What's the best approach for developing an application with JavaScript? This book helps you answer that question with numerous JavaScript coding patterns and best practices. If you're an experienced developer looking to solve problems related to objects, functions, inheritance, and other language-specific categories, the abstractions and code templates in this guide are ideal -- whether you're writing a client-side, server-side, or desktop application with JavaScript. Written by JavaScript expert Stoyan Stefanov -- Senior Yahoo! Technical and architect of YSlow 2.0, the web page performance optimization tool -- JavaScript Patterns includes practical advice for implementing each pattern discussed, along with several hands-on examples. You'll also learn about anti-patterns: common programming approaches that cause more problems than they solve. Explore useful habits for writing high-quality JavaScript code, such as avoiding globals, using single var declarations, and more Learn why literal notation patterns are simpler alternatives to constructor functions Discover different ways to define a function in JavaScript Create objects that go beyond the basic patterns of using object literals and constructor functions Learn the options available for code reuse and inheritance in JavaScript Study sample JavaScript approaches to common design patterns such as Singleton, Factory, Decorator, and more Examine patterns that apply specifically to the client-side browser environment

Stoyan Stefanov is a Yahoo! web developer, book author (Object-Oriented JavaScript), book contributor (Even Faster Web Sites, High Performance JavaScript), and technical reviewer (JavaScript: The Good Parts, PHP Mashups). He speaks regularly about JavaScript, PHP, and other web development topics at conferences and on his blog (http://www.phpied.com). Stoyan is the creator of the smush.it image optimization tool and architect of Yahoo's performance optimization tool YSlow 2.0.