myArray instanceof Array fails after passing to a different page

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  • John MacIntyre

    myArray instanceof Array fails after passing to a different page

    Hi,

    I have a page with a series of child pages loaded into an iframe. When I
    move from page to page, I store an object containing the child's control
    data in a variable on the main page, then use that data to populate the
    controls when the child page is opened again.

    One of these objects contains an Array, and the page reloads fine using
    myArray[0], myArray[1], etc... But when I try perform some array methods
    on it (i.e.slice) ... it does not recognize it as an array.

    By checking "myArray instanceof Array", I have determined that the object
    is seen as an array until it is passed to the parent page. Then "myArray
    instanceof Array" fails.

    Does anybody know why this is? And/Or how I can get around it?

    I managed to isolate the problem in the following HTML files.

    Thanks in advance,
    --
    John MacIntyre
    VC++ / VB / ASP / Database Developer




    -------------------------
    --- parent.htm ---
    -------------------------
    <HTML>
    <script>
    function getArray()
    {
    var ca;
    ca = ifra.getArray() ;
    alert(ca.join("-"));
    alert( "Parent : " + ((ca instanceof Array) ? "Type Array" :
    "Unknown
    Type"));
    }
    </script>
    <BODY>
    <button onclick="getArr ay()">Check child array type</button><br>
    <IFRAME id=ifra name=ifra src="C1.htm"></IFRAME>
    </BODY>
    </HTML>



    -------------------------
    --- C1.htm ---
    -------------------------
    <script>
    function getArray()
    {
    var a = new Array( 1,2,3,5,8,13,21 ,34,55,89);
    return a;
    }

    function btn_onclick()
    {
    var a = getArray();
    alert( "Child : " + ((a instanceof Array) ? "Type Array" :
    "Unknown
    Type"));
    }
    </script>
    <BODY>
    <button onclick="btn_on click();">Click for Array</button>
    </BODY>
    </HTML>








  • Douglas Crockford

    #2
    Re: myArray instanceof Array fails after passing to a different page

    > I have a page with a series of child pages loaded into an iframe. When I[color=blue]
    > move from page to page, I store an object containing the child's control
    > data in a variable on the main page, then use that data to populate the
    > controls when the child page is opened again.
    >
    > One of these objects contains an Array, and the page reloads fine using
    > myArray[0], myArray[1], etc... But when I try perform some array methods
    > on it (i.e.slice) ... it does not recognize it as an array.
    >
    > By checking "myArray instanceof Array", I have determined that the object
    > is seen as an array until it is passed to the parent page. Then "myArray
    > instanceof Array" fails.
    >
    > Does anybody know why this is? And/Or how I can get around it?[/color]

    When you say 'Array', you are talking about 'window.Array'. 'window' is the
    browser's context object, and you get one per page (or frame). All of the arrays
    created within a context will have their constructor property set to
    'window.Array'.

    An array created in a different context has a different window.Array, so your
    test

    myArray instanceof Array

    fails. The ECMAScript standard does not discuss multiple contexts, even though
    virtually all implementations support them. The ECMAScript standard also fails
    to provide a reliable technique for testing the type of arrays. The obvious
    thing would have been

    typeof myArray == 'array'

    except that unfortunately, it turns out that

    typeof myArray == 'object'

    which not very useful.

    You might try testing for the presence of a well-know array method.

    typeof myArray.sort == 'function'

    This is not infallible, but it is better than the useless instanceof operator.



    Comment

    • Dom Leonard

      #3
      Re: myArray instanceof Array fails after passing to a different page

      John MacIntyre wrote:[color=blue]
      > Hi,
      >
      > I have a page with a series of child pages loaded into an iframe. When I
      > move from page to page, I store an object containing the child's control
      > data in a variable on the main page, then use that data to populate the
      > controls when the child page is opened again.[/color]
      [color=blue]
      > One of these objects contains an Array, and the page reloads fine using
      > myArray[0], myArray[1], etc... But when I try perform some array methods
      > on it (i.e.slice) ... it does not recognize it as an array.[/color]


      You will be familiar with the fact that page javascript values are
      destroyed by closing a window, page reload, document.write after
      window.onload or simply navigating to a new page.

      Less well known, but corroborated by testing, is that the *value* of at
      least some of the global properties supplied by the scripting engine are
      also updated as a result of navigation within a window. In particular,
      the value of window.Array seen within the iframe is not constant across
      page navigation.

      What your program does is to execute code defined within the iframe from
      a thread originating in the parent. For IE at least, the empirical
      result is that the Array object returned is created in object data space
      of the parent and is not destroyed by changing URLs within the iframe.

      However, array methods are inherited from Array.prototype , and the array
      returned from iframe code is prototyped on
      <iframe>.window .Array.prototyp e. This object *is* being destroyed by
      navigation within the iframe.

      In effect the array stored in the parent has lost its prototype object
      [1]. Local properties of the array can still be accessed as you have
      already found.

      The suggested workaround is to copy non-object values from the iframe to
      an array created by parent frame code, in a parent frame execution
      thread. (Or "experiment , experiment, experiment!" :)

      <snip>
      [color=blue]
      > function getArray()
      > {
      > var ca;
      > ca = ifra.getArray() ;
      > alert(ca.join("-"));
      > alert( "Parent : " + ((ca instanceof Array) ? "Type Array" : "Unknown Type"));
      > }[/color]

      [1] "myObject instanceof myConstructor" answers the question "is the
      current value of myConstructor.p rototype in the prototype chain of
      myObject". If you executed

      function showType()
      {
      alert("ca instanceof ifra.window.Arr ay: "
      + (ca instanceof ifra.window.Arr ay));
      }
      you would see true immediately after calling getArray(), but false if
      the iframe document is replaced in the mean time.

      BTW, this response is not intended to replace Douglas Crawford's
      execellent reply, but simply to investigate different aspects and look
      at some snipped code.

      HTH,

      Dom

      Comment

      • Dom Leonard

        #4
        Re: myArray instanceof Array fails after passing to a different page

        Dom Leonard wrote:
        [color=blue]
        > BTW, this response is not intended to replace Douglas[/color]
        Crockford's[color=blue]
        > execellent reply,[/color]

        Sorry Douglas, I primarily file by first name in my head and didn't spot
        misquoting your last name until after posting. My sincere appologies.

        Dom





        Comment

        • John MacIntyre

          #5
          Re: myArray instanceof Array fails after passing to a different page

          Thanks, guys for the great replies. These were among the best explanations
          I've ever gotten from a newsgroup.

          For the record, the way I got around this is to create a function in the
          parent page which I called from the child page. This way when it was passed
          back to the parent ... it was recognized. Not the cleanest way .. but it
          was effective.

          Thanks again,
          --
          John MacIntyre
          VC++ / VB / ASP / Database Developer



          "Dom Leonard" <doml.removethi s@senet.andthis .com.au> wrote in message
          news:Lvccb.182$ DK6.5041@nnrp1. ozemail.com.au. ..[color=blue]
          > Dom Leonard wrote:
          >[color=green]
          > > BTW, this response is not intended to replace Douglas[/color]
          > Crockford's[color=green]
          > > execellent reply,[/color]
          >
          > Sorry Douglas, I primarily file by first name in my head and didn't spot
          > misquoting your last name until after posting. My sincere appologies.
          >
          > Dom
          >
          >
          >
          >
          >[/color]


          Comment

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