How do I enumerate the properties of a JavaScript object? [duplicate]

Answer 1

Python's dict has 'keys' method, and that is really useful. I think in JavaScript we can have something this:

function keys(){
    var k = [];
    for(var p in this) {
        if(this.hasOwnProperty(p))
            k.push(p);
    }
    return k;
}
Object.defineProperty(Object.prototype, "keys", { value : keys, enumerable:false });

EDIT: But the answer of @carlos-ruana works very well. I tested Object.keys(window), and the result is what I expected.

EDIT after 5 years: it is not good idea to extend Object, because it can conflict with other libraries that may want to use keys on their objects and it will lead unpredictable behavior on your project. @carlos-ruana answer is the correct way to get keys of an object.

Answer 2

Simple JavaScript code:

for(var propertyName in myObject) {
   // propertyName is what you want.
   // You can get the value like this: myObject[propertyName]
}

jQuery:

jQuery.each(obj, function(key, value) {
   // key is what you want.
   // The value is in: value
});

Answer 3

I think an example of the case that has caught me by surprise is relevant:

var myObject = { name: "Cody", status: "Surprised" };
for (var propertyName in myObject) {
  document.writeln( propertyName + " : " + myObject[propertyName] );
}

But to my surprise, the output is

name : Cody
status : Surprised
forEach : function (obj, callback) {
    for (prop in obj) {
        if (obj.hasOwnProperty(prop) && typeof obj[prop] !== "function") {
            callback(prop);
        }
    }
}

Why? Another script on the page has extended the Object prototype:

Object.prototype.forEach = function (obj, callback) {
  for ( prop in obj ) {
    if ( obj.hasOwnProperty( prop ) && typeof obj[prop] !== "function" ) {
      callback( prop );
    }
  }
};

Answer 4

In modern browsers (ECMAScript 5) to get all enumerable properties you can do:

Object.keys(obj) (Check the link to get a snippet for backward compatibility on older browsers)

Or to get also non-enumerable properties:

Object.getOwnPropertyNames(obj)

Check ECMAScript 5 compatibility table

Additional info: What is a enumerable attribute?

Answer 5

I'm still a beginner in JavaScript, but I wrote a small function to recursively print all the properties of an object and its children:

getDescription(object, tabs) {
  var str = "{\n";
  for (var x in object) {
      str += Array(tabs + 2).join("\t") + x + ": ";
      if (typeof object[x] === 'object' && object[x]) {
        str += this.getDescription(object[x], tabs + 1);
      } else {
        str += object[x];
      }
      str += "\n";
  }
  str += Array(tabs + 1).join("\t") + "}";
  return str;
}

Answer 6

Simple enough:

for(var propertyName in myObject) {
   // propertyName is what you want
   // you can get the value like this: myObject[propertyName]
}

Now, you will not get private variables this way because they are not available.

---

EDIT: @bitwiseplatypus is correct that unless you use the hasOwnProperty() method, you will get properties that are inherited - however, I don't know why anyone familiar with object-oriented programming would expect anything less! Typically, someone that brings this up has been subjected to Douglas Crockford's warnings about this, which still confuse me a bit. Again, inheritance is a normal part of OO languages and is therefore part of JavaScript, notwithstanding it being prototypical.

Now, that said, hasOwnProperty() is useful for filtering, but we don't need to sound a warning as if there is something dangerous in getting inherited properties.

EDIT 2: @bitwiseplatypus brings up the situation that would occur should someone add properties/methods to your objects at a point in time later than when you originally wrote your objects (via its prototype) - while it is true that this might cause unexpected behavior, I personally don't see that as my problem entirely. Just a matter of opinion. Besides, what if I design things in such a way that I use prototypes during the construction of my objects and yet have code that iterates over the properties of the object and I want all inherited properties? I wouldn't use hasOwnProperty(). Then, let's say, someone adds new properties later. Is that my fault if things behave badly at that point? I don't think so. I think this is why jQuery, as an example, has specified ways of extending how it works (via jQuery.extend and jQuery.fn.extend).