Use a variable as attribute for an object, how to?

Question

For the following tree

var items = {
  'drinks': [
    {
      'name': 'coke',
      'sugar': '1000'
    },
    {
      'name': 'pepsi',
      'sugar': '900'
    }
  ]
};

Is there a way to do something like

function get_values(data) {
  var items = JSON.parse(items)
  return items.data[0].name;
}
get_values('drinks');

Alnitak · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-09 12:22:08Z

3

If you wish to use the contents of a variable as the accessor for a property, you must use array syntax:

myObject[myKey]

In your case, you need something like:

var items = JSON.parse(items)

function get_values(data) {
    return items[data][0].name;
}

get_values('drinks');  // returns "coke"

Note that this is specifically only returning the name of the first element in the array items.drinks.

answered Mar 9, 2012 at 12:22

Alnitak

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Comments

Mathias Bynens · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-09 12:17:41Z

2

Simply access the property value based on its name.

Using bracket notation:

items['drinks'];

items.drinks;

answered Mar 9, 2012 at 12:17

Mathias Bynens

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Mārtiņš Briedis · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-09 12:18:27Z

0

You can access an object as an associative array too.

console.log(items['drinks']);

answered Mar 9, 2012 at 12:18

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there's no such thing as a "JSON object".