recursive.js

// Nested JSON object
var myObj = {
    name: 'level 1',
    layer: {
        name: 'level 2',
        layer: {
            name: 'level 3',
            layer: {
                name: 'level 4',
                layer: {
                    name: 'level 5'
                }
            }
        }
    }
};

/*
 * This function recursively grabs the name of the
 * object and pushes it to the array.  It starts at
 * the top-most level and recurses down each layer
 */
(function() {
    input1 = [];
    (function parse1(object) {
        var name = object.name;
        input1.push(name);
        document.write('</br>' + input1);
        if(object.layer) {
            parse1(object.layer);
        }
        return input1;
    }(myObj))  // Pass our nested object to the parse1 function and immediately invoke it
}())  // Immediately invoke the `closure` function


/*
 * This function first recurses down to the deepest
 * layer and pushes that name on to the array.  As
 * it recurses back up, it pushes the next name on
 * to the array.
 */
(function() {
    input2 = [];
    (function parse2(object) {
        if(object.layer) {
            parse2(object.layer);
        }
        var name = object.name;
        input2.push(name);
        console.log(name);
        document.write('</br>' + input2);
        return input2;
    }(myObj))  // Pass our nested object to the parse1 function and immediately invoke it
}());  // Immediately invoke the `closure` function