taniarascia / Es6
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ES6 Syntax and Feature Overview
ECMAScript 2015, also known as ES6, introduced many changes to JavaScript. Here is an overview/reference of some of the most common features and syntactical differences, with comparisons to ES5 where applicable.
Note: A commonly accepted practice is to use
const
unless except in cases of loops and reassignment. However, in this resource I'll be usinglet
in place ofvar
for all ES6 examples.
Legend
- Variable:
x
- Object:
obj
- Array:
arr
- Function:
func
- Parameter, method:
a
,b
,c
- String:
str
Table of contents
- Variable declaration
- Constant declaration
- Arrow function syntax
- Template literals
- Implicit returns
- Key/property shorthand
- Method definition shorthand
- Destructuring (object matching)
- Array iteration (looping)
- Default parameters
- Spread syntax
- Classes/constructor functions
- Inheritance
- Modules - export/import
- Promises/callbacks
Variables and constant feature comparison
I explain the concepts of scope and the differences between let
, var
, and const
in the Understanding Variables, Scope, and Hoisting in JavaScript resource on DigitalOcean. This table provides a brief overview.
Keyword | Scope | Hoisting | Can Be Reassigned | Can Be Redeclared |
---|---|---|---|---|
var |
Function scope | Yes | Yes | Yes |
let |
Block scope | No | Yes | No |
const |
Block scope | No | No | No |
Variable declaration
ES6 introduced the let
keyword, which allows for block-scoped variables which cannot be hoisted or redeclared.
// ES5
var x = 0
// ES6
let x = 0
Constant declaration
ES6 introduced the const
keyword, which cannot be redeclared or reassigned, but is not immutable.
// ES6
const CONST_IDENTIFIER = 0 // constants are uppercase by convention
Arrow functions
The arrow function expression syntax is a shorter way of creating a function expression. Arrow functions do not have their own this
, do not have prototypes, cannot be used for constructors, and should not be used as object methods.
// ES5
function func(a, b, c) {} // function declaration
var func = function (a, b, c) {} // function expression
// ES6
let func = a => {} // parentheses optional with one parameter
let func = (a, b, c) => {} // parentheses required with multiple parameters
Template literals
Concatenation/string interpolation
Expressions can be embedded in template literal strings.
// ES5
var str = 'Release date: ' + date
// ES6
let str = `Release Date: ${date}`
Multi-line strings
Using template literal syntax, a JavaScript string can span multiple lines without the need for concatenation.
// ES5
var str = 'This text ' + 'is on ' + 'multiple lines'
// ES6
let str = `This text
is on
multiple lines`
Implicit returns
The return
keyword is implied and can be omitted if using arrow functions without a block body.
// ES5
function func(a, b, c) {
return a + b + c
}
// ES6
let func = (a, b, c) => a + b + c // curly brackets must be omitted
Key/property shorthand
ES6 introduces a shorter notation for assigning properties to variables of the same name.
// ES5
var obj = {
a: a,
b: b,
}
// ES6
let obj = {
a,
b,
}
Method definition shorthand
The function
keyword can be omitted when assigning methods on an object.
// ES5
var obj = {
a: function (c, d) {},
b: function (e, f) {},
}
// ES6
let obj = {
a(c, d) {},
b(e, f) {},
}
obj.a() // call method a
Destructuring
Use curly brackets to assign properties of an object to their own variable.
var obj = { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 }
// ES5
var a = obj.a
var b = obj.b
var c = obj.c
// ES6
let { a, b, c } = obj
Array iteration (looping)
A more concise syntax has been introduced for iteration through arrays and other iterable objects.
var arr = ['a', 'b', 'c']
// ES5
for (var i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
console.log(arr[i])
}
// ES6
for (let i of arr) {
console.log(i)
}
Default parameters
Functions can be initialized with default parameters, which will be used only if an argument is not invoked through the function.
// ES5
var func = function (a, b) {
b = b === undefined ? 2 : b
return a + b
}
// ES6
let func = (a, b = 2) => {
return a + b
}
func(10) // returns 12
func(10, 5) // returns 15
Spread syntax
Spread syntax can be used to expand an array.
// ES6
let arr1 = [1, 2, 3]
let arr2 = ['a', 'b', 'c']
let arr3 = [...arr1, ...arr2]
console.log(arr3) // [1, 2, 3, "a", "b", "c"]
Spread syntax can be used for function arguments.
// ES6
let arr1 = [1, 2, 3];
let func = (a, b, c) => a + b + c;
console.log(func(...arr1);); // 6
Classes/constructor functions
ES6 introducess the class
syntax on top of the prototype-based constructor function.
// ES5
function Func(a, b) {
this.a = a
this.b = b
}
Func.prototype.getSum = function () {
return this.a + this.b
}
var x = new Func(3, 4)
// ES6
class Func {
constructor(a, b) {
this.a = a
this.b = b
}
getSum() {
return this.a + this.b
}
}
let x = new Func(3, 4)
x.getSum() // returns 7
Inheritance
The extends
keyword creates a subclass.
// ES5
function Inheritance(a, b, c) {
Func.call(this, a, b)
this.c = c
}
Inheritance.prototype.constructor = Inheritance
Inheritance.prototype = Object.create(Func.prototype)
Inheritance.prototype.getProduct = function () {
return this.a * this.b * this.c
}
var y = new Inheritance(3, 4, 5)
// ES6
class Inheritance extends Func {
constructor(a, b, c) {
super(a, b)
this.c = c
}
getProduct() {
return this.a * this.b * this.c
}
}
let y = new Inheritance(3, 4, 5)
y.getProduct() // 60
Modules - export/import
Modules can be created to export and import code between files.
<!-- index.html -->
<script src="export.js"></script>
<script type="module" src="import.js"></script>
// export.js
let func = a => a + a
let obj = {}
let x = 0
export { func, obj, x }
// import.js
import { func, obj, x } from './export.js'
console.log(func(3), obj, x)
Promises/Callbacks
Promises represent the completion of an asynchronous function. They can be used as an alternative to chaining functions.
// ES5 callback
function doSecond() {
console.log('Do second.')
}
function doFirst(callback) {
setTimeout(function () {
console.log('Do first.')
callback()
}, 500)
}
doFirst(doSecond)
// ES6 Promise
let doSecond = () => {
console.log('Do second.')
}
let doFirst = new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
setTimeout(() => {
console.log('Do first.')
resolve()
}, 500)
})
doFirst.then(doSecond)
An example below using XMLHttpRequest
, for demonstrative purposes only (Fetch API would be the proper modern API to use).
// ES5 callback
function makeRequest(method, url, callback) {
var request = new XMLHttpRequest()
request.open(method, url)
request.onload = function () {
callback(null, request.response)
}
request.onerror = function () {
callback(request.response)
}
request.send()
}
makeRequest('GET', 'https://url.json', function (err, data) {
if (err) {
throw new Error(err)
} else {
console.log(data)
}
})
// ES6 Promise
function makeRequest(method, url) {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
let request = new XMLHttpRequest()
request.open(method, url)
request.onload = resolve
request.onerror = reject
request.send()
})
}
makeRequest('GET', 'https://url.json')
.then(event => {
console.log(event.target.response)
})
.catch(err => {
throw new Error(err)
})