no references in JSON

serialise-to-js.js

// This illustrates that serialising to JSON loses information.
var obj = {
  ref1: {foo:"bar"},
}
obj.ref2 = obj.ref1
console.log(obj)
obj.ref2.foo = "changed"
console.log(obj) // both changed

obj2 = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(obj))
obj2.ref1.foo = "changed again"
console.log(obj2) // only one changed



// In the perfect world, this function would exist:
function serialise(objArgument) {
    let str = 'var o = ' + JSON.stringify(obj)
    str += '; o.ref2 = o.ref1; o;' // hack, for now.
    return str
}

function deserialise(objStr) {
    // if objStr comes from the backend, the backend could assure it contains no hacks by doing
    // assert(objStr === serialise(deserialise(objStr)))
    return eval(objStr)
}

var str = serialise(obj)
console.log(str)

var deserialisedObj = deserialise(str)
console.log(deserialisedObj)
deserialisedObj.ref1.foo = "changed" // will change the object behind the 2 refs.

More concrete example: commenthol/serialize-to-js#18