Note: This is part of Javascript learning roadmap.

• the only reference data type in JS (var obj –  holds the reference to that object)
  • all other reference types inherit from Object (including function)
• represented in memory as a dictionary – unordered list of primitive data types (and sometimes reference data types) stored as a series of name-value pairs
• trying to access a property which does not exist will result in undefined (not null)

 

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Object Properties

• property names can be any string, including empty
• if the property name is a valid JS identifier, it can be accessed with ‘.’ – car.name
• if property name is not a valid JS identifier (ex number, empty string) – it can be accessed only via ‘[]’ – car[0], car[‘’], car[‘!’]
• each data property (object property that store data) has not only the name-value pair, but also 3 attributes (the three attributes are set to true by default):
  • 
Configurable Attribute: Specifies whether the property can be deleted or changed
  • Enumerable: Specifies whether the property can be returned in a for/in loop. (or if it can be serialized)
  • Writable: Specifies whether the property can be changed

 

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Creating objects

• object literals

// This is an empty object initialized using the object literal notation
var obj = {} 

// This is an object with 4 items, again using object literal
var mango = {
  color: "yellow",
  shape: "round" 
  sweetness: 8
  isMango: function() {
      return true; // of course it's mango
  }
}

• Object constructor

var obj = new Object() // not recommended

• Constructor and Prototype Pattern (will be cover in a separate article)

 

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Own and inherited properties

•  own properties are properties defined on the object
•  inherited properties were inherited from the object’s Prototype object
•  for checking if a certain property exist on an object (either as an inherited or an own property), you use the in operator
• for checking if an object has a specific property as one of its own property, the hasOwnProperty() method can be used

 

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Delete property

• delete operator
• can’t delete inherited properties or properties with their attributes set to configurable

 

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Serialize objects

Json.stringify(obj)

 

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Deserialize objects

var obj = JSON.parse(string)

 

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Enumerate the properties of an object

• for…in loops
  • This method traverses all enumerable properties of an object and its prototype chain
• Object.keys(o) 
  • This method returns an array with all the own (not in the prototype chain) enumerable properties’ names (“keys”) of an object o.
• Object.getOwnPropertyNames(o) 
  • This method returns an array containing all own properties’ names (enumerable or not) of an object o.

 

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Creating getters and setters

• JS allows declaring them either at initialization (in object literal) or after initialization
• object literal:

var o={
  a:7,
  get b() { return this.a+1; },
  set c(x) { this.a = x/2; }
};

• after object initialization

var o = {a: 0};
Object.defineProperties(o, {
   'b': { get: function()  { return this.a + 1;} },
   'c': { set: function(x) { this.a = x / 2;} }
});
o.c = 10; // Runs the setter, which assigns 10 / 2 (5) to the 'a' property
console.log(o.b); // Runs the getter, which yields a + 1 or 6

 

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• Javascript