asked on

Remove quotes JScript

I'm getting strings in my javascript which are really a property arrays:

"{ name: 'StatementItemID', index: 'ItemID', width: 24, sortable: false }"
"{ name: 'UIDesChargeDate', index: 'UIDesChargeDate', width: 60 , align: 'center', sortable: false}"

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don't ask why the quotes are there...but when i try to turn that into an array of the contained properties, i just get an array of complete text lines (inc the "{}"'s), which is messing the the pluggin.
How do i turn the strings into property arrays?

leakim971

don't ask why the quotes are there...

Alas I think it's the only useful question.
Perhaps you missed something in the previous stage and now you want to do a late correction

Robert Schutt

I agree it should probably not be done but see if this helps you:

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">

var a = Array();
a[a.length] = "{ name: 'StatementItemID', index: 'ItemID', width: 24, sortable: false }";
a[a.length] = "{ name: 'UIDesChargeDate', index: 'UIDesChargeDate', width: 60 , align: 'center', sortable: false}";

for (var k in a) {
	eval('a[k]='+a[k]+';');
}

function writeAll() {
	for (var k in a) {
		document.write('a['+k+'] = {<br>');
		writeProps(a[k]);
		document.write('}<br>');
	}
}

function writeProps(aa) {
	for (var pp in aa) {
		document.write('&nbsp; &nbsp; '+pp+' = '+aa[pp]+'<br>');
	}
}

</script>
</head>
<body>

<script type="text/javascript">

	writeAll();

</script>

</body>
</html>

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Silas2

ASKER

This is the reason the quotes are there:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28087620/Javascript-Escape-characters.html
I had to use decodeURI on an escaped embedded (from server script) string.
If you can see a way of removing the quotes with the decodeURI then i'm all ears...

Robert Schutt

How about directly using eval() on that output?

SOLUTION

Robert Schutt

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Silas2

ASKER

That's great! Thanks, that is working. I sort of remember years ago reading that eval in jscript was a bit of a no-no. Is this an acceptable usage?
(I'm afraid, i don't really understand what it's doing, how does setting a variable to itself remove the string/quotes ("x=" + x) ?)

Robert Schutt

It _is_ a bit of a no no in a lot of situations due to performance, scoping, even security. But an alternative in this case I can't think of.

The trick is, it executes the resulting string as a statement of its own. So the resulting variable doesn't have the quotes because if you have

var str = "some string";

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then the quotes are not actually part of the content of the variable, so they won't be after eval'ing like this.

leakim971

don't use eval especially here, because it look like the content you're displaying may come from users inputs

leakim971

you need to fight to have your content coming like that :

"{\"name\":\"StatementItemID\",\"index\":\"ItemID\",\"width\":24,\"sortable\":false}"

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

leakim971

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