Array toString() in JavaScript
Dec 8, 2021
To convert an array to a string in JavaScript, you can use the toString() method.
The toString() method returns the elements of the array as a single string without square brackets [ and ].
const array = [1,2,3,4,5];
array.toString(); // "1,2,3,4,5"The toString() method works well for arrays of primitives, but doesn't work well for arrays of objects.
By default, toString() will convert POJO elements into [object Object].
let obj = {a:1, b:2,c:3};
let array = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
array.push(obj);
}
array.toString(); // '[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]'However, toString() is recursive, so instances of classes with custom toString() methods work.
class MyObject {
toString() {
return 'test';
}
}
[new MyObject(), new MyObject()].toString(); // 'test,test'Printing an Array in Node
In Node.js, you can import the util module and use the inspect() function.
This function will print the raw array as a string as shown below:
const array = [1,2,3,4,5];
const {inspect} = require('util');
inspect(array); // [1,2,3,4,5]
When dealing with an array of objects, it prints the result in an easier to read format over toString().
const {inspect} = require('util')
let obj = {a:1, b:2,c:3};
let array = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
array.push(obj);
}
inspect(array);
/*
[ { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 },
{ a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 },
{ a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 } ]
*/
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