JavaScript Methods

# JavaScript Object Methods

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## JavaScript Methods

JavaScript methods are the actions that can be performed on objects.

A JavaScript method is a property containing a function definition.

Property | Value
--- | ---
firstName | John
lastName | Doe
age | 50
eyeColor | blue
fullName | function() {return this.firstName + " " + this.lastName;}

| Methods are functions stored as object properties.

## Accessing Object Methods

You create an object method with the following syntax:

methodName : function() { code lines }

You access an object method with the following syntax:

objectName.methodName()

You will typically describe fullName() as a method of the person object, and fullName as a property.

The fullName property will execute (as a function) when it is invoked with ().

This example accesses the fullName() method of a person object:

## Example

name = person.fullName();
Try it Yourself »

If you access the fullName property, without (), it will return the function definition:

## Example

name = person.fullName;
Try it Yourself »

## Using Built-In Methods

This example uses the toUpperCase() method of the String object, to convert a text to uppercase:

var message = "Hello world!";
var x = message.toUpperCase();

The value of x, after execution of the code above will be:

HELLO WORLD!

## Adding New Methods

Defining methods to an object is done inside the constructor function:

## Example

function person(firstname, lastname, age, eyecolor) {
this.firstname = firstname;
this.lastname = lastname;
this.age = age;
this.eyecolor = eyecolor;
this.changeName = function (name) {
this.lastname = name;
}
}

The changeName() function assigns the value of name to the person's lastname property.

## Now You Can Try:

myMother.changeName("Doe");
Try it yourself »

JavaScript knows which person you are talking about by "substituting" this with myMother.

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