Tutorials

Lodash _.unescape() String Method

Posted in lodash Tutorial

Updated on Mar 14, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 34 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

In the realm of JavaScript development, handling strings containing escaped HTML entities or special characters is a common task. The Lodash library provides a convenient solution with the _.unescape() method.

This method is designed to reverse the escaping of HTML entities in a string, ensuring that the string displays as intended in HTML.

🧠 Understanding _.unescape() Method

The _.unescape() method in Lodash is used to unescape HTML entities within a string. It converts escaped HTML entities back to their original form, making the string readable and usable in HTML content.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the _.unescape() method is straightforward:

syntax.js

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_.unescape(string)

string: The string containing escaped HTML entities to unescape.

📝 Example

Let's dive into a simple example to illustrate the usage of the _.unescape() method:

example.js

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const _ = require('lodash');

const escapedString = 'Hearts: ♥ Clubs: ♣ Diamonds: ♦ Spades: ♠';
const unescapedString = _.unescape(escapedString);

console.log(unescapedString);
// Output: 'Hearts: ♥ Clubs: ♣ Diamonds: ♦ Spades: ♠;'

In this example, the escapedString containing HTML entities representing card suits is unescaped using _.unescape(), resulting in a string with the original symbols.

🏆 Best Practices

When working with the _.unescape() method, consider the following best practices:

Use Cases of _.unescape():

Understand the scenarios where _.unescape() is beneficial, such as when dealing with user-generated content containing escaped HTML entities or when working with data retrieved from an external source.
example.js
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```
const userGeneratedContent = /* ...retrieve user-generated content... */;
const unescapedContent = _.unescape(userGeneratedContent);

console.log(unescapedContent);
```
Escaping vs. Unescaping:

Differentiate between escaping and unescaping in string manipulation. While escaping is necessary to prevent security vulnerabilities, unescaping is essential for displaying the content correctly in HTML.
example.js
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```
const escapedContent = 'This & That < HTML >';
const unescapedContent = _.unescape(escapedContent);

console.log(unescapedContent);
// Output: 'This & That < HTML >'
```
Sanitizing Input:

Consider sanitizing user input to prevent XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks before unescaping the content. Sanitization ensures that potentially harmful HTML entities are removed or neutralized.
example.js
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```
const userInput = /* ...retrieve user input... */;
const sanitizedInput = /* ...sanitize userInput to prevent XSS... */;
const unescapedInput = _.unescape(sanitizedInput);

console.log(unescapedInput);
```

📚 Use Cases

Rendering HTML Content:

When rendering HTML content dynamically, _.unescape() can be used to convert escaped HTML entities within the content, ensuring that it displays correctly in the browser.
example.js
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```
const escapedHTMLContent = /* ...retrieve escaped HTML content... */;
const unescapedHTMLContent = _.unescape(escapedHTMLContent);

document.getElementById('content').innerHTML = unescapedHTMLContent;
```
Processing External Data:

When retrieving data from external sources, such as APIs or databases, _.unescape() can be employed to handle escaped HTML entities before displaying the data to users.
example.js
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```
const dataFromExternalSource = /* ...retrieve data from API or database... */;
const unescapedData = _.unescape(dataFromExternalSource);

console.log(unescapedData);
```

🎉 Conclusion

The _.unescape() method in Lodash provides a straightforward solution for unescaping HTML entities within strings. Whether you're working with user-generated content, external data sources, or dynamically rendered HTML, _.unescape() ensures that escaped HTML entities are properly displayed, enhancing the readability and usability of your web applications.

By adhering to best practices and exploring diverse use cases, you can harness the full potential of the _.unescape() method in your Lodash projects.