Underscore is a JavaScript library that provides a whole mess of useful functional programming helpers without extending any built-in objects. It’s the answer to the question: “If I sit down in front of a blank HTML page, and want to start being productive immediately, what do I need?” … and the tie to go along with jQuery's tux and Backbone's suspenders.
Underscore provides over 100 functions that support both your favorite workaday functional helpers: map, filter, invoke — as well as more specialized goodies: function binding, javascript templating, creating quick indexes, deep equality testing, and so on.
A complete Test & Benchmark Suite is included for your perusal.
You may also read through the annotated source code.
Enjoying Underscore, and want to turn it up to 11? Try Underscore-contrib.
The project is hosted on GitHub. You can report bugs and discuss features on the issues page, on Freenode in the #documentcloud channel, or send tweets to @documentcloud.
Underscore is an open-source component of DocumentCloud.
Development Version (1.7.0) | 44kb, Uncompressed with Plentiful Comments |
Production Version (1.7.0) | 5.0kb, Minified and Gzipped (Source Map) |
Edge Version | Unreleased, current master, use at your own risk |
each_.each(list, iteratee, [context])
Alias: forEach
Iterates over a list of elements, yielding each in turn to an iteratee
function. The iteratee is bound to the context object, if one is
passed. Each invocation of iteratee is called with three arguments:
(element, index, list). If list is a JavaScript object, iteratee's
arguments will be (value, key, list). Returns the list for chaining.
_.each([1, 2, 3], alert); => alerts each number in turn... _.each({one: 1, two: 2, three: 3}, alert); => alerts each number value in turn...
Note: Collection functions work on arrays, objects, and array-like objects such as arguments, NodeList and similar. But it works by duck-typing, so avoid passing objects with a numeric length property. It's also good to note that an each loop cannot be broken out of — to break, use _.find instead.
map_.map(list, iteratee, [context])
Alias: collect
Produces a new array of values by mapping each value in list
through a transformation function (iteratee). If list
is a JavaScript object, iteratee's arguments will be
(value, key, list).
_.map([1, 2, 3], function(num){ return num * 3; }); => [3, 6, 9] _.map({one: 1, two: 2, three: 3}, function(num, key){ return num * 3; }); => [3, 6, 9]
reduce_.reduce(list, iteratee, [memo], [context])
Aliases: inject, foldl
Also known as inject and foldl, reduce boils down a list of values into a single value.
Memo is the initial state of the reduction, and each successive step of it should be returned by
iteratee. The iteratee is passed four arguments: the memo, then the value and
index (or key) of the iteration, and finally a reference to the entire list.
If no memo is passed to the initial invocation of reduce, the iteratee is not invoked on the first element of the list. The first element is instead passed as the memo in the invocation of the iteratee on the next element in the list.
var sum = _.reduce([1, 2, 3], function(memo, num){ return memo + num; }, 0); => 6
reduceRight_.reduceRight(list, iteratee, memo, [context])
Alias: foldr
The right-associative version of reduce. Delegates to the
JavaScript 1.8 version of reduceRight, if it exists. Foldr
is not as useful in JavaScript as it would be in a language with lazy
evaluation.
var list = [[0, 1], [2, 3], [4, 5]]; var flat = _.reduceRight(list, function(a, b) { return a.concat(b); }, []); => [4, 5, 2, 3, 0, 1]
find_.find(list, predicate, [context])
Alias: detect
Looks through each value in the list, returning the first one that
passes a truth test (predicate), or undefined if no value
passes the test. The function returns as
soon as it finds an acceptable element, and doesn't traverse the
entire list.
var even = _.find([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], function(num){ return num % 2 == 0; }); => 2
filter_.filter(list, predicate, [context])
Alias: select
Looks through each value in the list, returning an array of all
the values that pass a truth test (predicate).
var evens = _.filter([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], function(num){ return num % 2 == 0; }); => [2, 4, 6]
where_.where(list, properties)
Looks through each value in the list, returning an array of all
the values that contain all of the key-value pairs listed in properties.
_.where(listOfPlays, {author: "Shakespeare", year: 1611}); => [{title: "Cymbeline", author: "Shakespeare", year: 1611}, {title: "The Tempest", author: "Shakespeare", year: 1611}]
findWhere_.findWhere(list, properties)
Looks through the list and returns the first value that matches
all of the key-value pairs listed in properties.
If no match is found, or if list is empty, undefined will be returned.
_.findWhere(publicServicePulitzers, {newsroom: "The New York Times"}); => {year: 1918, newsroom: "The New York Times", reason: "For its public service in publishing in full so many official reports, documents and speeches by European statesmen relating to the progress and conduct of the war."}
reject_.reject(list, predicate, [context])
Returns the values in list without the elements that the truth
test (predicate) passes. The opposite of filter.
var odds = _.reject([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], function(num){ return num % 2 == 0; }); => [1, 3, 5]
every_.every(list, [predicate], [context])
Alias: all
Returns true if all of the values in the list pass the
predicate truth test.
_.every([true, 1, null, 'yes'], _.identity); => false
some_.some(list, [predicate], [context])
Alias: any
Returns true if any of the values in the list pass the
predicate truth test. Short-circuits and stops traversing the list
if a true element is found.
_.some([null, 0, 'yes', false]); => true
contains_.contains(list, value)
Alias: include
Returns true if the value is present in the list.
Uses indexOf internally, if list is an Array.
_.contains([1, 2, 3], 3); => true
invoke_.invoke(list, methodName, *arguments)
Calls the method named by methodName on each value in the list.
Any extra arguments passed to invoke will be forwarded on to the
method invocation.
_.invoke([[5, 1, 7], [3, 2, 1]], 'sort'); => [[1, 5, 7], [1, 2, 3]]
pluck_.pluck(list, propertyName)
A convenient version of what is perhaps the most common use-case for
map: extracting a list of property values.
var stooges = [{name: 'moe', age: 40}, {name: 'larry', age: 50}, {name: 'curly', age: 60}]; _.pluck(stooges, 'name'); => ["moe", "larry", "curly"]
max_.max(list, [iteratee], [context])
Returns the maximum value in list. If an iteratee
function is provided, it will be used on each value to generate the
criterion by which the value is ranked. -Infinity is returned
if list is empty, so an isEmpty guard
may be required.
var stooges = [{name: 'moe', age: 40}, {name: 'larry', age: 50}, {name: 'curly', age: 60}]; _.max(stooges, function(stooge){ return stooge.age; }); => {name: 'curly', age: 60};
min_.min(list, [iteratee], [context])
Returns the minimum value in list. If an iteratee
function is provided, it will be used on each value to generate the
criterion by which the value is ranked. Infinity is returned
if list is empty, so an isEmpty guard
may be required.
var numbers = [10, 5, 100, 2, 1000]; _.min(numbers); => 2
sortBy_.sortBy(list, iteratee, [context])
Returns a (stably) sorted copy of list, ranked in ascending
order by the results of running each value through iteratee.
iteratee may also be the string name of the property to sort by (eg.
length).
_.sortBy([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], function(num){ return Math.sin(num); }); => [5, 4, 6, 3, 1, 2]
groupBy_.groupBy(list, iteratee, [context])
Splits a collection into sets, grouped by the result of running each
value through iteratee. If iteratee is a string instead of
a function, groups by the property named by iteratee on each of
the values.
_.groupBy([1.3, 2.1, 2.4], function(num){ return Math.floor(num); }); => {1: [1.3], 2: [2.1, 2.4]} _.groupBy(['one', 'two', 'three'], 'length'); => {3: ["one", "two"], 5: ["three"]}
indexBy_.indexBy(list, iteratee, [context])
Given a list, and an iteratee function that returns a
key for each element in the list (or a property name),
returns an object with an index of each item.
Just like groupBy, but for when you know your
keys are unique.
var stooges = [{name: 'moe', age: 40}, {name: 'larry', age: 50}, {name: 'curly', age: 60}]; _.indexBy(stooges, 'age'); => { "40": {name: 'moe', age: 40}, "50": {name: 'larry', age: 50}, "60": {name: 'curly', age: 60} }
countBy_.countBy(list, iteratee, [context])
Sorts a list into groups and returns a count for the number of objects
in each group.
Similar to groupBy, but instead of returning a list of values,
returns a count for the number of values in that group.
_.countBy([1, 2, 3, 4, 5], function(num) { return num % 2 == 0 ? 'even': 'odd'; }); => {odd: 3, even: 2}
shuffle_.shuffle(list)
Returns a shuffled copy of the list, using a version of the
Fisher-Yates shuffle.
_.shuffle([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]); => [4, 1, 6, 3, 5, 2]
sample_.sample(list, [n])
Produce a random sample from the list. Pass a number to
return n random elements from the list. Otherwise a single random
item will be returned.
_.sample([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]); => 4 _.sample([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6], 3); => [1, 6, 2]
toArray_.toArray(list)
Creates a real Array from the list (anything that can be
iterated over). Useful for transmuting the arguments object.
(function(){ return _.toArray(arguments).slice(1); })(1, 2, 3, 4); => [2, 3, 4]
size_.size(list)
Return the number of values in the list.
_.size({one: 1, two: 2, three: 3}); => 3
partition_.partition(array, predicate)
Split array into two arrays: one whose elements all satisfy
predicate and one whose elements all do not satisfy predicate.
_.partition([0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5], isOdd); => [[1, 3, 5], [0, 2, 4]]
Note: All array functions will also work on the arguments object. However, Underscore functions are not designed to work on "sparse" arrays.
first_.first(array, [n])
Alias: head, take
Returns the first element of an array. Passing n will
return the first n elements of the array.
_.first([5, 4, 3, 2, 1]); => 5
initial_.initial(array, [n])
Returns everything but the last entry of the array. Especially useful on
the arguments object. Pass n to exclude the last n elements
from the result.
_.initial([5, 4, 3, 2, 1]); => [5, 4, 3, 2]
last_.last(array, [n])
Returns the last element of an array. Passing n will return
the last n elements of the array.
_.last([5, 4, 3, 2, 1]); => 1
rest_.rest(array, [index])
Alias: tail, drop
Returns the rest of the elements in an array. Pass an index
to return the values of the array from that index onward.
_.rest([5, 4, 3, 2, 1]); => [4, 3, 2, 1]
compact_.compact(array)
Returns a copy of the array with all falsy values removed.
In JavaScript, false, null, 0, "",
undefined and NaN are all falsy.
_.compact([0, 1, false, 2, '', 3]); => [1, 2, 3]
flatten_.flatten(array, [shallow])
Flattens a nested array (the nesting can be to any depth). If you
pass shallow, the array will only be flattened a single level.
_.flatten([1, [2], [3, [[4]]]]); => [1, 2, 3, 4]; _.flatten([1, [2], [3, [[4]]]], true); => [1, 2, 3, [[4]]];
without_.without(array, *values)
Returns a copy of the array with all instances of the values
removed.
_.without([1, 2, 1, 0, 3, 1, 4], 0, 1); => [2, 3, 4]
union_.union(*arrays)
Computes the union of the passed-in arrays: the list of unique items,
in order, that are present in one or more of the arrays.
_.union([1, 2, 3], [101, 2, 1, 10], [2, 1]); => [1, 2, 3, 101, 10]
intersection_.intersection(*arrays)
Computes the list of values that are the intersection of all the arrays.
Each value in the result is present in each of the arrays.
_.intersection([1, 2, 3], [101, 2, 1, 10], [2, 1]); => [1, 2]
difference_.difference(array, *others)
Similar to without, but returns the values from array that
are not present in the other arrays.
_.difference([1, 2, 3, 4, 5], [5, 2, 10]); => [1, 3, 4]
uniq_.uniq(array, [isSorted], [iteratee])
Alias: unique
Produces a duplicate-free version of the array, using === to test
object equality. If you know in advance that the array is sorted,
passing true for isSorted will run a much faster algorithm.
If you want to compute unique items based on a transformation, pass an
iteratee function.
_.uniq([1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4]); => [1, 2, 3, 4]
zip_.zip(*arrays)
Merges together the values of each of the arrays with the
values at the corresponding position. Useful when you have separate
data sources that are coordinated through matching array indexes.
If you're working with a matrix of nested arrays, _.zip.apply
can transpose the matrix in a similar fashion.
_.zip(['moe', 'larry', 'curly'], [30, 40, 50], [true, false, false]); => [["moe", 30, true], ["larry", 40, false], ["curly", 50, false]] _.zip.apply(_, arrayOfRowsOfData); => arrayOfColumnsOfData
object_.object(list, [values])
Converts arrays into objects. Pass either a single list of
[key, value] pairs, or a list of keys, and a list of values.
If duplicate keys exist, the last value wins.
_.object(['moe', 'larry', 'curly'], [30, 40, 50]); => {moe: 30, larry: 40, curly: 50} _.object([['moe', 30], ['larry', 40], ['curly', 50]]); => {moe: 30, larry: 40, curly: 50}
indexOf_.indexOf(array, value, [isSorted])
Returns the index at which value can be found in the array,
or -1 if value is not present in the array. If you're working with a
large array, and you know that the array is already sorted, pass true
for isSorted to use a faster binary search ... or, pass a number as
the third argument in order to look for the first matching value in the
array after the given index.
_.indexOf([1, 2, 3], 2); => 1
lastIndexOf_.lastIndexOf(array, value, [fromIndex])
Returns the index of the last occurrence of value in the array,
or -1 if value is not present. Pass fromIndex to start your search at a
given index.
_.lastIndexOf([1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3], 2); => 4
sortedIndex_.sortedIndex(list, value, [iteratee], [context])
Uses a binary search to determine the index at which the value
should be inserted into the list in order to maintain the list's
sorted order. If an iteratee function is provided, it will be used to compute
the sort ranking of each value, including the value you pass.
The iteratee may also be the string name of the property to sort by (eg. length).
_.sortedIndex([10, 20, 30, 40, 50], 35); => 3 var stooges = [{name: 'moe', age: 40}, {name: 'curly', age: 60}]; _.sortedIndex(stooges, {name: 'larry', age: 50}, 'age'); => 1
range_.range([start], stop, [step])
A function to create flexibly-numbered lists of integers, handy for
each and map loops. start, if omitted, defaults
to 0; step defaults to 1. Returns a list of integers
from start to stop, incremented (or decremented) by step,
exclusive. Note that ranges that stop before they start
are considered to be zero-length instead of negative — if you'd like a
negative range, use a negative step.
_.range(10); => [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] _.range(1, 11); => [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10] _.range(0, 30, 5); => [0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25] _.range(0, -10, -1); => [0, -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9] _.range(0); => []
bind_.bind(function, object, *arguments)
Bind a function to an object, meaning that whenever
the function is called, the value of this will be the object.
Optionally, pass arguments to the function to pre-fill them,
also known as partial application. For partial application without
context binding, use partial.
var func = function(greeting){ return greeting + ': ' + this.name }; func = _.bind(func, {name: 'moe'}, 'hi'); func(); => 'hi: moe'
bindAll_.bindAll(object, *methodNames)
Binds a number of methods on the object, specified by
methodNames, to be run in the context of that object whenever they
are invoked. Very handy for binding functions that are going to be used
as event handlers, which would otherwise be invoked with a fairly useless
this. methodNames are required.
var buttonView = { label : 'underscore', onClick: function(){ alert('clicked: ' + this.label); }, onHover: function(){ console.log('hovering: ' + this.label); } }; _.bindAll(buttonView, 'onClick', 'onHover'); // When the button is clicked, this.label will have the correct value. jQuery('#underscore_button').bind('click', buttonView.onClick);
partial_.partial(function, *arguments)
Partially apply a function by filling in any number of its arguments,
without changing its dynamic this value. A close cousin
of bind. You may pass _ in your list of
arguments to specify an argument that should not be pre-filled, but
left open to supply at call-time.
var add = function(a, b) { return a + b; }; add5 = _.partial(add, 5); add5(10); => 15
memoize_.memoize(function, [hashFunction])
Memoizes a given function by caching the computed result. Useful
for speeding up slow-running computations. If passed an optional
hashFunction, it will be used to compute the hash key for storing
the result, based on the arguments to the original function. The default
hashFunction just uses the first argument to the memoized function
as the key.
var fibonacci = _.memoize(function(n) { return n < 2 ? n: fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2); });
delay_.delay(function, wait, *arguments)
Much like setTimeout, invokes function after wait
milliseconds. If you pass the optional arguments, they will be
forwarded on to the function when it is invoked.
var log = _.bind(console.log, console); _.delay(log, 1000, 'logged later'); => 'logged later' // Appears after one second.
defer_.defer(function, *arguments)
Defers invoking the function until the current call stack has cleared,
similar to using setTimeout with a delay of 0. Useful for performing
expensive computations or HTML rendering in chunks without blocking the UI thread
from updating. If you pass the optional arguments, they will be
forwarded on to the function when it is invoked.
_.defer(function(){ alert('deferred'); }); // Returns from the function before the alert runs.
throttle_.throttle(function, wait, [options])
Creates and returns a new, throttled version of the passed function,
that, when invoked repeatedly, will only actually call the original function
at most once per every wait
milliseconds. Useful for rate-limiting events that occur faster than you
can keep up with.
By default, throttle will execute the function as soon as you call it
for the first time, and, if you call it again any number of times
during the wait period, as soon as that period is over.
If you'd like to disable the leading-edge
call, pass {leading: false}, and if you'd like to disable the
execution on the trailing-edge, pass
{trailing: false}.
var throttled = _.throttle(updatePosition, 100); $(window).scroll(throttled);
debounce_.debounce(function, wait, [immediate])
Creates and returns a new debounced version of the passed function which
will postpone its execution until after
wait milliseconds have elapsed since the last time it
was invoked. Useful for implementing behavior that should only happen
after the input has stopped arriving. For example: rendering a
preview of a Markdown comment, recalculating a layout after the window
has stopped being resized, and so on.
Pass true for the immediate parameter to cause debounce to trigger the function on the leading instead of the trailing edge of the wait interval. Useful in circumstances like preventing accidental double-clicks on a "submit" button from firing a second time.
var lazyLayout = _.debounce(calculateLayout, 300); $(window).resize(lazyLayout);
once_.once(function)
Creates a version of the function that can only be called one time.
Repeated calls to the modified function will have no effect, returning
the value from the original call. Useful for initialization functions,
instead of having to set a boolean flag and then check it later.
var initialize = _.once(createApplication); initialize(); initialize(); // Application is only created once.
after_.after(count, function)
Creates a version of the function that will only be run after first
being called count times. Useful for grouping asynchronous responses,
where you want to be sure that all the async calls have finished, before
proceeding.
var renderNotes = _.after(notes.length, render); _.each(notes, function(note) { note.asyncSave({success: renderNotes}); }); // renderNotes is run once, after all notes have saved.
before_.before(count, function)
Creates a version of the function that can be called no more than
count times. The result of the last function call is memoized and
returned when count has been reached.
var monthlyMeeting = _.before(3, askForRaise); monthlyMeeting(); monthlyMeeting(); monthlyMeeting(); // the result of any subsequent calls is the same as the second call
wrap_.wrap(function, wrapper)
Wraps the first function inside of the wrapper function,
passing it as the first argument. This allows the wrapper to
execute code before and after the function runs, adjust the arguments,
and execute it conditionally.
var hello = function(name) { return "hello: " + name; }; hello = _.wrap(hello, function(func) { return "before, " + func("moe") + ", after"; }); hello(); => 'before, hello: moe, after'
negate_.negate(predicate)
Returns a new negated version of the predicate function.
var isFalsy = _.negate(Boolean); _.find([-2, -1, 0, 1, 2], isFalsy); => 0
compose_.compose(*functions)
Returns the composition of a list of functions, where each function
consumes the return value of the function that follows. In math terms,
composing the functions f(), g(), and h() produces
f(g(h())).
var greet = function(name){ return "hi: " + name; }; var exclaim = function(statement){ return statement.toUpperCase() + "!"; }; var welcome = _.compose(greet, exclaim); welcome('moe'); => 'hi: MOE!'
keys_.keys(object)
Retrieve all the names of the object's properties.
_.keys({one: 1, two: 2, three: 3}); => ["one", "two", "three"]
values_.values(object)
Return all of the values of the object's properties.
_.values({one: 1, two: 2, three: 3}); => [1, 2, 3]
pairs_.pairs(object)
Convert an object into a list of [key, value] pairs.
_.pairs({one: 1, two: 2, three: 3}); => [["one", 1], ["two", 2], ["three", 3]]
invert_.invert(object)
Returns a copy of the object where the keys have become the values
and the values the keys. For this to work, all of your object's values
should be unique and string serializable.
_.invert({Moe: "Moses", Larry: "Louis", Curly: "Jerome"}); => {Moses: "Moe", Louis: "Larry", Jerome: "Curly"};
functions_.functions(object)
Alias: methods
Returns a sorted list of the names of every method in an object —
that is to say, the name of every function property of the object.
_.functions(_); => ["all", "any", "bind", "bindAll", "clone", "compact", "compose" ...
extend_.extend(destination, *sources)
Copy all of the properties in the source objects over to the
destination object, and return the destination object.
It's in-order, so the last source will override properties of the same
name in previous arguments.
_.extend({name: 'moe'}, {age: 50}); => {name: 'moe', age: 50}
pick_.pick(object, *keys)
Return a copy of the object, filtered to only have values for
the whitelisted keys (or array of valid keys). Alternatively
accepts a predicate indicating which keys to pick.
_.pick({name: 'moe', age: 50, userid: 'moe1'}, 'name', 'age'); => {name: 'moe', age: 50} _.pick({name: 'moe', age: 50, userid: 'moe1'}, function(value, key, object) { return _.isNumber(value); }); => {age: 50}
omit_.omit(object, *keys)
Return a copy of the object, filtered to omit the blacklisted
keys (or array of keys). Alternatively accepts a predicate
indicating which keys to omit.
_.omit({name: 'moe', age: 50, userid: 'moe1'}, 'userid'); => {name: 'moe', age: 50} _.omit({name: 'moe', age: 50, userid: 'moe1'}, function(value, key, object) { return _.isNumber(value); }); => {name: 'moe', userid: 'moe1'}
defaults_.defaults(object, *defaults)
Fill in undefined properties in object with the first
value present in the following list of defaults objects.
var iceCream = {flavor: "chocolate"}; _.defaults(iceCream, {flavor: "vanilla", sprinkles: "lots"}); => {flavor: "chocolate", sprinkles: "lots"}
clone_.clone(object)
Create a shallow-copied clone of the object. Any nested objects
or arrays will be copied by reference, not duplicated.
_.clone({name: 'moe'}); => {name: 'moe'};
tap_.tap(object, interceptor)
Invokes interceptor with the object, and then returns object.
The primary purpose of this method is to "tap into" a method chain, in order to perform operations on intermediate results within the chain.
_.chain([1,2,3,200]) .filter(function(num) { return num % 2 == 0; }) .tap(alert) .map(function(num) { return num * num }) .value(); => // [2, 200] (alerted) => [4, 40000]
has_.has(object, key)
Does the object contain the given key? Identical to
object.hasOwnProperty(key), but uses a safe reference to the
hasOwnProperty function, in case it's been
overridden accidentally.
_.has({a: 1, b: 2, c: 3}, "b"); => true
property_.property(key)
Returns a function that will itself return the key
property of any passed-in object.
var moe = {name: 'moe'}; 'moe' === _.property('name')(moe); => true
matches_.matches(attrs)
Returns a predicate function that will tell you if a passed in object
contains all of the key/value properties present in attrs.
var ready = _.matches({selected: true, visible: true}); var readyToGoList = _.filter(list, ready);
isEqual_.isEqual(object, other)
Performs an optimized deep comparison between the two objects, to determine
if they should be considered equal.
var moe = {name: 'moe', luckyNumbers: [13, 27, 34]}; var clone = {name: 'moe', luckyNumbers: [13, 27, 34]}; moe == clone; => false _.isEqual(moe, clone); => true
isEmpty_.isEmpty(object)
Returns true if an enumerable object contains no
values (no enumerable own-properties). For strings and array-like
objects _.isEmpty checks if the length property is 0.
_.isEmpty([1, 2, 3]); => false _.isEmpty({}); => true
isElement_.isElement(object)
Returns true if object is a DOM element.
_.isElement(jQuery('body')[0]); => true
isArray_.isArray(object)
Returns true if object is an Array.
(function(){ return _.isArray(arguments); })(); => false _.isArray([1,2,3]); => true
isObject_.isObject(value)
Returns true if value is an Object. Note that JavaScript
arrays and functions are objects, while (normal) strings and numbers are not.
_.isObject({}); => true _.isObject(1); => false
isArguments_.isArguments(object)
Returns true if object is an Arguments object.
(function(){ return _.isArguments(arguments); })(1, 2, 3); => true _.isArguments([1,2,3]); => false
isFunction_.isFunction(object)
Returns true if object is a Function.
_.isFunction(alert); => true
isString_.isString(object)
Returns true if object is a String.
_.isString("moe"); => true
isNumber_.isNumber(object)
Returns true if object is a Number (including NaN).
_.isNumber(8.4 * 5); => true
isFinite_.isFinite(object)
Returns true if object is a finite Number.
_.isFinite(-101); => true _.isFinite(-Infinity); => false
isBoolean_.isBoolean(object)
Returns true if object is either true or false.
_.isBoolean(null); => false
isDate_.isDate(object)
Returns true if object is a Date.
_.isDate(new Date()); => true
isRegExp_.isRegExp(object)
Returns true if object is a RegExp.
_.isRegExp(/moe/); => true
isNaN_.isNaN(object)
Returns true if object is NaN.
Note: this is not
the same as the native isNaN function, which will also return
true for many other not-number values, such as undefined.
_.isNaN(NaN); => true isNaN(undefined); => true _.isNaN(undefined); => false
isNull_.isNull(object)
Returns true if the value of object is null.
_.isNull(null); => true _.isNull(undefined); => false
isUndefined_.isUndefined(value)
Returns true if value is undefined.
_.isUndefined(window.missingVariable); => true
noConflict_.noConflict()
Give control of the "_" variable back to its previous owner. Returns
a reference to the Underscore object.
var underscore = _.noConflict();
identity_.identity(value)
Returns the same value that is used as the argument. In math:
f(x) = x
This function looks useless, but is used throughout Underscore as
a default iteratee.
var moe = {name: 'moe'}; moe === _.identity(moe); => true
constant_.constant(value)
Creates a function that returns the same value that is used as the
argument of _.constant.
var moe = {name: 'moe'}; moe === _.constant(moe)(); => true
noop_.noop()
Returns undefined irrespective of the arguments passed to it.
Useful as the default for optional callback arguments.
times_.times(n, iteratee, [context])
Invokes the given iteratee function n times. Each invocation of
iteratee is called with an index argument. Produces an
array of the returned values.
Note: this example uses the chaining syntax.
_(3).times(function(n){ genie.grantWishNumber(n); });
random_.random(min, max)
Returns a random integer between min and max, inclusive.
If you only pass one argument, it will return a number between 0
and that number.
_.random(0, 100); => 42
mixin_.mixin(object)
Allows you to extend Underscore with your own utility functions. Pass
a hash of {name: function} definitions to have your functions
added to the Underscore object, as well as the OOP wrapper.
_.mixin({ capitalize: function(string) { return string.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + string.substring(1).toLowerCase(); } }); _("fabio").capitalize(); => "Fabio"
iteratee_.iteratee(value, [context], [argCount])
A mostly-internal function to generate callbacks that can be applied
to each element in a collection, returning the desired result — either
identity, an arbitrary callback, a property matcher, or a property accessor.
var stooges = [{name: 'curly', age: 25}, {name: 'moe', age: 21}, {name: 'larry', age: 23}]; _.map(stooges, _.iteratee('age')); => [25, 21, 23];
uniqueId_.uniqueId([prefix])
Generate a globally-unique id for client-side models or DOM elements
that need one. If prefix is passed, the id will be appended to it.
_.uniqueId('contact_'); => 'contact_104'
escape_.escape(string)
Escapes a string for insertion into HTML, replacing
&, <, >, ", and ' characters.
_.escape('Curly, Larry & Moe'); => "Curly, Larry & Moe"
unescape_.unescape(string)
The opposite of escape, replaces
&, <, >,
", and '
with their unescaped counterparts.
_.unescape('Curly, Larry & Moe'); => "Curly, Larry & Moe"
result_.result(object, property)
If the value of the named property is a function then invoke it
with the object as context; otherwise, return it.
var object = {cheese: 'crumpets', stuff: function(){ return 'nonsense'; }}; _.result(object, 'cheese'); => "crumpets" _.result(object, 'stuff'); => "nonsense"
now_.now()
Returns an integer timestamp for the current time, using the fastest
method available in the runtime. Useful for implementing timing/animation
functions.
_.now(); => 1392066795351
template_.template(templateString, [settings])
Compiles JavaScript templates into functions that can be evaluated
for rendering. Useful for rendering complicated bits of HTML from JSON
data sources. Template functions can both interpolate variables, using
<%= … %>, as well as execute arbitrary JavaScript code, with
<% … %>. If you wish to interpolate a value, and have
it be HTML-escaped, use <%- … %> When you evaluate a
template function, pass in a data object that has properties
corresponding to the template's free variables. The settings argument
should be a hash containing any _.templateSettings that should be overridden.
var compiled = _.template("hello: <%= name %>"); compiled({name: 'moe'}); => "hello: moe" var template = _.template("<b><%- value %></b>"); template({value: '<script>'}); => "<b><script></b>"
You can also use print from within JavaScript code. This is sometimes more convenient than using <%= ... %>.
var compiled = _.template("<% print('Hello ' + epithet); %>"); compiled({epithet: "stooge"}); => "Hello stooge"
If ERB-style delimiters aren't your cup of tea, you can change Underscore's template settings to use different symbols to set off interpolated code. Define an interpolate regex to match expressions that should be interpolated verbatim, an escape regex to match expressions that should be inserted after being HTML escaped, and an evaluate regex to match expressions that should be evaluated without insertion into the resulting string. You may define or omit any combination of the three. For example, to perform Mustache.js style templating:
_.templateSettings = { interpolate: /\{\{(.+?)\}\}/g }; var template = _.template("Hello {{ name }}!"); template({name: "Mustache"}); => "Hello Mustache!"
By default, template places the values from your data in the local scope via the with statement. However, you can specify a single variable name with the variable setting. This can significantly improve the speed at which a template is able to render.
_.template("Using 'with': <%= data.answer %>", {answer: 'no'}, {variable: 'data'}); => "Using 'with': no"
Precompiling your templates can be a big help when debugging errors you can't reproduce. This is because precompiled templates can provide line numbers and a stack trace, something that is not possible when compiling templates on the client. The source property is available on the compiled template function for easy precompilation.
<script> JST.project = <%= _.template(jstText).source %>; </script>
You can use Underscore in either an object-oriented or a functional style, depending on your preference. The following two lines of code are identical ways to double a list of numbers.
_.map([1, 2, 3], function(n){ return n * 2; }); _([1, 2, 3]).map(function(n){ return n * 2; });
Calling chain will cause all future method calls to return wrapped objects. When you've finished the computation, call value to retrieve the final value. Here's an example of chaining together a map/flatten/reduce, in order to get the word count of every word in a song.
var lyrics = [ {line: 1, words: "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay"}, {line: 2, words: "I sleep all night and I work all day"}, {line: 3, words: "He's a lumberjack and he's okay"}, {line: 4, words: "He sleeps all night and he works all day"} ]; _.chain(lyrics) .map(function(line) { return line.words.split(' '); }) .flatten() .reduce(function(counts, word) { counts[word] = (counts[word] || 0) + 1; return counts; }, {}) .value(); => {lumberjack: 2, all: 4, night: 2 ... }
In addition, the Array prototype's methods are proxied through the chained Underscore object, so you can slip a reverse or a push into your chain, and continue to modify the array.
chain_.chain(obj)
Returns a wrapped object. Calling methods on this object will continue
to return wrapped objects until value is called.
var stooges = [{name: 'curly', age: 25}, {name: 'moe', age: 21}, {name: 'larry', age: 23}]; var youngest = _.chain(stooges) .sortBy(function(stooge){ return stooge.age; }) .map(function(stooge){ return stooge.name + ' is ' + stooge.age; }) .first() .value(); => "moe is 21"
value_(obj).value()
Extracts the value of a wrapped object.
_([1, 2, 3]).value(); => [1, 2, 3]
The Underscore documentation is also available in Simplified Chinese.
Underscore.lua, a Lua port of the functions that are applicable in both languages. Includes OOP-wrapping and chaining. (source)
Underscore.m, an Objective-C port of many of the Underscore.js functions, using a syntax that encourages chaining. (source)
_.m, an alternative Objective-C port that tries to stick a little closer to the original Underscore.js API. (source)
Underscore.php, a PHP port of the functions that are applicable in both languages. Includes OOP-wrapping and chaining. (source)
Underscore-perl, a Perl port of many of the Underscore.js functions, aimed at on Perl hashes and arrays. (source)
Underscore.cfc, a Coldfusion port of many of the Underscore.js functions. (source)
Underscore.string, an Underscore extension that adds functions for string-manipulation: trim, startsWith, contains, capitalize, reverse, sprintf, and more.
Ruby's Enumerable module.
Prototype.js, which provides JavaScript with collection functions in the manner closest to Ruby's Enumerable.
Oliver Steele's Functional JavaScript, which includes comprehensive higher-order function support as well as string lambdas.
Michael Aufreiter's Data.js, a data manipulation + persistence library for JavaScript.
Python's itertools.
PyToolz, a Python port that extends itertools and functools to include much of the Underscore API.
Funcy, a practical collection of functional helpers for Python, partially inspired by Underscore.
1.7.0 — August 26, 2014 — Diff — Docs
1.6.0 — February 10, 2014 — Diff — Docs
1.5.2 — September 7, 2013 — Diff — Docs
1.5.1 — July 8, 2013 — Diff — Docs
1.5.0 — July 6, 2013 — Diff — Docs
1.4.4 — January 30, 2013 — Diff — Docs
1.4.3 — December 4, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.4.2 — October 6, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.4.1 — October 1, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.4.0 — September 27, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.3.3 — April 10, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.3.1 — January 23, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.3.0 — January 11, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.2.4 — January 4, 2012 — Diff — Docs
1.2.3 — December 7, 2011 — Diff — Docs
1.2.2 — November 14, 2011 — Diff — Docs
1.2.1 — October 24, 2011 — Diff — Docs
1.2.0 — October 5, 2011 — Diff — Docs
1.1.7 — July 13, 2011 — Diff — Docs
Added _.groupBy, which aggregates a collection into groups of like items.
Added _.union and _.difference, to complement the
(re-named) _.intersection.
Various improvements for support of sparse arrays.
_.toArray now returns a clone, if directly passed an array.
_.functions now also returns the names of functions that are present
in the prototype chain.
1.1.6 — April 18, 2011 — Diff — Docs
Added _.after, which will return a function that only runs after
first being called a specified number of times.
_.invoke can now take a direct function reference.
_.every now requires an iterator function to be passed, which
mirrors the ECMA5 API.
_.extend no longer copies keys when the value is undefined.
_.bind now errors when trying to bind an undefined value.
1.1.5 — March 20, 2011 — Diff — Docs
Added an _.defaults function, for use merging together JS objects
representing default options.
Added an _.once function, for manufacturing functions that should
only ever execute a single time.
_.bind now delegates to the native ECMAScript 5 version,
where available.
_.keys now throws an error when used on non-Object values, as in
ECMAScript 5.
Fixed a bug with _.keys when used over sparse arrays.
1.1.4 — January 9, 2011 — Diff — Docs
Improved compliance with ES5's Array methods when passing null
as a value. _.wrap now correctly sets this for the
wrapped function. _.indexOf now takes an optional flag for
finding the insertion index in an array that is guaranteed to already
be sorted. Avoiding the use of .callee, to allow _.isArray
to work properly in ES5's strict mode.
1.1.3 — December 1, 2010 — Diff — Docs
In CommonJS, Underscore may now be required with just:
var _ = require("underscore").
Added _.throttle and _.debounce functions.
Removed _.breakLoop, in favor of an ECMA5-style un-break-able
each implementation — this removes the try/catch, and you'll now have
better stack traces for exceptions that are thrown within an Underscore iterator.
Improved the isType family of functions for better interoperability
with Internet Explorer host objects.
_.template now correctly escapes backslashes in templates.
Improved _.reduce compatibility with the ECMA5 version:
if you don't pass an initial value, the first item in the collection is used.
_.each no longer returns the iterated collection, for improved
consistency with ES5's forEach.
1.1.2 — October 15, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Fixed _.contains, which was mistakenly pointing at
_.intersect instead of _.include, like it should
have been. Added _.unique as an alias for _.uniq.
1.1.1 — October 5, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Improved the speed of _.template, and its handling of multiline
interpolations. Ryan Tenney contributed optimizations to many Underscore
functions. An annotated version of the source code is now available.
1.1.0 — August 18, 2010 — Diff — Docs
The method signature of _.reduce has been changed to match
the ECMAScript 5 signature, instead of the Ruby/Prototype.js version.
This is a backwards-incompatible change. _.template may now be
called with no arguments, and preserves whitespace. _.contains
is a new alias for _.include.
1.0.4 — June 22, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Andri Möll contributed the _.memoize
function, which can be used to speed up expensive repeated computations
by caching the results.
1.0.3 — June 14, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Patch that makes _.isEqual return false if any property
of the compared object has a NaN value. Technically the correct
thing to do, but of questionable semantics. Watch out for NaN comparisons.
1.0.2 — March 23, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Fixes _.isArguments in recent versions of Opera, which have
arguments objects as real Arrays.
1.0.1 — March 19, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Bugfix for _.isEqual, when comparing two objects with the same
number of undefined keys, but with different names.
1.0.0 — March 18, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Things have been stable for many months now, so Underscore is now
considered to be out of beta, at 1.0. Improvements since 0.6
include _.isBoolean, and the ability to have _.extend
take multiple source objects.
0.6.0 — February 24, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Major release. Incorporates a number of
Mile Frawley's refactors for
safer duck-typing on collection functions, and cleaner internals. A new
_.mixin method that allows you to extend Underscore with utility
functions of your own. Added _.times, which works the same as in
Ruby or Prototype.js. Native support for ECMAScript 5's Array.isArray,
and Object.keys.
0.5.8 — January 28, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Fixed Underscore's collection functions to work on
NodeLists and
HTMLCollections
once more, thanks to
Justin Tulloss.
0.5.7 — January 20, 2010 — Diff — Docs
A safer implementation of _.isArguments, and a
faster _.isNumber,
thanks to
Jed Schmidt.
0.5.6 — January 18, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Customizable delimiters for _.template, contributed by
Noah Sloan.
0.5.5 — January 9, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Fix for a bug in MobileSafari's OOP-wrapper, with the arguments object.
0.5.4 — January 5, 2010 — Diff — Docs
Fix for multiple single quotes within a template string for
_.template. See:
Rick Strahl's blog post.
0.5.2 — January 1, 2010 — Diff — Docs
New implementations of isArray, isDate, isFunction,
isNumber, isRegExp, and isString, thanks to
a suggestion from
Robert Kieffer.
Instead of doing Object#toString
comparisons, they now check for expected properties, which is less safe,
but more than an order of magnitude faster. Most other Underscore
functions saw minor speed improvements as a result.
Evgeniy Dolzhenko
contributed _.tap,
similar to Ruby 1.9's,
which is handy for injecting side effects (like logging) into chained calls.
0.5.1 — December 9, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added an _.isArguments function. Lots of little safety checks
and optimizations contributed by
Noah Sloan and
Andri Möll.
0.5.0 — December 7, 2009 — Diff — Docs
[API Changes] _.bindAll now takes the context object as
its first parameter. If no method names are passed, all of the context
object's methods are bound to it, enabling chaining and easier binding.
_.functions now takes a single argument and returns the names
of its Function properties. Calling _.functions(_) will get you
the previous behavior.
Added _.isRegExp so that isEqual can now test for RegExp equality.
All of the "is" functions have been shrunk down into a single definition.
Karl Guertin contributed patches.
0.4.7 — December 6, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added isDate, isNaN, and isNull, for completeness.
Optimizations for isEqual when checking equality between Arrays
or Dates. _.keys is now 25%–2X faster (depending on your
browser) which speeds up the functions that rely on it, such as _.each.
0.4.6 — November 30, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added the range function, a port of the
Python
function of the same name, for generating flexibly-numbered lists
of integers. Original patch contributed by
Kirill Ishanov.
0.4.5 — November 19, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added rest for Arrays and arguments objects, and aliased
first as head, and rest as tail,
thanks to Luke Sutton's patches.
Added tests ensuring that all Underscore Array functions also work on
arguments objects.
0.4.4 — November 18, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added isString, and isNumber, for consistency. Fixed
_.isEqual(NaN, NaN) to return true (which is debatable).
0.4.3 — November 9, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Started using the native StopIteration object in browsers that support it.
Fixed Underscore setup for CommonJS environments.
0.4.2 — November 9, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Renamed the unwrapping function to value, for clarity.
0.4.1 — November 8, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Chained Underscore objects now support the Array prototype methods, so
that you can perform the full range of operations on a wrapped array
without having to break your chain. Added a breakLoop method
to break in the middle of any Underscore iteration. Added an
isEmpty function that works on arrays and objects.
0.4.0 — November 7, 2009 — Diff — Docs
All Underscore functions can now be called in an object-oriented style,
like so: _([1, 2, 3]).map(...);. Original patch provided by
Marc-André Cournoyer.
Wrapped objects can be chained through multiple
method invocations. A functions method
was added, providing a sorted list of all the functions in Underscore.
0.3.3 — October 31, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added the JavaScript 1.8 function reduceRight. Aliased it
as foldr, and aliased reduce as foldl.
0.3.2 — October 29, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Now runs on stock Rhino
interpreters with: load("underscore.js").
Added identity as a utility function.
0.3.1 — October 29, 2009 — Diff — Docs
All iterators are now passed in the original collection as their third
argument, the same as JavaScript 1.6's forEach. Iterating over
objects is now called with (value, key, collection), for details
see _.each.
0.3.0 — October 29, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added Dmitry Baranovskiy's
comprehensive optimizations, merged in
Kris Kowal's patches to make Underscore
CommonJS and
Narwhal compliant.
0.2.0 — October 28, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added compose and lastIndexOf, renamed inject to
reduce, added aliases for inject, filter,
every, some, and forEach.
0.1.1 — October 28, 2009 — Diff — Docs
Added noConflict, so that the "Underscore" object can be assigned to
other variables.
0.1.0 — October 28, 2009 — Docs
Initial release of Underscore.js.