If you don’t already know about Namespaces, Here’s a quick primer.

A namespace is a unique identifier for a particular library or collection of objects.  Namespaces are used to prevent conflicts between various libraries and to simplify debugging.

Traditionally Namespaces are defined using the unique name of a given project or library followed by a subsequent functional grouping i.e. (Yahoo.Util).  There is also a tradition from the Java community of defining namespaces & packages using reverse URL notation i.e. (com.ajaxbestiary.libraryname)  I’ve found this notation to be too cumbersome for most Ajax projects.

Abbreviating Namespaces 

Some developers prefer to abbreviate namespaces using a shorthand variable notation ie (var yu = Yahoo.Util).  This technique should be used quite carefully as it can lead to conflicts and confusion in multi-library & multi-person development.  My recommendation is that any abbreviations be standardized upon across all development within an organization.

Over the next few days I will be exploring the use of namespaces in common Ajax toolkits.

• Javascript Testing with Test from Javascript MVC
• DamnIT Remote Javscript Error Reporting
• Javascript Best Practices: parseInt( x, 10 );
• Streamline jQuery Debugging with Firebug Logging
• Great Article on Ajax Interface Construction & Best Practices
• Standardizing On A Framework