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JavaScript Objects

2:13 with Ashley Boucher

Everything in JavaScript is an object or can be treated like one. Learn about familiar JavaScript objects to get a deeper understanding of why objects are useful.

JavaScript Data Structures

Interested in learning more about objects and other data structures in JavaScript? Check out the following documentation:

JavaScript Data Structures

  • 0:00

    Hey, welcome back.

  • 0:01

    In the last video, we started conceptualizing what an object is and

  • 0:05

    how objects can be used in our code.

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    In this video, we're going to build on that by talking about objects

  • 0:11

    in JavaScript that you're already familiar with.

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    Most everything you encounter when programming in JavaScript is an object or

  • 0:18

    can be treated like an object.

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    For example, in your course progression, you have probably heard of or

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    encountered the DOM, or the Document Object Model.

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    That's just the object that represents the HTML document

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    your JavaScript interacts with.

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    DOM elements are objects and have properties and methods.

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    For example, I can get an element styles with the style property.

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    I can get the HTML that an element is made of with the innerHTML property.

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    I can even get an element's parent with the parentNode property, or

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    its children with the childNodes property.

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    DOM objects have methods as well, like getElementById or appendChild.

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    Did you know that arrays are another example of a JavaScript object?

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    Arrays have properties like length and methods like push, pop, and concat.

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    What's great about these objects is that they've abstracted away a lot of

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    the details for you.

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    In other words, they created an interface that lets you use the object without

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    having to know what's going on under the hood.

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    You can use the method, getElementById, over and over without having to know

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    how that works or rewrite all the code that's underneath it.

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    As you can see, objects can make it really easy to get up to speed with code basis

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    you aren't familiar with.

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    If you design and document your own objects well,

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    another developer can start working with your code right away.

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    Objects are everywhere in JavaScript.

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    You can design your own to model real life objects that you want to use in your code,

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    or use them as a container to store and access data.

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    Hopefully you're starting to have a clear understanding of what objects are and

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    why and how we use them.

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    If you have any questions about OOJS so far or

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    you just want to discuss what you've learned.

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    The Treehouse Community is a really great place to connect with other students and

  • 2:02

    get or give extra help.

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    Join me in the next stage to get familiar with some really important terms, and

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    get your hands dirty as you start learning about the practical application

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    of objects in your code.

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