How can I convert a string containing an array of javascript objects, into an array of javascript objects?

Question

I've got a string containing an array of JavaScript objects which looks something like this:

{ name: 'Taco Salad', description: 'A dish made with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and seasoned ground beef or chicken, all served in a tortilla bowl.', nationality: 'Mexican', id: '1' },  { name: 'Fried Rice', description: 'A stir-fried rice dish with eggs, vegetables, and meat or seafood.', nationality: 'Chinese', id: '2' }, { name: 'Spaghetti Bolognese', description: 'An Italian dish of minced beef or pork in a tomato sauce, served with spaghetti.', nationality: 'Italian', id: '3' },

It's being returned from an API, so I can't just write it out as an array of js objects in the first place. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Answer 1

The best way to fix it is to modify the API to respond with properly formatted JSON.

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Failing that possibility, you might be able to get by with using eval in a sandboxed environment, using syntax similar to this:

// ⚠️ DANGER: Don't do this in your host environment!

const input = `{ name: 'Taco Salad', description: 'A dish made with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and seasoned ground beef or chicken, all served in a tortilla bowl.', nationality: 'Mexican', id: '1' },  { name: 'Fried Rice', description: 'A stir-fried rice dish with eggs, vegetables, and meat or seafood.', nationality: 'Chinese', id: '2' }, { name: 'Spaghetti Bolognese', description: 'An Italian dish of minced beef or pork in a tomato sauce, served with spaghetti.', nationality: 'Italian', id: '3' },`;

const array = eval(`[${input}]`);
const json = JSON.stringify(array);

// send the sanitized json back to the host somehow...
console.log(json);

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If neither of those are an option, you might try using an AST parser. See more at the question What is JavaScript AST, how to play with it?

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As a very last resort, writing your own parser is always a possibility.