Symbol.toStringTag
BaselineWidely available
This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since April 2017.
TheSymbol.toStringTag
static data property represents thewell-known symbolSymbol.toStringTag
.Object.prototype.toString()
looks up this symbol on thethis
value for the property containing a string that represents the type of the object.
Try it
class ValidatorClass { get [Symbol.toStringTag]() { return "Validator"; }}console.log(Object.prototype.toString.call(new ValidatorClass()));// Expected output: "[object Validator]"
Value
The well-known symbolSymbol.toStringTag
.
Property attributes ofSymbol.toStringTag | |
---|---|
Writable | no |
Enumerable | no |
Configurable | no |
Examples
Default tags
Some values do not haveSymbol.toStringTag
, but have specialtoString()
representations. For a complete list, seeObject.prototype.toString()
.
Object.prototype.toString.call("foo"); // "[object String]"Object.prototype.toString.call([1, 2]); // "[object Array]"Object.prototype.toString.call(3); // "[object Number]"Object.prototype.toString.call(true); // "[object Boolean]"Object.prototype.toString.call(undefined); // "[object Undefined]"Object.prototype.toString.call(null); // "[object Null]"// … and more
Built-in toStringTag symbols
Most built-in objects provide their own[Symbol.toStringTag]
property. Almost all built-in objects'[Symbol.toStringTag]
property is not writable, not enumerable, and configurable; the exception isIterator
, which is writable for compatibility reasons.
For constructor objects likePromise
, the property is installed onConstructor.prototype
, so that all instances of the constructor inherit[Symbol.toStringTag]
and can be stringified. For non-constructor objects likeMath
andJSON
, the property is installed as a static property, so that the namespace object itself can be stringified. Sometimes, the constructor also provides its owntoString
method (for example,Intl.Locale
), in which case the[Symbol.toStringTag]
property is only used when you explicitly callObject.prototype.toString
on it.
Object.prototype.toString.call(new Map()); // "[object Map]"Object.prototype.toString.call(function* () {}); // "[object GeneratorFunction]"Object.prototype.toString.call(Promise.resolve()); // "[object Promise]"// … and more
Custom tag with toStringTag
When creating your own class, JavaScript defaults to the "Object" tag:
class ValidatorClass {}Object.prototype.toString.call(new ValidatorClass()); // "[object Object]"
Now, with the help oftoStringTag
, you are able to set your own custom tag:
class ValidatorClass { get [Symbol.toStringTag]() { return "Validator"; }}Object.prototype.toString.call(new ValidatorClass()); // "[object Validator]"
toStringTag available on all DOM prototype objects
Due to aWebIDL spec change in mid-2020, browsers are adding aSymbol.toStringTag
property to all DOM prototype objects. For example, to access theSymbol.toStringTag
property onHTMLButtonElement
:
const test = document.createElement("button");test.toString(); // "[object HTMLButtonElement]"test[Symbol.toStringTag]; // "HTMLButtonElement"
Specifications
Specification |
---|
ECMAScript® 2026 Language Specification # sec-symbol.tostringtag |