I have this string which I want to convert to an array:
var test = "{href:'one'},{href:'two'}";
So how can I convert this to an array?:
var new = [{href:'one'},{href:'two'}];
4 Answers
It depends where you got it from..
If possible you should correct it a bit to make it valid JSON syntax (at least in terms of the quotes)
var test = '{"href":"one"},{"href":"two"}';
var arr = JSON.parse('[' + test + ']');
Notice the " around both keys and values.
(making directly var test = '[{"href":"one"},{"href":"two"}]'; is even better)
2 Comments
Michael Berkowski
If it could be modified to be a bit more like JSON, hopefully it could be modified to be JSON and be an array to begin with.
Gabriele Petrioli
@MichaelBerkowski of'course :) i am just being easy on the OP
If you could modify the original string to be valid JSON then you could do this:
JSON.parse(test)
Valid JSON:
var test = '[{"href":"one"},{"href":"two"}]';
Comments
Using jQuery:
var str = '{"id":1,"name":"Test1"},{"id":2,"name":"Test2"}';
var jsonObj = $.parseJSON('[' + str + ']');
jsonObj is your JSON object.
1 Comment
Gabriele Petrioli
no need for jQuery. The JSON is natively supported in all browsers nowadays.. caniuse.com/json
If changing the string to be valid JSON is not an option, and you fully trust this string, and its origin then I would use eval:
var test = "{href:'one'},{href:'two'}";
var arr = eval("[" + test + "]");
On that last note, please be aware that, if this string is coming from the user, it would be possible for them to pass in malicious code that eval will happily execute.
As an extremely trivial example, consider this
var test = "(function(){ window.jQuery = undefined; })()";
var arr = eval("[" + test + "]");
Bam, jQuery is wiped out.
Demonstrated here
1 Comment
unknowndomain
But be careful about where the input is coming from.
[](by concatenation) thenJSON.parse()it if you're sure the rest is properly formed. ( it isn't though, as the propertieshrefare not quoted)JSON.parse('[' + '{"href":"one"},{"href":"two"}' + ']')But why not construct it properly at the start itself rather than postprocessing some invalid JSON.newis a keyword and cannot be used as the name of a variable..