How to use a variable value for the key of another object?

Question

I have something like :

var myMenu= [
  {
    'My English Title':function(menuItem,menu) 
                       { ... }
  }];

Now, I want the replace 'My English Title' by an other JSON structure value LOC.MENU_TITLE.

I have try:

var myMenu= [
  {
    LOC.MENU_TITLE:function(menuItem,menu) 
                       { ... }
  }];

But it doesn't work. Any one can give me an hint of how to get JSON value inside a JSON variable?

Edit: This is to use the Context Menu of Jquery but I got a problem with all solutions below and it's when it's time to pass the String for the Separator. It doesn't show the separator because it pass the string into an object instead of just the string.

Example:

var menu1 = [
  {'Option 1':function(menuItem,menu) { alert("You clicked Option 1!"); } },
  $.contextMenu.separator,
  {'Option 2':function(menuItem,menu) { alert("You clicked Option 2!"); } }
];

JSON = JavaScript Object Notation ... I guess we are talking the same language :P — Patrick Desjardins
– Patrick Desjardins, Commented Feb 8, 2010 at 20:17
JSON is a serialized form of JavaScript objects and as such has slightly different syntax requirements. JSON is represented always as a string, not a real object. It is parsed into real objects, or serialized in a string. — Doug Neiner
– Doug Neiner, Commented Feb 8, 2010 at 20:18
I think the confusion comes in because array and object literal notation is (practically) equivalent to JSON. — Justin Johnson
– Justin Johnson, Commented Feb 8, 2010 at 20:20
One thing to note is that a function would have no meaning in a JSON object since it's meant to be an interchange format. You can't serialize a JS function and have it make any sense to say, PHP or Java. — JAL
– JAL, Commented Feb 9, 2010 at 22:43

Justin Johnson · Accepted Answer · 2010-02-08 22:01:55Z

10

var tempElement = {};
tempElement[ LOC.MENU_TITLE ] = function(menuItem, menu) {};

myMenu = [ tempElement ];

Addressing your edit. Try the following

var myMenu = [ {}, $.contextMenu.separator, {} ];

myMenu[0][ LOC.MENU_TITLE ]  = function(menuItem, menu) {};
myMenu[2][ LOC.MENU_TITLE2 ] = function(menuItem, menu) {};

edited Feb 8, 2010 at 22:01

answered Feb 8, 2010 at 20:16

Justin Johnson

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Comments

Christian C. Salvadó · Accepted Answer · 2010-02-08 20:20:28Z

7

JavaScript object literals expect the keys to be either an Identifier, a String literal or a Number literal, a workaround can be to build your object step by step, using the bracket notation:

var myMenu= [{}];
myMenu[0][LOC.MENU_TITLE] = function(menuItem,menu){ /*...*/ };

Note that the above isn't JSON.

JSON is a language-agnostic data interchange format, its grammar differs from the JavaScript Object literals, basically by allowing only string keys and the values must be an object, array, number, string, or the literal names: false, null true.

answered Feb 8, 2010 at 20:20

Christian C. Salvadó

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3 Comments

Tatu Ulmanen Over a year ago

Why object inside an array? Wouldn't var myMenu = {}; myMenu[LOC.MENU_TITLE] work as well?

Patrick Desjardins Over a year ago

The structure is from the jQuery ContextMenu plugin

Patrick Desjardins Over a year ago

This doesn't work, but Justin Johnson solution works. Trying to understand why...

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