`String.prototype.symbolAt()` (improved `String.prototype.charAt()`)

[Mathias Bynens]

On 19 Oct 2013, at 12:54, Domenic Denicola <domenic at domenicdenicola.com> wrote:

> My proposed cowpaths:
> 
> ```js
> Object.mixin(String.prototype, {
>  realCharacterAt(i) {
>    let index = 0;
>    for (var c of this) {
>      if (index++ === i) {
>        return c;
>      }
>    }
>  }
>  get realLength() {
>    let counter = 0;
>    for (var c of this) {
>      ++counter;
>    }
>    return counter;
>  }
> });
> ```

Good stuff!

To account for [lookalike symbols due to combining marks] [1], just add a call to `String.prototype.normalize`:

    Object.mixin(String.prototype, {
      get realLength() {
        let counter = 0;
        for (var c of this.normalize('NFC')) {
          ++counter;
        }
        return counter;
      }
    });
    
    assert('ma\xF1ana'.realLength == 'man\u0303ana'.realLength);

[1]: http://mathiasbynens.be/notes/javascript-unicode#accounting-for-lookalikes