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Fluent APIs and Method Chaining

Of the vast catalog of Design Patterns available at our disposal, often times I find it is the simpler, less prominent patterns which are used quite frequently, yet recieve much less recognition; a good example of which being the Method Chaining Pattern.

Method Chaining

The Method Chaining Pattern, as I have come to appreciate it over the years, represents a means of facilitating expressiveness and fluency when used articulately, and mere convenience in it’s less sophisticated use-cases.

Design Considerations

When considering Method Chaining, one should take heed not to simply use the pattern as merely syntactic sugar from which writing fewer lines of code can be achieved; but rather, Method Chaining should be used, perhaps more appropriately, as a means of implementing Fluent APIs which, in turn, allow for writing more concise expressions. By design, such expressions can be written, and thus read, in much the same way as natural language, though they need not be the same from a truly lexical perspective.

The resulting terseness afforded by Method Chaining, while convenient, is in most cases not in-of-itself a reason alone for leveraging the pattern.

Implementation

Method Chaining, when considered purely from an implementation perspective, is perhaps the simplest of all design patterns. It’s basic mandate simply prescribes returning a reference to the object on which a method is being called (in most languages, JavaScript in particular, the this pointer).

Consider the following (intentionally contrived) example:

As can be seen, implementing Method Chaining requires nothing more than simply having methods return a reference to this.

API Simplicity

Method Chaining is typically used when breaking from traditional Command Query Seperation (CQS) principles. The most common example being the merging of both getters (Queries) and setters (Commands). I especially like this technique, as, aside from being very easy to implement, it allows for an API to be used in a more contextual manner from the developers perspective as oppossed to that specified by the API designer’s preconceptions of how the API will be used. For example:

As can be seen, the message method serves as both a getter and setter, allowing users of the API to determine how the method should be invoked based on context, as well as affording developers the convenience of needing only to remember a single method name. This technique is used quite heavily in many JavaScript libraries and has undoubtedly contributed to their success.

We could further expand on this concept by determining a method’s invocation context based on the arguments provided, or the types of specific arguments, thus, in turn, merging various similar methods based on a particular context.

An important design recommendation to consider is that if you are writing an API which violates CQS (which is quite fine IMHO), as always, API consistency is important, thus all getters and setters should be implemented in the same manner.

Fluency

As was mentioned, in most cases, Method Chaining is leveraged to facilitate APIs which are intended to be used fluently (e.g. an Internal DSL). Such implementations typically provide methods which, by themselves, may have little meaning; however, when combined, allow for writing expressions which are self-descibing and make logical sense to users of the API.

For example, consider the way one might describe a Calendrical Event:

Vacation, begins June 21st, ends July 5th, recurs Yearly.

We can easily implement a Fluent API such that the above grammar can be emulated in code as follows:

The same methods can also be chained in different combinations, yet yield the same value:

Given the above example, we could further improve on the fluency of the implementation by adding intermediate methods which can, by themselves, simply serve to aid in readability, or, provide an alternate modifier for chaining:

When implementing Fluent APIs, we can design such that different logical chaining combinations can yield the same result, thus affording users of the API the convenience of determining the most appropriate expressions based on context or personal preference, even grammatically so. Illogical chaining combinations can be handled by either throwing an exception, or they can simply be ignored based on the context of a preceding invocation – though, of course, one should aim to avoid designs which allow for illogical chaining.

The Ubiquitous Example – jQuery

While Method Chaining and Fluent APIs, as with most design patterns, are language agnostic, in the JavaScript world perhaps the most well known implementation is the jQuery API; for example:

In addition to jQuery, there are numerous additional JavaScript Method Chaining and Fluent APIs of note, Jasmine in particular has a very expressive API which aligns excellently with it’s design goals. The various libraries which implement the Promises/A spec also provide very clear and concise Fluent APIs.

Concluding Thoughts

Over the years I have leveraged Method Chaining to facilitate the design of Fluent APIs for various use-cases. The two patterns, when combined, can be especially useful when designing Internal DSLs; either third-party libraries, or APIs specific to a particular business domain.

August 1, 2013 APIs / Code Review / Design Patterns / JavaScript / Object Oriented Design / Refactoring / Software Engineering
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Pseudo-abstraction in Backbone

As has been mostly disseminated, JavaScript, being a dynamic, prototypal language, affords developers the ability to design outside the rigid confines inherent to statically typed languages. Interestingly, perhaps even somewhat paradoxically, this same flexibility also allows for programmatically simulating specific features commonly found in statically typed languages, if desired.

While JavaScript does not have a traditional type system, nor does it provide traditional constructs by which user defined types are specified, it is still, necessarily so, a common and desirable design goal to implement a system with the notion of classes in order to provide data types which encapsulate domain logic and facilitate reuse; both of which being key design attributes which help mitigate the complexity of large applications.

Nearly all JavaScript MV* frameworks provide such facilities, and do so in a consistent and convenient manner; most of which allowing for practical circumvention of the prototype system almost entirely. It is also worth noting that while most libraries themselves are generally implemented in the succinct and terse, large applications typically call for a more traditional object oriented design, while also being prudent to do so in alignment with the conventions and idioms particular to JavaScript itself.

Abstraction

At times it will be necessary to design a system with reusable abstractions. In fact, it is quite hard to imagine a modern SPA of even marginal complexity as being maintainable without some level of base class functionality.

For instance, it can be particularly useful to implement base Models and Collections which provide general functionality common amongst all Models and Collections; such as the parsing and appropriate routing of service API exceptions to error callbacks, and successful service results to success callbacks, and so forth.

Since such base classes generally do not provide any concrete behaviors themselves (hence the abstraction), they are of considerable value, specifically when reused amongst various large scale, distributed projects; and, from a design perspective, it is often important for one to ensure such classes are only used as intended.

While one can convey the intended usage of a base class easily enough simply by means of comments alone, indicating their usage as such (and that is quite fine if you prefer), it is also just as easy to ensure base classes are only used as intended programmatically by implementing a simple conditional which checks an instance’s constructor against the base class’ constructor function. For example (in the context of backbone, though any framework applies):

Then, one can simply extend the base class, invoking defaults as needed:

Concluding Thoughts

Like many in the JavaScript community, I, too, am of the opinion that JavaScript should not be made to reflect that which is common to other languages simply for the sake of familiarity; but rather, one should be prudent to leverage the flexibility inherent to the language itself, and this example serves as a demonstration of how such flexibility can be utilized to provide what a specific design calls for at the discretion of the developer.

May 2, 2013 Code Review / Design Patterns / JavaScript / Object Oriented Design / Refactoring / Software Engineering
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Simplifying Designs with Parameter Objects

Recently, while reading the HTML5 Doctor interview with Ian Hickson, when asked what some of his regrets have been over the years, the one he mentions, rather comically so as being his “favorite mistake”, also happened to be the one which stood out to me most; that is, his disappointment with pushState; specifically, the fact that of the three arguments accepted, the second argument is now ignored.

I can empathize with his (Hixie’s) frustration here; not simply because he is one of the most influential figures on the web – particularly for his successful work surrounding CSS, HTML5, and his responsibilities at the WHATWG in general – but rather, it is quite understandable how such a seemingly insignificant design shortcoming would bother such an obviously talented individual, especially considering the fact that pushState's parameters simply could not be changed due to the feature being used prior to completion. Indeed, the Web Platform poses some very unique and challenging constraints under which one must design.

While the ignored pushState argument is a rather trivial issue, I found it to be of particular interest as I often employ Parameter Objects to avoid similar design issues.

Parameter Objects

The term “Parameter Object” is one I use rather loosely to describe any object that simply serves as a wrapper from which all arguments are provided to a function. In the context of JavaScript, object literals serve quite well in this capacity, even for simpler cases where a function would otherwise require only a few arguments of the same type.

Parameter Objects are quite similar to that of an “Options Argument” – a pattern commonly implemented by many JavaScript libraries to simplify providing optional arguments to a function; however, I tend to use the term Parameter Objects more broadly to describe a single object parameter from which all arguments are provided to a function, optional arguments included. The two terms are often used interchangeably to describe the same pattern. However, I specifically use the term Options Argument to describe a single object which is reserved exclusively for providing optional arguments only, and is always defined as the last parameter of a function, proceeding all required arguments.

Benefits

Parameter Objects can prove beneficial in that they afford developers the ability to defer having to make any final design decisions with regard to what particular inputs are accepted by a function; thus, allowing an API to evolve gracefully over time.

For instance, using a Parameter Object, one can circumvent the general approach of implementing functions which define a fixed, specific order of parameters. As a result, should it be determined that any one particular parameter is no longer needed, API designers need not be concerned with requiring calling code to be refactored in order to allow for the removal of the parameter. Likewise, should any additional parameters need to be added, they can simply be defined as additional properties of the Parameter Object, irrespective of any particular ordering of previous parameters defined by the function.

As an example, consider a theoretical rotation function which defines five parameters:

Using a Parameter Object, we can refactor the above function to the following:

Should we wish to remove a parameter from the function, doing so simply requires making the appropriate changes at the API level without changing the actual signature of the function (assuming of course, there are no specific expectations already being made by calling code regarding the argument to be removed). Likewise, should additional parameters need to be added, such as a completion callback, etc., doing so, again, only requires making the appropriate API changes, and would not impact current calling code.

Additionally, taking these potential changes as an example, we can also see that with Parameter Objects, implementation specifics can be delegated to the API itself, rather than client code insofar that the provided arguments can be used to determine the actual behavior of the function. In this respect, Parameter Objects can also double as an Options Argument. For example, should the arguments required to perform a 3D rotation be omitted from the Parameter Object, the function can default to a 2D rotation based on the provided arguments, etc.

Convenience

Parameter Objects are rather convenient in terms of there being less mental overhead required than that of a function which requires ordered arguments; this is especially true for cases where a function defines numerous parameters, or successive parameters of the same type.

Since code is generally read much more frequently than it is written, it can be easier to understand what is being passed to a function when reading explicit property names of an object, in which each property name maps to a parameter name, and each property value maps to parameter argument. This can aid in readability where it would otherwise require reading the rather ambiguous arguments passed to a function. For example:

With Parameter Objects it becomes more apparent as to which arguments correspond to each specific parameter:

As mentioned, if a function accepts multiple arguments of the same type, the likelihood that users of the API may accidentally pass them in an incorrect order increases. This can result in errors that are likely to fail silently, possibly leading to the application (or a portion thereof) becoming in an unpredictable state. With Parameter Objects, such unintentional errors are less likely to occur.

Considerations

While Parameter Objects allow for implementing flexible parameter definitions, the arguments for which being provided by a single object, they are obviously not intended as a replacement for normal function parameters in that should a function need only require a few arguments, and the function’s parameters are unlikely to change, then using a Parameter Object in place of normal function parameters is not recommended. Also, perhaps one could make the argument that creating an additional object to store parameter/argument mappings where normal arguments would suffice adds additional or unnecessary overhead; however, considering how marginal the additional footprint would be, this point is rather moot as the benefits outweigh the cost.

A Look at pushState’s Parameters

Consider the parameters defined by pushState:

  1. data: Object
  2. title: String
  3. url: String

The second parameter, title, is the parameter of interest here as it is no longer used. Thus, calling push state requires passing either null or an empty String (recommended) as the second argument (i.e. title) before one can pass the third argument, url. For example:

Using a Parameter Object, pushState could have been, theoretically, implemented such that only a single argument was required:

  1. params: Object
    • data: Object
    • title: String
    • url: String

Thus, the ignored title argument could be safely removed from current calling code:

And simply ignored in previously implemented calls:

As can be seen, the difference between the two is quite simple: the specification for pushState accepts three arguments, whereas the theoretical Parameter Object implementation accepts a single object as an argument, which in turn provides the original arguments.

Concluding Thoughts

I certainly do not assume to understand the details surrounding pushState in enough detail to assert that the use of a Parameters Object would have addressed the issue. Thus, while this article may reference pushState as a basic example to illustrate how the use of a Parameter Object may have proved beneficial, it is really intended to highlight the value of using Parameter Objects from a general design perspective, by describing common use-cases in which they can prove useful. As such, Parameter Objects provide a valuable pattern worth considering when a function requires flexibility.

January 22, 2013 APIs / Code Review / Design Patterns / HTML5 / JavaScript / Object Oriented Design / Refactoring / Software Engineering / TDD / BDD
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Basic Dependency Injection with RequireJS

Recently, I was having a conversation about the basic concepts of IoC/DI, and, specifically, how they pertain to modern (single page) JavaScript Web Applications. This discussion was quite interesting, and so I felt inclined to share some thoughts on the subject with a wider audience.

Dependency Injection in JavaScript

Being a dynamic language, when designing JavaScript based architectures, in comparison to architectures which are under the constraints of a statically typed language, one is typically less inclined to consider the relevance of, or immediate need for, a complete IoC container. Of course, context is key, and so there are certainly JavaScript applications which can benefit from an IoC container (such as wire.js). As such, it would not be prudent for one to suggest otherwise; but rather, this is simply to say that for the majority of JavaScript applications, standard AMD loaders provide a sufficient means of managing dependencies; as the rigidness inherent to statically typed languages which IoC containers help manage are generally less relevant to dynamic languages.

With that being said, while a robust IoC container may not be necessary for the majority of JavaScript applications, it is quite important to emphasize the benefits of employing basic dependency management and Dependency Injection; as this is an essential design characteristic which is critical to the success and overall maintainability of large scale client-side web applications.

Facilitating Code Reuse

Anyone who has been responsible for developing and maintaining specific core features across multiple applications is likely to understand that the ability to facilitate reuse of JavaScript modules is crucial. This is particularly important in the context of architectures which must account for the ability to support mulitple implementations of the same application across different form-factors; for, the ability to manage and configure dependencies can prove paramount; allowing for a framework upon which various form-factor specific implementations of an application can be supported.

In addition to this, as one might expect, having the flexibility necessary for configuring dependencies lends itself, quite naturally so, to various unit testing scenarios.

Configuring Dependencies with RequireJS

Though not always immediately apparent, applications leveraging RequireJS are essentially using a basic form of Dependency Injection out of the box – even if not in the most purist sense of the term. However, the simple matter of mapping module names to module implementations can be considered, in-of-itself, a basic form of Dependency Injection, or perhaps, one could argue this as being more of a Service Locator, as RequireJS does not instantiate dependencies on a clients behalf. Regardless of the preferred classification, this mechanism of defining dependencies is quite important, as it affords developers the ability to change module implementations as desired without the need to change client code. Of course, such modules must adhere to a specific contract (interface) so as to ensure clients which depend on specific named modules receive the expected API.

Explicit Dependencies

Consider a rather contrived example of a shared Application module which is used across two separate applications; one for Mobile and one for Desktop; with the Application module having a dependency on an AppHelper module:

Both the Mobile and Desktop applications can easily map the AppHelper module to a context specific implementation via their respective main.js configurations:

Based on the above, it is rather evident that the AppHelper module is mapped to the appropriate application specific implementation; MobileHelper for mobile, and DesktopHelper for desktop. Additional context specific APIs can just as easily be defined, and thus provided as dependencies to other modules as needed using this very simple pattern.

Implicit Dependencies

Dependencies need not always be explicit, but rather they can also be implicitly mapped based on the path to which each application’s main.js configuration resides, or based on the configured baseUrl path.

For instance, given the above example, we can map a Templates Module, and implicitly inject the path to each context specific template based on the application’s default path, or baseUrl path:

As can be seen, each application’s main.js defines a Templates module and a TemplateSource module, respectively, with each being shared amongst both the Mobile and Desktop specific applications. The Templates and TemplateSource modules are defined as follows:

While both the Mobile and Desktop applications may share the same Templates and TemplateSource modules, the specific implementation of the templates loaded from TemplateSource is determined via each application’s base path; thus, the path to app/templates/some-view.tpl automatically resolves to the context specific template; i.e.: mobile/app/templates/some-view.tpl for Mobile, and desktop/app/templates/some-view.tpl for Desktop.

Concluding Thoughts

While the above examples are rather basic, they do serve well to demonstrate just how easily one can design for module reuse across different applications with RequireJS, which itself allows for much more robust configurations of modules; such as loading context specific modules at runtime, augmenting modules for differing contexts with mixins, providing third-party libraries based on a particular form-factor (e.g. jQuery for Desktop, Zepto for Mobile, etc.), and more.

You can clone the above example here.

December 15, 2012 Design Patterns / JavaScript / Object Oriented Design / Refactoring / Software Engineering / TDD / BDD
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Quick Tip: Chrome Developer Tools Shortcut Keys

Sometimes it is the more subtle, less obvious features provided by tools which prove to be surprisingly useful. Interestingly, while such features can save developers considerable time and effort, they are often much less apparent, and thus, occasionally overlooked when compared to their main counterparts.

A noteworthy example of some very simple, yet extremely useful features can be found in just a few of the basic Chrome Developer Tools shortcut keys. Below is a brief description of the most convenient shortcuts I find myself using regularly.

Go to Source (Cmd-O)

Perhaps the most useful short-cut available in the sources panel, Cmd-O allows one to quickly search for a specific source file (thanks to @augiemarcello for this one):
Chrome Developer Tools Command-O

Show Functions (Cmd-shift-O)

Another extremely useful feature in the Sources Panel, Cmd-shift-O displays a list of all functions and their corresponding line numbers within the current source file:
Chrome Developer Tools Command-Shift-O

Clear Console (Cmd-K/)

Clears the console when in focus:
Chrome Developer Tools Command-k

Previous/Next Panel (Cmd-[ / Cmd-])

Toggles between Developer Tools Panels (e.g. Elements, Resources, Network, Sources etc.):
Chrome Developer Tools Command-[]

There are quite a few additional shortcut keys available in Chrome Developer Tools, and Jared has done a excellent job of providing a Devtools cheat sheet. I highly recommend trying some of them out; committing to memory those which you find most useful – and sharing them with others as well.

November 21, 2012 Browsers / JavaScript / Quick Tips
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Determining if an object is empty with Underscore / Lo-dash

When leveraging the utilities provided by Underscore or Lo-dash, determining if an Array, String or Object is empty is quite simple via the isEmpty() method.

The isEmpty() method and Objects

In the context of an Object, it is important to keep in mind that _.isEmpty() is implemented such that it determines an Object as being empty in a literal sense. That is, objects are traversed to determine the existence of any own properties – irrespective of their actual values. Thus, _.isEmpty() will return false if an object contains any own properties, even if all property values are undefined, otherwise it will return true.

While these details may seem obvious, it is important to be mindful of them in order to avoid potential false positives when trying to determine if an object’s properties are all undefined.

For example, consider the following object:

Technically, the above object is not empty, as it contains two own properties. Thus, invoking _.isEmpty() with this object will return false, which is correct, though one may have mistakenly assumed it to have returned true since all of the object’s properties are undefined.

Extending Underscore / Lo-dash

With an understanding in mind of how _.isEmpty() is implemented in the context of objects, should one need to determine if an object is empty based on the values of it’s own properties being undefined, a simple extension, such as the following, can be mixed into Underscore or Lo-dash to provide both the default implementation as well as an extended implementation which takes this into account:

Given the above, we can then invoke the original isEmpty implementation, as well as the extended implementation as follows:

The ease with which libraries such as Underscore and Lo-dash allow for adding extensions and overriding default implementations is a key design feature which makes them not only extremely flexible, but also quite enjoyable to work with as well.

August 18, 2012 Code Review / JavaScript
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