Subj : Re: Changing Object.prototype.toSource to use double-quotes everywhere
To   : zwetan
From : Brendan Eich
Date : Thu May 12 2005 03:52 pm

zwetan wrote:
> hello,
> 
>>Just switching things so
>>
>>var o = {foo: "bar", '$#@%': 42};
>>o.toSource()
>>
>>results in a string containing {foo:"bar", "$#@%":42} instead of
>>{foo:"bar", '$#@%':42} is a small change that should be easy to adapt
>>to, if any existing consumers of toSource output have come to depend on
>>single quotes being used, if any quoting is used, around property ids.
>>
>>Comments?
>>
> 
> 
> would it not be more simpler to let users "override" the prototype method
> at runtime with their own method instead of changing the code-base ?

Yes, it would be simpler for me. No, it would not be simpler for people 
trying to produce JSON-compatible strings, because overriding toSource 
is non-trivial.

I'm all in favor of simplifying things for me, though.  And the more I 
think about it, since JS doesn't quote all property identifiers, we are 
not JSON-compatible even if we double- rather than single-quote.  So now 
I am wondering whether the better answer is not to output JSON via a new 
option to toSource, or via a toJSONString method.

JSON doesn't also handle cycles and join points, so if a JS object graph 
that's not a tree is toSource'ed or toJSONString'ed, and the consumer 
wants JSON, it will choke on the sharp variables.

Bcc'ing Doug Crockford for his thoughts.

/be

.