• JavaScript Tutorial
• JavaScript Array Object
• Declaring an array
• Multidimensional arrays
• Referencing array elements
• Associative arrays
• JavaScript Array Properties
• Array length property
• Array constructor property
• Array prototype property
• JavaScript Array Methods
• concat() method
• join() method
• pop() method
• push() method
• reverse() method
• shift() method
• slice() method
• sort() method
  • Custom sorting function
  • Randomize array elements
• splice() method
• toString() method
• unshift() method
• Other JavaScript Objects
• JS Number Object
• JS RegExp Object
• JS String Object

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JavaScript toString() Method

This tutorial covers the JavaScript toString() method. Available to all JavaScript objects, the toString() method returns a string representation of its argument. This tutorial focuses on toString() applied to JavaScript arrays.

To join JavaScript array elements as a string without comma separators, use the join() method.

The toString() method is not exclusive to JavaScript's Array object: it is inherited from the "Object" object, and all data types (and custom objects) inherit the methods and properties of the Object object.

This tutorial covers toString() as the method specifically applies to JavaScript's Array objects.

Using the toString() Method with JavaScript Arrays

The toString() method returns a string representation of the JavaScript object on which it is called. Applied on an array, toString() will return a string containing all elements in the array, each separated by a comma (","). The script below declares an array, and returns its string representation to an alert box.

Your web browser's JavaScript interpreter will usually perform an automatic conversion to string for arguments passed to the alert() method. But you should always use toString() to return a string representation of an object, rather than rely on browser behaviors. The original object is not affected by toString().

The script above returns this result:

Note that calling the toString() method on an array has the exact same effect as calling the join() method with a comma passed as argument.

Test the toString() Method

Interactively test the toString() method by editing the JavaScript code below and clicking the Test toString() Method button.

Browser support for JavaScript aScript toString() method