

// good
if (!isRunning) {
  startRunning();
}

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Comments

16.1 Prefer to place comments on a newline above the subject of the comment. Put an empty line before the comment unless it’s on the first line of a block.

// ok
const active = true;  // is current tab

// good
// is current tab
const active = true;

// bad
function getType() {
  console.log('fetching type...');
  // set the default type to 'no type'
  const type = this.type || 'no type';

  return type;
}

// good
function getType() {
  console.log('fetching type...');

  // set the default type to 'no type'
  const type = this.type || 'no type';

  return type;
}

// also good
function getType() {
  // set the default type to 'no type'
  const type = this.type || 'no type';

  return type;
}

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Type Casting & Coercion

17.1 Perform type coercion at the beginning of the statement.

17.2 If for whatever reason you are doing something wild and parseInt is your bottleneck and need to use Bitshift for performance reasons, leave a comment explaining why and what you’re doing.
```
// good
/**
 * parseInt was the reason my code was slow.
 * Bitshifting the String to coerce it to a
 * Number made it a lot faster.
 */
const val = inputValue >> 0;
```

17.3 Note: Be careful when using bitshift operations. Numbers are represented as 64-bit values, but bitshift operations always return a 32-bit integer (source). Bitshift can lead to unexpected behavior for integer values larger than 32 bits. Discussion. Largest signed 32-bit Int is 2,147,483,647:
```
2147483647 >> 0; // => 2147483647
2147483648 >> 0; // => -2147483648
2147483649 >> 0; // => -2147483647
```

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Naming Conventions

18.1 Don’t save references to this. Use arrow functions or Function#bind.

// bad
function foo() {
  const that = this;
  return function () {
    console.log(that);
  };
}

// good
function foo() {
  return () => {
    console.log(this);
  };
}

18.2 Uppercase business logic constants that never change.

// bad
export const valueTypeID = 42;

// good
export const VALUE_TYPE_ID = 42;

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Accessors

19.1 Accessor functions for properties are not required.

19.2 Do not use JavaScript getters/setters as they cause unexpected side effects and are harder to test, maintain, and reason about. Instead, if you do make accessor functions, use getVal() and setVal('hello').

// bad
class Dragon {
  get age() {
    // ...
  }

  set age(value) {
    // ...
  }
}

// good
class Dragon {
  getAge() {
    // ...
  }

  setAge(value) {
    // ...
  }
}

19.3 If the property/method is a boolean, use isXXX() or hasXXX().

// bad
if (!dragon.age()) {
  return false;
}

// good
if (!dragon.hasAge()) {
  return false;
}

19.4 It’s okay to create get() and set() functions, but be consistent.

class Jedi {
  constructor(options = {}) {
    const lightsaber = options.lightsaber || 'blue';
    this.set('lightsaber', lightsaber);
  }

  set(key, val) {
    this[key] = val;
  }

  get(key) {
    return this[key];
  }
}

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Events

20.1 When attaching data payloads to events (whether DOM events or something more proprietary like Backbone events), pass an object literal (also known as a "hash") instead of a raw value. This allows a subsequent contributor to add more data to the event payload without finding and updating every handler for the event. For example, instead of:
```
// bad
$(this).trigger('listingUpdated', listing.id);

// ...

$(this).on('listingUpdated', (e, listingID) => {
  // do something with listingID
});
```
prefer:
```
// good
$(this).trigger('listingUpdated', { listingID: listing.id });

// ...

$(this).on('listingUpdated', (e, data) => {
  // do something with data.listingID
});
```

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jQuery

21.1 Prefix jQuery object variables with a $.

// bad
const sidebar = $('.sidebar');

// good
const $sidebar = $('.sidebar');

// good
const $sidebarBtn = $('.sidebar-btn');

21.2 Cache jQuery lookups.

// bad
function setSidebar() {
  $('.sidebar').hide();

  // ...

  $('.sidebar').css({
    'background-color': 'pink',
  });
}

// good
function setSidebar() {
  const $sidebar = $('.sidebar');
  $sidebar.hide();

  // ...

  $sidebar.css({
    'background-color': 'pink',
  });
}

21.3 For DOM queries use Cascading $('.sidebar ul') or parent > child $('.sidebar > ul'). jsPerf

21.4 Use find with scoped jQuery object queries.

// bad
$('ul', '.sidebar').hide();

// bad
$('.sidebar').find('ul').hide();

// good
$('.sidebar ul').hide();

// good
$('.sidebar > ul').hide();

// good
$sidebar.find('ul').hide();

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ECMAScript 5 Compatibility

22.1 Refer to Kangax’s ES5 compatibility table.

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ECMAScript 6+ (ES 2015+) Styles

23.1 This is a collection of links to the various ES6+ features.

Arrow Functions
Classes
Object Shorthand
Object Concise
Object Computed Properties
Template Strings
Destructuring
Default Parameters
Rest
Array Spreads
Let and Const
Exponentiation Operator
Iterators and Generators
Modules

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Standard Library

The Standard Library contains utilities that are functionally broken but remain for legacy reasons.

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Testing

Whichever testing framework you use, you should be writing tests!
Strive to write many small pure functions, and minimize where mutations occur.
Be cautious about stubs and mocks - they can make your tests more brittle.
100% test coverage is a good goal to strive for, even if it’s not always practical to reach it.
Whenever you fix a bug, write a regression test. A bug fixed without a regression test is almost certainly going to break again in the future.

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README.md

README.md

JavaScript Style Guide

Table of Contents

Types

References

Objects

Arrays

Destructuring

Functions

Arrow Functions

Classes & Constructors

Modules

Iterators and Generators

Properties

Variables

Hoisting

Comparison Operators & Equality

Control Statements

Comments

Type Casting & Coercion

Naming Conventions

Accessors

Events

jQuery

ECMAScript 5 Compatibility

ECMAScript 6+ (ES 2015+) Styles

Standard Library

Testing

Files

README.md

Latest commit

History

README.md

File metadata and controls

JavaScript Style Guide

Table of Contents

Types

References

Objects

Arrays

Destructuring

Functions

Arrow Functions

Classes & Constructors

Modules

Iterators and Generators

Properties

Variables

Hoisting

Comparison Operators & Equality

Control Statements

Comments

Type Casting & Coercion

Naming Conventions

Accessors

Events

jQuery

ECMAScript 5 Compatibility

ECMAScript 6+ (ES 2015+) Styles

Standard Library

Testing