How to decode HTML entities

Question

I have string variable with HTML entities:

var str = 'Some text & text';

I want to convert (decode) it to original characters:

Some text & text.

JavaScript doesn't have built-in function to achieve wanted result. I can't use jQuery or DOM objects because I need it to work in Google Apps Script.

How can I do that in simple way?

score 21 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 10 '21 at 16:18

21

You can use built-in Xml Services (reference):

var str = 'Some text &#x26; text';
var decode = XmlService.parse('<d>' + str + '</d>');
var strDecoded = decode.getRootElement().getText();

or you can use built-in E4X XML class.

var str = 'Some text &#x26; text';
var decode = new XML('<d>' + str + '</d>');
var strDecoded = decode.toString();

edited Jun 10 '21 at 16:18

Brent Robertson

51
5

answered Jul 06 '12 at 16:17

rik

491
3
10

thanks for sharing this awesome hack! :) is there a way to go the other i.e. convert special characters in a string to their corresponding html entities? Thanks! :) – Saqib Ali Jan 03 '13 at 02:29
1

@Hafez `Xml.parse` has been replaced with [`XmlService.parse`](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/xml-service/xml-service#parse(String)). – Nov 30 '16 at 16:03

vstepaniuk · Answer 2 · 2023-08-27T12:47:02.330

First you need to create a temporary Google Doc and get its docid

Then you need to enable the Drive API Advanced Service

Then you use the following code:

function htmltotext() {
  
  var html = 'Your <b>HTML</b> code &#x26; entities';
  var blob = HtmlService.createHtmlOutput(html).getBlob();

  var docid = 'Your doc id here';

  Drive.Files.update('',docid,blob);

  var doc = DocumentApp.openById(docid);
  var text = doc.getBody().getText();
  doc.saveAndClose();

  Logger.log(text);
  return text;
}

How to decode HTML entities

2 Answers2

Linked