toPath()

toPath(value): string[]

Converts value to a property path array.

💎 Why is this a Hidden Gem?

Parse dot-notation strings like 'a.b[0].c' into clean path arrays.

DEPRECATED

Use string split or manual parsing instead.

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Parameters

value: string | null | undefined

The value to convert.

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Returns: string[]

The new property path array.

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Since

2.0.0

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Also known as

toPath (Lodash, es-toolkit) · ❌ (Remeda, Radashi, Ramda, Effect, Modern Dash, Antfu)

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Example

// ❌ Deprecated approach
toPath('a.b.c');       // => ['a', 'b', 'c']
toPath('a[0].b.c');    // => ['a', '0', 'b', 'c']

// ✅ Recommended approach
'a.b.c'.split('.');    // => ['a', 'b', 'c']
// For complex paths with brackets:
'a[0].b.c'.replace(/\[(\d+)\]/g, '.$1').split('.').filter(Boolean);
// => ['a', '0', 'b', 'c']

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How it works?

Converts string path to array of keys. Deprecated: Use split or regex directly.

Native Equivalent

// ❌ toPath('a.b.c')
// ✅ 'a.b.c'.split('.')

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Use Cases

Parse property path 📌

Parse string path into segments.

#path#parse#property#access

"a.b.c".split(".");        // => ["a", "b", "c"]
"a[0].b".match(/[^.[\]]+/g); // => ["a", "0", "b"]

Build path accessor

Access nested properties by path.

#build#accessor#nested#get

const get = (obj, path) => 
  path.split(".").reduce((o, k) => o?.[k], obj);

get(data, "user.address.city");

Handle array notation

Support both dot and bracket notation.

#handle#array#notation#brackets

const segments = "a[0].b[1].c"
  .replace(/\[(\d+)\]/g, ".$1")
  .split(".");
// => ["a", "0", "b", "1", "c"]