Always use var to declare variables. Not doing so will result in global variables. We want to avoid polluting the global namespace. Captain Planet warned us of that.
// bad
superPower = new SuperPower();
// good
var superPower = new SuperPower();
Use one var declaration per variable.
It’s easier to add new variable declarations this way, and you never have
to worry about swapping out a ; for a , or introducing punctuation-only
diffs.
// bad
var items = getItems(),
goSportsTeam = true,
dragonball = 'z';
// bad
// (compare to above, and try to spot the mistake)
var items = getItems(),
goSportsTeam = true;
dragonball = 'z';
// good
var items = getItems();
var goSportsTeam = true;
var dragonball = 'z';
Declare unassigned variables last. This is helpful when later on you might need to assign a variable depending on one of the previous assigned variables.
// bad
var i, len, dragonball,
items = getItems(),
goSportsTeam = true;
// bad
var i;
var items = getItems();
var dragonball;
var goSportsTeam = true;
var len;
// good
var items = getItems();
var goSportsTeam = true;
var dragonball;
var length;
var i;
Assign variables at the top of their scope. This helps avoid issues with variable declaration and assignment hoisting related issues.
// bad
function () {
test();
console.log('doing stuff..');
//..other stuff..
var name = getName();
if (name === 'test') {
return false;
}
return name;
}
// good
function () {
var name = getName();
test();
console.log('doing stuff..');
//..other stuff..
if (name === 'test') {
return false;
}
return name;
}
// bad - unnecessary function call
function () {
var name = getName();
if (!arguments.length) {
return false;
}
this.setFirstName(name);
return true;
}
// good
function () {
var name;
if (!arguments.length) {
return false;
}
name = getName();
this.setFirstName(name);
return true;
}