Convert JavaScript object into URI-encoded string

Question

I got a JavaScript object which I would like to get x-www-form-urlencoded.

Something like $(\'#myform\').serialize() but for objects.

Answer 1

An extension to @Grallen's Answer 1 – if you need a shorter URL:

Input:

{"q":"SomethingTM","filters":[{"kind":"A","q":"foobar"},{"kind":"B","isntIt":true}],"pagenumber":1}

Output:

('q'~'SomethingTM'_'filters'~!('kind'~'A'_'q'~'foobar')_('kind'~'B'_'isntIt'~true)*_'pagenumber'~1)

Instead of:

%7B%22q%22%3A%22SomethingTM%22%2C%22filters%22%3A%5B%7B%22kind%22%3A%22A%22%2C%22q%22%3A%22foobar%22%7D%2C%7B%22kind%22%3A%22B%22%2C%22isntIt%22%3Atrue%7D%5D%2C%22pagenumber%22%3A1%7D

function jsonToUri(v, r, s) {
  return encodeURIComponent(
    JSON.stringify(v, r, s)
    .replace(/[()'~_!*]/g, function(c) {
      // Replace ()'~_!* with \u0000 escape sequences
      return '\\u' + ('0000' + c.charCodeAt(0).toString(16)).slice(-4)
    })
    .replace(/\{/g, '(')    //    { -> (
    .replace(/\}/g, ')')    //    } -> )
    .replace(/"/g,  "'")    //    " -> '
    .replace(/\:/g, '~')    //    : -> ~
    .replace(/,/g,  '_')    //    , -> _
    .replace(/\[/g, '!')    //    [ -> !
    .replace(/\]/g, '*')    //    ] -> *
  )
}

function uriToJson(t, r) {
  return JSON.parse(
    decodeURIComponent(t)
    .replace(/\(/g, '{')    //    ( -> {
    .replace(/\)/g, '}')    //    ) -> }
    .replace(/'/g,  '"')    //    ' -> "
    .replace(/~/g,  ':')    //    ~ -> :
    .replace(/_/g,  ',')    //    _ -> ,
    .replace(/\!/g, '[')    //    ! -> [
    .replace(/\*/g, ']')    //    * -> ]
    , r
  )
}



//////// TESTS ////////



var a = {q: 'SomethingTM', filters: [{kind: 'A', q: 'foobar'}, {kind: 'B', isntIt: true}], pagenumber: 1}
var b = jsonToUri(a)
var c = uriToJson(b)

console.log(b)
// ('q'~'SomethingTM'_'filters'~!('kind'~'A'_'q'~'foobar')_('kind'~'B'_'isntIt'~true)*_'pagenumber'~1)

console.log(JSON.stringify(c))
// {"q":"SomethingTM","filters":[{"kind":"A","q":"foobar"},{"kind":"B","isntIt":true}],"pagenumber":1}

var a2 = {"q":"Something(TM)","filters":[{"kind":"A*","q":"foo_bar"},{"kind":"B!","isn'tIt":true}],"page~number":1}
var b2 = jsonToUri(a2)
var c2 = uriToJson(b2)

console.log(b2)
// ('q'~'Something%5Cu0028TM%5Cu0029'_'filters'~!('kind'~'A%5Cu002a'_'q'~'foo%5Cu005fbar')_('kind'~'B%5Cu0021'_'isn%5Cu0027tIt'~true)*_'page%5Cu007enumber'~1)

console.log(JSON.stringify(c2))
// {"q":"Something(TM)","filters":[{"kind":"A*","q":"foo_bar"},{"kind":"B!","isn'tIt":true}],"page~number":1}