Get the name of an object's type

Question

Is there a JavaScript equivalent of Java\'s class.getName()?

Answer 1

You can use the "instanceof" operator to determine if an object is an instance of a certain class or not. If you do not know the name of an object's type, you can use its constructor property. The constructor property of objects, is a reference to the function that is used to initialize them. Example:

function Circle (x,y,radius) {
    this._x = x;
    this._y = y;
    this._radius = raduius;
}
var c1 = new Circle(10,20,5);

Now c1.constructor is a reference to the Circle() function. You can alsow use the typeof operator, but the typeof operator shows limited information. One solution is to use the toString() method of the Object global object. For example if you have an object, say myObject, you can use the toString() method of the global Object to determine the type of the class of myObject. Use this:

Object.prototype.toString.apply(myObject);