Execute Javascript in iOS Applications
In this tutorial, I have covered How to execute JavaScript in iOS / Objective-C. You can execute JavaScript in iOS applications with the help of JavaScriptCore.framework. This framework is supported in iOS7 & OSX 10.9
List of features supported by Javascript.framework
a) Evaluate JavaScript code in Objective-C
b) Access JavaScript Variables in Objective-C
c) Access JavaScript functions and execute them in Objective-C
d) Execute Objective-C code from JavaScript
e) Export Objective-C classes and use them in JavaScript.
To access JavaScript framework, you need to include the header file
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#import <JavaScriptCore/JavaScriptCore.h> |
List of Main Classes supported by framework:
JSContext : For any javascript operations you need JSContext.
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JSContext *context = [[JSContext alloc] init]; |
JSValue : JSValue holds JavaScript values,variables and functions. List of main methods in JSValue.
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// Convert this value to a corresponding Objective-C object, according to the// conversion specified above.- (id)toObject;// Convert this value to a corresponding Objective-C object, if the result is// not of the specified class then nil will be returned.- (id)toObjectOfClass:(Class)expectedClass;// The value is copied to a boolean according to the conversion specified by the// JavaScript language.- (BOOL)toBool;// The value is copied to a number according to the conversion specified by the// JavaScript language.- (double)toDouble;// The value is copied to an integer according to the conversion specified by// the JavaScript language.- (int32_t)toInt32;// The value is copied to an integer according to the conversion specified by// the JavaScript language.- (uint32_t)toUInt32;// If the value is a boolean, a NSNumber value of @YES or @NO will be returned.// For all other types the value will be copied to a number according to the// conversion specified by the JavaScript language.- (NSNumber *)toNumber;// The value is copied to a string according to the conversion specified by the// JavaScript language.- (NSString *)toString;// The value is converted to a number representing a time interval since 1970,// and a new NSDate instance is returned.- (NSDate *)toDate;// If the value is null or undefined then nil is returned.// If the value is not an object then a JavaScript TypeError will be thrown.// The property "length" is read from the object, converted to an unsigned// integer, and an NSArray of this size is allocated. Properties corresponding// to indicies within the array bounds will be copied to the array, with// Objective-C objects converted to equivalent JSValues as specified.- (NSArray *)toArray;// If the value is null or undefined then nil is returned.// If the value is not an object then a JavaScript TypeError will be thrown.// All enumerable properties of the object are copied to the dictionary, with// Objective-C objects converted to equivalent JSValues as specified.- (NSDictionary *)toDictionary; |
Accessing Javascript Code in Objective-C
1).Evaluating Javascript Code
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NSString * jsCode = @"1+2";JSContext *context = [[JSContext alloc] init];JSValue * value = [context evaluateScript:jsCode];NSLog(@"Output = %d", [value toInt32]); |
2).Access Javascript Variables. Variables and functions are accessed from JSContext.
To access varible from Javascript : context[@"x"]
To access function from javascript : context[@"myfun"]
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JSContext *context = [[JSContext alloc] init]; NSString * jsCode = @"var x; x=10;"; [context evaluateScript:jsCode]; JSValue * a =context[@"x"]; NSLog(@"x = %d", [a toInt32]); |
3).Access Javascript functions and execute them in Objective-C
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//function with arguments JSContext *context = [[JSContext alloc] init]; NSString * jsCode = @"function sum(a,b) { return a+b;} "; [context evaluateScript:jsCode]; JSValue * func =context[@"sum"]; NSArray * args = @[[NSNumber numberWithInt:10],[NSNumber numberWithInt:20]]; JSValue * ret =[func callWithArguments:args]; NSLog(@"10+20 = %d", [ret toInt32]); //function without arguments NSString * jsCode2 = @"function getRandom() { return parseInt(Math.floor((Math.random()*100)+1));} "; [context evaluateScript:jsCode2]; JSValue * func2 =context[@"getRandom"]; for(int i=0;i<5;i++) { JSValue * ret2 =[func2 callWithArguments:nil]; NSLog(@"Random Value = %d", [ret2 toInt32]); } |
Call Objective-C code from JavaScript
Objective-C code is called from JavaScript in two ways
1.CODE BLOCKS
Objective-C code block can be called from JavaScript.
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JSContext *context = [[JSContext alloc] init]; //we are telling that "sum" is function, takes two arguments context[@"sum"] = ^(int arg1,int arg2) { return arg1+arg2; }; NSString * jsCode =@"sum(4,5);"; JSValue * sumVal = [context evaluateScript:jsCode]; NSLog(@"Sum(4,5) = %d", [sumVal toInt32]); //we are telling that "getRandom" is function, does not take any arguments context[@"getRandom"] = ^() { return rand()%100; }; NSString * jsCode2 =@"getRandom();"; for(int i=0;i<5;i++) { JSValue * sumVal2 = [context evaluateScript:jsCode2]; NSLog(@"Random Number = %d", [sumVal2 toInt32]); } |
2.USING JSEXPORT PROTOCOL
You can see the comparison between Objective-C Object and it’s equivalent Javascript Object below.
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To make Javascript interacting with Objective-C Object, We need to have a Protocol which should be inherited
from JSExport. Move all the variables and functions to prototype to access them in JavaScript.
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@protocol MyObjectExport@property int x;-(int) getX;+(MyObject *) getSqure:(MyObject*)obj;@end@interface MyObject :NSObject <MyObjectExport>//this method is not accessible in javascript-(void) test;@end;@implementation MyObject@synthesize x;-(int) getX{ return self.x;}+(MyObject *) getSqure:(MyObject*)obj;{ NSLog(@"Calling getSqure"); MyObject * newObj = [MyObject new]; newObj.x = obj.x * obj.x; return newObj;} |
Now MyObject(Objective-C)’s variables and functions are directly accessed from javascript.
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JSContext * context = [[JSContext alloc] init];NSString * jsCode = @"function sqrtOf(obj){ return MyObject.getSqure(obj);}"; //adding Objective-C Class to Javascript. context[@"MyObject"]=[MyObject class]; [context evaluateScript:jsCode]; MyObject * obj =[MyObject new]; obj.x =10; JSValue * func =context[@"sqrtOf"]; JSValue * val = [func callWithArguments:@[obj]]; //we got MyObject from javascript. MyObject *sqrtObj = [val toObject]; NSLog(@"Value =%d, %d", obj.x, [sqrtObj getX]); |


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