Backbone Class

Class is the missing "Backbone.Class" in Backbone.js. It provides clean JavaScript inheritance via the Backbone.extend pattern and modified via Backbone-Super for simple this._super() calls. On instantiation, an initialize method is called and if a parameters object is passed, unless overridden, it will be pushed on to an options hash. Additionally, because backbone-class extends Backbone.Events, event dispatch can be achieved by adding listeners, triggering events, and removing listeners per the Backbone.js spec.

Best used with Browserify!

Installation

• npm install backbone-class

Tests

• npm install -g grunt-cli
• npm install --dev
• npm test

Example

Inheritance

var Klass = require('backbone-class');

var Person = Klass.extend({
  language: function() {
    return 'The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way.';
  }
});

var Animal = Person.extend({
  meaning: function() {
    return 'Intended to communicate something that is not directly expressed.';
  }
});

var animal = new Animal({
  defaultLanguage: 'Bark'
});

console.log( animal.options.defaultLanguage );
console.log( animal.language() );
console.log( animal.meaning() );

Supers

var Person = Klass.extend({
  language: function (lang) {
    return 'Speaking ' + (lang || 'English');
  }
});

var person = new Person();
console.log( person.language() ); // 'Speaking English'

var Animal = Person.extend({
  language: function(lang) {
    this._super(lang);
  }
});

var animal = new Animal();

console.log( animal.language('Bark') ); // 'Speaking Bark'

Eventing

var Person = Klass.extend({
  initialize: function() {
    this.on('speak', this.onSpeak.bind(this));
  },

  onSpeak: function() {
    return 'Hello Human :)';
  }
});

var person = new Person();
person.trigger('speak');

Changes

• Bumped version to v0.0.2
• Removed direct dependency on underscore & grunt
• New owner and maintainer

More Info

Class inheritance mirrors Backbone.js precisely, but without the additional method baggage that is normally associated with Models, Views and Collections; feel free to check out Backbone.js for more info. Also, see Backbone-Super for more info on the _super() method.

Thanks

• Creator and owner of this module: Christopher Pappas
• Backbone
• Backbone-Super