Arrays
An array is an object which stores an ordered collection of values. This can hold values of any data type (numbers, strings, objects, functions, or other arrays), storing them in a single variable.
We declare an array as a variable, using the
[]characters and inside the items separated with commas
let fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]; // Declaring an array
let diversity = ["apple", 2, {}, 4.21]; // An array with different elements
let numbers = new Array(1, 2, 3, 4); // Using the Array constructor
let empty = []; // An empty array
print(fruits) //The are printed entirelyThe elements in an array can be accessed using indexes (positions), determined by integer numbers that start at 0. We use the name of the variable and the index value between the
[]characters. Each element can also be stored in other variables.
let days = ["monday","tuesday","wednesday", "thursday"]
console.log(days[0]) // This prints "monday"
let second = days[2]; // Storing a element in a variable
console.log(second) // This prints "wednesday"If we access a position that is outside the length of the array, we will get a
undefinedvalue. Also, if we assign a value to a position out of index, this will create empty spots in the array
let days = ["monday","tuesday","wednesday", "thursday"];
console.log(days[1]); // This prints "tuesday"
console.log(days[9]); // This prints undefined
let arr = [];
a[5] = 42; // Assign value out of index
console.log(arr); // This prints [5 empty items, 42 ]We can update any element of an array by assigning a new value to the objective index. This works even if the array was declared as a constant, but the entire array can't be reassigned
The
lengthattribute is crucial for working with an array, indicating the number of elements that the array stores.
The
push()method lets us add items to the end of the array or in a specific position. In the same way, thepop()method removes the item in the last position
There are a lot of other useful array methods. Some examples are:
Arrays can also be nested to contain other arrays, and in the same the indexes are nested to access elements inside arrays of arrays
Iterators
Iterators are the built-in JavaScript array methods that help us iterate over the elements of an array. They are methods called on arrays to manipulate elements and return values.
We can traverse all elements in an array with loops
Using
.forEach()will execute the same code for each element of the array. This just use the elements and returnsundefinedwhen finished
Using
.map()will create a new array by transforming each item with a function. It works like.forEach(), but has to be assigned to a variable to save the resultant array
Using
.filter()returns an array of elements after filtering out certain elements based on the callback function that verifies a statement that returnstrueorfalsedepending on the element. Those that returntrue, are added to the new array, and if there isnβt any element that satisfies the condition, the function will return an empty array
Using
.findIndex()will return the index of the first element that evaluates totruein the callback function. If there isnβt any element that satisfies the condition, the function will return-1
Using
.reduce()returns a single value after iterating through the elements of an array, in other words, accumulates a value based on every element of an array. In the callback function, the first parameter is an accumulator variable, and the second one is the iterator. It can also take an optional second parameter to set an initial value for the accumulator
Using
.some()returnstrueif there is at least one element of an array that passes a condition, otherwise it returnsfalse
Using
.every()returnstrueif every element of an array passes a condition, otherwise it returnsfalse
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