Objects

JavaScript · 10 entries

Creating Objects

syntax

const obj = { key: value };
const obj = Object.create(proto);

example

const user = {
  name: "Kai",
  age: 30,
  greet() {
    return `Hi, I'm ${this.name}`;
  }
};
console.log(user.greet());

output

"Hi, I'm Kai"

Note Method shorthand greet() {} is preferred over greet: function() {}. Arrow functions should not be used as methods because they do not bind their own this.

create objectobject literaldefine objectobject with methods

Accessing Properties

syntax

obj.property
obj["property"]
obj[variable]

example

const config = { "max-retries": 3, timeout: 5000 };
console.log(config.timeout);          // 5000
console.log(config["max-retries"]);   // 3

const key = "timeout";
console.log(config[key]);             // 5000

Note Use bracket notation for dynamic keys or keys with special characters. Dot notation is cleaner for static, valid-identifier keys.

access object propertydot notationbracket notationdynamic property

Property Shorthand and Computed Keys

syntax

const obj = { name, [expression]: value };

example

const name = "Mira";
const role = "admin";
const user = { name, role };
console.log(user); // { name: "Mira", role: "admin" }

const field = "email";
const form = { [field]: "mira@example.com" };
console.log(form); // { email: "mira@example.com" }

Note Shorthand works when the variable name matches the desired key name. Computed keys are evaluated at runtime.

shorthand propertycomputed property keydynamic keyvariable as key

Object Destructuring in Function Parameters

syntax

function fn({ key1, key2 = default }) {}

example

function createUser({ name, role = "viewer", active = true }) {
  return { name, role, active, createdAt: Date.now() };
}

const admin = createUser({ name: "Bo", role: "admin" });
console.log(admin);

output

{ name: "Bo", role: "admin", active: true, createdAt: ... }

Note Destructuring in parameters makes function signatures self-documenting. Add = {} as a default to allow calling with no arguments: function fn({ x } = {}).

destructure function paramsnamed parametersoptions object pattern

Object.keys / values / entries

syntax

Object.keys(obj)
Object.values(obj)
Object.entries(obj)

example

const inventory = { apples: 5, bananas: 12, cherries: 30 };

console.log(Object.keys(inventory));    // ["apples", "bananas", "cherries"]
console.log(Object.values(inventory));  // [5, 12, 30]

for (const [fruit, count] of Object.entries(inventory)) {
  console.log(`${fruit}: ${count}`);
}

Note These only return own enumerable string-keyed properties. Symbol keys and inherited properties are excluded.

iterate objectobject keysobject valuesloop over objectobject to array

Merging Objects

syntax

Object.assign(target, ...sources)
{ ...obj1, ...obj2 }

example

const defaults = { theme: "light", lang: "en", debug: false };
const userPrefs = { theme: "dark", debug: true };

const settings = { ...defaults, ...userPrefs };
console.log(settings);

output

{ theme: "dark", lang: "en", debug: true }

Note Both approaches are shallow. Later sources overwrite earlier ones. Use structuredClone for deep merging or a library for recursive merge.

merge objectscombine objectsObject.assignspread mergeextend object

Freezing and Sealing Objects

syntax

Object.freeze(obj)
Object.seal(obj)
Object.isFrozen(obj)

example

const API = Object.freeze({
  BASE_URL: "https://api.example.com",
  VERSION: 2,
});
API.VERSION = 3;            // silently fails (throws in strict mode)
console.log(API.VERSION);   // 2

Note freeze() prevents all changes. seal() allows modifying existing properties but not adding/removing. Both are shallow -- nested objects remain mutable.

freeze objectimmutable objectprevent modificationObject.freezeObject.seal

Checking Property Existence

syntax

Object.hasOwn(obj, prop)
"prop" in obj

example

const user = { name: "Lina", age: 28 };

console.log(Object.hasOwn(user, "name")); // true
console.log(Object.hasOwn(user, "email")); // false
console.log("toString" in user);           // true (inherited)
console.log(Object.hasOwn(user, "toString")); // false

Note Object.hasOwn() (ES2022) replaces obj.hasOwnProperty(). It works even if the object was created with Object.create(null).

check property existshasOwnPropertyObject.hasOwnproperty checkin operator

Object.fromEntries()

syntax

Object.fromEntries(iterable)

example

const params = new URLSearchParams("page=2&sort=name&order=asc");
const queryObj = Object.fromEntries(params);
console.log(queryObj);

// Transform values
const prices = { shirt: 25, jacket: 120, cap: 15 };
const discounted = Object.fromEntries(
  Object.entries(prices).map(([item, price]) => [item, price * 0.9])
);
console.log(discounted);

output

{ page: "2", sort: "name", order: "asc" }
{ shirt: 22.5, jacket: 108, cap: 13.5 }

Note The inverse of Object.entries(). Takes any iterable of [key, value] pairs including Maps.

entries to objectObject.fromEntriesarray to objectmap to object

Deep Cloning Objects

syntax

structuredClone(obj)

example

const original = {
  user: { name: "Kai", tags: ["admin", "editor"] },
  updatedAt: new Date(),
};
const clone = structuredClone(original);
clone.user.tags.push("viewer");

console.log(original.user.tags); // ["admin", "editor"]

Note Handles circular references, Dates, Maps, Sets, ArrayBuffers, and more. Does NOT clone functions, Errors, or DOM nodes.

deep clone objectcopy nested objectstructuredClonedeep copy object