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ECMAScript 2015, also known as ES6, introduced JavaScript Classes.

JavaScript Classes are templates for JavaScript Objects.

JavaScript Class Syntax

Use the keyword class to create a class.

Always add a method named constructor():

Syntax

class ClassName {
  constructor() { ... }
}

Example

class Car {
  constructor(name, year) {
    this.name = name;
    this.year = year;
  }
}

The example above creates a class named "Car".

The class has two initial properties: "name" and "year".

A JavaScript class is not an object.

It is a template for JavaScript objects.

Using a Class

When you have a class, you can use the class to create objects:

Example

const myCar1 = new Car("Ford", 2014);
const myCar2 = new Car("Audi", 2019);

The example above uses the Car class to create two Car objects.

The constructor method is called automatically when a new object is created.

The Constructor Method

The constructor method is a special method:

  • It has to have the exact name "constructor"
  • It is executed automatically when a new object is created
  • It is used to initialize object properties

If you do not define a constructor method, JavaScript will add an empty constructor method.

Class Methods

Class methods are created with the same syntax as object methods.

Use the keyword class to create a class.

Always add a constructor() method.

Then add any number of methods.

Syntax

class ClassName {
  constructor() { ... }
  method_1() { ... }
  method_2() { ... }
  method_3() { ... }
}

Create a Class method named "age", that returns the Car age:

Example

class Car {
  constructor(name, year) {
    this.name = name;
    this.year = year;
  }
  age() {
    const date = new Date();
    return date.getFullYear() - this.year;
  }
}

const myCar = new Car("Ford", 2014);
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML =
"My car is " + myCar.age() + " years old.";

You can send parameters to Class methods:

Example

class Car {
  constructor(name, year) {
    this.name = name;
    this.year = year;
  }
  age(x) {
    return x - this.year;
  }
}

const date = new Date();
let year = date.getFullYear();

const myCar = new Car("Ford", 2014);
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML=
"My car is " + myCar.age(year) + " years old.";

Browser Support

The following table defines the first browser version with full support for Classes in JavaScript:

Chrome 49 Edge 12 Firefox 45 Safari 9 Opera 36
Mar, 2016 Jul, 2015 Mar, 2016 Oct, 2015 Mar, 2016

You will learn a lot more about JavaScript Classes later in this tutorial.


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