Extension methods in TypeScript

/* 18/1 2013Update Remember Extension methods are code smell, so use it only where it really make sense.
Good blog post about Extension methods why its code smell http://www.daedtech.com/why-i-dont-like-c-extension-methods   
*/

When working with strings it’s likely that you’ve had to check if the string is null or empty, and
Thats no different in TypeScript.

I thougt of making an extension method for StringIsNullOrEmpty, but could not fine any documentation on this.

I know that TypeScript interfaces are open ended, so I extended the String interface like this

    interface String {
        StringIsNullOrEmpty: () => bool;
    }

Then I just need to found out how to inplement it, and used prototype for this.

    String.prototype.StringIsNullOrEmpty = () : bool{
        return this == null || this.length == 0;
    }

This works fine, but I'm not sure this is the correct way of doing this, so if you know a better way please leave a comment.

I have encapsulated the inteface and all my prototypes into a module called StringExtensions

module StringExtensions {
    interface String {
        StringIsNullOrEmpty: () => bool;
    }

    String.prototype.StringIsNullOrEmpty = () : bool{
        return this == null || this.length == 0;
    }
}

Here is a litle jasmine test.

describe("StringExtensions methods tests", () => {

    it("Given an empty string should return true", () => {

        // Fixture setup       

        var sut = "";

        // Exercise system               

        var expected = true;

        // Verify outcome

        expect(sut.StringIsNullOrEmpty()).toEqual(expected);

        // Teardown

    });   
});