isotropic-create
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Creates an object with a specific constructor function and prototype object
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# isotropic-create
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/isotropic-create)
[](https://github.com/ibi-group/isotropic-create/blob/main/LICENSE)
A utility that creates an object with a specific constructor function and prototype object.
## Why Use This?
- **Safer Object Creation**: Avoids issues that can occur when forgetting the `new` keyword
- **Familiar Semantics**: Retains the `constructor` property you'd expect from `new`
- **Explicit Prototypes**: Clearly specifies the prototype object for better code readability
- **Controlled Inheritance**: Provides a cleaner approach to prototypal inheritance
Really though, for most use cases it's better not to directly use `isotropic-create`.
Use [isotropic-make](https://www.npmjs.com/package/isotropic-make) instead!
## Installation
```bash
npm install isotropic-create
```
## Usage
```javascript
import _create from 'isotropic-create';
// Define a constructor function
const _Person = function (name, age) {
const instance = _create(_Person, _Person.prototype);
instance.name = name;
instance.age = age;
return instance;
};
// Define methods on the prototype
_Person.prototype.greet = function () {
return `Hello, my name is ${this.name}`;
};
{
// Create an instance without using 'new'
const john = _Person('John', 30);
console.log(john.greet()); // "Hello, my name is John"
console.log(john.constructor === _Person); // true
console.log(Object.getPrototypeOf(john) === _Person.prototype); // true
}
```
## How It Works
`isotropic-create` uses `Object.create()` to create a new object with the specified prototype and then adds the constructor property with the right settings. This approach:
1. Avoids the issues that can occur when forgetting the `new` keyword
2. Explicitly sets the prototype chain
3. Adds the constructor property (non-enumerable) pointing to the constructor function
It's important to note that `isotropic-create` creates the instance object but does not call the constructor function! A useful pattern is to use it within a constructor function and then return the instance.
## API
### create(constructorFunction, prototypeObject)
Returns a new object with `prototypeObject` as its prototype and a `constructor` property that points to `constructorFunction`.
#### Parameters
- `constructorFunction` (Function): The constructor function to assign to the object
- `prototypeObject` (Object): The prototype object to use
#### Returns
- (Object): A new object with the specified prototype and constructor
## Contributing
Please refer to [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/ibi-group/isotropic-create/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for contribution guidelines.
## Issues
If you encounter any issues, please file them at https://github.com/ibi-group/isotropic-create/issues