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In real life, a car is an object
In real life, a car is an object.
A car has properties like weight and color, and methods like start and stop:
Object | Properties | Methods |
---|---|---|
car.name = Fiat car.model = 500 car.weight = 850kg car.color = white |
car.start() car.drive() car.brake() car.stop() |
All cars have the same properties, but the property values differ from car to car.
All cars have the same methods, but the methods are performed at different times.
You have already learned that JavaScript variables are containers for data values.
This code assigns a simple value (Fiat) to a variable named car:
let car = "Fiat";
Objects are variables too. But objects can contain many values.
This code assigns many values (Fiat, 500, white) to a variable named car:
const car = {type:"Fiat", model:"500", color:"white"};
The values are written as name:value pairs (name and value separated by a colon).
It is a common practice to declare objects with the const keyword.
Learn more about using const with objects in the chapter: JS Const.
You define (and create) a JavaScript object with an object literal:
const person = {firstName:"John", lastName:"Doe", age:50, eyeColor:"blue"};
Spaces and line breaks are not important. An object definition can span multiple lines:
const person = {
firstName: "John",
lastName: "Doe",
age: 50,
eyeColor: "blue"
};
The name:values pairs in JavaScript objects are called properties:
Property | Property Value |
---|---|
firstName | John |
lastName | Doe |
age | 50 |
eyeColor | blue |
You can access object properties in two ways:
objectName.propertyName
or
objectName["propertyName"]
person.lastName;
person["lastName"];
JavaScript objects are containers for named values called properties.
Objects can also have methods.
Methods are actions that can be performed on objects.
Methods are stored in properties as function definitions.
Property | Property Value |
---|---|
firstName | John |
lastName | Doe |
age | 50 |
eyeColor | blue |
fullName | function() {return this.firstName + " " + this.lastName;} |
A method is a function stored as a property.
const person = {
firstName: "John",
lastName : "Doe",
id : 5566,
fullName : function() {
return this.firstName + " " + this.lastName;
}
};
In the example above, this
refers to the person object.
I.E. this.firstName means the firstName property of this.
I.E. this.firstName means the firstName property of person.
In JavaScript, the this
keyword refers to an object.
this
is being invoked (used or called).
The this
keyword refers to different objects depending on how it is used:
In an object method, this refers to the object. |
Alone, this refers to the global object. |
In a function, this refers to the global object. |
In a function, in strict mode, this is undefined . |
In an event, this refers to the element that received the event. |
Methods like call() , apply() ,
and bind() can refer this to any object. |
this
is not a variable. It is a keyword. You cannot change the value of this
.
In a function definition, this
refers to the "owner" of the function.
In the example above, this
is the person object that "owns" the
fullName
function.
In other words, this.firstName
means the firstName
property of this object.
Learn more about this
in The JavaScript this Tutorial.
You access an object method with the following syntax:
objectName.methodName()
name = person.fullName();
If you access a method without the () parentheses, it will return the function definition:
name = person.fullName;
When a JavaScript variable is declared with the keyword "new
", the variable is
created as
an object:
x = new String(); // Declares x as a String object
y = new Number(); // Declares y as a Number object
z = new Boolean(); // Declares z as a Boolean object
Avoid String
, Number
, and Boolean
objects. They complicate your code and slow down
execution speed.
You will learn more about objects later in this tutorial.
Alert "John"
by extracting information from the person
object.
const person = { firstName: "John", lastName: "Doe" }; alert();