title: How to convert a json formatted string into a json array in javascript
body: <p>I am using the $.post() method to retrieve a json formatted string which looks like this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>{elementid:10},{elementid:11},{elementid:12},{elementid:14},{elementid:15}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>In the success callback function of $.post(), I would like to loop the values of this json formatted string but I can't figure out how to do it.</p>
  
  <pre><code>  // data returns {elementid:10},{elementid:11},{elementid:12},{elementid:14}, etc.
  
    $.post('form.php',
  
          {'postvalues' : input_ids},
  
          function(data){
  
                var elements = Array();
  
                elements = [data];
  
                for(var i=0; i&lt;elements.length; i++) {
                      var value = elements[i]['elementid'];
                      alert('value = '+value);
                }
    });
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>When I do this, instead of getting <code>value = 10, value = 11, value = 12</code>, etc. in the alert box, 
  I get <code>value = undefined</code></p>
  
  <p>What must I change in the format of the variable 'data' so that it will be interpreted as array values and not a string?</p>
  
  <p>thanks for your help</p>