Professional JavaScript For Web Developers

Chapter 19
JavaScript gotchas
JavaScript, as you are well aware at this point, is unlike other programming languages in many ways.
Therefore, it helps to keep in mind some of the gotchas of the language.
Avoid string concatenation
Earlier in the book, you learned about the hazards of string concatenation using the plus (+) operator. To
work around this problem, you learned how to create a StringBuffer object to encapsulate string concatenations
using an Array and the join() method.
Whenever you are doing more than five string concatenations in a row, it’s best to use the StringBuffer
object.
Use built-in methods first
Whenever possible, use built-in methods of JavaScript objects before making your own. The built-in
methods are compiled in C++ and as such, run much faster than JavaScript that must be interpreted on
the fly. For example, you could write a function that calculates the value of a number when raised to the
power of n in this way:
function power(iNum, n) {
var iResult = iNum;
for (var i=1; i < n; i++) {
iResult *= iNum;
}
}
return iResult;
Although this function works perfectly well, JavaScript already provides a way to calculate the power of
a number by using Math.pow():
alert(Math.pow(3, 4));
//raise 3 to the 4th power
The big difference is that Math.pow() is part of the browser, written and compiled in C++, and it is
much faster than the custom power() function defined previously.
Numerous built-in methods are provided specifically to take care of these common tasks. It’s always better
for execution time to use built-in methods instead of functions you define.
Store commonly used values
Whenever you use the same value more than once, store it in a local variable for easy access. This is
especially true for values that are normally accessed through a property of an object. Consider the following
code:
oDiv1.style.left = document.body.clientWidth;
oDiv2.style.left = document.body.clientWidth;
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