Element implicitly has an 'any' type because expression of type 'string' can't be used to index

Question

Trying out TypeScript for a React project and I'm stuck on this error:

Element implicitly has an 'any' type because expression of type 'string' can't be used to index type '{ train_1: boolean; train_2: boolean; train_3: boolean; train_4: boolean; }'.
  No index signature with a parameter of type 'string' was found on type '{ train_1: boolean; train_2: boolean; train_3: boolean; train_4: boolean; }'

Which appears when I try to filter the array in my component

.filter(({ name }) => plotOptions[name]);

So far I looked at the article "Indexing objects in TypeScript" (https://dev.to/kingdaro/indexing-objects-in-typescript-1cgi) since it had a similar error, but I tried to add the index signature to type plotTypes and I still get the same error.

My component code:

import React, { Component } from "react";
import createPlotlyComponent from "react-plotly.js/factory";
import Plotly from "plotly.js-basic-dist";
const Plot = createPlotlyComponent(Plotly);

interface IProps {
  data: any;
}

interface IState {
  [key: string]: plotTypes;
  plotOptions: plotTypes;
}

type plotTypes = {
  [key: string]: boolean;
  train_1: boolean;
  train_2: boolean;
  train_3: boolean;
  train_4: boolean;
};

interface trainInfo {
  name: string;
  x: Array<number>;
  y: Array<number>;
  type: string;
  mode: string;
}

class FiltrationPlots extends Component<IProps, IState> {
  readonly state = {
    plotOptions: {
      train_1: true,
      train_2: true,
      train_3: true,
      train_4: true
    }
  };
  render() {
    const { data } = this.props;
    const { plotOptions } = this.state;

    if (data.filtrationData) {
      const plotData: Array<trainInfo> = [
        {
          name: "train_1",
          x: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["1-CumVol"]),
          y: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["1-PressureA"]),
          type: "scatter",
          mode: "lines"
        },
        {
          name: "train_2",
          x: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["2-CumVol"]),
          y: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["2-PressureA"]),
          type: "scatter",
          mode: "lines"
        },
        {
          name: "train_3",
          x: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["3-CumVol"]),
          y: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["3-PressureA"]),
          type: "scatter",
          mode: "lines"
        },
        {
          name: "train_4",
          x: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["4-CumVol"]),
          y: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["4-PressureA"]),
          type: "scatter",
          mode: "lines"
        }
      ].filter(({ name }) => plotOptions[name]);
      return (
        <Plot
          data={plotData}
          layout={{ width: 1000, height: 1000, title: "A Fancy Plot" }}
        />
      );
    } else {
      return <h1>No Data Loaded</h1>;
    }
  }
}

export default FiltrationPlots;

Answer 1

This happens because you try to access plotOptions property using string name. TypeScript understands that name may have any value, not only property name from plotOptions. So TypeScript requires to add index signature to plotOptions, so it knows that you can use any property name in plotOptions. But I suggest to change type of name, so it can only be one of plotOptions properties.

interface trainInfo {
    name: keyof typeof plotOptions;
    x: Array<number>;
    y: Array<number>;
    type: string;
    mode: string;
}

Now you'll be able to use only property names that exist in plotOptions.

You also have to slightly change your code.

First assign array to some temp variable, so TS knows array type:

const plotDataTemp: Array<trainInfo> = [
    {
      name: "train_1",
      x: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["1-CumVol"]),
      y: data.filtrationData.map((i: any) => i["1-PressureA"]),
      type: "scatter",
      mode: "lines"
    },
    // ...
}

Then filter:

const plotData = plotDataTemp.filter(({ name }) => plotOptions[name]);

If you're getting data from API and have no way to type check props at compile time the only way is to add index signature to your plotOptions:

type tplotOptions = {
    [key: string]: boolean
}

const plotOptions: tplotOptions = {
    train_1: true,
    train_2: true,
    train_3: true,
    train_4: true
}

Answer 2

// bad
const _getKeyValue = (key: string) => (obj: object) => obj[key];

// better
const _getKeyValue_ = (key: string) => (obj: Record<string, any>) => obj[key];

// best
const getKeyValue = <T extends object, U extends keyof T>(key: U) => (obj: T) =>
  obj[key];

Bad - the reason for the error is the object type is just an empty object by default. Therefore it isn't possible to use a string type to index {}.

Better - the reason the error disappears is because now we are telling the compiler the obj argument will be a collection of string/value (string/any) pairs. However, we are using the any type, so we can do better.

Best - T extends empty object. U extends the keys of T. Therefore U will always exist on T, therefore it can be used as a look up value.

Here is a full example:

I have switched the order of the generics (U extends keyof T now comes before T extends object) to highlight that order of generics is not important and you should select an order that makes the most sense for your function.

const getKeyValue = <U extends keyof T, T extends object>(key: U) => (obj: T) =>
  obj[key];

interface User {
  name: string;
  age: number;
}

const user: User = {
  name: "John Smith",
  age: 20
};

const getUserName = getKeyValue<keyof User, User>("name")(user);

// => 'John Smith'

Alternative Syntax

const getKeyValue = <T, K extends keyof T>(obj: T, key: K): T[K] => obj[key];

Answer 3

When using Object.keys, the following works:

Object.keys(this)
    .forEach(key => {
      console.log(this[key as keyof MyClass]);
    });

Answer 4

I use this:

interface IObjectKeys {
  [key: string]: string | number;
}

interface IDevice extends IObjectKeys {
  id: number;
  room_id: number;
  name: string;
  type: string;
  description: string;
}

NOTE: "[key: string]" what is it? An object in JavaScript is primarily just a collection of properties made up of key-value pairs. Moreover, the key can only be a string (even for array elements), but the value can be any data type.

If you use the optional property in your object:

interface IDevice extends IObjectKeys {
  id: number;
  room_id?: number;
  name?: string;
  type?: string;
  description?: string;
}

... you should add 'undefined' value into the IObjectKeys interface:

interface IObjectKeys {
  [key: string]: string | number | undefined;
}

Answer 5

When we do something like this obj[key] Typescript can't know for sure if that key exists in that object. What I did:

Object.entries(data).forEach(item => {
    formData.append(item[0], item[1]);
});

Answer 6

I have made a simulation of the problem. looks like the issue is how we should Access Object Properties Dynamically Using Bracket Notation in Typescript

interface IUserProps {
  name: string;
  age: number;
}

export default class User {
  constructor(private data: IUserProps) {}

  get(propName: string): string | number {
    return this.data[propName as keyof IUserProps];
  }
}

I found a blog that might be helpful to understand this better.

here is a link https://www.nadershamma.dev/blog/2019/how-to-access-object-properties-dynamically-using-bracket-notation-in-typescript/

Answer 7

Thanks to Alex Mckay I had a resolve for dynamic setting a props:

  for(let prop in filter)
      (state.filter as Record<string, any>)[prop] = filter[prop];

Answer 8

With out typescript error

    const formData = new FormData();
    Object.keys(newCategory).map((k,i)=>{  
        var d =Object.values(newCategory)[i];
        formData.append(k,d) 
    })

Answer 9

I made some small changes to Alex McKay's function/usage that I think make it a little easier to follow why it works and also adheres to the no-use-before-define rule.

First, define this function to use:

const getKeyValue = function<T extends object, U extends keyof T> (obj: T, key: U) { return obj[key] }

In the way I've written it, the generic for the function lists the object first, then the property on the object second (these can occur in any order, but if you specify U extends key of T before T extends object you break the no-use-before-define rule, and also it just makes sense to have the object first and its' property second. Finally, I've used the more common function syntax instead of the arrow operators (=>).

Anyways, with those modifications you can just use it like this:

interface User {
  name: string;
  age: number;
}

const user: User = {
  name: "John Smith",
  age: 20
};

getKeyValue(user, "name")

Which, again, I find to be a bit more readable.

Answer 10

This is what it worked for me. The tsconfig.json has an option noImplicitAny that it was set to true, I just simply set it to false and now I can access properties in objects using strings.