JavaScript private methods

Question

To make a JavaScript class with a public method I'd do something like:

function Restaurant() {}

Restaurant.prototype.buy_food = function(){
   // something here
}

Restaurant.prototype.use_restroom = function(){
   // something here
}

That way users of my class can:

var restaurant = new Restaurant();
restaurant.buy_food();
restaurant.use_restroom();

How do I create a private method that can be called by the buy_food and use_restroom methods but not externally by users of the class?

In other words, I want my method implementation to be able to do:

Restaurant.prototype.use_restroom = function() {
   this.private_stuff();
}

But this shouldn't work:

var r = new Restaurant();
r.private_stuff();

How do I define private_stuff as a private method so both of these hold true?

I've read Doug Crockford's writeup a few times but it doesn't seem like "private" methods can be called by public methods and "privileged" methods can be called externally.

Answer 1

I conjured up this: EDIT: Actually, someone has linked to a identical solution. Duh!

var Car = function() {
}

Car.prototype = (function() {
    var hotWire = function() {
        // Private code *with* access to public properties through 'this'
        alert( this.drive() ); // Alerts 'Vroom!'
    }

    return {
        steal: function() {
            hotWire.call( this ); // Call a private method
        },
        drive: function() {
            return 'Vroom!';
        }
    };
})();

var getAwayVechile = new Car();

hotWire(); // Not allowed
getAwayVechile.hotWire(); // Not allowed
getAwayVechile.steal(); // Alerts 'Vroom!'

Answer 2

This is what I worked out:

Needs one class of sugar code that you can find here. Also supports protected, inheritance, virtual, static stuff...

;( function class_Restaurant( namespace )
{
    'use strict';

    if( namespace[ "Restaurant" ] ) return    // protect against double inclusions

        namespace.Restaurant = Restaurant
    var Static               = TidBits.OoJs.setupClass( namespace, "Restaurant" )


    // constructor
    //
    function Restaurant()
    {
        this.toilets = 3

        this.Private( private_stuff )

        return this.Public( buy_food, use_restroom )
    }

    function private_stuff(){ console.log( "There are", this.toilets, "toilets available") }

    function buy_food     (){ return "food"        }
    function use_restroom (){ this.private_stuff() }

})( window )


var chinese = new Restaurant

console.log( chinese.buy_food()      );  // output: food
console.log( chinese.use_restroom()  );  // output: There are 3 toilets available
console.log( chinese.toilets         );  // output: undefined
console.log( chinese.private_stuff() );  // output: undefined

// and throws: TypeError: Object #<Restaurant> has no method 'private_stuff'

Answer 3

I know it's a bit too late but how about this?

var obj = function(){
    var pr = "private";
    var prt = Object.getPrototypeOf(this);
    if(!prt.hasOwnProperty("showPrivate")){
        prt.showPrivate = function(){
            console.log(pr);
        }
    }    
}

var i = new obj();
i.showPrivate();
console.log(i.hasOwnProperty("pr"));

Answer 4

Here is the class which I created to understand what Douglas Crockford's has suggested in his site Private Members in JavaScript

function Employee(id, name) { //Constructor
    //Public member variables
    this.id = id;
    this.name = name;
    //Private member variables
    var fName;
    var lName;
    var that = this;
    //By convention, we create a private variable 'that'. This is used to     
    //make the object available to the private methods. 

    //Private function
    function setFName(pfname) {
        fName = pfname;
        alert('setFName called');
    }
    //Privileged function
    this.setLName = function (plName, pfname) {
        lName = plName;  //Has access to private variables
        setFName(pfname); //Has access to private function
        alert('setLName called ' + this.id); //Has access to member variables
    }
    //Another privileged member has access to both member variables and private variables
    //Note access of this.dataOfBirth created by public member setDateOfBirth
    this.toString = function () {
        return 'toString called ' + this.id + ' ' + this.name + ' ' + fName + ' ' + lName + ' ' + this.dataOfBirth; 
    }
}
//Public function has access to member variable and can create on too but does not have access to private variable
Employee.prototype.setDateOfBirth = function (dob) {
    alert('setDateOfBirth called ' + this.id);
    this.dataOfBirth = dob;   //Creates new public member note this is accessed by toString
    //alert(fName); //Does not have access to private member
}
$(document).ready()
{
    var employee = new Employee(5, 'Shyam'); //Create a new object and initialize it with constructor
    employee.setLName('Bhaskar', 'Ram');  //Call privileged function
    employee.setDateOfBirth('1/1/2000');  //Call public function
    employee.id = 9;                     //Set up member value
    //employee.setFName('Ram');  //can not call Private Privileged method
    alert(employee.toString());  //See the changed object

}

Answer 5

I prefer to store private data in an associated WeakMap. This allows you to keep your public methods on the prototype where they belong. This seems to be the most efficient way to handle this problem for large numbers of objects.

const data = new WeakMap();

function Foo(value) {
    data.set(this, {value});
}

// public method accessing private value
Foo.prototype.accessValue = function() {
    return data.get(this).value;
}

// private 'method' accessing private value
function accessValue(foo) {
    return data.get(foo).value;
}

export {Foo};