Re: Can you prototype the XML literal exposed in E4X?

Lucky wrote:

> var xml = <sample/>;
> 
> can i prototype the resultant document?

E4X does not know documents, it has XML objects and XMLList objects (and 
even does a lot to prevent you from distinguishing those). XML objects 
then can have different node kind, element, comment, processing 
instruction, attribute.
In your sample above xml is simply an XML object for which 
xml.nodeKind() gives 'element'. It is
   xml instanceof XML
however.

E4X as currently specified is a bit broken when it comes to prototype 
inheritance and the ability to add methods for instance as you can do 
with other native objects. But Brendan has introduced a special 
namespace named function in Spidermonkey, the JavaScript engine in 
Mozilla, and that way you could do e.g.

var xml = <sample/>;
XML.prototype.function::praise = function () {
   alert('Kibology for all!\r\n' + this.toXMLString());
};
xml.praise()

in Firefox 1.5/Mozilla 1.8.

-- 

	Martin Honnen
	http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/