Typescript

Introduction

TypeScript is a typed language which produces javascript.

e.g.

let myString = "fred";
let myBoolean = true;

function createMessage(name:string) {

}

Typescript supports classes and access modifiers

class Person {
   
   name: string
   lastName: string
   
   public Person(name:string) {
       this.name = name;
   }

   public void setLastName(lastName: string) {
       this.lastName = lastName;
   }
}

Configuration

tsconfig

You can set the options for the compiler you can specify a tsconfig.json file. By using

tsc --init

you get a default file.

You can inherit tsconfigs from parent directories. This compiles all *.ts files in this directory and child directories.

{
  "extends": "../tsconfig.base",
  "compilerOptions": {
    "removeComments": true
  },
  "include": [
    "./**/*.ts"
  ]
}

Webpack Configuration

The ts-loader module allows recompiling of the type script and you need to install it if using.

module.exports = {
  entry: './app/app.ts',
  devtool: 'inline-source-map'
  module: {
    rules: [
      {
        test: /\.tsx?$/,
        use: 'ts-loader',
        exclude: /node_modules/
      }
    ]
  },
  resolve: {
    extensions: ['.tsx', '.ts', 'js']
  },
  output: {
    filename: 'bundle.js'
  },
  devServer: {
    inline: false
  }
};

Data Types

No more var

Don't use var but instead use

let

or

const

Base Data Types

The following types are available

• Boolean
• Number
• String
• Array
• Enum (not in javascript e.g. enum Category {biology, Poetry, Fiction})
• Tuple (e.g. let myTuple: [number, string] = [25,'truck'] not other elements can have only number of string e.g. myTuple[2] = 'fred')

Other types

• void
• null
• undefined
• Never (e.g. for infinite loop return types)
• Any (e.g. for when using types not guaranteed from other libraries)

Union types This allows more than type e.g.

let number_string : string | number

Not good if you ask me. However maybe useful for strings e.g.

let null_string : string | null

By default the null is not allowed to be assigned without a union declaration.

Type assertions

You can assert types in one of two ways

let value: any = 5;

let fixedString: string =  (<number>value).toFixed(4);
console.log(fixedString); // 5.0000

or

let fixedString: string =  (value as number).toFixed(4);

Functions

Adding types

With typescript we can specify types e.g.

function funFunc(score: number, message1: string = "default ", message2?: string): string {
   return message1 + message2;
}

The ? means the parameters is option and the final colon shows the return value of the function

Arrow Functions or lamdas

These take the format of

parameters  => function body

e.g. For zero parameters

 let greeting = () =>  console.log("Hello world");
 greeting(); // Hello world

For 1 parameter

 let squareit = x => x * x;
 let result = squareit(4); // 16

For multiple parameters

 let adder = (a,b) = a + b;
 let sum = adder(2,3); // 5

The example below shows a function on array (filter) which takes a function as an argument where the arguments are element, index and original array.

var scores = [70,125,85,110, 10000];

var highscores = scores.filter((element, index, array) => {
    var result = false
    if (index === 0) {
        console.log("arrrrayyy", array)
        result = true;
    }
	if(element > 100) {
  	    result = true;
    }
    return result;
});

console.log("test");
console.log("iain", highscores);

Another example,

Without arrow function

function Book() {
  let self = this;
  self.publishDate = 2016;
  setInterval(function() {
    console.log(self.publishDate);
  }, 1000)  
}

With arrow function

function Book() {
  this.publishDate = 2016;
  setInterval(() = > {
    console.log(this.publishDate);
  }, 1000)  
}

function types (delegates)

You can assign functions with the same signatures to variables with typescript. E.g.

function logError(err: string) : void {
   console.error(err);
}

function logLog(err: string) : void {
   console.log(err);
}

let logger : (value: string) => void;

if(x === 1)
{
  logger = logError;
}
else
{
  logger = logLog;
}

logger('Score: ${x}');

Rest Parameters (params or variadic)

Example below

function GetBooksReadForCustomer(name: string, ...bookIDs: number[]) {

}

let books = GetBooksReadForCustomer('Bob', 1,2,3);

Function Overloads

You can declare several overloads for a function but implement just once. Not quite sure of the benefit but there you go.

function GetTitles(author: string) string[];
function GetTitles(author: boolean) string[];

function GetTitles(author: any) string[] {

  if(typeof bookProperty == 'string') {
    // do stuff
  }
  else if(typeof bookProperty == 'boolean') {
    // do stuff
  }
  return 'stuff';  
}

Custom types

Typescript supports classes and interfaces

Interfaces

Standard

Basic interfaces

interface Employee {
  name: string;
  title: string;
}

interface Manager extends Employee {
  department : string;
  numberOfEmployees: number;

  scheduleMeeting: (topic: string) => void;
}

let developer = {
  name: 'iain',
  title: 'GDB',
  editor: 'Visual Studio Code'
}

let newEmployee: Employee = developer;

Interface for Function types

Combining with function types

// Simple function
function CreateCustomerID(name: string, id: number): string {
  return name + id;
}

// Define an interface
interface StringGenerator {
  (chars: string, nums: number): string;
}

// Old way
let IdGenerator: (chars: string, nums: number) => string;
IdGenerator = CreateCustomerID;

// Improved way
let IdGenerator = StringGenerator;

Example

interface DamageLogger {
  (damage: string) : void;
}

let logDamage: DamageLogger;
logDamage = (damage: string) => console.log('Damage reported: ' + damage);
logDamage('coffee stains'); // Damage reported: coffee stains

Classes

Basic Stuff

Example below, default access is public

class Developer {

  department: string;
  private _title: string;
  
  get title(): string {
    return this._title;
  }

  set title(newTitle: string) {
    this._title = newTitle.toUppperCase();
  }

  // Static members and attributes exist
  static could_be_a_const: string = 'Hello me';
  static logMe() {
      console.log('Hello');
  }
}

// Extending
class WebDeveloper extends Developer {

   readonly favoriteEditor: string
   constructor(editor: string) {
      super();
      this.favoriteEditor = editor;
   }
}

// Abstract
class MyClass {

   abstract printStuff(): void;
}

Non C# Stuff

Initialise attribute without type

// C# ish
class Author {
  name: string;
  constructor(inName: string) {
     name = inName;
  }
}

// Typescript
class Author {
  constructor(public name: string) {
  }
}

Class Expression

You can create an expression of a class. E.g. implement an abstract on on the fly.

let Newspaper = class extends ReferenceItem {
  ImplementationOfAbstract: void {
    console.log('I am implemented now');
  }
}

let myPaper = new Newspaper('The Gazette', 2016);
myPaper.ImplementationOfAbstract();

Importing

To import typescript classes you can use the Triple-slash directive

/// <reference path="player.ts" />

Generics

Array

Array is a built in Generic e.g.

let Books : Book[]
// With Generic Array
let Books : Array<Book>

Functions

Much the same as c#

function LogAndReturn<T>)thing : T) : T {
   console.log(thing);
   return thing;
}

let someString : string = LogAndReturn<string>('log this');

Interfaces and Classes

Much the same as c# as well

interface Inventory<T> {
  getNewestItem:() => T;
  addItem: (newItem: T) => void;
  getAllItems: () => Array<T>;
}

class Catalog<T> implements Inventory<T> {
   private catalogItems = new Array<T>();
   addItem(newItem: T)_ {
     this.catalogItems.push(newItem);
   }
...
}

let bookCatalog = new Catalog<Book>();

Constraints

This is just for typescript I think

class Catalog<T extends CatalogItem> implements Inventory<T> {

  // Only types satisfying the extends constraint CatalogItem 
  // are allowed at compile time. Seems a bit constraining to me.
}

TypeScript Declaration Files

These are typescript wrappers for JavaScript libraries. This allows the typescript compiler to validate your usage.

These will have the extension .d.ts and you can find these on GitHub at definitely typed. Note these may sometimes be out of date.

Search here

npm allows you to install these using

npm install --save @types/lodash

Advanced

Destructuring

Like javascript

let medals : string[] = ['gold', 'silver', 'bronze']
let [first, second, third] = medals;

let person = {
  name: 'Audrey',
  address: '123 Main St',
  phone: '555:1212'
}

let {name, address, phone} = person

Spread Operator

Like javascript

Additional to other array

let newBookIDs = [10,20]
let allBookIDs = [1,2,3, ...newBookIDs] // 1,2,3,10,20

Intersection types

// Previously we had union types  on functions e.g.
function test(inArg : number | string) : void {

}

// Now we have Intersection types where all the members
// of the types are combined
function test() : Book & Magazine {
 
}

// So without publish which is a member of magazine it 
// will not compile as it checks all members exist
let serialNovel: Book & Magazine = {

  id; 100,
  title: 'The Gradual Tale',
  author: 'Occasional Pen'
  // publisher: 'Serial Press'
}

Mixins

Not sure if this is worthwhile. It seems to be a form of multiple inheritance similar to C++ which most people hate. The key thing is the applyMixins which copies the functions from the base classes to the new class and is "Magic"

// Disposable Mixin
class Disposable {
    isDisposed: boolean;
    dispose() {
        this.isDisposed = true;
    }

}

// Activatable Mixin
class Activatable {
    isActive: boolean;
    activate() {
        this.isActive = true;
    }
    deactivate() {
        this.isActive = false;
    }
}

class SmartObject {
    constructor() {
        setInterval(() => console.log(this.isActive + " : " + this.isDisposed), 500);
    }

    interact() {
        this.activate();
    }
}

interface SmartObject extends Disposable, Activatable {}
applyMixins(SmartObject, [Disposable, Activatable]);

let smartObj = new SmartObject();
setTimeout(() => smartObj.interact(), 1000);

////////////////////////////////////////
// In your runtime library somewhere
////////////////////////////////////////

function applyMixins(derivedCtor: any, baseCtors: any[]) {
    baseCtors.forEach(baseCtor => {
        Object.getOwnPropertyNames(baseCtor.prototype).forEach(name => {
            Object.defineProperty(derivedCtor.prototype, name, Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(baseCtor.prototype, name));
        });
    });
}

String Literal Types and Type Aliases

// Like enums
let empCategory: 'Manager' | 'Non-Manager'

// Type aliases
type EmployeeCategory = 'Manager' | 'Non-Manager'

Advanced Type Features

Polymorphic this

The this is referring to the type returned. e.g.

class Vehicle {
   Drive() {
      return this
   }
}

class Car extends Vehicle {
   CarryPeople() {
      return this
   }
}

class Truck extends Vehicle {
   CarryCargo() {
      return this
   }
}


let t = new Truck();
t.Drive() // returns a Truck object

Basically we are to understand that the this is the this of the type originally declared not the this of the function in this case Vehicle.

Declaration Merging

This looks like bad news. You can merge things which you declare without saying you are doing it but by just clashing with names e.g.

interface Book {
  id: number,
  author: string,
  category: Category
}

// By typing another they are merged by default

interface Book {
  identifier: number,
  writer: string
}

Maybe this is a better example where an extension is built on an existing class

import {UniversityLibrarian} from './classes'

declare module './classes' {
  interface UniversityLibrarian {
    phone: string;
    hostSeminar(topic: string): void;
  }
}

UniversityLibrarian.prototype.hostSeminar = function(topic) {
  console.log('Hosting a seminar on ' + topic)
}

Type Guards

typeof type guard

Protect code for correct type

if ( typeof x === 'string')
{
}
else if ( typeof x === 'number')
{
}

Allows types are

• string
• number
• boolean
• symbol

Custom type guard

You can write your own using

function isBook(text: Book | Magazine) : text is Book {
   return (<Book>text).author !== undefined
}

Symbols

The data type symbol is a primitive data type. The Symbol() function returns a value of type symbol, has static properties that expose several members of built-in objects, has static methods that expose the global symbol registry, and resembles a built-in object class, but is incomplete as a constructor because it does not support the syntax "new Symbol()".

May need to do some reading on this