How do I access or replicate string value of an object?

Question

For example, I'm trying to isolate the first 5 characters of window.location.

var ltype, string = 'string';
console.log(window.location);         // file:///C:/for example
console.log(typeof window.location);  // [OBJECT] 
lType=window.location.substr(0,5);    // 'not a function' (quite so)
string=window.location;
lType=string.substr(0,5);             // fails similarly

Q1: Can I somehow 'bind' substr() to window.location?

I can see that string=window.location replicates a reference and not a value, so

Q2: How can a separate, discrete copy of a complex structure such as an object or an array be created [without using JSON.stringify() or JSON.parse() - which is what I am presently resorting to]?

Copy object: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/728360/most-elegant-way-to-clone-a-javascript-object — Bryan Downing, Jun 28 '13 at 05:02
Get part of a string: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2243824/what-is-the-difference-between-string-slice-and-string-substring-in-javascript — Bryan Downing, Jun 28 '13 at 05:02
`window.location.toString().substr(...)` should solve your problem. — mohkhan, Jun 28 '13 at 05:07

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 28 '13 at 05:20

2

try

string = window.location.href.toString();

instead of

string=window.location;

Because window.location will return object not a string.

answered Jun 28 '13 at 05:20

commit

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Quite right: I had tried to to list the properies of the object using the famous old 'showProps' exec from XUL School. For some reason it gave no result when used against window.location. – Bad Loser Jun 28 '13 at 07:23

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:29

1

window.location is an object, so you can't use string functions on it - as you've noticed. In order to get the actual location as a string (to perform string operations on it), you'll need to convert it to a string somehow.

window.location.href is a property provided by the object itself.
window.location.toString() is a method on all JavaScript objects, overridden here.

However, beware of the XY problem. It looks to me like you're trying to retrieve the protocol (the http: bit) of the URI. There's a property for that too - window.location.protocol.

lType = window.location.protocol;

You should use that - it's more robust (consider https:// or, worse, ftp://...).

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:29

Community

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answered Jun 28 '13 at 05:25

michaelb958--GoFundMonica

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And when I accept your answer it seems to unaccept the previous answer. ??? I better go read the manual again – Bad Loser Jun 28 '13 at 07:31
@MattArnold `1` That's a separate question (that, furthermore, [has already been asked](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/728360/most-elegant-way-to-clone-a-javascript-object)). `2` There can be only one accepted answer. (Mine? Pretty please?) – michaelb958--GoFundMonica Jun 28 '13 at 07:32
I've read the manual, seen the light, leaving the green tick with you – Bad Loser Jun 28 '13 at 08:00

How do I access or replicate string value of an object?

2 Answers2