Comparing and cloning objects in JavaScript

Here’s a handy way to determine if two JavaScript objects are identical without using a framework like jQuery or MooTools:

var compare_objects = function (obj1, obj2){

    var parameter_name;
    
    var compare = function(objA, objB, param){
        
        var param_objA = objA[param],
            param_objB = (typeof objB[param] === "undefined") ? false : objB[param];
        
        switch(typeof objA[param]){
            case "object": return (compare_objects(param_objA, param_objB));
            case "function": return (param_objA.toString() === param_objB.toString());
            default: return (param_objA === param_objB);
        }
        
    };
    
    for(parameter_name in obj1){
        if(typeof obj2[parameter_name] === "undefined" || !compare(obj1, obj2, parameter_name)){
            return false;
        }
    }

    for(parameter_name in obj2){
        if(typeof obj1[parameter_name] === "undefined" || !compare(obj1, obj2, parameter_name)){
            return false;
        }        
    }

    return true;

};Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

Here’s an easy way to clone a JavaScript object:

var clone_object = function (original_obj) {
    var new_obj = {};
    for(var param in original_obj) {
        if(original_obj.hasOwnProperty(param)){
            if(typeof(original_obj[param]) === "object"){
                new_obj[param] = clone_object(original_obj[param]);
            } else {
                new_obj[param] = original_obj[param];
            }
        }
    }
    return new_obj;
};Code language: JavaScript (javascript)

A real-world example of the two functions:

var object_1 = { fruit: "apple", tree: "dogwood", number: 3 };
var object_2 = { fruit: "apple", tree: "dogwood", number: 3, cartoons: { anime: "robotech", fantasy: "he-man" } };
var object_3 = clone_object(object_2);

console.log("objects 1 and 2 match? " +compare_objects(object_1, object_2));
//displays false;

console.log("objects 2 and 3 match? " +compare_objects(object_2, object_3));
//displays trueCode language: JavaScript (javascript)

Bear in mind both of these functions are recursive, which means the larger the object, the slower the performance.