Chapter 14: Miscellaneous

14.1 Proxy and Reflect

A Proxy object wraps another object and intercepts operations, like reading/writing properties and others, optionally handling them on its own, or transparently allowing the object to handle them.

let proxy = new Proxy(target, handler)

• target: an object to wrap, can be anything, including functions.

• handler: proxy configuration

No traps

As there are no traps, all operations on proxy are forwarded to target.

let target = {};
let proxy = new Proxy(target, {});

proxy.test = 5;
alert(target.test); // 5

Internal Method

For every internal method, there’s a trap in this table: the name of the method that we can add to the handler parameter of new Proxy to intercept the operation.

• [[Get]]: get

• [[Set]]: set

• [[HasProperty]]: has (in operator)

• [[Delete]]: deleteProperty

• [[Call]]: apply

Full list: Proxy and Reflect

Invariants

• [[Set]]: must return true if the value was written successfully, otherwise false.

• [[Delete]]: must return true if the value was deleted successfully, otherwise false.

Default value with “get” trap

To intercept reading, the handler should have a method get(target, property, receiver).

• target: the target object

• property: property name

• receiver: the object that’s going to be used as this

numbers = new Proxy(numbers, {
  get(target, prop) {
    if (prop in target) {
      return target[prop];
    } else {
      return 0; // default value
    }
  }
});

The proxy should totally replace the target object everywhere. Otherwise it’s easy to mess up.

Validation with “set” trap

The set trap triggers when a property is written: set(target, property, value, receiver).

• target: the target object, the one passed as the first argument to new Proxy

• property: property name

• value: property value

• receiver: this

Iteration with “ownKeys” and “getOwnPropertyDescriptor”

• Object.getOwnPropertyNames(obj): non-symbol keys

• Object.getOwnPropertySymbols(obj): symbol keys

• Object.keys/values(): non-symbol keys/values with enumerable flag

• for..in: non-symbol keys with enumerable flag, and also prototype keys

user = new Proxy(user, {
  ownKeys(target) {
    return Object.keys(target).filter(key => !key.startsWith('_'));
  }
});

However, if we return a key that doesn’t exist in the object, Object.keys won’t list it. It calls the internal method [[GetOwnProperty]] for every property to get its descriptor. As there’s no property, its descriptor is empty, no enumerable flag, so it’s skipped. To fix this, add the following method to the handler:

getOwnPropertyDescriptor(target, prop) {
    return {
        enumerable: true,
        configurable: true
        /* ...other flags, probable "value:..." */
    };
}

“In range” with “has” trap

The has trap intercepts in calls: has(target, property).

Wrapping functions: "apply"

We can wrap a proxy around a function: apply(target, thisArg, args).

Instead of using a decorator, a proxy can preserve all the other properties of the original function.

Reflect

Reflect is a built-in object that simplifies creation of Proxy. It makes the direct calling to the internal methods available.

For every internal method, trappable by Proxy, there’s a corresponding method in Reflect, with the same name and arguments as the Proxy trap. Thus, we can use Reflect to forward an operation to the original object.

set(target, prop, val, receiver) {
    alert(`SET ${prop}=${val}`);
    return Reflect.set(target, prop, val, receiver); // (2)
}

get(target, prop, receiver) {
  return Reflect.get(...arguments);
}

Proxy limitations

Many built-in objects, for example Map, Set, Date, Promise and others make use of so-called “internal slots”. (Array has no internal slots.)

For instance, Map stores items in the internal slot [[MapData]]. Built-in methods access them directly, not via [[Get]]/[[Set]] internal methods. So Proxy can’t intercept that.

After a built-in object like that gets proxied, the proxy doesn’t have these internal slots, so built-in methods will fail.

So we need to bind the functions on the original object instead of the Proxy object:

let proxy = new Proxy(map, {
  get(target, prop, receiver) {
    let value = Reflect.get(...arguments);
    return typeof value == 'function' ? value.bind(target) : value;
  }
});

Private fields

A similar thing happens with private class fields.

Private fields are implemented using internal slots. JavaScript does not use [[Get]]/[[Set]] when accessing them. However, the solution above with binding the method makes it work.

Proxy != target

If we use the original object as a key, and then proxy it, then the proxy can’t be found, because it's a different object.

Proxies can’t intercept a strict equality test ===.

Revocable proxies

A revocable proxy is a proxy that can be disabled.

let object = {
  data: "Valuable data"
};
let {proxy, revoke} = Proxy.revocable(object, {});

revoke();

alert(proxy.data); // Error

A call to revoke() removes all internal references to the target object from the proxy, so they are no longer connected.

14.2 Eval: run a code string

The built-in eval function allows to execute a string of code.

let code = 'alert("Hello")';
eval(code);

The eval’ed code is executed in the current lexical environment, so it can see outer variables. It can change outer variables as well.

function f() {
  let a = 2;

  eval('alert(a)'); // 2
}

In strict mode, eval has its own lexical environment. So functions and variables, declared inside eval, are not visible outside.

Eval is Evil

Its ability to access outer variables has side-effects since code minifiers rename local variables into shorter ones.

14.3 Currying

Currying is a transformation of functions that translates a function from callable as f(a, b, c) into callable as f(a)(b)(c).

Helper function:

function curry(f) {
  return function(a) {
    return function(b) {
      return f(a, b);
    };
  };
}

let curriedSum = curry(sum);
alert( curriedSum(1)(2) );

Advanced curry implementation

function curry(func) {
  return function curried(...args) {
    if (args.length >= func.length) {
      return func.apply(this, args);
    } else {
      return function(...args2) {
        return curried.apply(this, args.concat(args2));
      }
    }
  };
}

The currying requires the function to have a fixed number of arguments.

14.4 Reference Type

A dynamically evaluated method call can lose this.

let user = {
  name: "John",
  hi() { alert(this.name); },
  bye() { alert("Bye"); }
};

user.hi(); // Works
(user.name == "John" ? user.hi : user.bye)(); // Error

Reference type explained

• First, the dot '.' retrieves the property obj.method.

• Then parentheses () execute it.

To make user.hi() calls work, JavaScript uses a trick – the dot '.' returns not a function, but a value of the special Reference Type. It is used internally by the language.

The value of Reference Type is a three-value combination (base, name, strict):

• base: the object

• name: the property name

• strict: true if use strict

// Reference Type value
(user, "hi", true)

When parentheses () are called on the Reference Type, they receive the full information about the object and its method, and can set the right this (=user in this case).

Any other operation like assignment hi = user.hi discards the reference type as a whole, takes the value of user.hi (a function) and passes it on. So any further operation “loses” this.

14.5 BigInt

BigInt is a special numeric type that provides support for integers of arbitrary length.

const bigint = 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890n;

const sameBigint = BigInt("1234567890123456789012345678901234567890");

Math operators

alert(1n + 2n); // 3

• We can’t mix bigints and regular numbers.

• We should explicitly convert them using either BigInt() or Number().

• The unary plus is not supported on bigints.

Comparisons

Comparisons, such as <, > work with bigints and numbers just fine.

Numbers and bigints belong to different types, they can be equal ==, but not strictly equal ===.

Boolean operations

In if, bigint 0n is falsy, other values are truthy.

alert( 1n || 2 ); // 1 (1n is considered truthy)
alert( 0n || 2 ); // 2 (0n is considered falsy)