Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global objects/Function/arguments

DeprecatedThis feature is no longer recommended. Though some browsers might still support it, it may have already been removed from the relevant web standards, may be in the process of being dropped, or may only be kept for compatibility purposes. Avoid using it, and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.

The function.arguments property refers to an an array-like object corresponding to the arguments passed to a function. Use the simple variable arguments instead. This property is restricted to non-strict functions.

Description

The syntax function.arguments is deprecated. The recommended way to access the arguments object available within functions is simply to refer to the variable arguments.

In the case of recursion, i.e. if function f appears several times on the call stack, the value of f.arguments represents the arguments corresponding to the most recent invocation of the function.

The value of the arguments property is normally null if there is no outstanding invocation of the function in progress (that is, the function has been called but has not yet returned.

Examples

Using the arguments object

function f(n) { g(n - 1) }

function g(n) {
  console.log('before: ' + g.arguments[0])
  if (n > 0) { f(n) }
  console.log('after: ' + g.arguments[0])
}

f(2)

console.log('returned: ' + g.arguments)

// Output

// before: 1
// before: 0
// after: 0
// after: 1
// returned: null

Specifications

Not part of any standard. Deprecated in favor of arguments in ECMAScript 3.

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile						Server
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet	Node.js
`arguments` Deprecated'Non-standard'	Chrome Full support 1	Edge Full support 12	Firefox Full support 1	IE Full support 4	Opera Full support 3	Safari Full support 1	WebView Android Full support 1	Chrome Android Full support 18	Firefox Android Full support 4	Opera Android Full support 10.1	Safari iOS Full support 1	Samsung Internet Android Full support 1.0	nodejs Full support Yes

Legend

Full support: Full support
Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.': Non-standard. Expect poor cross-browser support.
Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.': Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.