Arrayzing - The JavaScript array cheatsheet

This is a work-in-progress cheatsheet for JS arrays. Please feel free to leave a comment if this has helped you or you would like to suggest anything.

• Create an array
• Empty an array
• Clone an array
• Get last item
• Remove first item
• Remove last item
• Add new item(s) to beginning
• Add new item(s) to end
• Overwrite item at a specific index
• Add new item(s) at a specific index
• Remove single item at a specific index
• Remove several items
• Reverse an array
• Delimit an array
• Sort in numerical order
• Sort in alphabetical order
• Join two arrays together
• Copy specific item(s)
• Augment items within an array
• Return true if every item meets a condition
• Return true if at least one item matches a condition
• Execute a function once per array item
• Filter an array
• Detect an array
• ES5 and above
• ES4 and below
• Simple FIFO queue
• Find index of an item
• ES5 and above
• ES4 and below
• Randomise an array
• Chaining Methods

Create an array

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'] ;

Empty an array

Keeping references intact.

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];
meals.splice(0, meals.length);

or

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];
meals.length = 0

Clone an array

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

var copy = meals.slice();
// ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner']

Get last item

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals[meals.length - 1];
// 'dinner'

Or

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];
meals.slice(-1)[0];
// 'dinner'

Remove first item

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.shift();
// 'breakfast'

meals;
// ['lunch', 'dinner']

Remove last item

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.pop();
// 'dinner'

meals;
// ['breakfast', 'lunch'];

Add new item(s) to beginning

var meals = ['lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.unshift('breakfast');
// 3 - the array length

meals;
// ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner']

Add new item(s) to end

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.push('supper');
// 2

meals;
// ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

Overwrite item at a specific index

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals[1] = 'brunch';
// ['breakfast', 'brunch', 'dinner'];

Or

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.splice(1, 1, 'brunch');

Add new item(s) at a specific index

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.splice(1, 0, 'brunch', 'more brunch');
// ['breakfast', 'brunch', 'more brunch', 'lunch', 'dinner']

Remove single item at a specific index

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.splice(1, 1);
// ['lunch']

meals;
// ['breakfast', 'dinner']

Remove several items

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.splice(1, 2);
// ['lunch', 'dinner']

meals;
// ['breakfast']

Reverse an array

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.reverse();
// ['dinner', 'lunch', 'breakfast'];

Delimit an array

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

meals.join(' AND ');
// 'breakfast AND lunch AND dinner'

Sort in alphabetical order

var meals = ['dinner', 'supper', 'breakfast', 'lunch'];

meals.sort();
// ['breakfast', 'dinner', 'lunch', 'supper']

Sort in numerical order

var numbers = [1438,2605,794,3947,6241,11745,2585];

numbers.sort(function(a, b) {
    return a - b;
});
// [794,1438,2585,2605,3947,6241,11745]

Join two arrays together

var dayTimeMeals = ['breakfast', 'lunch'];
var nightTimeMeals = ['merienda', 'dinner'];

var allTheMeals = dayTimeMeals.concat(nightTimeMeals);
// ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'merienda', 'dinner']

Copy specific item(s)

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

nightTimeMeals = meals.slice(2,4);
// ['dinner', 'supper']

Augment items within an array

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];
var type = ['king', 'prince', 'pauper'];

meals.map(function(item, i) {
  return item + ' like a ' + type[i];
});
// ["breakfast like a king", "lunch like a prince", "dinner like a pauper"]

Return true if every item meets a condition

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

meals.every(function(item){ return item.length > 0 });
// true

meals.every(function(item){ return item.length > 6 });
// false

Return true if at least one item matches a condition

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

meals.some(function(item){ return item === 'lunch';});
// true

meals.some(function(item){ return item === 'burgers!!';});
//false

Execute a function once per array item

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

meals.forEach(function(currentValue, index, arr){
  console.log(index, currentValue, arr);
});

Filter an array

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

meals.filter(function(item) {
  return item !== 'breakfast';
});
// ['lunch', 'dinner', 'supper'];

Detect an array

ES5 and above

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

Array.isArray(meals)
// true

ES4 and below

var meals = ['breakfast', 'lunch', 'dinner'];

function isArray(arr) {
  return !!(Object.prototype.toString.call(arr) === '[object Array]');
}

isArray(meals);
// true

Simple FIFO queue

var meals = ['breakfast', 'elevenses', 'brunch'];

meals.shift(); 
meals.push('lunch');

// ['elevenses', 'brunch', 'lunch']

meals.shift()
meals.push('afternoon tea');

// ['brunch', 'lunch', 'afternoon tea']
// ... and so on ...

Find index of an item

ES5 and above

var meals = ['breakfast', 'elevenses', 'brunch'];
meals.indexOf('brunch');
// 2

ES4 and below

var meals = ['breakfast', 'elevenses', 'brunch'];

function inArray(arr, item){
  var found = -1, 
      i = arr.length; 

  while(--i >= 0) {
    if(arr[i] === item){
      found = i;
      break;
    }
  }
  return found;
}

inArray(meals, 'brunch');
// 2 - the index of the item in the array

inArray(meals, 'dinner');
// -1

Randomise an array

function randomiseArray(arr) {
    var buffer = [], start;

    for(var i = arr.length; i >= arr.length && i > 0;i--) {
        start = Math.floor(Math.random() * arr.length);
        buffer.push(arr.splice(start, 1)[0])
    };

    return buffer;
}

randomiseArray([0,1,2,3,4]);
// [2,1,0,3,4]

randomiseArray([0,1,2,3,4]);
// [3,2,1,4,0]

randomiseArray([0,1,2,3,4]);
// [1,2,4,0,3]

Chaining methods

var meals = [
  {type: 'breakfast', name: 'Full English', calories: 1500},
  {type: 'breakfast', name: 'Colacao', calories: 260},
  {type: 'breakfast', name: 'Croissant and jam', calories: 520},
  {type: 'breakfast', name: 'Granola with Greek yoghurt and blueberries', calories: 680},
  {type: 'brinner', name: 'Shepherds Pie with strawberry yoghurt', calories: 915},
  {type: 'brinner', name: 'Milky Porridge with beef and green beans', calories: 875},
  {type: 'dinner', name: 'Phad Thai', calories: 750},
  {type: 'dinner', name: 'Chicken Katsu curry and rice', calories: 830},
];

function getMealsByMaxCalories(meals, maxCalories, dailyAllowance) {
  return meals
    .filter(function(meal) {
        return meal.calories <= maxCalories;
    })
    .map(function(meal) {
        return {
            name: meal.name,
            calories: meal.calories,
            percentageOfDailyAllowance: meal.calories / dailyAllowance * 100
        }
    });
}
    
getMealsByMaxCalories(meals, 850, 2000);

/*
[
  {
    "name": "Colacao",
    "calories": 260,
    "percentageOfDailyAllowance": 13
  },
  {
    "name": "Croissant and jam",
    "calories": 520,
    "percentageOfDailyAllowance": 26
  },
  {
    "name": "Granola with Greek yoghurt and blueberries",
    "calories": 680,
    "percentageOfDailyAllowance": 34
  },
  {
    "name": "Phad Thai",
    "calories": 750,
    "percentageOfDailyAllowance": 37.5
  }
]
*/