Calling a javascript function with a string?

I have a function:

var greet = function (name) {
    console.log("Hi " + name);
}

If I have a string "greet('eric')" is it possible to convert it 开发者_JAVA百科to a function call passing "eric" as argument?

eval() is your friend ! http://www.w3schools.com/jsref/jsref_eval.asp

You, me, him her and them fWord('ing') hate eval. There's always another way.

callMethod = function(def) {
    //all the variables are function references
    var approvedMethods = {greet: greet, love: love, marry: marry, murder: murder, suicide: suicide},
        split = def.split(/\(/); //split[0] contains function name, split[1] contains (unsplit) parameters

    //replace last ) and all possible string detonators left-over
    split[1] = split[1].replace(/\)$/, '').replace(/[\'\"]/g, '').split(','); //contains list of params

    if (!approvedMethods[split[0]])
        return 'No such function.';

    approvedMethods[split[0]].apply(window, split[1]);
}
//Called like this:
callMethod("greet('eric')");

Replace window reference with whatever.

I'm not sure I've understood your question correctly, but are you looking for the eval() function?

eval("greet('eric')");

It is as easy as typing

eval("greet('eric')");

without eval

var greet = function (name) {
      console.log("Hi " + name);
    },
    greetstr = 'greet("Eric")';

var greeter = greetstr.split('("');
window[greeter[0]]( greeter[1].replace(/\)|"/g,'') );

Bottom line 1: use eval with care
Bottom line 2: avoid constructions like this.

Just to be sure you have all possibilities @ your disposal: setTimeout(greetstr,0);
_{Mmmm, there is an eval in there somewhere ;)}