Does javascript function know its name

Question

I have a function called getItem. I want to read the name of this function using code from within it. Is this possible?

function getItem(){ 
   var functionName =   //how do I read the function name;
   alert(functionName)  //outputs 'getItem'
}

Who says a function even has to have a name? After all, javascript has great support for un-named functions. — Joel Coehoorn, Apr 08 '11 at 18:51
@Joel Coehoorn, I know what you mean, but this function has a name because I made sure to give it one. Is there a way to get that name from within the function? — jarn, Apr 08 '11 at 18:52
What problem are you trying to solve? Are you writing a testing framework and injecting this code into other functions? There might be a way to solve your problem without requiring the name of a function. — Dan Davies Brackett, Apr 08 '11 at 18:56
possible duplicate of [Can I get the name of the currently running function in javascript?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1013239/can-i-get-the-name-of-the-currently-running-function-in-javascript) — Naftali, Apr 08 '11 at 19:04
Possible duplicate of [Can I get the name of the currently running function in JavaScript?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1013239/can-i-get-the-name-of-the-currently-running-function-in-javascript) — Michael Freidgeim, May 11 '19 at 22:58

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 11:55

3

try this:

function getItem(){ 
   var functionName =   arguments.callee.name;
   alert(functionName)  //outputs 'getItem'
}

here is the fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/maniator/xGzKA/

also see this previous stack Q for another solution

edited May 23 '17 at 11:55

Community

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answered Apr 08 '11 at 18:53

Naftali

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arguments.callee is deprecated in strict JS, just as a point of note. – Dan Davies Brackett Apr 08 '11 at 18:55
@Shadow Wizard, in IE you have to use the solution in the other stack Q – Naftali Apr 08 '11 at 19:04
@Neal you better add this to the answer then. IE8 still has fair share.. :) – Shadow The GPT Wizard Apr 08 '11 at 19:04
@Shadow Wizard its already there. i show the other solutions local :-P – Naftali Apr 08 '11 at 19:05
@Neal: I mean add something like "this code does not work on IE browsers, see the other solution" as people (myself included) assume the code you posted is cross browser. – Shadow The GPT Wizard Apr 08 '11 at 19:07
1

@DDavies maybe you can explain me then this phrase from MDC: "JavaScript 1.4: Deprecated callee as a property of Function.arguments, retained it as a property of a function's local arguments variable." (not trying to be a d**k here, I truly don't understand in which situations is deprecated and in which is not) – Aleadam Apr 08 '11 at 19:07
@Aleadam it's deprecated as a property of the Function prototype, retained otherwise. – Dan Davies Brackett Apr 08 '11 at 19:12

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 08 '11 at 19:50

Though you should probably not use this, you can do this for IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera (I admit arguments.callee is convenient despite the valid reservations expressed about it, as would be arguments.callee.name if the Function.name property were standard):

function getFuncName (fn) {
    var name = (/\W*function\s+([\w\$]+)\s*\(/).exec(fn);
    return name ? name[1] : '(Anonymous)';
}

score -1 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 08 '11 at 18:55

-1

Try this,

function getItem(){
    var functionName =  arguments.callee.name;
    alert(functionName);
}

http://jsfiddle.net/XPGxE/

answered Apr 08 '11 at 18:55

Aravindan R

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see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/103598/why-was-the-arguments-callee-caller-property-deprecated-in-javascript – KooiInc Apr 08 '11 at 18:57
@Neal Didnt mean to copy. I posted the same answer almost the same time as you. Saw your answer only after posting. – Aravindan R Apr 08 '11 at 19:14

Does javascript function know its name

3 Answers3

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