Why is the line 'Dog.prototype.constructor = Dog' important?
function Animal(name) {
this.name = name;
}
Animal.prototype.speak = function() {
return `${this.name} makes a noise`;
};
function Dog(name) {
Animal.call(this, name);
}
Dog.prototype = Object.create(Animal.prototype);
Dog.prototype.constructor = Dog;
Dog.prototype.speak = function() {
return `${this.name} barks`;
};
Setting Dog.prototype.constructor = Dog is important because: 1) When we assign Dog.prototype = Object.create(Animal.prototype), the constructor property is lost, 2) The constructor property should point back to the function that created the object, 3) It ensures that dog.constructor === Dog works correctly, 4) It makes instanceof operator work as expected, 5) It allows new dog.constructor() to create a new Dog instance, 6) It maintains proper object metadata for debugging and introspection purposes. Without this line, dog.constructor would incorrectly point to Animal.