Discussion on: Hiding details in JavaScript classes with symbols

[JavaScript Joel]

Alternatively, you can also achieve privacy by switching from using a Class to using a closure.

// firstname cannot be modified!
const person = (firstName) => ({
  log: () => console.log('I am', firstName)
})

let p = person("Oliver")
p.log(); // I am Oliver

[Oliver Mensah]

I am concerned about the classical way of preventing outside modification of class properties. I have been finding means to do that until I tried using symbols. In my approach, it works and that is why I wanted to share with others but I did not know that they modified using another approach as you have stated. I like how you have outlined the process. But can you help in the classical way of hiding details in JavaScript?

[JavaScript Joel]

I am not a fan of classes in JavaScript. As a matter of fact, I never create code with classes. I have found that functions will serve the same purpose. I prefer using the revealing module pattern over JavaScript classes.

Here's an example:

const createPerson = (firstName) => {
  var s_firstname = firstName

  const log = () =>
    console.log('I am', s_firstname)
  const setName = firstName =>
    (s_firstname = firstName)

  return {
    log,
    setName
  }
}

const me = createPerson('unknown')
me.setName('Joel')
me.log()

I added a setName function to demonstrate how to set the private var s_firstname.

[Oliver Mensah]

That's cool

[Oliver Mensah]

Okay. Thanks for the feedback