Namespace your JavaScript


How to use namespaces within your JavaScript

- April 20, 2015

Rest of the Story:

There are a couple of ways to create namespaces for your code.  This format allows you to intentionally expose functions as public or keep them internal/private.  I like the following version…

var mynamespace = new function () {

var internalFunction = function() {      //TODO: code };
this.publicFunction = function() {     //TODO: code };
}; To execute the above public function from the global namespace would be done like mynamespace.publicFunction();  Obviously, you can use smaller/shorter names to make it easier to type. Simple, now why the heck do this?
  • A namespace is a container and allows you to bundle up all your functionality using a unique name
  • In JavaScript a namespace is really just an object that you have attached all further methods, properties and objects
  • Without the usage of namespaces every function will be in the global (aka window) namespace (this occurs by default if you do not use a namespace).  It is a good practice not to clutter the global namespace
  • Using namespaces prevents the overwriting of existing function names
  • Using namespaces is one step in the direction of object-oriented which promotes modularity and code re-use