getItem

Summary

Returns the current value associated with the given key.

Method of apis/web-storage/Storage apis/web-storage/Storage

Syntax

var  = object.getItem(key);

Parameters

key

Data-type: String

The name of the key (a valid UTF-16 string, including the empty string).

Return Value

Returns an object of type StringString

Examples

This example creates a new localStorage item (a timestamp) and sets it with a unique key, then executes a function, then retrieves the timestamp by its key and reports it.

window.localStorage.setItem('timestamp', (new Date()).getTime());
doSomethingElse();
startTime = window.localStorage.getItem('timestamp');
alert("The doSomethingElse function was called at: " + startTime);

Notes

Any valid UTF-16 string, including the empty string, is a valid key name. If the specified key does not exist in the list associated with the object, then this method returns null. Attempts to read or write a secured item from script running in the context of an unsecured URL are not permitted.

Related specifications

W3C Web Storage Specification: W3C Editor’s Draft

Attributions

Microsoft Developer Network: Windows Internet Explorer API reference Article