Object function returns function instead of value

Question

I have a really rookie question....

If I define a JS object, and I use a function to generate a property value, why does the property value return a function instead of the generated value?

Example:

var object = {
  bla: 1,
  days: [],
  test : function(){
    return 'bla';
  }
}

console.log(object.test);

I would expect object.test to be 'bla'. Instead it's function(){ return 'bla'; }... Why?

Tommaso Bertoni · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-03 15:09:18Z

6

you have to execute that function, in this way: console.log(object.test());
or, as pointed out by @YuriiKovalenko, you can write the function like this:

var object = {
  bla: 1,
  days: [],
  test : (function(){ return 'bla'; })()
}

and then console.log(object.test); will give you "bla"

edited Mar 3, 2015 at 15:09

answered Mar 3, 2015 at 15:03

Tommaso Bertoni

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3 Comments

Henk Over a year ago

Ok, great. And how can I rewrite it so that object.test will become 'bla'? Like, is it possible to automatically execute the function when looking up the value?

Tommaso Bertoni Over a year ago

if you want that, you could simply write: object.test = "bla", so when you access it like object.test it will return its value ("bla")

Yurii Kovalenko Over a year ago

@Henk , (function(){ return 'bla'; })()

henrily · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-03 15:05:11Z

1

Cause you set the value of object.test as a function in

var object = {
  bla: 1,
  days: [],
  test : function(){
    return 'bla';
  }
}

if you want to do so you have to get the value you have to execute object.test()

answered Mar 3, 2015 at 15:05

henrily

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