This question already has answers here:
How do I replace a character at a particular index in JavaScript?
(30 answers)
Does javascript have a method to replace part of a string without creating a new string?
(4 answers)
Closed 1 year ago.
var a = 'cat' ;
a[0] = 'r' ;
a = 'cat'
Why..??
In case of string although you can access elements by array notation, if you try to change its content it will fail silently i.e. will not throw any error but will not change content either.
Please explain me detail.
Strings are primitive values in javascript, and are therefore immutable. This is just how the language works so there's not much to explain besides that. You can read more about it here!
It is not throwing an error because you're probably not running it in strict mode.
Strings are immutable, in JavaScript only objects and arrays are mutable. You can search for mutable data types in JavaScript in Google.
"A mutable object is an object whose state can be modified after it is created." MDN.
You can read more here: Mutable
Related
This question already has answers here:
How do I replace a character at a particular index in JavaScript?
(30 answers)
Closed 1 year ago.
I have following simple javascript code:
s="hello"
s[0]="X"
console.log(s[0])
The output is h, but I have updated it as X, I would ask why I got such result, thanks.
Strings in JavaScript are primitives, which means they are immutable, ie. you are not able to change them. If you were running your code in strict mode then this would throw an error.
If you wanted to modify this string you would need to effectively create a copy of it, and then assign that to the s variable eg.
s = "X" + s.substring(1)
This question already has answers here:
JavaScript property access: dot notation vs. brackets?
(17 answers)
Are Javascript arrays primitives? Strings? Objects?
(7 answers)
Closed 2 years ago.
I'm looking for an elegant way of understanding JavaScript array and objects.
I came to an anomaly in which I got stuck.
Since in PHP or other languages, when we make an array e.g
$a = [
admin => 1,
staff => 2
];
so if we want to access its element we can do so by for e.g $a[admin] and we will get 1.
similarly if its an object e.g
$a = (object) [];
$a->sadd = 'sas';
we can access it with arrow
$a->sadd
and if we try to access object elements in the style of array i.e like this $a['sadd'] it will throw error that you can not use it as array style.
But I was surprised by the anomaly in JavaScript.
I have observed that in JavaScript no matter what I am making, an array or object, the elements of both can be accessed via dot or via array style and i found no difference in there accessing style.
for e.g
var a = {sadd : 1}
I can access its element via a['sadd'] or a.sadd both will give 1
So I am confused by this anomaly and wondering whether array and object both datatypes are considered same in JavaScript?
An array is indeed an object.
Javascript is a dynamic language and accepts mixed types of entities. Also while accessing, dot notation seems to be more clearer (atleast imo) and is preferred. Bracket notation is used for dyanamic keys.
The difference between array and objects boils down to their usecase:
Array -> Contiguous block of memory
Object -> key-value pair (like a dictionary)
Your php example is actually creating what we'd call an object in JS, not an array. In JS an array is a list of items, which you can find items by array[i], or by looping.
An object is a collection of fields, which you can go into by object.fieldName or object[fieldName].
This can be confusing in JS though, because theoretically everything is an "object", including arrays, due to the way things are handled lower down..
I would recommend following along with the https://justjavascript.com/ course for good mental models on how objects work in JS.
This question already has answers here:
Array.of vs "[ ]". When to use Array.of over "[ ]"?
(3 answers)
What’s the difference between "Array()" and "[]" while declaring a JavaScript array?
(19 answers)
Closed 4 years ago.
For example,
let x = [1,2,3,5];
is equivalent to:
let x = Array.of(1,2,3,4,5);
(Unless I'm missing an important detail, which is why I'm asking the question)
You could also mix these with spread ... syntax and variables and thus other arrays. To me, it seems Array.of() has more overhead. Would Array.of() have to parse an arguments object into another array?
I know there's also new Array() as others have before questioned here, but that has a different semantic purpose, so I don't see this question as a duplicate to that.
As I see it now, Array.of() and [ ] seem redundant. The function's intent does seem more explicit on the former, but the latter's intent is simple enough to not be misunderstood.
So to summarize:
When is one preferable over the other?
Why does Array.of() exist when JavaScript survived without it for so long?
And, what're the differences of these two methods, if any? Would there be any needless overhead?
This question already has answers here:
How can I access and process nested objects, arrays, or JSON?
(31 answers)
JavaScript property access: dot notation vs. brackets?
(17 answers)
Closed 8 years ago.
I need to know why this isn't working. My Javascript code accesses a variable in an object. But it appears not to be working, partly because I can't figure out the syntax.
var obj = {
size:"small",
big:false,
thing:true
}
alert(obj[size]);
I'm just not sure if I got the syntax right…
This will work here.
obj.size //returns small
OR
obj["size"] //returns small
OR
var my_var = "size"
obj[my_var] //returns small
You can reference object values either by:
obj["size"]
or
obj.size
However, there is an exception. For instance, if you have following object with a number key: (Note: key is still a string even if it's defined this way):
var obj = {
1: true
};
You can retrieve it's value only by using: obj["1"]
Hence, using obj.1 will cause a syntax error.
Therefore, your code works if you change it to e.g.: alert(obj["size"]); but I prefer to use console.log(obj["size"]); for debugging. At least, if you are playing with node.js as your tags indicates.
Cheers.
This question already has answers here:
Why can't I add properties to a string object in javascript?
(2 answers)
Closed 9 years ago.
Do variables have properties?
The obvious answer should be NO. If I try to assign a property to a variable, it should give an error. Right?
If I do something like:
var someVariable = 'Cat';
someVariable.eyes = 'two'; //Gives no error!
alert(someVariable.eyes); // alerts 'undefined' instead of giving an error!
Variables don't have properties, but their values do. (If the value's an object, anyway.)
In this case, you're trying to set the eyes property of the string currently referenced by someVariable.
It won't work in this case, though. Since primitive values don't have properties, JS will convert the primitive string value into an object and set the property on that object, which pretty much immediately gets silently discarded. The end result: the primitive string remains unmodified.
"Variables" don't actually exist (except strictly within the definition of a scope), only objects. And string objects can't have arbitrary properties assigned by default.