Forays into JavaScript development: Aptana -- JavaScript plug-in for eclipse

As I have been reintroducing myself to JavaScript development I have been on the prowl for any good JavaScript editors and I think I may have found one. It is an eclipse plug-in called aptana. Some of the features it provides are:

• Syntax Highlighting


• Code Completion (In a single JavaScript file or across multiple in the same folder)… NOTE: JSDT allows code completion within a single file, but breaks down when you have multiple JavaScript files.


• Validation


• Support for jQuery, Prototype, YUI, Dojo, etc

I have found that it does work well, but there are some caveats when it comes to code completion. In general it requires that you format your classes in a particular way in order for code completion to work properly. For example when using a namespace (without a class (JSON style)) the following works (when you have one JavaScript file or multiple):

Example #1 that works

var foo = {
     myMethod: function(){
     },
     anotherMehtod: function(){
     }
}

Also, if you setup all of your methods to be global then it will pick up those methods as well (not recommended).
Another way you can do it is to create a class such as:

Example #2 that works

function foo() {
}
function bar(a, b){
};
foo.prototype.b = bar;
var x = new foo();
x.b

In the above example the key parts to recognize is that you have to define the class and function separately and then relate them using prototype as in foo.prototype.b = bar, where b will be the name of the method when accessing it via the class and bar is the name of the original method. Although I don’t like the extra work required to setup the class, since it provides me with code completion (a feature I dearly love) I find the pain to be sufferable.
So now that I have told you what works, what doesn’t work when declaring namespaces and functions? I have provided examples of those below:

Example #1 that doesn’t work

var foo = new function(value){                  
    this.myMethod= function(){                 
    }
}

Example #2 that doesn’t work

function foo(value){                                
    this.myMethod= function(){              
    }
}

Example #3 that doesn’t work

var foo = new function() {
}
function bar(a, b){
};
foo.prototype.b = bar;
var x = new foo();
x.b