--- title: localForage API Reference language_tabs: - javascript - coffeescript toc_footers: - Contribute to localForage - (Docs Powered by Slate) --- # localForage ```javascript // In localStorage, we would do: localStorage.setItem('key', JSON.stringify('value')); doSomethingElse(); // With localForage, we use callbacks: localforage.setItem('key', 'value', doSomethingElse); // Or we can use Promises: localforage.setItem('key', 'value').then(doSomethingElse); ``` ```coffeescript # In localStorage, we would do: localStorage.setItem "key", JSON.stringify("value") doSomethingElse() # With localForage, we use callbacks: localforage.setItem "key", "value", doSomethingElse # Or we can use Promises: localforage.setItem("key", "value").then doSomethingElse ``` **Offline storage, improved.** localForage is a JavaScript library that improves the offline experience of your web app by using an asynchronous data store with a simple, `localStorage`-like API. It allows developers to [store many types of data](#setitem) instead of just strings. localForage includes a localStorage-backed fallback store for browsers with no IndexedDB or WebSQL support. Asynchronous storage is available in the current versions of all major browsers: Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari (including Safari Mobile). **localForage offers a callback API as well as support for the [ES6 Promises API][]**, so you can use whichever you prefer. [Download localforage.min.js][download] [download]: https://mozilla.github.io/localForage/localforage.min.js [ES6 Promises API]: https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Promise # Installation ```bash # Install via npm: npm install localforage # Or with bower: bower install localforage ``` ```html ``` To use localForage, [download the latest release](https://github.com/mozilla/localForage/releases) or install with [npm](https://www.npmjs.org/) (`npm install localforage`) or [bower](http://bower.io/) (`bower install localforage`). Then simply include the JS file and start using localForage: ``. You don't need to run any init method or wait for any `onready` events. # Data API These APIs deal with getting and setting data in the offline store. ## getItem ```javascript localforage.getItem('somekey', function(err, value) { // Run this code once the value has been // loaded from the offline store. console.log(value); }); localforage.getItem('somekey').then(function(value) { // The same code, but using ES6 Promises. console.log(value); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.getItem "somekey", (err, value) -> # Run this code once the value has been loaded # from the offline store. console.log value localforage.getItem("somekey").then (value) -> # The same code, but using ES6 Promises. console.log(value) ``` `getItem(key, successCallback)` Gets an item from the storage library and supplies the result to a callback. If the key does not exist, `getItem()` will return `null`. ## setItem ```javascript localforage.setItem('somekey', 'some value', function(err, value) { // Do other things once the value has been saved. console.log(value); }); // Unlike localStorage, you can store non-strings. localforage.setItem('my array', [1, 2, 'three'], function(err, value) { // This will output `1`. console.log(value[0]); }); // You can even store binary data from an AJAX request. request = new XMLHttpRequest(); request.open('GET', '/photo.jpg', true); request.responseType = 'arraybuffer'; request.addEventListener('readystatechange', function() { if (request.readyState === 4) { // readyState DONE localforage.setItem('photo', request.response, function(img) { // This will be a valid blob URI for an tag. var blob = new Blob([image]); var imageURI = window.URL.createObjectURL(blob); } } }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.setItem "somekey", "some value", (err, value) -> # Do other things once the value has been saved. console.log value # Unlike localStorage, you can store non-strings. localforage.setItem "my array", [1, 2, "three"], (err, value) -> # This will output `1`. console.log value[0] # You can even store binary data from an AJAX request. request = new XMLHttpRequest() request.open "GET", "photo.jpg", true request.responseType = "arraybuffer" request.addEventListener "readystatechange", -> if request.readyState == 4 # readyState DONE localforage.setItem "photo", request.response, (img) -> # This will be a valid blob URI for an tag. blob = new Blob [image] imageURI = window.URL.createObjectURL blob ``` `setItem(key, value, successCallback)` Saves data to an offline store. You can store the following types of JavaScript objects: * **`Array`** * **`ArrayBuffer`** * **`Blob`** * **`Float32Array`** * **`Float64Array`** * **`Int8Array`** * **`Int16Array`** * **`Int32Array`** * **`Number`** * **`Object`** * **`Uint8Array`** * **`Uint8ClampedArray`** * **`Uint16Array`** * **`Uint32Array`** * **`String`** Live demo ## removeItem ```javascript localforage.removeItem('somekey', function(err) { // Run this code once the key has been removed. console.log('Key is cleared!'); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.removeItem "somekey", (err) -> # Run this code once the key has been removed. console.log "Key is cleared!" ``` `removeItem(key, successCallback)` Removes the value of a key from the offline store. Live demo ## clear ```javascript localforage.clear(function(err) { // Run this code once the database has been entirely deleted. console.log('Database is now empty.'); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.clear (err) -> # Run this code once the database has been entirely deleted. console.log "Database is now empty." ``` `clear(successCallback)` Removes every key from the database, returning it to a blank slate. ## length ```javascript localforage.length(function(err, numberOfKeys) { // Outputs the length of the database. console.log(numberOfKeys); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.length (err, numberOfKeys) -> # Outputs the length of the database. console.log numberOfKeys ``` `length(successCallback)` Gets the number of keys in the offline store (i.e. its "length"). ## key ```javascript localforage.key(2, function(err, keyName) { // Name of the key. console.log(keyName); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.key 2, (err, keyName) -> # Name of the key. console.log keyName ``` `key(keyIndex, successCallback)` Get the name of a key based on its ID. ## keys ```javascript localforage.keys(function(err, keys) { // An array of all the key names. console.log(keys); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.keys (err, keys) -> # An array of all the key names. console.log keys ``` `keys(successCallback)` Get the list of all keys in the datastore. ## iterate ```javascript localforage.iterate(function(value, key, iterationNumber) { // Resulting key/value pair -- this callback // will be executed for every item in the // database. console.log([key, value]); }, function() { console.log('Iteration has completed'); }); // The same code, but using ES6 Promises. localforage.iterate(function(value, key, iterationNumber) { // Resulting key/value pair -- this callback // will be executed for every item in the // database. console.log([key, value]); }).then(function() { console.log('Iteration has completed'); }); // Exit the iteration early: localforage.iterate(function(value, key, iterationNumber) { if (iterationNumber < 3) { console.log([key, value]); } else { return [key, value]; } }, function(result) { console.log('Iteration has completed, last iterated pair:'); console.log(result); }); // The same code for early exit, but using ES6 Promises. localforage.iterate(function(value, key, iterationNumber) { if (iterationNumber < 3) { console.log([key, value]); } else { return [key, value]; } }).then(function(result) { console.log('Iteration has completed, last iterated pair:'); console.log(result); }); ``` ```coffeescript localforage.iterate (value, key, iterationNumber) -> # Resulting key/value pair -- this callback # will be executed for every item in the # database. console.log [key, value] return , -> console.log "Iteration has completed" # The same code, but using ES6 Promises. localforage.iterate (value, key, iterationNumber) -> # Resulting key/value pair -- this callback # will be executed for every item in the # database. console.log [key, value] return .then -> console.log "Iteration has completed" # Exit the iteration early: localforage.iterate (value, key, iterationNumber) -> if iterationNumber < 3 console.log [key, value] return else return [key, value] ), (result) -> console.log "Iteration has completed, last iterated pair:" console.log result # The same code for early exit, but using ES6 Promises. localforage.iterate((value, key, iterationNumber) -> if iterationNumber < 3 console.log [key, value] return else return [key, value] ).then (result) -> console.log "Iteration has completed, last iterated pair:" console.log result ``` `iterate(iteratorCallback, successCallback)` Iterate over all value/key pairs in datastore. `iteratorCallback` is called once for each pair, with the following arguments: 1. value 2. key 3. iterationNumber - one-based number # Settings API These methods allow driver selection and database configuration. These methods should generally be called before the first _data_ API call to localForage ( i.e. before you call `getItem()` or `length()`, etc.) ## setDriver ```javascript // Force localStorage to be the backend driver. localforage.setDriver(localforage.LOCALSTORAGE); // Supply a list of drivers, in order of preference. localforage.setDriver([localforage.WEBSQL, localforage.INDEXEDDB]); ``` ```coffeescript # Force localStorage to be the backend driver. localforage.setDriver localforage.LOCALSTORAGE # Supply a list of drivers, in order of preference. localforage.setDriver [localforage.WEBSQL, localforage.INDEXEDDB] ``` `setDriver(driverName)`
`setDriver([driverName, nextDriverName])` Force usage of a particular driver or drivers, if available. By default, localForage selects backend drivers for the datastore in this order: 1. IndexedDB 2. WebSQL 3. localStorage If you would like to force usage of a particular driver you can use `setDriver()` with one or more of the following parameters. * localforage.INDEXEDDB * localforage.WEBSQL * localforage.LOCALSTORAGE ## config ```javascript // This will rename the database from "localforage" // to "Hipster PDA App". localforage.config({ name: 'Hipster PDA App' }); // This will force localStorage as the storage // driver even if another is available. You can // use this instead of `setDriver()`. localforage.config({ driver: localforage.LOCALSTORAGE, name: 'I-heart-localStorage' }); // This will use a different driver order. localforage.config({ driver: [localforage.WEBSQL, localforage.INDEXEDDB, localforage.LOCALSTORAGE], name: 'WebSQL-Rox' }); ``` ```coffeescript # This will rename the database from "localforage" # to "Hipster PDA App". localforage.config name: "Hipster PDA App" # This will force localStorage as the storage # driver even if another is available. You can # use this instead of `setDriver()`. localforage.config driver: localforage.LOCALSTORAGE name: "I-heart-localStorage" # This will use a different driver order. localforage.config driver: [localforage.WEBSQL, localforage.INDEXEDDB, localforage.LOCALSTORAGE] name: "WebSQL-Rox" ``` `config(options)` Set and persist localForage options. This must be called *before* any other calls to localForage are made, but can be called after localForage is loaded. If you set any config values with this method they will persist after driver changes, so you can call `config()` then `setDriver()`. The following config values can be set:
driver
The preferred driver(s) to use. Same format as what is passed to `setDriver()`, above.
Default: [localforage.INDEXEDDB, localforage.WEBSQL, localforage.LOCALSTORAGE]
name
The name of the database. May appear during storage limit prompts. Useful to use the name of your app here. In localStorage, this is used as a key prefix for all keys stored in localStorage.
Default: 'localforage'
size
The size of the database in bytes. Used only in WebSQL for now.
Default: 4980736
storeName
The name of the datastore. In IndexedDB this is the dataStore, in WebSQL this is the name of the key/value table in the database. Must be alphanumeric, with underscores. Any non-alphanumeric characters will be converted to underscores.
Default: 'keyvaluepairs'
version
The version of your database. May be used for upgrades in the future; currently unused.
Default: 1.0
description
A description of the database, essentially for developer usage.
Default: ''
# Custom Driver API You can write your own, custom driver for localForage since **version 1.1**. ## defineDriver ```javascript // Implement the driver here. var myCustomDriver = { _driver: 'customDriverUniqueName', _initStorage: function(options) { // Custom implementation here... }, clear: function(callback) { // Custom implementation here... }, getItem: function(key, callback) { // Custom implementation here... }, key: function(n, callback) { // Custom implementation here... }, keys: function(callback) { // Custom implementation here... }, length: function(callback) { // Custom implementation here... }, removeItem: function(key, callback) { // Custom implementation here... }, setItem: function(key, value, callback) { // Custom implementation here... } } // Add the driver to localForage. localforage.defineDriver(myCustomDriver); ``` ```coffeescript # Implement the driver here. myCustomDriver = _driver: 'customDriverUniqueName' _initStorage: (options) -> # Custom implementation here... clear: (callback) -> # Custom implementation here... getItem: (key, callback) -> # Custom implementation here... key: (n, callback) -> # Custom implementation here... keys: (callback) -> # Custom implementation here... length: (callback) -> # Custom implementation here... removeItem: (key, callback) -> # Custom implementation here... setItem: (key, value, callback) -> # Custom implementation here... # Add the driver to localForage. localforage.defineDriver(myCustomDriver) ``` You'll want to make sure you accept a `callback` argument and that you pass the same arguments to callbacks as the default drivers do. You'll also want to resolve or reject promises. Check any of the [default drivers][] for an idea of how to implement your own, custom driver. The custom implementation may contain a `_support` property that is either boolean (`true`/`false`) or returns a `Promise` that resolves to a boolean value. If `_support` is omitted, then `true` is the default value. You can use this to make sure the browser in use supports your custom driver. [default drivers]: https://github.com/mozilla/localForage/tree/master/src/drivers