Both decodeURI() and decodeURIComponent() are Javascript global functions that are used for decoding encoded URI (Uniform Resource Identifier).
JavaScript decodeURI() function: It decodes a string previously encoded by the encodeURI() function. It returns a decoded URI by replacing each UTF-8 escape sequence with the characters it represents.
Syntax:
decodeURI(encodeURI(x));
Parameters: It contains a single parameter that includes a string previously encoded by the encodeURI() function and hence result will be x again.
Example: This example uses decodeURI() function.
HTML
<script type="text/javascript"> var decodeText1 = decodeURI('http://www.testing.com/'); console.log(decodeText1); var decodeText2 = decodeURI('http%3A%2F%2Fwww.testing.com%2F'); console.log(decodeText2); </script> |
Output:
http://www.testing.com/ http%3A%2F%2Fwww.testing.com%2F
JavaScript decodeURIComponent() function: It decodes a string previously encoded by the encodeURIComponent() function. It returns a decoded URI Component by replacing each UTF-8 escape sequence with the characters it represents. It can decode any value between %00 and %7F.
Syntax:
decodeURIComponent(encodeURIComponent(x));
Parameters: Single parameter that includes a string previously encoded by encodeURIComponent() and hence result will be x again.
Example: This example is on decodeURIComponent()
HTML
<script type="text/javascript"> var decodeText1 = decodeURIComponent( console.log(decodeText1); var decodeText2 = decodeURIComponent( 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.testing.com%2F'); console.log(decodeText2); </script> |
Output:
http://www.testing.com/ http://www.testing.com/
Note:Both functions throw URIError indicating that one or more of the escape sequences in string is malformed and cannot be correctly decoded.
Difference between decodeURIComponent() and decodeURI() Function:
- decodeURI(): It takes encodeURI(url) string so it cannot decoded characters (, / ? : @ & = + $ #)
- decodeURIComponent(): It takes encodeURIComponent(url) string so it can decode these characters.
- decodeURI(): It takes encodeURI(url) string as parameter and returns the decoded string.
- decodeURIComponent(): It takes encodeURIComponent(url) string as parameter and returns the decoded string.
- decodeURI(“%41”): It returns “A”
- decodeURIComponent(“%41”) It returns “A”
- decodeURI(“%26”): It returns “%26”
- decodeURIComponent(“%26”): It returns “&”
