how to pass in a class name as variable using javascript

Question

How can I pass in a class name as a variable using javascript?

Let's say I have the class Person.

I want to pass in the name of the class to a function so that that function can call that class.

so the function is

function openClass(name)

I want to pass in

openClass('person')

so that openClass can call the class person

for example

function openClass(name)
{
    return new name() // here I want this line to actually 
                      // call the class "Person" if that is 
                      // what is passed in as a name parameter,

}

Answer 1

Technically, there are no classes in JavaScript. Although many third party libraries do create a class system on top of JavaScript.

The "class" is typically a constructor function. So if you have the name of the function, it's a matter of digging it out of the global scope. Assuming the function is defined globally:

var Constructor = window[name];
return new Constructor();

If your function is actually defined at say my.namespace.Person, then it's a bit more complicated, but still the same general idea.