Day 6: Mastering Arrays in JavaScript ๐Ÿš€

Dipak Ahirav - Jun 16 - - Dev Community

Introduction

Welcome to Day 6 of your JavaScript journey! ๐ŸŒŸ Yesterday, we explored functions. Today, we will dive into arrays, one of the most important data structures in JavaScript. Arrays allow you to store multiple values in a single variable, making it easier to manage and manipulate collections of data. Let's get started! ๐ŸŽ‰

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What is an Array? ๐Ÿ“š

An array is a special type of object that can hold an ordered list of values. Each value (or element) in an array has a numeric index, starting from 0.

Example:

let fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"];
console.log(fruits[0]); // Output: Apple ๐ŸŽ
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Creating Arrays ๐ŸŒฑ

You can create arrays in multiple ways:

1. Using Array Literals

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
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2. Using the Array Constructor

let numbers = new Array(1, 2, 3, 4, 5);
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Accessing Array Elements ๐Ÿ”

You can access elements in an array using their index:

Example:

let colors = ["Red", "Green", "Blue"];
console.log(colors[1]); // Output: Green ๐Ÿ
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Common Array Methods ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ

JavaScript provides various methods to manipulate arrays:

1. push()
Adds one or more elements to the end of an array.

let animals = ["Dog", "Cat"];
animals.push("Elephant");
console.log(animals); // Output: ["Dog", "Cat", "Elephant"] ๐Ÿ˜
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2. pop()
Removes the last element from an array.

let animals = ["Dog", "Cat", "Elephant"];
animals.pop();
console.log(animals); // Output: ["Dog", "Cat"] ๐Ÿถ๐Ÿฑ
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3. shift()
Removes the first element from an array.

let birds = ["Parrot", "Sparrow", "Peacock"];
birds.shift();
console.log(birds); // Output: ["Sparrow", "Peacock"] ๐Ÿฆœ
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4. unshift()
Adds one or more elements to the beginning of an array.

let birds = ["Sparrow", "Peacock"];
birds.unshift("Parrot");
console.log(birds); // Output: ["Parrot", "Sparrow", "Peacock"] ๐Ÿฆœ
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5. forEach()
Executes a provided function once for each array element.

let cars = ["Tesla", "BMW", "Audi"];
cars.forEach(function(car) {
  console.log(car);
});
// Output: 
// Tesla ๐Ÿš—
// BMW ๐Ÿš™
// Audi ๐Ÿš˜
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6. map()
Creates a new array populated with the results of calling a provided function on every element in the calling array.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
let squares = numbers.map(function(number) {
  return number * number;
});
console.log(squares); // Output: [1, 4, 9, 16, 25] ๐Ÿ”ข
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7. filter()
Creates a new array with all elements that pass the test implemented by the provided function.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
let evenNumbers = numbers.filter(function(number) {
  return number % 2 === 0;
});
console.log(evenNumbers); // Output: [2, 4] โš–๏ธ
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8. reduce()
Executes a reducer function on each element of the array, resulting in a single output value.

let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
let sum = numbers.reduce(function(total, number) {
  return total + number;
}, 0);
console.log(sum); // Output: 15 โž•
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Practical Examples ๐Ÿงฉ

Example 1: Find the maximum number in an array

let numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50];
let max = numbers.reduce(function(a, b) {
  return Math.max(a, b);
});
console.log("Max number:", max); // Output: Max number: 50 ๐Ÿ”
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Example 2: Create a new array with elements in uppercase

let fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"];
let upperCaseFruits = fruits.map(function(fruit) {
  return fruit.toUpperCase();
});
console.log(upperCaseFruits); // Output: ["APPLE", "BANANA", "CHERRY"] ๐Ÿ’
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Practice Activities ๐Ÿ’ช

1. Practice Code:

  • Create arrays using literals and the Array constructor.
  • Access and manipulate array elements using various methods.

2. Mini Project:

  • Create a simple script that takes a list of student names and returns the names in alphabetical order.

Example:

let students = ["Charlie", "Alice", "Bob"];
students.sort();
console.log("Sorted names:", students);
// Output: Sorted names: ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"] ๐Ÿ“š
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Summary ๐Ÿ“‹

Today, we explored arrays in JavaScript. We learned how to create arrays, access their elements, and use common array methods to manipulate data. Arrays are a fundamental part of JavaScript, and mastering them is crucial for effective programming.

Series Index

Part Title Link
1 Day 1: Getting Started with JavaScript Read Part 1
2 Day 2: Understanding Variables and Data Types in JavaScript Read Part 2
3 Day 3: Mastering Operators and Expressions in JavaScript Read Part 3
4 Day 4: Control Structures in JavaScript Read Part 4
5 Day 5: Understanding Functions in JavaScript Read Part 5
6 Day 6: Mastering Arrays in JavaScript ๐Ÿš€ Read Part 6
7 Day 7: Understanding Objects in JavaScript ๐Ÿ† Read Part 7

Stay tuned for Day 7, where we'll dive into objects and their properties in JavaScript! ๐Ÿ†

Feel free to leave your comments or questions below. If you found this guide helpful, please share it with your peers and follow me for more web development tutorials. Happy coding!

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