Arrays in JavaScript - javascript

While reading a book about JavaScript I stumbled across an example:
var names = new Array("Paul","Catherine","Steve");
var ages = new Array(31,29,34);
var concatArray;
concatArray = names.concat(ages);
My question is, why doesn't the variable concatArray need to be define as a new Array() in order to store the concatenated data for both arrays name and ages , but when I try to treat the concatArray as an array by adding another line of code "document.write(concatArray[0])", it works just like an array and shows me the data stored in the first element. I just wonder why I'm not declaring the concatArray as a new array, yet it still works as one.

You are declaring concatArray as a new array but the declaration is implicit. The concat function returns a new array which contains concatenated copies of the original two arrays. The type of concatArray is inferred from the return type of the concat function.

Variable don’t have a specific data type in Javascript like in other languages. You can assign a variable every value you want.
That means var concatArray; declares the variable but the value is undefined:
var concatArray;
alert(typeof concatArray === "undefined");
Only when assigning the return value of names.concat(ages) (an array) to concatArray it get’s that type:
var names = new Array("Paul","Catherine","Steve");
var ages = new Array(31,29,34);
var concatArray;
alert(typeof concatArray === "undefined");
concatArray = names.concat(ages);
alert(concatArray.constructor === Array);

Javascript doesn't care what the contents of the var are when it is declared; that is why you can declare var concatArray without needing to specify it as an array. Once you assign it a value and a type (as the result of the concat() function) javascript treats the var as an array.

Simply put, w3schools says it pretty concisely:
The concat() method is used to join two or more arrays.
This method does not change the existing arrays, it only returns a copy of the joined arrays.
w3schools
Looks like Andrew and Matthew beat me to it anyway.

Because Javascript is dynamically typed. A variable doesn't have a specifuc type, and an array is an object that you can assign to any variable.
When you declare a variable without assigning it a value, it just exists with an undefined value:
var answer;
// now the variable exists, but it doesn't have a value
answer = 42;
// now the variable has the numerical value 42
answer = "hello";
// now the numerical value has been replaced with the string value "hello"
answer = [];
// now the variable contains an empty array
answer[0] = 1337;
// now the variable contains an array that contains an item with the value 1337
answer = -1
// now the array is gone and the variable contains the value -1

I would make an answer slightly different of Andrew's one.
JavaScript variables are not strongly typed. You can put a string, then a number, then an object in the same variable. When you use the variable, the interpreter checks its current type is suitable for the usage you try to make. If you write:
var a = 45;
alert(a[0]);
a = [ 5 ];
alert(a[0]);
you will get successively undefined then 5.

Related

javascript variable changing value after changes in original variable

I am having trouble maintaining the original value of a variable after making new changes to the original variable.
Code:
(...)
data = Illumination.calculate_N(data)
data = Illumination.calculate_pi(data)
data = Illumination.calculate_kwh(data)
data = Illumination.calculate_ca(data)
let data_base = data
let ca_base = data.ca
let kwh_base = data.kwh
let pi_base = data.pi
(...)
data = Illumination.calculate_N(data)
data = Illumination.calculate_pi(data)
data = Illumination.calculate_kwh(data)
data = Illumination.calculate_ca(data)
let data_proposto = data
let ca_proposto = data.ca
let kwh_proposto = data.kwh
let pi_proposto = data.pi
-----------------------------------
EXAMPLE:
static calculate_ai(data){
data.ai = data.areaTotal*data.au
return data
}
It was expected that the original variable (date) would have its values ​​changed, and this happens correctly, however, the variables data_base and data_proposto are not keeping their values
Both variables at the end of the calculation have the same values ​​as the variable date
The variables ca_proposto, ca_base, and the like store their values ​​correctly
Any idea?
The only interactions of the variables data_base and data_proposto were their creations with the data variable and their return of the function
OBS: If I use console.log () to view the value of the data_base variable before redoing the new calculations (Illumination.calculate_N (data)), the value of the variable appears correctly as it should, it is changed shortly after these calculations.
Because in both cases you are assigning not the object itself in the current state, but a reference to that object. What you need to do is to clone the object so the state is frozen at that point.
Simple Clone (Shallow Copy)
let data_base = Object.assign({}, data); //you get a clone of data
let data_proposto = Object.assign({}, data);
The limitation here is that it only does a shallow copy. See Deep Copy below for further explanation.
JSON Clone
This is a quick-and-dirty way to clone as it converts a JSON object to a string, and then back. i.e. you are no longer getting a reference, but a new object.
let data_base = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(data));
let data_postero = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(data));
But this won't work if your object is not JSON-safe.
Deep Copy
The least elegant method is probably safest. It deep copies the properties over into a new object. The key difference with Object.assign() is that it copies the values of nested properties, whereas Object.assign() copies the reference to nested objects.
So with Object.assign() any subsequent changes in your nested objects will affect all versions of your "clones". This won't happen if your clones only have property values of those nested objects at the time of cloning – these values are not affected by any changes to the nested objects.
const deepCopy = function(src) {
let target = {};
// using for/in on object also returns prototype properties
for (let prop in src) {
// .hasOwnProperty() filters out these prototype properties.
if (src.hasOwnProperty(prop)) {
target[prop] = src[prop]; //iteratively copies over values, not references
}
}
return target;
}
let data_base = deepCopy(data);
let data_postero = deepCopy(data);
#chatnoir Defined the problem very well, But I do not agree with his JSON serialization solution due to the below probleam:
You will lose any Javascript property that has no equivalent type in
JSON, like Function or Infinity. Any property that’s assigned to
undefined will be ignored by JSON.stringify, causing them to be missed
on the cloned object.
My suggestion to perform deep copy is to rely on a library that’s well
tested, very popular and carefully maintained: Lodash.
Lodash offers the very convenient clone and deepclone functions to perform shallow and deep cloning.
Lodash has this nice feature: you can import single functions separately in your project to reduce a lot the size of the dependency.
Please find the running sample code here: https://glitch.com/edit/#!/flavio-lodash-clone-shallow-deep?path=server.js:1:0
You are using the same variable data inside and outside functions.
ie; data is in the global scope.
static calculate_ai(data){
data.ai = data.areaTotal*data.au
return data
}
even though you are expecting the scope of the variable data inside the method calculate_ai to be limited to that method, it is not the case. data is in global scope and therefore, the value changes inside the method for the variable affects outside as well.
An effective solution is to use a different variable inside the method.
A variable is like an octopus tentacle, and not as a box (as it’s commonly described). In this analogy, the variable's name can be thought of as the name of a tentacle.
A variable (tentacle) holds on to a value in what’s called a binding. A binding is an association of a variable to a value: x = 1.
In JavaScript, if a variable b holds on to variable a, changing the value to which variable a holds onto, will change the value to which variable b holds onto, as b and a are referencing to the same value:
let a = {key: 1}
let b = a
console.log(`a: ${a.key}`) // -> 1
console.log(`b: ${b.key}`) // -> 1
a.key = 2
console.log(`a: ${a.key}`) // -> 2
console.log(`b: ${b.key}`) // -> 2
a = {key: 3} // This will point variable 'a' to a new object, while variable 'b' still points to the original object.
console.log(`a: ${a.key}`) // -> 3
console.log(`b: ${b.key}`) // -> 2

JavaScript array value to variable

I am trying to get into Fuse to create mobile apps and they use JavaScript for their logic. I never used JavaScript before and just recently completed their getting started course. Most of the stuff is pretty easy to understand, but I am having trouble with the way they use variables at one point. It would be nice, if somebody could explain how variables behave in JavaScript.
So the problem I have goes as follows:
for (var i = 0; i < hikes.length; i++){
// A new variable gets the value of the array
var hike = hikes[i];
if (hike.id == id){
// The variable gets a new value
hike.name = "foo";
break;
}
}
So, in my understanding of programming, the array hikes should be unchanged and only the variable hike should have foo as the name value. But in reality, the array now also has the name foo.
I guess the variable works as a pointer to the address of the arrays value, but maybe somebody can help me to better understand that concept.
Yes you're right, objects and arrays are always passed as references:
a = {}; // empty object
b = a; // references same object
b.foo = 'bar';
a.foo; // also 'bar'
You can create a deep copy of the array using JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(hikes)); and then use that copied array for manipulation:
var hikes = [
{
'id': 10
}
];
var id = 10;
var tempHikes = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(hikes));
for (var i = 0; i < tempHikes.length; i++){
// A new variable gets the value of the array
var hike = tempHikes[i];
if (hike.id == id){
// The variable gets a new value
hike.name = "foo";
console.log('hike is ', hike);
break;
}
}
console.log(hikes);
arrays in javascript are passed by reference, whenever you modify an element in an array that change will occur anywhere you are accessing that array, to avoid such issues you have to use Array.from(arg) which creates a new array of from the arg parameter. This also applies to objects, to avoid such issues with objects, you have to use Object.create(obj) to create a new obj of from obj parameter or you can use let newObj = Object.assign( {} , obj ) , whenever you make any modification to the members of newObj the obj object does not see it, in other words there is no direct linkage between this two object, same thing applies for array
Boolean, null, undefined, String, and Number values are called primitive types.
When you assign something that is not a primitive type, namely arrays, functions and objects you are storing a reference to that.
That means that hikes[i] contains a reference to the object, where reference roughly means a pointer to it's location in memory.
When you assign hike = hikes[i] you are copying over the reference and not the actual object. So in fact hike still points to the same object as hikes[i], so any changes to that object are visible on both occasions.
If you want to copy the underlying object, there are different ways of doing so. One of them is Object.assign:
var hike = Object.assign({}, hikes[i])
This is because of pass by reference. All you need to do is create a new object (string, number ...) that you can work on.
for (var i = 0; i < hikes.length; i++){
var hike = hikes.slice(i,i+1)[0];
if (hike.id == id){
hike.name = "foo";
break;
}
}
slice also create a deep copy. you can use splice or assign or ((key1, key2)=>(key1, key2))(obj) etc.

JavaScript Reference array insert

I am novice to JavaScript but I know JavaScript does calls by value when passing primitives and calls by reference when passing objects.
var a = [4,5];
var temp = a;
console.log(a); // [4,5] OK
console.log(temp); // [4,5] OK
temp = temp.push(6); // Insert one more element into temp array
console.log(a); // [4,5,6] why so??
Console.log(temp); // [4,5,6]
I know this is because of reference got change . What should I do to avoid deep copy ?
If I change temp don’t want to change original reference a, it should print [4,5].
If you want to copy it, you can use slice:
var temp = a.slice(0);
Edit: thanks to cuberto for pointing me out slice(0)
"I know JavaScript behavior is call by value in primitive value and
call by reference in case of object."
Not exactly. In Javascript everything is passed by value all the time. If you pass an object, you actually pass a reference to the object, and that reference is passed by value.
Example:
var o = { name: 'first' };
// pass object reference to a function
use(o);
function use(x) {
// change the reference
x = { name: 'second' };
}
alert(o.name); // shows "first"
As the reference is passed by value to the function, changing the reference inside the function doesn't change the variable that was used to send the reference.
In your code you have only one array:
var temp = a; // copy the reference from a to temp
You have two variables that reference the same array, so any changes that you do to the array using one variable to access it will be visible when you look at the array using the other variable.
To get two separate arrays you have to specifically create a copy of it:
var temp = a.slice(0);
Note: Copying an array makes a shallow copy. That means that if you for example have an array of objects that you copy, you will have two arrays, but they will still share the same set of objects.
As you know, primitive values are passed by value, everything else is passed by reference. Primitives are boolean, number and string (and maybe consider null and undefined here). Everything else is an object and passed by reference.

Trouble with basic Javascript

I haven't touched Javascript in a while and now I'm having trouble with basic arrays.
params=new Array();
params['return']='json';
alert(params.length);
This always returns 0 when I'm expecting 1. What's wrong with this?
Arrays use numerical indexes. When you use a string "index", it just adds a new property to the array object, but the new value isn't in the array.
Thus, the array is still empty, but you can access your value as you could with any other object.
Your code is equivalent to
var params = {}; //new object (not array)
params['return']='json'; //new property added to object
A few things:
You forgot var:
var params = new Array();
But an array takes numeric indices, so params['return'] is not really a member of the array but of the object that represents the array, so it doesn't affect the length.
You could use an object but objects have no length:
var params = {};
params['return'] = 'json';
To get the length though you can count the keys in that object and get the length of the resulting array:
var len = Object.keys(params).length;
Javascript arrays don't hold key value pairs like objects do, so the length isn't incremented when you assign a value. They are however objects themselves, so you can assign values to its properties (in this case the return property).
You probably want params to be a plain object: params = {}
You need to count the properties, like this for example:
function dictionarySize(dict){
var size = 0;
for (key in dict){
// In practice you'd probably want to filter using hasOwnProperty
size++;
}
return size
}
alert(dictionarySize(params));
Or using a library like underscore.js:
_.size(params);
Object.keys is also an option, although it won't work in IE8 and older.
If you don't need an key value pairs use params.push:
params=new Array();
params.push('json')
alert(params.length); // 1
You can create an array, push stuff on it, and assign properties to values of it like so:
var params=[];
params.push('firstly');
params[0]="jonson";
params['return']="fredy"
params.newone="json";
params.push('Carl');
NOW, if you do:
console.log(params.length,params);
the result of that is:
2 ["jonson", "Carl", return: "fredy", newone: "json"]
SO, you see "firstly" was replaced by "jonson" in the [0] - so the "pushed" value is addresed by the numerical [0]

remove intermediary object from map object

I have a couple of these and think (know) that I'm doing something wrong (or could be simpler).
html:
<div class='item-to-select' data-global-id='55'>some</div>
var l=$(this).map(function(){
t=new Object();
t.global_id=$(this).data('global-id');
return t;
}).get();
var list=l[0]; // want to remove this
How would I remove this intermediary object? Or a better way
thx
If you mean that you don't want to have to define the l variable just so you can use it once in setting up your list variable you can do this:
var list = $(this).map(function(){
return {
global_id : $(this).data('global-id')
};
}).get()[0]; // note the [0] directly after .get()
The return from any function that returns an array (or array-like object) doesn't have to be assigned to a variable before you can use it. So:
var temp = someFuncReturnsArray();
console.log(temp[0]);
// can be replaced by
console.log(someFuncReturnsArray()[0]);
Of course if you need to do further processing on the returned array you need to put it in a variable. E.g., if you need to test its length, or if the function could possibly return null in some situations, etc. In the example above if an empty array was returned then obviously [0] will be undefined.
But if you only need the return value once you can just use it directly.
Note that I've removed the t variable from your code too. When creating an empty object it is considered good practice to say obj = {} rather than saying obj = new Object(). But you can create an object with properties in one step if the property values are already known. In the case of your function the t object you create isn't manipulated in any way other than adding a single property to it before you return it, so you can simply return an object literal directly instead of doing it in three steps.
The jQuery .get() method accepts an index.
So, you can write :
var list=$(this).map(function(){
t=new Object();
t.global_id=$(this).data('global-id');
return t;
}).get(0);

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