What is the purpose of the this keyword in JavaScript?
What is the purpose of the this keyword in JavaScript?
15316-Jul-2023
Updated on 17-Jul-2023
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What is the purpose of the this keyword in JavaScript?
Aryan Kumar
17-Jul-2023The
this
keyword in JavaScript refers to the current execution context. This means that the value ofthis
will vary depending on how and where it is being used.Here are some of the most common ways that the
this
keyword is used in JavaScript:this
refers to the object that the method is called on. For example, the following code defines a method calledfullName
on thePerson
object:this
refers to the element that the event is attached to. For example, the following code defines an event handler that is triggered when the user clicks on an element:this
refers to the global object. For example, the following code defines a function that prints the value ofthis
:The
this
keyword can be a bit confusing at first, but it is an important part of JavaScript. By understanding how it works, you can write more effective JavaScript code.Here are some additional things to keep in mind about the
this
keyword:this
can be changed using thecall()
,apply()
, andbind()
methods.this
can be different in strict mode and non-strict mode.this
can be different in different browsers.If you are unsure about the value of
this
in a particular context, you can use theconsole.log(this)
statement to print its value. This can be helpful for debugging your code.