JavaScript Arrays
An array is a special variable, which can hold more than one value:
const cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];
Why Use Arrays?
If you have a list of items (a list of car names, for example), storing the cars
in single variables could look like this:
let car1 = "Saab";
let car2 = "Volvo";
let car3 = "BMW";
However, what if you want to loop through the cars and find a specific one?
And what if you had not 3 cars, but 300?
The solution is an array!
An array can hold many values under a single name, and you can access the
values by referring to an index number.
Creating an Array
Using an array literal is the easiest way to create a JavaScript Array.
Syntax:
const array_name = [item1, item2, ...];
It is a common practice to declare arrays with the const keyword.
Learn more about const with arrays in the chapter: JS Array Const.
Example
const cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];
You can also create an array, and then provide the elements:
Example
const cars = [];
cars[0]= "Saab";
cars[1]= "Volvo";
cars[2]= "BMW";
Using the JavaScript Keyword
new
The following example also creates an Array, and assigns values to it:
Example
const cars = new Array("Saab", "Volvo", "BMW");
The two examples above do exactly the same.
There is no need to use new Array().
For simplicity, readability and execution speed, use the array literal method.
Accessing Array Elements
You access an array element by referring to the index number:
const cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];
let car = cars[0];
Note: Array indexes start with 0.
[0] is the first element. [1] is the second element.
Changing an Array Element
This statement changes the value of the first element in cars:
cars[0] = "Opel";
Example
const cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];
cars[0] = "Opel";
Try it Yourself »
Converting an Array to a String
The JavaScript method toString() converts an array to a string of (comma
separated) array values.
Example
const fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango"];
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = fruits.toString();
Result:
Banana,Orange,Apple,Mango
Access the Full Array
With JavaScript, the full array can be accessed by referring to the array
name:
Example
const cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = cars;