Custom Events Model without using DOM events in JavaScript

You can simply create a new EventTarget instance like some have suggested without having to create a DOM object, like so:

const target = new EventTarget();
target.addEventListener('customEvent', console.log);
target.dispatchEvent(new Event('customEvent'));

This provides all the functionality you're used to with DOM events and doesn't require an empty document element or node to be created.

See the Mozilla Developer Guide for more information: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/EventTarget

Update: This approach is only valid for old browsers. For newer browsers it is better to use the EventTarget class. See Nadeem Douba's answer for details.

If you don't want to implement your own event handling mechanisms, you might like my approach. You'll get all the features you know from usual DOM Events (preventDefault() for example) and I think it's more lightweight, because it uses the already implemented DOM event handling capabilities of the browser.

Just create a normal DOM EventTarget object in the constructor of your object and pass all EventTarget interface calls to the DOM EventTarget object:

var MyEventTarget = function(options) {
    // Create a DOM EventTarget object
    var target = document.createTextNode(null);

    // Pass EventTarget interface calls to DOM EventTarget object
    this.addEventListener = target.addEventListener.bind(target);
    this.removeEventListener = target.removeEventListener.bind(target);
    this.dispatchEvent = target.dispatchEvent.bind(target);

    // Room your your constructor code 
}

// Create an instance of your event target
myTarget = new MyEventTarget();
// Add an event listener to your event target
myTarget.addEventListener("myevent", function(){alert("hello")});
// Dispatch an event from your event target
var evt = new Event('myevent');
myTarget.dispatchEvent(evt);

There is also a JSFiddle snippet to test it with your browser.

Necroposting a little here, but I just wrote something like this last night - super simple, and based off of Backbone.js Events module:

EventDispatcher = {

    events: {},

    on: function(event, callback) {
        var handlers = this.events[event] || [];
        handlers.push(callback);
        this.events[event] = handlers;
    },

    trigger: function(event, data) {
        var handlers = this.events[event];

        if (!handlers || handlers.length < 1)
            return;

        [].forEach.call(handlers, function(handler){
            handler(data);
        });
    }
};

This approach is incredibly simple and extensible, allowing you to build a more sophisticated event system on top of it if you need.

Using the EventDispatcher is as simple as:

function initializeListeners() {
    EventDispatcher.on('fire', fire); // fire.bind(this) -- if necessary
}

function fire(x) {
    console.log(x);
}

function thingHappened(thing) {
    EventDispatcher.trigger('fire', thing);
}

With some simple namespacing, you'll be able to pass basic events between modules with ease!

You can do it using JQuery.

For subscribing to your custom event:

$(computer.keyboard).on('keyEscape', function(e){
    //Handler code
});

For throwing your custom event:

$(computer.keyboard).trigger('keyEscape', {keyCode:'Blah blah'});

Might be not the nicest way to do this, but you also can create functions in your method (addEventListener, dispatchEvent,...) that will wrap JQuery logic, to support both native looking api and JQuery.

Most likely, you need an event mechanism as a medium of communication among several objects.

Heres how you can achieve that:

/**
 * EventfulObject constructor/base.
 * @type EventfulObject_L7.EventfulObjectConstructor|Function
 */
var EventfulObject = function() {
  /**
   * Map from event name to a list of subscribers.
   * @type Object
   */
  var event = {};
  /**
   * List of all instances of the EventfulObject type.
   * @type Array
   */
  var instances = [];
  /**
   * @returns {EventfulObject_L1.EventfulObjectConstructor} An `EventfulObject`.
   */
  var EventfulObjectConstructor = function() {
    instances.push(this);
  };
  EventfulObjectConstructor.prototype = {
    /**
     * Broadcasts an event of the given name.
     * All instances that wish to receive a broadcast must implement the `receiveBroadcast` method, the event that is being broadcast will be passed to the implementation.
     * @param {String} name Event name.
     * @returns {undefined}
     */
    broadcast: function(name) {
      instances.forEach(function(instance) {
        (instance.hasOwnProperty("receiveBroadcast") && typeof instance["receiveBroadcast"] === "function") &&
        instance["receiveBroadcast"](name);
      });
    },
    /**
     * Emits an event of the given name only to instances that are subscribed to it.
     * @param {String} name Event name.
     * @returns {undefined}
     */
    emit: function(name) {
      event.hasOwnProperty(name) && event[name].forEach(function(subscription) {
        subscription.process.call(subscription.context);
      });
    },
    /**
     * Registers the given action as a listener to the named event.
     * This method will first create an event identified by the given name if one does not exist already.
     * @param {String} name Event name.
     * @param {Function} action Listener.
     * @returns {Function} A deregistration function for this listener.
     */
    on: function(name, action) {
      event.hasOwnProperty(name) || (event[name] = []);
      event[name].push({
        context: this,
        process: action
      });

      var subscriptionIndex = event[name].length - 1;

      return function() {
        event[name].splice(subscriptionIndex, 1);
      };
    }
  };

  return EventfulObjectConstructor;
}();

var Model = function(id) {
  EventfulObject.call(this);
  this.id = id;
  this.receiveBroadcast = function(name) {
    console.log("I smell another " + name + "; and I'm model " + this.id);
  };
};
Model.prototype = Object.create(EventfulObject.prototype);
Model.prototype.constructor = Model;

// ---------- TEST AND USAGE (hopefully it's clear enough...)
// ---------- note: I'm not testing event deregistration.

var ob1 = new EventfulObject();
ob1.on("crap", function() {
  console.log("Speaking about craps on a broadcast? - Count me out!");
});

var model1 = new Model(1);

var model2 = new Model(2);
model2.on("bust", function() {
  console.log("I'm model2 and I'm busting!");
});

var ob2 = new EventfulObject();
ob2.on("bust", function() {
  console.log("I'm ob2 - busted!!!");
});
ob2.receiveBroadcast = function() {
  console.log("If it zips, I'll catch it. - That's me ob2.");
};

console.log("start:BROADCAST\n---------------");
model1.broadcast("crap");
console.log("end  :BROADCAST\n---------------\n-\n-\n");
console.log("start:EMIT\n---------------");
ob1.emit("bust");
console.log("end:EMIT\n---------------");

<h1>...THE SHOW IS ON YOUR CONSOLE!</h1>

Since I came across this question almost 10 years later, a lot has changed in the browser/javascript world since most answers were given.

Here are my two cents for those of us who use Javascript module imports/exports:

// eventbus.js

class EventBus {
    constructor() {
        this.events = {};
    }

    on(type, callback) {
        if (!this.events[type]) {
            this.events[type] = [];
        }

        this.events[type].push(callback);
    }

    off(type, callback) {
        if (!this.events[type]) {
            return;
        }

        this.events[type] = this.events[type].filter(listener => listener !== callback);
    }

    dispatch(type, data) {
        if (!this.events[type]) {
            return;
        }

        this.events[type].forEach(listener => listener(data));
    }
}

export const eventbus = new EventBus();

// somefile.js
import {eventbus} from './eventbus';

// Somewhere in a method/click callback/etc..
eventbus.dispatch('fire', {message: 'Fire in the hole!'});

// otherfile.js
import {eventbus} from './eventbus';

eventbus.on('fire', data => {
    console.log(data.message); // logs 'Fire in the hole!'
});

Here is a simple extension of Mohsen's answer, presented as a clear and short example.

All his React functions are encapsulated into one React(), added a function removeEventListener(), and whole example is presented as one HTML file (or see it on JSFiddle).

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>

<head>
    <meta charset=utf-8 />
    <title>JS Bin</title>
    <!--https://jsfiddle.net/romleon/qs26o3p8/-->
</head>

<body>
    <script>
        function Reactor() {
            function Event(name) {
                this.name = name;
                this.callbacks = [];
            }
            Event.prototype.registerCallback = function(callback) {
                this.callbacks.push(callback);
            };
            Event.prototype.unregisterCallback = function(callback) {
                var array = this.callbacks,
                    index = array.indexOf(callback);
                if (index > -1)
                    array.splice(index, 1);
            }
            this.events = {};

            this.registerEvent = function(eventName) {
                var event = new Event(eventName);
                this.events[eventName] = event;
            };
            this.dispatchEvent = function(eventName, eventArgs) {
                var events = this.events
                if (events[eventName]) {
                    events[eventName].callbacks.forEach(function(callback) {
                        callback(eventArgs);
                    });
                }
                else
                    console.error("WARNING: can't dispatch " + '"' + eventName + '"')
            };
            this.addEventListener = function(eventName, callback) {
                this.events[eventName].registerCallback(callback);
            };

            this.removeEventListener = function(eventName, callback) {
                var events = this.events
                if (events[eventName]) {
                    events[eventName].unregisterCallback(callback);
                    delete events[eventName];
                }
                else
                    console.error("ERROR: can't delete " + '"' + eventName + '"')
            };
        }
/*
    demo of creating
*/
        var reactor = new Reactor();

        reactor.registerEvent('big bang');
        reactor.registerEvent('second bang');

/*
    demo of using
*/
        log("-- add 2 event's listeners for 'big bang' and 1 for 'second bang'")
        var callback1 = function() {
            log('This is big bang listener')
        }
        reactor.addEventListener('big bang', callback1);

        reactor.addEventListener('big bang', function() {
            log('This is another big bang listener')
        });

        reactor.addEventListener('second bang', function() {
            log('This is second bang!')
        });

        log("-- dipatch 'big bang' and 'second bang'")
        reactor.dispatchEvent('big bang');
        reactor.dispatchEvent('second bang');

        log("-- remove first listener (with callback1)")
        reactor.removeEventListener('big bang', callback1);

        log("-- dipatch 'big bang' and 'second bang' again")
        reactor.dispatchEvent('big bang');
        reactor.dispatchEvent('second bang');

        function log(txt) {
            document.body.innerHTML += txt + '<br/>'
            console.log(txt)
        }
    </script>
</body>

</html>