Why Does JavaScript's `name` Variable Behave Differently Across Browsers When Used with Objects?

Windows Variable 'name' Behaves Differently with Objects

In JavaScript, defining a variable with the reserved name 'name' can lead to unexpected behavior when working with objects.

In the following snippet, Chrome behaves differently from other browsers:

var name = {};
name.FirstName = 'Tom';
alert(name.FirstName); // undefined in Chrome, 'Tom' in IE/Firefox

This anomaly arises because 'name' has a special purpose in the browser window object. While IE and Firefox treat 'name' as a regular object that can hold properties, Chrome interprets it as a primitive string and casts it accordingly.

Consequently, assigning an object to the variable 'name' (var name = {}) implicitly sets the window.name property to the string value "[object Object]". This conversion breaks the expected object behavior, making it impossible to set or access properties on 'name', as seen in the following:

alert(name); // "[object Object]"

To avoid this issue, it is recommended to avoid using 'name' as a global variable name, especially when working with objects. Alternatively, you can use other variable names or consider using a namespace to avoid name collisions.

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