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Editing a JSON value in varying depth [duplicate]

I have an object that could be any number of levels deep and could have any existing properties.
For example:
var obj = {
db: {
mongodb: {
host: 'localhost'
}
}
};
On that I would like to set (or overwrite) properties like so:
set('db.mongodb.user', 'root');
// or:
set('foo.bar', 'baz');
Where the property string can have any depth, and the value can be any type/thing.
Objects and arrays as values don't need to be merged, should the property key already exist.
Previous example would produce following object:
var obj = {
db: {
mongodb: {
host: 'localhost',
user: 'root'
}
},
foo: {
bar: baz
}
};
How can I realize such a function?

This function, using the arguments you specified, should add/update the data in the obj container. Note that you need to keep track of which elements in obj schema are containers and which are values (strings, ints, etc.) otherwise you will start throwing exceptions.
obj = {}; // global object
function set(path, value) {
var schema = obj; // a moving reference to internal objects within obj
var pList = path.split('.');
var len = pList.length;
for(var i = 0; i < len-1; i++) {
var elem = pList[i];
if( !schema[elem] ) schema[elem] = {}
schema = schema[elem];
}
schema[pList[len-1]] = value;
}
set('mongo.db.user', 'root');

Lodash has a _.set() method.
_.set(obj, 'db.mongodb.user', 'root');
_.set(obj, 'foo.bar', 'baz');

I just write a small function using ES6 + recursion to achieve the goal.
updateObjProp = (obj, value, propPath) => {
const [head, ...rest] = propPath.split('.');
!rest.length
? obj[head] = value
: this.updateObjProp(obj[head], value, rest.join('.'));
}
const user = {profile: {name: 'foo'}};
updateObjProp(user, 'fooChanged', 'profile.name');
I used it a lot on react to update state, it worked pretty well for me.

We can use a recursion function:
/**
* Sets a value of nested key string descriptor inside a Object.
* It changes the passed object.
* Ex:
* let obj = {a: {b:{c:'initial'}}}
* setNestedKey(obj, ['a', 'b', 'c'], 'changed-value')
* assert(obj === {a: {b:{c:'changed-value'}}})
*
* #param {[Object]} obj Object to set the nested key
* #param {[Array]} path An array to describe the path(Ex: ['a', 'b', 'c'])
* #param {[Object]} value Any value
*/
export const setNestedKey = (obj, path, value) => {
if (path.length === 1) {
obj[path] = value
return
}
return setNestedKey(obj[path[0]], path.slice(1), value)
}
It's more simple!

A bit late but here's a non-library, simpler answer:
/**
* Dynamically sets a deeply nested value in an object.
* Optionally "bores" a path to it if its undefined.
* #function
* #param {!object} obj - The object which contains the value you want to change/set.
* #param {!array} path - The array representation of path to the value you want to change/set.
* #param {!mixed} value - The value you want to set it to.
* #param {boolean} setrecursively - If true, will set value of non-existing path as well.
*/
function setDeep(obj, path, value, setrecursively = false) {
path.reduce((a, b, level) => {
if (setrecursively && typeof a[b] === "undefined" && level !== path.length){
a[b] = {};
return a[b];
}
if (level === path.length){
a[b] = value;
return value;
}
return a[b];
}, obj);
}
This function I made can do exactly what you need and a little more.
lets say we want to change the target value that is deeply nested in this object:
let myObj = {
level1: {
level2: {
target: 1
}
}
}
So we would call our function like so:
setDeep(myObj, ["level1", "level2", "target1"], 3);
will result in:
myObj = {
level1: {
level2: {
target: 3
}
}
}
Setting the set recursively flag to true will set objects if they don't exist.
setDeep(myObj, ["new", "path", "target"], 3, true);
will result in this:
obj = myObj = {
new: {
path: {
target: 3
}
},
level1: {
level2: {
target: 3
}
}
}

Inspired by #bpmason1's answer:
function leaf(obj, path, value) {
const pList = path.split('.');
const key = pList.pop();
const pointer = pList.reduce((accumulator, currentValue) => {
if (accumulator[currentValue] === undefined) accumulator[currentValue] = {};
return accumulator[currentValue];
}, obj);
pointer[key] = value;
return obj;
}
Example:
const obj = {
boats: {
m1: 'lady blue'
}
};
leaf(obj, 'boats.m1', 'lady blue II');
leaf(obj, 'boats.m2', 'lady bird');
console.log(obj); // { boats: { m1: 'lady blue II', m2: 'lady bird' } }

I came up with my own solution using pure es6 and recursion that doesn't mutate the original object.
const setNestedProp = (obj = {}, [first, ...rest] , value) => ({
...obj,
[first]: rest.length
? setNestedProp(obj[first], rest, value)
: value
});
const result = setNestedProp({}, ["first", "second", "a"],
"foo");
const result2 = setNestedProp(result, ["first", "second", "b"], "bar");
console.log(result);
console.log(result2);

Lodash has a method called update that does exactly what you need.
This method receives the following parameters:
The object to update
The path of the property to update (the property can be deeply nested)
A function that returns the value to update (given the original value as a parameter)
In your example it would look like this:
_.update(obj, 'db.mongodb.user', function(originalValue) {
return 'root'
})

ES6 has a pretty cool way to do this too using Computed Property Name and Rest Parameter.
const obj = {
levelOne: {
levelTwo: {
levelThree: "Set this one!"
}
}
}
const updatedObj = {
...obj,
levelOne: {
...obj.levelOne,
levelTwo: {
...obj.levelOne.levelTwo,
levelThree: "I am now updated!"
}
}
}
If levelThree is a dynamic property i.e. to set any of the property in levelTwo, you can use [propertyName]: "I am now updated!" where propertyName holds the name of the property in levelTwo.

I needed to achieve the same thing, but in Node.js...
So, I found this nice module: https://www.npmjs.com/package/nested-property
Example:
var mod = require("nested-property");
var obj = {
a: {
b: {
c: {
d: 5
}
}
}
};
console.log(mod.get(obj, "a.b.c.d"));
mod.set(obj, "a.b.c.d", 6);
console.log(mod.get(obj, "a.b.c.d"));

I created gist for setting and getting obj values by string based on correct answer. You can download it or use it as npm/yarn package.
// yarn add gist:5ceba1081bbf0162b98860b34a511a92
// npm install gist:5ceba1081bbf0162b98860b34a511a92
export const DeepObject = {
set: setDeep,
get: getDeep
};
// https://stackoverflow.com/a/6491621
function getDeep(obj: Object, path: string) {
path = path.replace(/\[(\w+)\]/g, '.$1'); // convert indexes to properties
path = path.replace(/^\./, ''); // strip a leading dot
const a = path.split('.');
for (let i = 0, l = a.length; i < l; ++i) {
const n = a[i];
if (n in obj) {
obj = obj[n];
} else {
return;
}
}
return obj;
}
// https://stackoverflow.com/a/18937118
function setDeep(obj: Object, path: string, value: any) {
let schema = obj; // a moving reference to internal objects within obj
const pList = path.split('.');
const len = pList.length;
for (let i = 0; i < len - 1; i++) {
const elem = pList[i];
if (!schema[elem]) {
schema[elem] = {};
}
schema = schema[elem];
}
schema[pList[len - 1]] = value;
}
// Usage
// import {DeepObject} from 'somePath'
//
// const obj = {
// a: 4,
// b: {
// c: {
// d: 2
// }
// }
// };
//
// DeepObject.set(obj, 'b.c.d', 10); // sets obj.b.c.d to 10
// console.log(DeepObject.get(obj, 'b.c.d')); // returns 10

Extending the accepted answer provided by #bpmason1, to support arrays in string path e.g. string path can be 'db.mongodb.users[0].name' and 'db.mongodb.users[1].name'.
It will set the property value, which if doesn't exist, will be created.
var obj = {};
function set(path, value) {
var schema = obj;
var keysList = path.split('.');
var len = keysList.length;
for (var i = 0; i < len - 1; i++) {
var key = keysList[i];
// checking if key represents an array element e.g. users[0]
if (key.includes('[')) {
//getting propertyName 'users' form key 'users[0]'
var propertyName = key.substr(0, key.length - key.substr(key.indexOf("["), key.length - key.indexOf("[")).length);
if (!schema[propertyName]) {
schema[propertyName] = [];
}
// schema['users'][getting index 0 from 'users[0]']
if (!schema[propertyName][parseInt(key.substr(key.indexOf("[") + 1, key.indexOf("]") - key.indexOf("[") - 1))]) {
// if it doesn't exist create and initialise it
schema = schema[propertyName][parseInt(key.substr(key.indexOf("[") + 1, key.indexOf("]") - key.indexOf("[") - 1))] = {};
} else {
schema = schema[propertyName][parseInt(key.substr(key.indexOf("[") + 1, key.indexOf("]") - key.indexOf("[") - 1))];
}
continue;
}
if (!schema[key]) {
schema[key] = {};
}
schema = schema[key];
} //loop ends
// if last key is array element
if (keysList[len - 1].includes('[')) {
//getting propertyName 'users' form key 'users[0]'
var propertyName = keysList[len - 1].substr(0, keysList[len - 1].length - keysList[len - 1].substr(keysList[len - 1].indexOf("["), keysList[len - 1].length - keysList[len - 1].indexOf("[")).length);
if (!schema[propertyName]) {
schema[propertyName] = [];
}
// schema[users][0] = value;
schema[propertyName][parseInt(keysList[len - 1].substr(keysList[len - 1].indexOf("[") + 1, keysList[len - 1].indexOf("]") - keysList[len - 1].indexOf("[") - 1))] = value;
} else {
schema[keysList[len - 1]] = value;
}
}
// will create if not exist
set("mongo.db.users[0].name.firstname", "hii0");
set("mongo.db.users[1].name.firstname", "hii1");
set("mongo.db.users[2].name", {
"firstname": "hii2"
});
set("mongo.db.other", "xx");
console.log(obj);
// will set if exist
set("mongo.db.other", "yy");
console.log(obj);

Here's a solution using ES 12
function set(obj = {}, key, val) {
const keys = key.split('.')
const last = keys.pop()
keys.reduce((o, k) => o[k] ??= {}, obj)[last] = val
}
(For older versions of javascript, you can do do o[k] || o[k] = {} in the reduce instead)
First, we set keys to be an array of everything but the last key.
Then in the reduce, the accumulator goes one level deeper into obj
each time, initializing it to an empty object if it the value at that key is not defined.
Finally, we set the value at the last key to val.

If you only need to change deeper nested objects, then another method could be to reference the object. As JS objects are handled by their references, you can create a reference to an object you have string-key access to.
Example:
// The object we want to modify:
var obj = {
db: {
mongodb: {
host: 'localhost',
user: 'root'
}
},
foo: {
bar: baz
}
};
var key1 = 'mongodb';
var key2 = 'host';
var myRef = obj.db[key1]; //this creates a reference to obj.db['mongodb']
myRef[key2] = 'my new string';
// The object now looks like:
var obj = {
db: {
mongodb: {
host: 'my new string',
user: 'root'
}
},
foo: {
bar: baz
}
};

Another approach is to use recursion to dig through the object:
(function(root){
function NestedSetterAndGetter(){
function setValueByArray(obj, parts, value){
if(!parts){
throw 'No parts array passed in';
}
if(parts.length === 0){
throw 'parts should never have a length of 0';
}
if(parts.length === 1){
obj[parts[0]] = value;
} else {
var next = parts.shift();
if(!obj[next]){
obj[next] = {};
}
setValueByArray(obj[next], parts, value);
}
}
function getValueByArray(obj, parts, value){
if(!parts) {
return null;
}
if(parts.length === 1){
return obj[parts[0]];
} else {
var next = parts.shift();
if(!obj[next]){
return null;
}
return getValueByArray(obj[next], parts, value);
}
}
this.set = function(obj, path, value) {
setValueByArray(obj, path.split('.'), value);
};
this.get = function(obj, path){
return getValueByArray(obj, path.split('.'));
};
}
root.NestedSetterAndGetter = NestedSetterAndGetter;
})(this);
var setter = new this.NestedSetterAndGetter();
var o = {};
setter.set(o, 'a.b.c', 'apple');
console.log(o); //=> { a: { b: { c: 'apple'}}}
var z = { a: { b: { c: { d: 'test' } } } };
setter.set(z, 'a.b.c', {dd: 'zzz'});
console.log(JSON.stringify(z)); //=> {"a":{"b":{"c":{"dd":"zzz"}}}}
console.log(JSON.stringify(setter.get(z, 'a.b.c'))); //=> {"dd":"zzz"}
console.log(JSON.stringify(setter.get(z, 'a.b'))); //=> {"c":{"dd":"zzz"}}

Late to the party - here's a vanilla js function that accepts a path as an argument and returns the modified object/json
let orig_json = {
string: "Hi",
number: 0,
boolean: false,
object: {
subString: "Hello",
subNumber: 1,
subBoolean: true,
subObject: {
subSubString: "Hello World"
},
subArray: ["-1", "-2", "-3"]
},
array: ["1", "2", "3"]
}
function changeValue(obj_path, value, json) {
let keys = obj_path.split(".")
let obj = { ...json },
tmpobj = {},
prevobj = {}
for (let x = keys.length - 1; x >= 0; x--) {
if (x == 0) {
obj[keys[0]] = tmpobj
} else {
let toeval = 'json.' + keys.slice(0, x).join('.');
prevobj = { ...tmpobj
}
tmpobj = eval(toeval);
if (x == keys.length - 1) tmpobj[keys[x]] = value
else {
tmpobj[keys[x]] = prevobj
}
}
}
return obj
}
let newjson = changeValue("object.subObject.subSubString", "Goodbye world", orig_json);
console.log(newjson)

Another solution to add or override properties:
function propertySetter(property, value) {
const sampleObject = {
string: "Hi",
number: 0,
boolean: false,
object: {
subString: "Hello",
subNumber: 1,
subBoolean: true,
subObject: {
subSubString: "Hello World",
},
subArray: ["-1", "-2", "-3"],
},
array: ["1", "2", "3"],
};
const keys = property.split(".");
const propertyName = keys.pop();
let propertyParent = sampleObject;
while (keys.length > 0) {
const key = keys.shift();
if (!(key in propertyParent)) {
propertyParent[key] = {};
}
propertyParent = propertyParent[key];
}
propertyParent[propertyName] = value;
return sampleObject;
}
console.log(propertySetter("object.subObject.anotherSubString", "Hello you"));
console.log(propertySetter("object.subObject.subSubString", "Hello Earth"));
console.log(propertySetter("object.subObject.nextSubString.subSubSubString", "Helloooo"));

Inspired by ImmutableJS setIn method which will never mutate the original.
This works with mixed array and object nested values.
function setIn(obj = {}, [prop, ...rest], value) {
const newObj = Array.isArray(obj) ? [...obj] : {...obj};
newObj[prop] = rest.length ? setIn(obj[prop], rest, value) : value;
return newObj;
}
var obj = {
a: {
b: {
c: [
{d: 5}
]
}
}
};
const newObj = setIn(obj, ["a", "b", "c", 0, "x"], "new");
//obj === {a: {b: {c: [{d: 5}]}}}
//newObj === {a: {b: {c: [{d: 5, x: "new"}]}}}

As #aheuermann sed, you can use set from lodash library,
However, if you don't want to add lodash to your project for some reason you can use a recursion function that sets/overrides a value in an object.
/**
* recursion function that called in main function
* #param obj initial JSON
* #param keysList array of keys
* #param value value that you want to set
* #returns final JSON
*/
function recursionSet(obj, keysList, value) {
const key = keysList[0]
if (keysList.length === 1) return { ...obj, [key]: value }
return { ...obj, [key]: (recursionSet(obj?.[key] || {}, keysList.slice(1), value)) }
}
/**
* main function that you can call for set a value in an object by nested keys
* #param obj initial JSON
* #param keysString nested keys that seprated by "."
* #param value value that you want to set
* #returns final JSON
*/
function objectSet(obj, keysString, value) {
return recursionSet(obj, keysString.split('.'), value)
}
// simple usage
const a1 = {}
console.log('simple usage:', objectSet(a1, "b.c.d", 5))
// keep the initial data
const a2 = {b:{e: 8}}
console.log('keep the initial data:', objectSet(a2, "b.c.d", 5))
// override data
const a3 = {b:{e: 8, c:2}}
console.log('override data:', objectSet(a3, "b.c.d", 5))
// complex value
const a4 = {b:{e: 8, c:2}}
console.log('complex value:', objectSet(a4, "b.c.d", {f:12}))

If you would like a function that required prior properties to exist, then you could use something like this, it would also return a flag stating whether it managed to find and set the nested property.
function set(obj, path, value) {
var parts = (path || '').split('.');
// using 'every' so we can return a flag stating whether we managed to set the value.
return parts.every((p, i) => {
if (!obj) return false; // cancel early as we havent found a nested prop.
if (i === parts.length - 1){ // we're at the final part of the path.
obj[parts[i]] = value;
}else{
obj = obj[parts[i]]; // overwrite the functions reference of the object with the nested one.
}
return true;
});
}

JQuery has an extend method:
https://api.jquery.com/jquery.extend/
just pass the overwrites as an object and it will merge the two.

Inspired by ClojureScript's assoc-in (https://github.com/clojure/clojurescript/blob/master/src/main/cljs/cljs/core.cljs#L5280), using recursion:
/**
* Associate value (v) in object/array (m) at key/index (k).
* If m is falsy, use new object.
* Returns the updated object/array.
*/
function assoc(m, k, v) {
m = (m || {});
m[k] = v;
return m;
}
/**
* Associate value (v) in nested object/array (m) using sequence of keys (ks)
* to identify the path to the nested key/index.
* If one of the values in the nested object/array doesn't exist, it adds
* a new object.
*/
function assoc_in(m={}, [k, ...ks], v) {
return ks.length ? assoc(m, k, assoc_in(m[k], ks, v)) : assoc(m, k, v);
}
/**
* Associate value (v) in nested object/array (m) using key string notation (s)
* (e.g. "k1.k2").
*/
function set(m, s, v) {
ks = s.split(".");
return assoc_in(m, ks, v);
}
Note:
With the provided implementation,
assoc_in({"a": 1}, ["a", "b"], 2)
returns
{"a": 1}
I would prefer that it throw an error in this case. If desired, you can add a check in assoc to verify m is either an object or array and throw an error otherwise.

I tried to write this set method in short, it may help someone!
function set(obj, key, value) {
let keys = key.split('.');
if(keys.length<2){ obj[key] = value; return obj; }
let lastKey = keys.pop();
let fun = `obj.${keys.join('.')} = {${lastKey}: '${value}'};`;
return new Function(fun)();
}
var obj = {
"hello": {
"world": "test"
}
};
set(obj, "hello.world", 'test updated');
console.log(obj);
set(obj, "hello.world.again", 'hello again');
console.log(obj);
set(obj, "hello.world.again.onece_again", 'hello once again');
console.log(obj);

const set = (o, path, value) => {
const props = path.split('.');
const prop = props.shift()
if (props.length === 0) {
o[prop] = value
} else {
o[prop] = o[prop] ?? {}
set(o[prop], props.join('.'), value)
}
}

in case you want to deeply update or insert an object
try this :-
let init = {
abc: {
c: {1: 2, 3: 5, 0: {l: 3}},
d: 100
}
}
Object.prototype.deepUpdate = function(update){
let key = Object.keys(update);
key.forEach((k) => {
if(typeof update[key] == "object"){
this[k].deepUpdate(update[key], this[k])
}
else
this[k] = update[k]
})
}
init.deepUpdate({abc: {c: {l: 10}}})
console.log(init)
but make sure it will change the original object, you can make it to not change the original object :
JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(init)).deepUpdate({abc: {c: {l: 10}}})

Improving on bpmason1's answer:
-adds a get() function.
-It does not require to define global storage object
-It is accessible from same domain iFrames
function set(path, value)
{
var schema = parent.document;
path="data."+path;
var pList = path.split('.');
var len = pList.length;
for(var i = 0; i < len-1; i++)
{
if(!schema[pList[i]])
schema[pList[i]] = {}
schema = schema[pList[i]];
}
schema[pList[len-1]] = value;
}
function get(path)
{
path="data."+path;
var schema=parent.document;
var pList = path.split('.');
for(var i = 0; i < pList.length; i++)
schema = schema[pList[i]];
return schema;
}
set('mongo.db.user', 'root');
set('mongo.db.name', 'glen');
console.log(get('mongo.db.name')); //prints 'glen'

Sometimes if the key also has dots (.) it its string this may pose a problem. As even that single key will now get split into various keys.
It is best to store the key path in an array, like so: ['db','mongodb','user'] and assign the value dynamically with the below function.
function set(obj, path, value) {
var schema = obj;
var pList = path.slice();
var len = pList.length;
for (var i = 0; i < len - 1; i++) {
var elem = pList[i];
if (!schema[elem]) schema[elem] = {};
schema = schema[elem];
}
schema[pList[len - 1]] = value;
}
let path = ['db','mongodb','user'];
set(obj, path, 'root');

I want to leave my answer for this interesting topic. Creating a function that sets dynamic properties for an object can be difficult.
const entity = {
haveDogs: true,
dogs: ['Maya', 'Perla']
}
function isObject(obj) {
return obj instanceof Object && obj.constructor === Object;
}
function setSchema(key, schema, value) {
if (!isObject(value)) {
schema[key] = value;
return
}
if (!schema[key]) schema[key] = {}
schema[key] = mutate(schema[key], value);
}
function mutate(obj, newObjData) {
const keys = Object.keys(newObjData)
for (const key of keys) {
let schema = obj
const list = key.split('.')
const value = newObjData[key]
const total = list.length - 1
if (list.length === 1) {
setSchema(key, schema, value)
continue
}
for (let i = 0; i < total; i++) {
const elem = list[i];
if (!schema[elem]) schema[elem] = {}
schema = schema[elem]
}
const subField = list[total]
setSchema(subField, schema, value)
}
return obj
}
mutate(entity, {
haveDogs: false,
'pet1.pet2.pet3.pet4.pet5': 'pets',
'bestFriends.list': ['Maya', 'Lucas'],
friends: {
'whitelist.permitted': ['Maya', 'Perla'],
'party.blocked': ['Juan', 'Trump']
}
})
console.log('[entity]', entity)

How to set value in Object

I have to set value in object.
This is the problem: when I try to write a prop in object that has some props, previous props will be deleted.
I solved two cases and there's the last one.
I need test2 to be saved.
How can I fix it?
Thanks.
var obj = {
keyOne: "foo",
keyTwo: {
test1: "baz",
test2: {
test21: ["bar"],
}
}
}
function setObjectProperty(obj, string, value) {
var path = string.split('.');
var currentObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i < path.length - 1; i++) {
if (!currentObj[path[i]] || currentObj[path[i]] != "string") {
currentObj[path[i]] = {};
currentObj = currentObj[path[i]];
}
}
currentObj[path[path.length - 1]] = value;
};
setObjectProperty(obj, 'keyOne', 'new');
setObjectProperty(obj, 'keyOne.key.key2', 'newnew');
setObjectProperty(obj, 'keyTwo.test1', 'zzz');
console.log(obj);

Few corrections are made.
You need to advance the object path regardless of creating a child object
For checking string type, you need to use typeof
var obj = {
keyOne: "foo",
keyTwo: {
test1: "baz",
test2: {
test21: ["bar"],
}
}
}
function setObjectProperty(obj, string, value) {
var path = string.split('.');
var currentObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i < path.length - 1; i++) {
if (!currentObj[path[i]] || typeof currentObj[path[i]] === 'string') {
currentObj[path[i]] = {};
}
currentObj = currentObj[path[i]];
}
currentObj[path[path.length - 1]] = value;
};
setObjectProperty(obj, 'keyOne', 'new');
setObjectProperty(obj, 'keyOne.key.key2', 'newnew');
setObjectProperty(obj, 'keyTwo.test1', 'zzz');
console.log(obj);

The test currentObj[path[i]] != "string" seems weird, I think you want to use typeof instead.
Inside of your loop, you should be advancing at every step but only creating an object if it does not exists.
Working code:
function setObjectProperty(obj, string, value) {
var path = string.split('.');
var currentObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i < path.length - 1; i++) {
if (!currentObj[path[i]] || typeof currentObj[path[i]] == "string") {
currentObj[path[i]] = {};
}
currentObj = currentObj[path[i]];
}
currentObj[path[path.length - 1]] = value;
};

Is this what you are looking for?
const store = {
keyOne: "foo",
keyTwo: {
test1: "baz",
test2: {
test21: ["bar"],
}
}
}
function getKeys(key) {
return key.split(".").filter(k => k.length);
}
function assignProps(object, keys, value = null, root = null) {
root = root || object;
const key = keys.shift();
if (!key) return root;
object[key] = keys.length === 0 ? value : {};
assignProps(object[key], keys, value, root);
}
assignProps(store, getKeys("keyOne.foo.bar"), "baz");
assignProps(store, getKeys("keyTwo.test1.test2"), "value");
console.log(store);

Is there a way to assign value to deeply nested property of object using a string? [duplicate]

Suppose we are only given
var obj = {};
var propName = "foo.bar.foobar";
How can we set the property obj.foo.bar.foobar to a certain value (say "hello world")?
So I want to achieve this, while we only have the property name in a string:
obj.foo.bar.foobar = "hello world";

function assign(obj, prop, value) {
if (typeof prop === "string")
prop = prop.split(".");
if (prop.length > 1) {
var e = prop.shift();
assign(obj[e] =
Object.prototype.toString.call(obj[e]) === "[object Object]"
? obj[e]
: {},
prop,
value);
} else
obj[prop[0]] = value;
}
var obj = {},
propName = "foo.bar.foobar";
assign(obj, propName, "Value");

I know it's an old one, but I see only custom functions in answers.
If you don't mind using a library, look at lodash _.set and _.get function.

Since this question appears to be answered by incorrect answers, I'll just refer to the correct answer from a similar question
function setDeepValue(obj, value, path) {
if (typeof path === "string") {
var path = path.split('.');
}
if(path.length > 1){
var p=path.shift();
if(obj[p]==null || typeof obj[p]!== 'object'){
obj[p] = {};
}
setDeepValue(obj[p], value, path);
}else{
obj[path[0]] = value;
}
}
Use:
var obj = {};
setDeepValue(obj, 'Hello World', 'foo.bar.foobar');

edit: I've created a jsPerf.com testcase to compare the accepted answer with my version.
Turns out that my version is faster, especially when you go very deep.
http://jsfiddle.net/9YMm8/
var nestedObjectAssignmentFor = function(obj, propString, value) {
var propNames = propString.split('.'),
propLength = propNames.length-1,
tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i <= propLength ; i++) {
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]] = i !== propLength ? {} : value;
}
return obj;
}
var obj = nestedObjectAssignment({},"foo.bar.foobar","hello world");
​
​

All solutions overid any of the original data when setting so I have tweaked with the following, made it into a single object too:
var obj = {}
nestObject.set(obj, "a.b", "foo");
nestObject.get(obj, "a.b"); // returns foo
var nestedObject = {
set: function(obj, propString, value) {
var propNames = propString.split('.'),
propLength = propNames.length-1,
tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i <= propLength ; i++) {
if (i === propLength){
if(tmpObj[propNames[i]]){
tmpObj[propNames[i]] = value;
}else{
tmpObj[propNames[i]] = value;
}
}else{
if(tmpObj[propNames[i]]){
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]];
}else{
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]] = {};
}
}
}
return obj;
},
get: function(obj, propString){
var propNames = propString.split('.'),
propLength = propNames.length-1,
tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i <= propLength ; i++) {
if(tmpObj[propNames[i]]){
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]];
}else{
break;
}
}
return tmpObj;
}
};
Can also change functions to be an Oject.prototype method changing obj param to this:
Object.prototype = { setNested = function(){ ... }, getNested = function(){ ... } }
{}.setNested('a.c','foo')

Here is a get and set function i just compiled from a couple of threads + some custom code.
It will also create keys that don't exist on set.
function setValue(object, path, value) {
var a = path.split('.');
var o = object;
for (var i = 0; i < a.length - 1; i++) {
var n = a[i];
if (n in o) {
o = o[n];
} else {
o[n] = {};
o = o[n];
}
}
o[a[a.length - 1]] = value;
}
function getValue(object, path) {
var o = object;
path = path.replace(/\[(\w+)\]/g, '.$1');
path = path.replace(/^\./, '');
var a = path.split('.');
while (a.length) {
var n = a.shift();
if (n in o) {
o = o[n];
} else {
return;
}
}
return o;
}

Here is a simple function to do that using reference.
function setValueByPath (obj, path, value) {
var ref = obj;
path.split('.').forEach(function (key, index, arr) {
ref = ref[key] = index === arr.length - 1 ? value : {};
});
return obj;
}

You could split the path and make a check if the following element exist. If not assign an object to the new property.
Return then the value of the property.
At the end assign the value.
function setValue(object, path, value) {
var fullPath = path.split('.'),
way = fullPath.slice(),
last = way.pop();
way.reduce(function (r, a) {
return r[a] = r[a] || {};
}, object)[last] = value;
}
var object = {},
propName = 'foo.bar.foobar',
value = 'hello world';
setValue(object, propName, value);
console.log(object);

Here's one that returns the updated object
function deepUpdate(value, path, tree, branch = tree) {
const last = path.length === 1;
branch[path[0]] = last ? value : branch[path[0]];
return last ? tree : deepUpdate(value, path.slice(1), tree, branch[path[0]]);
}
const path = 'cat.dog';
const updated = deepUpdate('a', path.split('.'), {cat: {dog: null}})
// => { cat: {dog: 'a'} }

A very straightforward one.
This implementation should be very performant.
It avoids recursions, and function calls, while maintaining simplicity.
/**
* Set the value of a deep property, creating new objects as necessary.
* #param {Object} obj The object to set the value on.
* #param {String|String[]} path The property to set.
* #param {*} value The value to set.
* #return {Object} The object at the end of the path.
* #author github.com/victornpb
* #see https://stackoverflow.com/a/46060952/938822
* #example
* setDeep(obj, 'foo.bar.baz', 'quux');
*/
function setDeep(obj, path, value) {
const props = typeof path === 'string' ? path.split('.') : path;
for (var i = 0, n = props.length - 1; i < n; ++i) {
obj = obj[props[i]] = obj[props[i]] || {};
}
obj[props[i]] = value;
return obj;
}
/*********************** EXAMPLE ***********************/
const obj = {
hello : 'world',
};
setDeep(obj, 'root', true);
setDeep(obj, 'foo.bar.baz', 1);
setDeep(obj, ['foo','quux'], '😉');
console.log(obj);
// ⬇︎ Click "Run" below to see output

I was looking for an answer that does not overwrite existing values and was easily readable and was able to come up with this. Leaving this here in case it helps others with the same needs
function setValueAtObjectPath(obj, pathString, newValue) {
// create an array (pathComponents) of the period-separated path components from pathString
var pathComponents = pathString.split('.');
// create a object (tmpObj) that references the memory of obj
var tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i < pathComponents.length; i++) {
// if not on the last path component, then set the tmpObj as the value at this pathComponent
if (i !== pathComponents.length-1) {
// set tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] equal to an object of it's own value
tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] = {...tmpObj[pathComponents[i]]}
// set tmpObj to reference tmpObj[pathComponents[i]]
tmpObj = tmpObj[pathComponents[i]]
// else (IS the last path component), then set the value at this pathComponent equal to newValue
} else {
// set tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] equal to newValue
tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] = newValue
}
}
// return your object
return obj
}

Same as Rbar's answers, very useful when you're working with redux reducers. I use lodash clone instead of spread operator to support arrays too:
export function cloneAndPatch(obj, path, newValue, separator='.') {
let stack = Array.isArray(path) ? path : path.split(separator);
let newObj = _.clone(obj);
obj = newObj;
while (stack.length > 1) {
let property = stack.shift();
let sub = _.clone(obj[property]);
obj[property] = sub;
obj = sub;
}
obj[stack.shift()] = newValue;
return newObj;
}

Object.getPath = function(o, s) {
s = s.replace(/\[(\w+)\]/g, '.$1'); // convert indexes to properties
s = s.replace(/^\./, ''); // strip a leading dot
var a = s.split('.');
for (var i = 0, n = a.length; i < n; ++i) {
var k = a[i];
if (k in o) {
o = o[k];
} else {
return;
}
}
return o;
};
Object.setPath = function(o, p, v) {
var a = p.split('.');
var o = o;
for (var i = 0; i < a.length - 1; i++) {
if (a[i].indexOf('[') === -1) {
var n = a[i];
if (n in o) {
o = o[n];
} else {
o[n] = {};
o = o[n];
}
} else {
// Not totaly optimised
var ix = a[i].match(/\[.*?\]/g)[0];
var n = a[i].replace(ix, '');
o = o[n][ix.substr(1,ix.length-2)]
}
}
if (a[a.length - 1].indexOf('[') === -1) {
o[a[a.length - 1]] = v;
} else {
var ix = a[a.length - 1].match(/\[.*?\]/g)[0];
var n = a[a.length - 1].replace(ix, '');
o[n][ix.substr(1,ix.length-2)] = v;
}
};

Here's a simple method that uses a scoped Object that recursively set's the correct prop by path.
function setObjectValueByPath(pathScope, value, obj) {
const pathStrings = pathScope.split('/');
obj[pathStrings[0]] = pathStrings.length > 1 ?
setObjectValueByPath(
pathStrings.splice(1, pathStrings.length).join('/'),
value,
obj[pathStrings[0]]
) :
value;
return obj;
}

How about a simple and short one?
Object.assign(this.origin, { [propName]: value })

You can use reduce : (you can test it by copy/paste on browser console)
const setValueOf = (obj, value, ...path) => {
path.reduce((o, level, idx) => {
if(idx === path.length -1) { o[level] = value }; // on last change the value of the prop
return o && o[level]; // return the prop
}, obj);
};
Example
let objExmp = {a: 'a', b: {b1: 'b1', b2: 'b2', b3: { b3_3 : 'default_value' } }};
setValueOf(objExmp, 'new_value' , 'b', 'b3', 'b3_3');
console.log('objExmp', objExmp); // prop changed to 'new_value'
You can split the string path by '.' and spread like :
setValueOf(objExmp, 'new_value' , ...'b.b3.b3_3'.split('.'));

How do I SET to the Object's properties if I have a path array to the needed property?

var obj = {
people: {
John: {
pets:{
dog:{
name:"Umbrella",
age:12
},
cat:{
name:"Kitty",
age:5
}
}
}
}
};
var path=['people', 'John', 'pets', 'cat', 'name'];
var newName='Train';
How do I SET what the array wants (now it is cat's name) to the object? The array can be changed, so I can not write it by hand. I need a function to do it automatically depending on the array

You can use a recursive function like this one:
var prop = function (obj, chain) {
if (obj && chain.length > 0) {
return prop(obj[chain[0]], chain.slice(1));
}
return obj;
};
prop(obj, path);
Or even an iterative function:
var prop = function (obj, chain) {
var i = 0;
while (obj && i < chain.length) {
obj = obj[chain[i]];
i++;
}
return obj;
};
prop(obj, path);
EDIT: To set a value, you can do something like this:
var set = function (obj, chain, value) {
if (obj === undefined || obj === null) return;
var i = 0;
while (obj[chain[i]] !== undefined && obj[chain[0]] !== null && i < chain.length - 1) {
obj = obj[chain[i]];
i++;
}
obj[chain[i]] = value;
};
set(obj, path, 'Train');

use the below function recursively
foreach(var key in obj)
{
console.log('key'); //gives the key name like - people, John, Pets, dog, cat etc.,
}

Using for loop:
var cursor = obj;
for (var i = 0, len = path.length; i < len; i++) {
cursor = cursor[path[i]];
}

How to set object property (of object property of..) given its string name in JavaScript?

Suppose we are only given
var obj = {};
var propName = "foo.bar.foobar";
How can we set the property obj.foo.bar.foobar to a certain value (say "hello world")?
So I want to achieve this, while we only have the property name in a string:
obj.foo.bar.foobar = "hello world";

function assign(obj, prop, value) {
if (typeof prop === "string")
prop = prop.split(".");
if (prop.length > 1) {
var e = prop.shift();
assign(obj[e] =
Object.prototype.toString.call(obj[e]) === "[object Object]"
? obj[e]
: {},
prop,
value);
} else
obj[prop[0]] = value;
}
var obj = {},
propName = "foo.bar.foobar";
assign(obj, propName, "Value");

I know it's an old one, but I see only custom functions in answers.
If you don't mind using a library, look at lodash _.set and _.get function.

Since this question appears to be answered by incorrect answers, I'll just refer to the correct answer from a similar question
function setDeepValue(obj, value, path) {
if (typeof path === "string") {
var path = path.split('.');
}
if(path.length > 1){
var p=path.shift();
if(obj[p]==null || typeof obj[p]!== 'object'){
obj[p] = {};
}
setDeepValue(obj[p], value, path);
}else{
obj[path[0]] = value;
}
}
Use:
var obj = {};
setDeepValue(obj, 'Hello World', 'foo.bar.foobar');

edit: I've created a jsPerf.com testcase to compare the accepted answer with my version.
Turns out that my version is faster, especially when you go very deep.
http://jsfiddle.net/9YMm8/
var nestedObjectAssignmentFor = function(obj, propString, value) {
var propNames = propString.split('.'),
propLength = propNames.length-1,
tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i <= propLength ; i++) {
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]] = i !== propLength ? {} : value;
}
return obj;
}
var obj = nestedObjectAssignment({},"foo.bar.foobar","hello world");
​
​

All solutions overid any of the original data when setting so I have tweaked with the following, made it into a single object too:
var obj = {}
nestObject.set(obj, "a.b", "foo");
nestObject.get(obj, "a.b"); // returns foo
var nestedObject = {
set: function(obj, propString, value) {
var propNames = propString.split('.'),
propLength = propNames.length-1,
tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i <= propLength ; i++) {
if (i === propLength){
if(tmpObj[propNames[i]]){
tmpObj[propNames[i]] = value;
}else{
tmpObj[propNames[i]] = value;
}
}else{
if(tmpObj[propNames[i]]){
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]];
}else{
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]] = {};
}
}
}
return obj;
},
get: function(obj, propString){
var propNames = propString.split('.'),
propLength = propNames.length-1,
tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i <= propLength ; i++) {
if(tmpObj[propNames[i]]){
tmpObj = tmpObj[propNames[i]];
}else{
break;
}
}
return tmpObj;
}
};
Can also change functions to be an Oject.prototype method changing obj param to this:
Object.prototype = { setNested = function(){ ... }, getNested = function(){ ... } }
{}.setNested('a.c','foo')

Here is a get and set function i just compiled from a couple of threads + some custom code.
It will also create keys that don't exist on set.
function setValue(object, path, value) {
var a = path.split('.');
var o = object;
for (var i = 0; i < a.length - 1; i++) {
var n = a[i];
if (n in o) {
o = o[n];
} else {
o[n] = {};
o = o[n];
}
}
o[a[a.length - 1]] = value;
}
function getValue(object, path) {
var o = object;
path = path.replace(/\[(\w+)\]/g, '.$1');
path = path.replace(/^\./, '');
var a = path.split('.');
while (a.length) {
var n = a.shift();
if (n in o) {
o = o[n];
} else {
return;
}
}
return o;
}

Here is a simple function to do that using reference.
function setValueByPath (obj, path, value) {
var ref = obj;
path.split('.').forEach(function (key, index, arr) {
ref = ref[key] = index === arr.length - 1 ? value : {};
});
return obj;
}

You could split the path and make a check if the following element exist. If not assign an object to the new property.
Return then the value of the property.
At the end assign the value.
function setValue(object, path, value) {
var fullPath = path.split('.'),
way = fullPath.slice(),
last = way.pop();
way.reduce(function (r, a) {
return r[a] = r[a] || {};
}, object)[last] = value;
}
var object = {},
propName = 'foo.bar.foobar',
value = 'hello world';
setValue(object, propName, value);
console.log(object);

Here's one that returns the updated object
function deepUpdate(value, path, tree, branch = tree) {
const last = path.length === 1;
branch[path[0]] = last ? value : branch[path[0]];
return last ? tree : deepUpdate(value, path.slice(1), tree, branch[path[0]]);
}
const path = 'cat.dog';
const updated = deepUpdate('a', path.split('.'), {cat: {dog: null}})
// => { cat: {dog: 'a'} }

A very straightforward one.
This implementation should be very performant.
It avoids recursions, and function calls, while maintaining simplicity.
/**
* Set the value of a deep property, creating new objects as necessary.
* #param {Object} obj The object to set the value on.
* #param {String|String[]} path The property to set.
* #param {*} value The value to set.
* #return {Object} The object at the end of the path.
* #author github.com/victornpb
* #see https://stackoverflow.com/a/46060952/938822
* #example
* setDeep(obj, 'foo.bar.baz', 'quux');
*/
function setDeep(obj, path, value) {
const props = typeof path === 'string' ? path.split('.') : path;
for (var i = 0, n = props.length - 1; i < n; ++i) {
obj = obj[props[i]] = obj[props[i]] || {};
}
obj[props[i]] = value;
return obj;
}
/*********************** EXAMPLE ***********************/
const obj = {
hello : 'world',
};
setDeep(obj, 'root', true);
setDeep(obj, 'foo.bar.baz', 1);
setDeep(obj, ['foo','quux'], '😉');
console.log(obj);
// ⬇︎ Click "Run" below to see output

I was looking for an answer that does not overwrite existing values and was easily readable and was able to come up with this. Leaving this here in case it helps others with the same needs
function setValueAtObjectPath(obj, pathString, newValue) {
// create an array (pathComponents) of the period-separated path components from pathString
var pathComponents = pathString.split('.');
// create a object (tmpObj) that references the memory of obj
var tmpObj = obj;
for (var i = 0; i < pathComponents.length; i++) {
// if not on the last path component, then set the tmpObj as the value at this pathComponent
if (i !== pathComponents.length-1) {
// set tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] equal to an object of it's own value
tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] = {...tmpObj[pathComponents[i]]}
// set tmpObj to reference tmpObj[pathComponents[i]]
tmpObj = tmpObj[pathComponents[i]]
// else (IS the last path component), then set the value at this pathComponent equal to newValue
} else {
// set tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] equal to newValue
tmpObj[pathComponents[i]] = newValue
}
}
// return your object
return obj
}

Same as Rbar's answers, very useful when you're working with redux reducers. I use lodash clone instead of spread operator to support arrays too:
export function cloneAndPatch(obj, path, newValue, separator='.') {
let stack = Array.isArray(path) ? path : path.split(separator);
let newObj = _.clone(obj);
obj = newObj;
while (stack.length > 1) {
let property = stack.shift();
let sub = _.clone(obj[property]);
obj[property] = sub;
obj = sub;
}
obj[stack.shift()] = newValue;
return newObj;
}

Object.getPath = function(o, s) {
s = s.replace(/\[(\w+)\]/g, '.$1'); // convert indexes to properties
s = s.replace(/^\./, ''); // strip a leading dot
var a = s.split('.');
for (var i = 0, n = a.length; i < n; ++i) {
var k = a[i];
if (k in o) {
o = o[k];
} else {
return;
}
}
return o;
};
Object.setPath = function(o, p, v) {
var a = p.split('.');
var o = o;
for (var i = 0; i < a.length - 1; i++) {
if (a[i].indexOf('[') === -1) {
var n = a[i];
if (n in o) {
o = o[n];
} else {
o[n] = {};
o = o[n];
}
} else {
// Not totaly optimised
var ix = a[i].match(/\[.*?\]/g)[0];
var n = a[i].replace(ix, '');
o = o[n][ix.substr(1,ix.length-2)]
}
}
if (a[a.length - 1].indexOf('[') === -1) {
o[a[a.length - 1]] = v;
} else {
var ix = a[a.length - 1].match(/\[.*?\]/g)[0];
var n = a[a.length - 1].replace(ix, '');
o[n][ix.substr(1,ix.length-2)] = v;
}
};

Here's a simple method that uses a scoped Object that recursively set's the correct prop by path.
function setObjectValueByPath(pathScope, value, obj) {
const pathStrings = pathScope.split('/');
obj[pathStrings[0]] = pathStrings.length > 1 ?
setObjectValueByPath(
pathStrings.splice(1, pathStrings.length).join('/'),
value,
obj[pathStrings[0]]
) :
value;
return obj;
}

How about a simple and short one?
Object.assign(this.origin, { [propName]: value })

You can use reduce : (you can test it by copy/paste on browser console)
const setValueOf = (obj, value, ...path) => {
path.reduce((o, level, idx) => {
if(idx === path.length -1) { o[level] = value }; // on last change the value of the prop
return o && o[level]; // return the prop
}, obj);
};
Example
let objExmp = {a: 'a', b: {b1: 'b1', b2: 'b2', b3: { b3_3 : 'default_value' } }};
setValueOf(objExmp, 'new_value' , 'b', 'b3', 'b3_3');
console.log('objExmp', objExmp); // prop changed to 'new_value'
You can split the string path by '.' and spread like :
setValueOf(objExmp, 'new_value' , ...'b.b3.b3_3'.split('.'));