Unraveling JavaScript Object Literal Strings that resemble JSON

Question

Unraveling JavaScript Object Literal Strings that resemble JSON

I'm encountering difficulty with decoding an array of strings that I initially thought were in JSON format.

var result = [
  "{gene: 'PEX2', go_bp: '0.766500871709', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}",
  "{gene: 'PEX5', go_bp: '0.766472586087', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}",
  "{gene: 'PEX7', go_bp: '0.766386859737', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}"
];

These are three instances of gene-related strings represented as JavaScript object literals, contained within a string. How can these be decoded?

My attempt to use JSON.parse resulted in an error:

for (var i = 0; i < result.length; i++) 
    console.log(JSON.parse(result[i]));

The error message received was:

Uncaught SyntaxError: Unexpected token g

.

Is there a more straightforward solution for this issue?

javascript json

Answer 1

Answer №1

One way to utilize valid javascript is to employ the Function() method in order to generate a fresh instance of the object through the creation and immediate execution of an anonymous function. This approach differs from using eval() as it eliminates the need to declare a variable and assign the object literal within the string supplied to eval - streamlining the process into a single line.

var data = [
    "{name: 'apple', color: 'red', price: '$1'}",
    "{name: 'banana', color: 'yellow', price: '$0.50'}",
    "{name: 'orange', color: 'orange', price: '$1.25'}"
];

for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
    // create function to return obj literal
    // and execute immediately.
    var newObj = new Function( 'return ' + data[i] + ';' )();
    document.write('Name: ' + newObj.name + ' <br />');
}

Answer 2

One way to utilize valid javascript is to employ the Function() method in order to generate a fresh instance of the object through the creation and immediate execution of an anonymous function. This approach differs from using eval() as it eliminates the need to declare a variable and assign the object literal within the string supplied to eval - streamlining the process into a single line.

var data = [
    "{name: 'apple', color: 'red', price: '$1'}",
    "{name: 'banana', color: 'yellow', price: '$0.50'}",
    "{name: 'orange', color: 'orange', price: '$1.25'}"
];

for (var i = 0; i < data.length; i++) {
    // create function to return obj literal
    // and execute immediately.
    var newObj = new Function( 'return ' + data[i] + ';' )();
    document.write('Name: ' + newObj.name + ' <br />');
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

If you have some data that looks like JavaScript objects in text format instead of JSON, you can easily convert them into JavaScript objects using the eval() function:

    var result = [
      "{gene: 'PEX2', go_bp: '0.766500871709', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}",
      "{gene: 'PEX5', go_bp: '0.766472586087', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}",
      "{gene: 'PEX7', go_bp: '0.766386859737', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}"
    ];

    var f;
    for (var i = 0; i < result.length; i++) {
        eval("f = "+result[i]);
        console.log(f.gene);
    }

Please note that while eval is generally considered risky, it should be safe to use in this specific case as long as you are confident that the source array contains only data and no malicious code.

Answer 4

If you have some data that looks like JavaScript objects in text format instead of JSON, you can easily convert them into JavaScript objects using the eval() function:

    var result = [
      "{gene: 'PEX2', go_bp: '0.766500871709', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}",
      "{gene: 'PEX5', go_bp: '0.766472586087', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}",
      "{gene: 'PEX7', go_bp: '0.766386859737', CombinedPvalue: '9.999999995E-4'}"
    ];

    var f;
    for (var i = 0; i < result.length; i++) {
        eval("f = "+result[i]);
        console.log(f.gene);
    }

Please note that while eval is generally considered risky, it should be safe to use in this specific case as long as you are confident that the source array contains only data and no malicious code.

Answer 5

Answer №3

Remember, when using JSON format, make sure to always include double quotes around property names. Your current data does not follow this rule, making it invalid JSON.

Additionally, be sure to use double quotes for values instead of single quotes.

Here's an example of properly formatted JSON:

   '{"gene": "PEX2", "go_bp": "0.766500871709", "CombinedPvalue": "9.999999995E-4"}',

Answer 6

Remember, when using JSON format, make sure to always include double quotes around property names. Your current data does not follow this rule, making it invalid JSON.

Additionally, be sure to use double quotes for values instead of single quotes.

Here's an example of properly formatted JSON:

   '{"gene": "PEX2", "go_bp": "0.766500871709", "CombinedPvalue": "9.999999995E-4"}',

Unraveling JavaScript Object Literal Strings that resemble JSON

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

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