Flatten a javascript object to pass as querystring

I have a javascript object that I need to flatten into a string so that I can pass as querystring, how would I do that? i.e:

{ cost: 12345, insertBy: 'testUser' } would become cost=12345&insertBy=testUser

I can't use jQuery AJAX call for this call, I know we can use that and pass the object in as data but not in this case. Using jQuery to flatten to object would be okay though.

Thank you.

Solution 1:

Here's a non-jQuery version:

function toQueryString(obj) {
    var parts = [];
    for (var i in obj) {
        if (obj.hasOwnProperty(i)) {
            parts.push(encodeURIComponent(i) + "=" + encodeURIComponent(obj[i]));
        }
    }
    return parts.join("&");
}

Solution 2:

You want jQuery.param:

var str = $.param({ cost: 12345, insertBy: 'testUser' });
// "cost=12345&insertBy=testUser"

Note that this is the function used internally by jQuery to serialize objects passed as the data argument.

Solution 3:

My ES6 version (pure Javascript, no jQuery):

function toQueryString(paramsObject) {
  return Object
    .keys(paramsObject)
    .map(key => `${encodeURIComponent(key)}=${encodeURIComponent(paramsObject[key])}`)
    .join('&')
  ;
}

Solution 4:

This is an old question, but at the top of Google searches, so I'm adding this for completeness.

If 1) you don't want to user jQuery, but 2) you want to covert a nested object to a query string, then (building off of Tim Down and Guy's answers), use this:

function toQueryString(obj, urlEncode) {
    //
    // Helper function that flattens an object, retaining key structer as a path array:
    //
    // Input: { prop1: 'x', prop2: { y: 1, z: 2 } }
    // Example output: [
    //     { path: [ 'prop1' ],      val: 'x' },
    //     { path: [ 'prop2', 'y' ], val: '1' },
    //     { path: [ 'prop2', 'z' ], val: '2' }
    // ]
    //
    function flattenObj(x, path) {
        var result = [];

        path = path || [];
        Object.keys(x).forEach(function (key) {
            if (!x.hasOwnProperty(key)) return;

            var newPath = path.slice();
            newPath.push(key);

            var vals = [];
            if (typeof x[key] == 'object') {
                vals = flattenObj(x[key], newPath);
            } else {
                vals.push({ path: newPath, val: x[key] });
            }
            vals.forEach(function (obj) {
                return result.push(obj);
            });
        });

        return result;
    } // flattenObj

    // start with  flattening `obj`
    var parts = flattenObj(obj); // [ { path: [ ...parts ], val: ... }, ... ]

    // convert to array notation:
    parts = parts.map(function (varInfo) {
        if (varInfo.path.length == 1) varInfo.path = varInfo.path[0];else {
            var first = varInfo.path[0];
            var rest = varInfo.path.slice(1);
            varInfo.path = first + '[' + rest.join('][') + ']';
        }
        return varInfo;
    }); // parts.map

    // join the parts to a query-string url-component
    var queryString = parts.map(function (varInfo) {
        return varInfo.path + '=' + varInfo.val;
    }).join('&');
    if (urlEncode) return encodeURIComponent(queryString);else return queryString;
}

Use like:

console.log(toQueryString({
    prop1: 'x',
    prop2: {
        y: 1,
        z: 2
    }
}, false));

Which outputs:

prop1=x&prop2[y]=1&prop2[z]=2