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object.defineGetter

This feature is deprecated in favor of defining getters using the object initializer syntax or the Object.defineProperty() API. While this feature is widely implemented, it is only described in the ECMAScript specification because of legacy usage. This method should not be used since better alternatives exist.

The __defineGetter__ method binds an object's property to a function to be called when that property is looked up.

Syntax

obj.__defineGetter__(prop, func)

Parameters

prop: A string containing the name of the property to bind to the given function.
func: A function to be bound to a lookup of the specified property.

Return value

undefined.

Description

The __defineGetter__ allows a getter to be defined on a pre-existing object.

Examples

// Non-standard and deprecated way

var o = {};
o.__defineGetter__('gimmeFive', function() { return 5; });
console.log(o.gimmeFive); // 5


// Standard-compliant ways

// Using the get operator
var o = { get gimmeFive() { return 5; } };
console.log(o.gimmeFive); // 5

// Using Object.defineProperty
var o = {};
Object.defineProperty(o, 'gimmeFive', {
  get: function() {
    return 5;
  }
});
console.log(o.gimmeFive); // 5

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
ECMAScript Latest Draft (ECMA-262) The definition of 'Object.prototype.__defineGetter__()' in that specification.	Draft	Included in the (normative) annex for additional ECMAScript legacy features for Web browsers (note that the specification codifies what is already in implementations).

Browser compatibilityUpdate compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari
Basic support	Yes	Yes	1 1 Starting with Firefox 48, this method can no longer be called at the global scope without any object. A `TypeError` will be thrown otherwise. Previously, the global object was used in these cases automatically, but this is no longer the case.	11	Yes	Yes

	Mobile
	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Edge Mobile	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	iOS Safari	Samsung Internet
Basic support	Yes	Yes	Yes	4	Yes	Yes	Yes

	Server
	Node.js
Basic support	Yes

object.__defineGetter__