Learn ES2015

es6features

This document was originally taken from Luke Hoban's excellent es6features repo. Go give it a star on GitHub!

REPL

Be sure to try these features out in the online REPL.

Introduction

ECMAScript 2015 is an ECMAScript standard that was ratified in June 2015.

ES2015 is a significant update to the language, and the first major update to the language since ES5 was standardized in 2009. Implementation of these features in major JavaScript engines is underway now.

See the ES2015 standardfor full specification of the ECMAScript 2015 language.

ECMAScript 2015 Features

### Arrows and Lexical ThisArrows are a function shorthand using the => syntax. They are syntacticallysimilar to the related feature in C#, Java 8 and CoffeeScript. They supportboth expression and statement bodies. Unlike functions, arrows share the samelexical this as their surrounding code. If an arrow is inside another function,it shares the "arguments" variable of its parent function.
  1. // Expression bodiesvar odds = evens.map(v => v + 1);var nums = evens.map((v, i) => v + i);// Statement bodiesnums.forEach(v => { if (v % 5 === 0) fives.push(v);});// Lexical thisvar bob = { name: "Bob", friends: [], printFriends() { this.friends.forEach(f => console.log(this.name + " knows " + f)); }};// Lexical argumentsfunction square() { let example = () => { let numbers = []; for (let number of arguments) { numbers.push(number * number); } return numbers; }; return example();}square(2, 4, 7.5, 8, 11.5, 21); // returns: [4, 16, 56.25, 64, 132.25, 441]
### ClassesES2015 classes are syntactic sugar over the prototype-based OO pattern. Having asingle convenient declarative form makes class patterns easier to use, andencourages interoperability. Classes support prototype-based inheritance, supercalls, instance and static methods and constructors.
  1. class SkinnedMesh extends THREE.Mesh { constructor(geometry, materials) { super(geometry, materials); this.idMatrix = SkinnedMesh.defaultMatrix(); this.bones = []; this.boneMatrices = []; //… } update(camera) { //… super.update(); } static defaultMatrix() { return new THREE.Matrix4(); }}
### Enhanced Object LiteralsObject literals are extended to support setting the prototype at construction,shorthand for foo: foo assignments, defining methods and making super calls.Together, these also bring object literals and class declarations closertogether, and let object-based design benefit from some of the sameconveniences.
  1. var obj = { // Sets the prototype. "proto" or 'proto' would also work. proto: theProtoObj, // Computed property name does not set prototype or trigger early error for // duplicate _proto properties. ['__proto']: somethingElse, // Shorthand for ‘handler: handler’ handler, // Methods toString() { // Super calls return "d " + super.toString(); }, // Computed (dynamic) property names [ "prop" + (() => 42)() ]: 42};

The proto property requires native support, and was deprecated in previous ECMAScript versions. Most engines now support the property, but some do not. Also, note that only web browsers are required to implement it, as it's in Annex B. It is available in Node.

### Template StringsTemplate strings provide syntactic sugar for constructing strings. This issimilar to string interpolation features in Perl, Python and more. Optionally, atag can be added to allow the string construction to be customized, avoidinginjection attacks or constructing higher level data structures from stringcontents.
  1. // Basic literal string creationThis is a pretty little template string.// Multiline stringsIn ES5 this is
  2. not legal.// Interpolate variable bindingsvar name = "Bob", time = "today";Hello ${name}, how are you ${time}?// Unescaped template stringsString.rawIn ES5 "\n" is a line-feed.// Construct an HTTP request prefix is used to interpret the replacements and constructionGEThttp://foo.org/bar?a=${a}&b=${b}
  3. Content-Type: application/json
  4. X-Credentials: ${credentials}
  5. { "foo": ${foo},
  6. "bar": ${bar}}(myOnReadyStateChangeHandler);
### DestructuringDestructuring allows binding using pattern matching, with support for matchingarrays and objects. Destructuring is fail-soft, similar to standard objectlookup foo["bar"], producing undefined values when not found.
  1. // list matchingvar [a, ,b] = [1,2,3];a === 1;b === 3;// object matchingvar { op: a, lhs: { op: b }, rhs: c } = getASTNode()// object matching shorthand// binds op, lhs and rhs in scopevar {op, lhs, rhs} = getASTNode()// Can be used in parameter positionfunction g({name: x}) { console.log(x);}g({name: 5})// Fail-soft destructuringvar [a] = [];a === undefined;// Fail-soft destructuring with defaultsvar [a = 1] = [];a === 1;// Destructuring + defaults argumentsfunction r({x, y, w = 10, h = 10}) { return x + y + w + h;}r({x:1, y:2}) === 23
### Default + Rest + SpreadCallee-evaluated default parameter values. Turn an array into consecutivearguments in a function call. Bind trailing parameters to an array. Restreplaces the need for arguments and addresses common cases more directly.
  1. function f(x, y=12) { // y is 12 if not passed (or passed as undefined) return x + y;}f(3) == 15
  1. function f(x, y) { // y is an Array return x y.length;}f(3, "hello", true) == 6
  1. function f(x, y, z) { return x + y + z;}// Pass each elem of array as argumentf(…[1,2,3]) == 6
### Let + ConstBlock-scoped binding constructs. let is the new var. const issingle-assignment. Static restrictions prevent use before assignment.
  1. function f() { { let x; { // this is ok since it's a block scoped name const x = "sneaky"; // error, was just defined with const above x = "foo"; } // this is ok since it was declared with let x = "bar"; // error, already declared above in this block let x = "inner"; }}
### Iterators + For..OfIterator objects enable custom iteration like CLR IEnumerable or JavaIterable. Generalize for..in to custom iterator-based iteration withfor..of. Don’t require realizing an array, enabling lazy design patterns likeLINQ.
  1. let fibonacci = { Symbol.iterator { let pre = 0, cur = 1; return { next() { [pre, cur] = [cur, pre + cur]; return { done: false, value: cur } } } }}for (var n of fibonacci) { // truncate the sequence at 1000 if (n > 1000) break; console.log(n);}
Iteration is based on these duck-typed interfaces (usingTypeScript type syntax for exposition only):
  1. interface IteratorResult { done: boolean; value: any;}interface Iterator { next(): IteratorResult;}interface Iterable { Symbol.iterator: Iterator}

Support via polyfill

In order to use Iterators you must include the Babel polyfill.

### GeneratorsGenerators simplify iterator-authoring using function
and yield. A functiondeclared as function returns a Generator instance. Generators are subtypes ofiterators which include additional next and throw. These enable values toflow back into the generator, so yield is an expression form which returns avalue (or throws).Note: Can also be used to enable ‘await’-like async programming, see also ES7 await proposal.
  1. var fibonacci = { [Symbol.iterator]: function() { var pre = 0, cur = 1; for (;;) { var temp = pre; pre = cur; cur += temp; yield cur; } }}for (var n of fibonacci) { // truncate the sequence at 1000 if (n > 1000) break; console.log(n);}
The generator interface is (using TypeScript typesyntax for exposition only):
  1. interface Generator extends Iterator { next(value?: any): IteratorResult; throw(exception: any);}

Support via polyfill

In order to use Generators you must include the Babel polyfill.

### ComprehensionsRemoved in Babel 6.0### UnicodeNon-breaking additions to support full Unicode, including new unicode literalform in strings and new RegExp u mode to handle code points, as well as newAPIs to process strings at the 21bit code points level. These additions supportbuilding global apps in JavaScript.
  1. // same as ES5.1"𠮷".length == 2// new RegExp behaviour, opt-in ‘u’"𠮷".match(/./u)[0].length == 2// new form"\u{20BB7}" == "𠮷""𠮷" == "\uD842\uDFB7"// new String ops"𠮷".codePointAt(0) == 0x20BB7// for-of iterates code pointsfor(var c of "𠮷") { console.log(c);}
### ModulesLanguage-level support for modules for component definition. Codifies patternsfrom popular JavaScript module loaders (AMD, CommonJS). Runtime behaviourdefined by a host-defined default loader. Implicitly async model – no codeexecutes until requested modules are available and processed.
  1. // lib/math.jsexport function sum(x, y) { return x + y;}export var pi = 3.141593;
  1. // app.jsimport as math from "lib/math";console.log("2π = " + math.sum(math.pi, math.pi));
  1. // otherApp.jsimport {sum, pi} from "lib/math";console.log("2π = " + sum(pi, pi));
Some additional features include export default and export
:
  1. // lib/mathplusplus.jsexport from "lib/math";export var e = 2.71828182846;export default function(x) { return Math.exp(x);}
  1. // app.jsimport exp, {pi, e} from "lib/mathplusplus";console.log("e^π = " + exp(pi));

Module Formatters

Babel can transpile ES2015 Modules to several different formats including Common.js, AMD, System, and UMD. You can even create your own. For more details see the modules docs.

### Module Loaders

Not part of ES2015

This is left as implementation-defined within the ECMAScript 2015 specification. The eventual standard will be in WHATWG's Loader specification, but that is currently a work in progress. What is below is from a previous ES2015 draft.

Module loaders support:- Dynamic loading- State isolation- Global namespace isolation- Compilation hooks- Nested virtualizationThe default module loader can be configured, and new loaders can be constructedto evaluate and load code in isolated or constrained contexts.
  1. // Dynamic loading – ‘System’ is default loaderSystem.import("lib/math").then(function(m) { alert("2π = " + m.sum(m.pi, m.pi));});// Create execution sandboxes – new Loadersvar loader = new Loader({ global: fixup(window) // replace ‘console.log’});loader.eval("console.log(\"hello world!\");");// Directly manipulate module cacheSystem.get("jquery");System.set("jquery", Module({$: $})); // WARNING: not yet finalized

Additional polyfill needed

Since Babel defaults to using common.js modules, it does not include the polyfill for the module loader API. Get it here.

Using Module Loader

In order to use this, you'll need to tell Babel to use the system module formatter. Also be sure to check out System.js

### Map + Set + WeakMap + WeakSetEfficient data structures for common algorithms. WeakMaps provides leak-freeobject-key’d side tables.
  1. // Setsvar s = new Set();s.add("hello").add("goodbye").add("hello");s.size === 2;s.has("hello") === true;// Mapsvar m = new Map();m.set("hello", 42);m.set(s, 34);m.get(s) == 34;// Weak Mapsvar wm = new WeakMap();wm.set(s, { extra: 42 });wm.size === undefined// Weak Setsvar ws = new WeakSet();ws.add({ data: 42 });// Because the added object has no other references, it will not be held in the set

Support via polyfill

In order to support Maps, Sets, WeakMaps, and WeakSets in all environments you must include the Babel polyfill.

### ProxiesProxies enable creation of objects with the full range of behaviors available tohost objects. Can be used for interception, object virtualization,logging/profiling, etc.
  1. // Proxying a normal objectvar target = {};var handler = { get: function (receiver, name) { return Hello, ${name}!; }};var p = new Proxy(target, handler);p.world === "Hello, world!";
  1. // Proxying a function objectvar target = function () { return "I am the target"; };var handler = { apply: function (receiver, args) { return "I am the proxy"; }};var p = new Proxy(target, handler);p() === "I am the proxy";
There are traps available for all of the runtime-level meta-operations:
  1. var handler ={ // target.prop get: …, // target.prop = value set: …, // 'prop' in target has: …, // delete target.prop deleteProperty: …, // target(…args) apply: …, // new target(…args) construct: …, // Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(target, 'prop') getOwnPropertyDescriptor: …, // Object.defineProperty(target, 'prop', descriptor) defineProperty: …, // Object.getPrototypeOf(target), Reflect.getPrototypeOf(target), // target.proto, object.isPrototypeOf(target), object instanceof target getPrototypeOf: …, // Object.setPrototypeOf(target), Reflect.setPrototypeOf(target) setPrototypeOf: …, // for (let i in target) {} enumerate: …, // Object.keys(target) ownKeys: …, // Object.preventExtensions(target) preventExtensions: …, // Object.isExtensible(target) isExtensible :…}

Unsupported feature

Due to the limitations of ES5, Proxies cannot be transpiled or polyfilled. See support in various JavaScript engines.

### SymbolsSymbols enable access control for object state. Symbols allow properties to bekeyed by either string (as in ES5) or symbol. Symbols are a new primitivetype. Optional name parameter used in debugging - but is not part of identity.Symbols are unique (like gensym), but not private since they are exposed viareflection features like Object.getOwnPropertySymbols.
  1. (function() { // module scoped symbol var key = Symbol("key"); function MyClass(privateData) { this[key] = privateData; } MyClass.prototype = { doStuff: function() { this[key] } }; // Limited support from Babel, full support requires native implementation. typeof key === "symbol"})();var c = new MyClass("hello")c["key"] === undefined

Limited support via polyfill

Limited support requires the Babel polyfill. Due to language limitations, some features can't be transpiled or polyfilled. See core.js's caveats section for more details.

### Subclassable Built-insIn ES2015, built-ins like Array, Date and DOM Elements can be subclassed.
  1. // User code of Array subclassclass MyArray extends Array { constructor(…args) { super(…args); }}var arr = new MyArray();arr[1] = 12;arr.length == 2

Partial support

Built-in subclassability should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as classes such as HTMLElement can be subclassed while many such as Date, Array and Error cannot be due to ES5 engine limitations.

### Math + Number + String + Object APIsMany new library additions, including core Math libraries, Array conversionhelpers, and Object.assign for copying.
  1. Number.EPSILONNumber.isInteger(Infinity) // falseNumber.isNaN("NaN") // falseMath.acosh(3) // 1.762747174039086Math.hypot(3, 4) // 5Math.imul(Math.pow(2, 32) - 1, Math.pow(2, 32) - 2) // 2"abcde".includes("cd") // true"abc".repeat(3) // "abcabcabc"Array.from(document.querySelectorAll("")) // Returns a real ArrayArray.of(1, 2, 3) // Similar to new Array(…), but without special one-arg behavior[0, 0, 0].fill(7, 1) // [0,7,7][1,2,3].findIndex(x => x == 2) // 1["a", "b", "c"].entries() // iterator [0, "a"], [1,"b"], [2,"c"]["a", "b", "c"].keys() // iterator 0, 1, 2["a", "b", "c"].values() // iterator "a", "b", "c"Object.assign(Point, { origin: new Point(0,0) })

Limited support from polyfill

Most of these APIs are supported by the Babel polyfill. However, certain features are omitted for various reasons (e.g. String.prototype.normalize needs a lot of additional code to support). You can find more polyfills here.

### Binary and Octal LiteralsTwo new numeric literal forms are added for binary (b) and octal (o).
  1. 0b111110111 === 503 // true0o767 === 503 // true

Only supports literal form

Babel is only able to transform 0o767 and not Number("0o767").

### PromisesPromises are a library for asynchronous programming. Promises are a first classrepresentation of a value that may be made available in the future. Promises areused in many existing JavaScript libraries.
  1. function timeout(duration = 0) { return new Promise((resolve, reject) => { setTimeout(resolve, duration); })}var p = timeout(1000).then(() => { return timeout(2000);}).then(() => { throw new Error("hmm");}).catch(err => { return Promise.all([timeout(100), timeout(200)]);})

Support via polyfill

In order to support Promises you must include the Babel polyfill.

### Reflect APIFull reflection API exposing the runtime-level meta-operations on objects. Thisis effectively the inverse of the Proxy API, and allows making callscorresponding to the same meta-operations as the proxy traps. Especially usefulfor implementing proxies.
  1. var O = {a: 1};Object.defineProperty(O, 'b', {value: 2});O[Symbol('c')] = 3;Reflect.ownKeys(O); // ['a', 'b', Symbol(c)]function C(a, b){ this.c = a + b;}var instance = Reflect.construct(C, [20, 22]);instance.c; // 42

Support via polyfill

In order to use the Reflect API you must include the Babel polyfill.

### Tail CallsCalls in tail-position are guaranteed to not grow the stack unboundedly. Makesrecursive algorithms safe in the face of unbounded inputs.
  1. function factorial(n, acc = 1) { "use strict"; if (n <= 1) return acc; return factorial(n - 1, n * acc);}// Stack overflow in most implementations today,// but safe on arbitrary inputs in ES2015factorial(100000)

Temporarily Removed in Babel 6

Only explicit self referencing tail recursion was supported due to the complexity and performance impact of supporting tail calls globally. Removed due to other bugs and will be re-implemented.