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Aaron Munoz
11,177 PointsIs Javascript really OOP?
I ask this because I've learned OOP with PHP and now that I'm learning JS I'm somewhat confused. It seems like JS objects are just arrays with custom keys .PHP can make Arrays with custom keys as well as Objects. What's the difference?
2 Answers
Kristopher Van Sant
Courses Plus Student 18,830 PointsThe short answer: Yes JavaScript is OOP.
Long answer: "OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) is an approach in programming in which data is encapsulated within objects and the object itself is operated on, rather than its component parts. JavaScript is heavily object-oriented. It follows a prototype-based model (as opposed to class-based)." https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/OOP
" Object-oriented to the core, JavaScript features powerful, flexible OOP capabilities." https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Introduction_to_Object-Oriented_JavaScript
"JavaScript is designed on a simple object-based paradigm. An object is a collection of properties, and a property is an association between a name (or key) and a value. A property's value can be a function, in which case the property is known as a method." https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Working_with_Objects
Here are a couple of resources discussing what objects in JavaScript are and how they differ from arrays.
Differences between Arrays and Objects in JavaScript - https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-differences-between-arrays-and-objects-in-Javascript
Is everything an object in JS? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9108925/how-is-almost-everything-in-javascript-an-object
Colin Marshall
32,861 PointsThe objects you are talking about are called object literals in JavaScript.
For object oriented programming in JavaScript you use the constructor/prototype pattern. There is a course here on Treehouse called Object Oriented JavaScript that goes over this.