The [@@toPrimitive]() method converts a Date object to a primitive value.
Date.prototype[@@toPrimitive]
Syntax
Date()[Symbol.toPrimitive](hint);
Return value
The primitive value of the given Date object. Depending on the argument, the method can return either a string or a number.
Description
The [@@toPrimitive]() method of the Date object returns a primitive value, that is either of type number or of type string.
If hint is string or default, [@@toPrimitive]() tries to call the toString method. If the toString property does not exist, it tries to call the valueOf method and if the valueOf does not exist either, [@@toPrimitive]() throws a TypeError.
If hint is number, [@@toPrimitive]() first tries to call valueOf, and if that fails, it calls toString.
JavaScript calls the [@@toPrimitive]() method to convert an object to a primitive value. You rarely need to invoke the [@@toPrimitive]() method yourself; JavaScript automatically invokes it when encountering an object where a primitive value is expected.
Examples
Returning date primitives
const testDate = new Date(1590757517834); // "Date Fri May 29 2020 14:05:17 GMT+0100 (British Summer Time)" testDate[Symbol.toPrimitive]('string'); // Returns "Date Fri May 29 2020 14:05:17 GMT+0100 (British Summer Time)" testDate[Symbol.toPrimitive]('number'); // Returns "1590757517834" testDate[Symbol.toPrimitive]('default'); // Returns "Date Fri May 29 2020 14:05:17 GMT+0100 (British Summer Time)"
Specifications
Browser compatibility
| Desktop | Mobile | Server | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Edge | Firefox | Internet Explorer | Opera | Safari | WebView Android | Chrome Android | Firefox for Android | Opera Android | Safari on IOS | Samsung Internet | Deno | Node.js | |
@@toPrimitive |
47
|
15
|
44
|
No
|
34
|
10
|
47
|
47
|
44
|
34
|
10
|
5.0
|
1.0
|
6.0.0
|
See also
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Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License v2.5 or later.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/@@toPrimitive
