What distinguishes defining a function through a prototype versus as a class property?

Check out this code snippet:
Apple defines its function using a prototype.
Banana defines its function using a class property.

var Apple = function(){}
Apple.prototype.say = function(){
    console.debug('HelloWorld');
}
var Banana = function(){
    this.say = function(){
        console.debug('HelloWorld');
    }
}

var a = new Apple();
var b = new Banana();

a.say();
b.say();

Do you notice the difference?

Answer №1

When you instantiate multiple copies of Apple, you will still only have one instance of the say() method stored in memory. On the other hand, when you create more than one object of Banana, you will end up generating numerous instances of the say() function.

This is why prototypes are beneficial for memory management. They help reduce memory usage and prevent unnecessary creation and assignment of the say() function.

In addition, any changes made to the properties of the parent object will be reflected in the child object unless the child explicitly overrides those properties.

Answer №2

When it comes to prototype members, they are similar to class members in JavaScript. However, if you define them in a different way, they won't be considered as class members. This means that when creating multiple objects of Apple, they will all share the same function. On the other hand, with banana objects, each object will have its own copy of the function. To simplify, think of prototypes in JavaScript as being equivalent to static members in C#.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

What's the best way to vertically center a div with a 100% width and a set padding-bottom on the screen?

I am struggling with positioning the following div on my webpage. .div { width:100%; padding-bottom:20%; background-color:blue; } <div class="div"></div> I have been searching for a solution to vertically center this responsive div on my web ...

Is there a way to stop users from altering form values on a webpage by using the "inspect" tool in their browser?

Currently, I am developing an application using node.js and handlebars as the view engine. One issue I am facing is that when a form is submitted, it inserts data into the database. The problem arises because the form passes values that are hidden from the ...

I am having issues with Hot Reload in my React application

My app was initially created using npx create-react-app. I then decided to clean up the project by deleting all files except for index.js in the src folder. However, after doing this, the hot reload feature stopped working and I had to manually refresh the ...

Modify the numerical presentation within the provided input text

Looking to format numbers in the thousands with a comma, for example changing 2000 to 2,000 and 20000 to 20,000. While I found a solution using cleave.js library, it only works for one input field. Is there another alternative that can handle multiple in ...

include the ReactToastify.css file in your project using the import statement

Error in file path C:\Users\User\Documents\GitHub\zampliasurveys_frontend\node_modules\react-toastify\dist\ReactToastify.css:1 ({"Object.":function(module,exports,require,__dirname,__filename,jest){:ro ...

Passing a JavaScript object that may be undefined to a pug template in Node.js

My journey requires transferring a set of JavaScript objects to the pug template. router.get('/edit/:itemObjectId', async function(req, res, next) { var itemObjectId = req.params.itemObjectId; var equipmentCategoryArr = []; var lifeE ...

How can I troubleshoot the unresponsive remove div function on my website?

My code is running fine on CodePen (link provided below), but for some reason, it's not working properly in the web browser. I am executing the code from localhost and the button isn't responding as expected. CODE Here is my Visual Studio code ...

What is the proper way to invoke a function that is part of a child component as a property in a React application?

In my app.js file, I have included a unique component called "SigningComponent" with the following code: onSign = () => { this.setState({ route: "home" }); }; registerFunction = () => { this.setState({ route: "registration" }); }; render() { ...

Transform a single attribute in an array of objects using angularjs and Javascript to a different value

Within an angularjs controller, the following code is used: var ysshControllers = angular.module('theControllers', []); ysshControllers.controller('CommonController', function($scope, $http, $route) { $scope.dbKey = $route ...

Seeking the perfect message to display upon clicking an object with Protractor

Currently, I am using Protractor 5.1.1 along with Chromedriver 2.27. My goal is to make the script wait until the message "Scheduling complete" appears after clicking on the schedule button. Despite trying various codes (including the commented out code), ...

The added class is not being successfully applied to the ClassList

I'm currently working on a page where I want the colors of a button and the background to switch when the button is clicked. document.querySelector("body.light").classList.toggle("dark"); document.querySelector("button.dark").classList.toggle("light" ...

Adding a class-matched element with a corresponding ID

Despite finding similar questions, I am still unable to achieve the desired outcome. Here is a list: <ul> <li class="class1"></li> <li class="class2"></li> <li class="class3"></li> <li class="class4"&g ...

Generate div elements dynamically for each object being populated in JSON using JavaScript

I have a main container that displays a list of JSON objects. Each object should be displayed as a separate DIV element with specific details, one after the other. Additionally, I have a comments section on a webpage where the details are stored in JSON f ...

Refreshing a node in Jqgrid Treegrid by updating the local source data

I have constructed a Treegrid using local data $("#historyGrid").jqGrid({ datatype: "jsonstring", datastr : treeGridObject , colNames:["Id","Channel","Current","History","Delta"], colModel:[ {name:'id', index:'Id&apo ...

Accessing AngularJS variable scope outside of a function

Utilizing a socket, I am fetching data into an angularJS controller. $rootScope.list1= ''; socket.emit('ticker', symbol); socket.on('quote', function(data) { $rootScope.list1 = angular.fromJson(data.substring(3)); //I can ...

Is it necessary to clean up the string to ensure it is safe for URLs and filenames?

I am looking for a way to generate a URL-safe filename in JavaScript that matches the one created using PHP. Here is the code snippet I currently have in PHP: <?php $clean_name = strtr($string, 'ŠŽšžŸÀÁÂÃÄÅÇÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏÑÒÓÔÕ ...

Can you explain the distinction between key and id in a React component?

I have included this code snippet in the parent component. <RefreshSelect isMulti cacheOptions id='a' key = 'a' components={makeAnimated()} options={th ...

Is there a way to invoke a method in Jest Enzyme without using .simulate()?

During my unit testing for a React flight seat selection application using Jest/Enzyme, I encountered a scenario where I need to test a method within my class-based component that runs after a button is clicked. However, the button in question resides deep ...

What is the best way to insert a newline in a shell_exec command in PHP

I need assistance with executing a node.js file using PHP. My goal is to achieve the following in PHP: C:proj> node main.js text="This is some text. >> some more text in next line" This is my PHP script: shell_exec('node C:\pr ...

Incorporating Stripe: Enhancing Online Payments through Redirected Checkout

I am currently in the process of upgrading our checkout system to be SCA compliant. According to the documentation, I must utilize PaymentIntents for this purpose. I have followed the steps outlined in their document found at: https://stripe.com/docs/payme ...