Javascript Objects

JavaScript objects are containers for named values, called properties and methods.

An example JavaScript object:

let car = {
  maker: "Toyota",
  model: "Camry",
  year: 2020,
  startEngine: function() {
    return "Engine started";
  }
};

maker, model, and year are properties of the car object, and startEngine is a method. You can access the properties using dot notation (e.g., car.maker) or bracket notation (e.g., car["maker"]), and you can call the method like this: car.startEngine().

Object Declaration

You can declare an object in a few different ways:

1. Object Literal Syntax: This is the most common way to create an object in JavaScript. You simply define the property and value within curly braces {}.

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

2. Object Constructor: This is another way to create an object but it’s not as commonly used as the literal syntax.

let obj = new Object();
obj.key1 = 'value1';
obj.key2 = 'value2';
obj.key3 = 'value3';

3. Constructor Function: If you need to create multiple objects with the same structure, you can use a constructor function.

function MyObject(key1, key2, key3) {
  this.key1 = key1;
  this.key2 = key2;
  this.key3 = key3;
}

let obj = new MyObject('value1', 'value2', 'value3');

In all these examples, obj is an object with properties key1, key2, and key3.

Object Properties

You can read an object property using either dot notation or bracket notation.

1. Dot Notation:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

console.log(obj.key1); // Outputs: 'value1'

2. Bracket Notation:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

console.log(obj['key1']); // Outputs: 'value1'

In both examples, we’re reading the property key1 from the object obj.

Updating Object Properties

Update the properties of an object using either dot notation or bracket notation.

1. Dot Notation:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

obj.key1 = 'new value1';
console.log(obj.key1); // Outputs: 'new value1'

2. Bracket Notation:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

obj['key1'] = 'new value1';
console.log(obj['key1']); // Outputs: 'new value1'

In both cases, we’re updating the property key1 of the object obj to a new value.

Adding Object Properties

Add properties to an object after it has been created. This can be done using either dot notation or bracket notation.

1. Dot Notation:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2'
};

obj.key3 = 'value3';
console.log(obj.key3); // Outputs: 'value3'

2. Bracket Notation:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2'
};

obj['key3'] = 'value3';
console.log(obj['key3']); // Outputs: 'value3'

In both examples, we’re adding a new property key3 to the object obj.

Deleting Object Properties

In JavaScript, you can delete properties from an object using the delete operator:

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

delete obj.key1;
console.log(obj.key1); // Outputs: undefined

We’re deleting the property key1 from the object obj. After the deletion, when we try to access obj.key1, it returns undefined because the property no longer exists.

Checking if a Property Exists

You can check if a property exists in an object using several methods:

1. The in operator: This returns true if the property exists in the object.

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2'
};

console.log('key1' in obj); // Outputs: true
console.log('key3' in obj); // Outputs: false

2. The hasOwnProperty method: This returns true if the object has the specified property as its own property (not inherited).

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2'
};

console.log(obj.hasOwnProperty('key1')); // Outputs: true
console.log(obj.hasOwnProperty('key3')); // Outputs: false

3. Direct property access: This checks if the property value is undefined. However, this method can give false negatives if the property exists but its value is set to undefined.

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2'
};

console.log(obj.key1 !== undefined); // Outputs: true
console.log(obj.key3 !== undefined); // Outputs: false

Iterating Over Object Properties

Iterate over an object’s properties using a for...in loop.

let obj = {
  key1: 'value1',
  key2: 'value2',
  key3: 'value3'
};

for (let key in obj) {
  if (obj.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
    console.log(key + ': ' + obj[key]);
  }
}

The for...in loop iterates over each property in the object obj. The hasOwnProperty method is used to ensure that the property belongs to the object itself and not its prototype chain. The output will be:

key1: value1
key2: value2
key3: value3

Object Methods

Objects can have methods. Methods are functions that are stored as object properties.

let obj = {
  property1: 'value1',
  property2: 'value2',
  myMethod: function() {
    console.log('This is a method!');
  }
};

// Call the method
obj.myMethod(); // Outputs: 'This is a method!'

myMethod is a method of the object obj. You can call it using the object name followed by the method name.

You can also use the this keyword in methods to refer to the object:

let obj = {
  property1: 'value1',
  property2: 'value2',
  myMethod: function() {
    console.log('Property1 is ' + this.property1);
  }
};

// Call the method
obj.myMethod(); // Outputs: 'Property1 is value1'

this.property1 within the method refers to the property1 of the object obj.