Javascript Object.setPrototypeOf()

The syntax of the setPrototypeOf() method is:

Object.setPrototypeOf(obj, prototype)

The setPrototypeOf() method, being a static method, is called using the Object class name.

setPrototypeOf() Parameters

The setPrototypeOf() method takes in:

• obj - The object which is to have its prototype set.
• prototype - The object's new prototype (an object or null).

Return value from setPrototypeOf()

• Returns the specified object.

Note: Changing the [[Prototype]] of an object is currently a very slow operation in every browser and JavaScript engine.

Example 1: Using Object.setPrototypeOf()

let Animal = {
  makeSound() {
    console.log(`${this.name}, ${this.sound}!`);
  },
};
// defining new Dog object
function Dog(name) {
  this.name = name;
  this.sound = "bark";
  // setting prototype to Animal
  Object.setPrototypeOf(this, Animal);
}

dog1 = new Dog("Marcus");

dog1.makeSound(); // Marcus, bark!

Output

Marcus, bark!

Example 2: Using Object.setPrototypeOf()

let Animal = {
  makeSound() {
    console.log(`${this.name}, ${this.sound}!`);
  },
};
// defining object
class Dog {
  constructor(name, age) {
    this.name = name;
    this.sound = "bark";
  }
  introduce() {
    console.log(`I'm ${this.name}. I am ${this.age} years old.`);
  }
}
// Here Dog.prototype is passed as it is an object, while Dog is not an object
Object.setPrototypeOf(Dog.prototype, Animal);

dog1 = new Dog("Marcus", 3);

console.log(dog1);

dog1.makeSound(); // Marcus, bark!

Output

 name: "Marcus"
 sound: "bark"
 __proto__:
     constructor: class Dog
     introduce: ƒ introduce()
      __proto__:
         makeSound: ƒ makeSound()
         __proto__: Object

Marcus, bark!

Recommended Reading: Javascript Object isPrototypeOf()