does javascript have something equivalent to Python's `id` function? [duplicate]

Question

I need to do some experiment and I need to know some kind of unique identifier for objects in javascript, so I can see if they are the same. I don't want to use equality operators, I need something like the id() function in python.

Does something like this exist ?

Answer 1

Update My original answer below was written 6 years ago in a style befitting the times and my understanding. In response to some conversation in the comments, a more modern approach to this is as follows:

    (function() {
        if ( typeof Object.id == "undefined" ) {
            var id = 0;

            Object.id = function(o) {
                if ( typeof o.__uniqueid == "undefined" ) {
                    Object.defineProperty(o, "__uniqueid", {
                        value: ++id,
                        enumerable: false,
                        // This could go either way, depending on your 
                        // interpretation of what an "id" is
                        writable: false
                    });
                }

                return o.__uniqueid;
            };
        }
    })();
    
    var obj = { a: 1, b: 1 };
    
    console.log(Object.id(obj));
    console.log(Object.id([]));
    console.log(Object.id({}));
    console.log(Object.id(/./));
    console.log(Object.id(function() {}));

    for (var k in obj) {
        if (obj.hasOwnProperty(k)) {
            console.log(k);
        }
    }
    // Logged keys are `a` and `b`

If you have archaic browser requirements, check here for browser compatibility for Object.defineProperty.

The original answer is kept below (instead of just in the change history) because I think the comparison is valuable.

---

You can give the following a spin. This also gives you the option to explicitly set an object's ID in its constructor or elsewhere.

    (function() {
        if ( typeof Object.prototype.uniqueId == "undefined" ) {
            var id = 0;
            Object.prototype.uniqueId = function() {
                if ( typeof this.__uniqueid == "undefined" ) {
                    this.__uniqueid = ++id;
                }
                return this.__uniqueid;
            };
        }
    })();
    
    var obj1 = {};
    var obj2 = new Object();
    
    console.log(obj1.uniqueId());
    console.log(obj2.uniqueId());
    console.log([].uniqueId());
    console.log({}.uniqueId());
    console.log(/./.uniqueId());
    console.log((function() {}).uniqueId());

Take care to make sure that whatever member you use to internally store the unique ID doesn't collide with another automatically created member name.

Answer 2

So far as my observation goes, any answer posted here can have unexpected side effects.

In ES2015-compatible enviroment, you can avoid any side effects by using WeakMap.

const id = (() => {
    let currentId = 0;
    const map = new WeakMap();

    return (object) => {
        if (!map.has(object)) {
            map.set(object, ++currentId);
        }

        return map.get(object);
    };
})();

id({}); //=> 1

Answer 3

Latest browsers provide a cleaner method for extending Object.prototype. This code will make the property hidden from property enumeration (for p in o)

For the browsers that implement defineProperty, you can implement uniqueId property like this:

(function() {
    var id_counter = 1;
    Object.defineProperty(Object.prototype, "__uniqueId", {
        writable: true
    });
    Object.defineProperty(Object.prototype, "uniqueId", {
        get: function() {
            if (this.__uniqueId == undefined)
                this.__uniqueId = id_counter++;
            return this.__uniqueId;
        }
    });
}());

For details, see https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object/defineProperty

Answer 4

Actually, you don't need to modify the object prototype and add a function there. The following should work well for your purpose.

var __next_objid=1;
function objectId(obj) {
    if (obj==null) return null;
    if (obj.__obj_id==null) obj.__obj_id=__next_objid++;
    return obj.__obj_id;
}