Remove blank attributes from an Object in Javascript

Understanding the removal approaches

The way of filtering

When purging attributes, you'll want a twin set of methods—Object.fromEntries() and Object.entries(). This combo transforms an object's properties and their values into an array, filters that array, then reconstructs our object sans the unwanted attributes.

Side effects - the silent enemy

Watch out for the Silent Hill of coding—unintended side-effects of object mutability. Check your surroundings, and opt for the safe path. Preserve the purity of your data - duplicate, don't mutate.

Diving deep with recursion

For Genesis objects (those within others), chase the rabbit down the recursion hole. Used with map, it turns your code into an inception-friendly narrative that's as readable as your favorite book.

Keeping your code nice and tidy

Trigger warnings: Functional style ahead

Embrace the order in chaos - choose a functional programming style, where map and reduce walk through your data hand-in-hand. Side-effects don't stand a chance, leaving behind cleaner, predictable code. FP isn't always scary, sometimes it's just fun!

Avoiding the mutation mutants

The X-men of variables are those that clone and preserve immutability. They ensure the original data's safety, boosting your function’s reputation and keeping your objects out of harm and mutations.

Validate, or fail

"Trust, but verify"—the timeless wisdom applies to coding too. Don't be shy to console.log() your objects before and after cleansing to ensure the makeover was a success.

Best friends with lodash's pickBy

When things get tough, tag in lodash's pickBy method. It acts like the Mr.Miagi of attribute cleanup, especially for complex and deeply nested objects. Wax on, wax off unwanted attributes with well-optimized library benefits.

Excluding the prototype imposters

Have you ever been to an exclusive club? Object.getOwnPropertyNames() is the bouncer denying entry to unwanted prototype properties. It checks for IDs, allowing only the object's own properties inside the party of cleaning.

Avoiding false alarms with strict equality

No need for false alarms—use the === operator to keep only null or undefined out of the club, avoiding wallflowers like 0, false, or an empty string who want to join the party.

Dressed in modern JavaScript fashion

JavaScript has its fashion trends too—trendy coders wear ES2015+ best practices. It’s like catwalking with shorter, cleaner, and more understandable code. Always ready for the next JavaScript Vogue cover!

Good old-fashioned style

Traditional values matter. Even in JavaScript, an imperative style might carry the day in certain scenarios. It’s like your grandmother's cooking—nothing too fancy, but gets the job done deliciously.

Robustness against real-world chaos

Deep cleanup for complex structures

function deepClean(obj) {
  if (Array.isArray(obj)) return obj.map(deepClean);
  if (obj && typeof obj === 'object') {
    return Object.fromEntries(
      Object.entries(obj)
        .filter(([, v]) => v != null && v !== '')
        .map(([k, v]) => [k, deepClean(v)])
    );
  }
  return obj;
}

// Usage for a nested object:
const complexObject = deepClean({
  a: {
    b: '',
    c: 0,
    d: { e: null, f: 'nested' }
  },
  g: [null, { h: 'array', i: undefined }],
});

// result: { a: { c: 0, d: { f: 'nested' } }, g: [{ h: 'array' }] }


Like a good detective, this function hunts down and handles arrays, nested objects, and primitive values, ensuring a deep cleanup of the entire structure.

Performance: Agile or fragile?

While recursive and functional styles are runway-worthy, they sometimes stop for donuts on the way - especially with big data. Benchmark your solutions and pivot towards iterative or hybrid approaches if the catwalk turns into a crawl.

Handling the odd ones: edge cases

Throw anything at your solution—empty objects, nested arrays, or objects with keys that look like they came right out of a Picasso painting. A robust solution is like a universal translator—it understands and handles all these diverse scenarios with dignity.