array-map.md

layout	title	permalink
lesson	Map	/map/

What if I want a list of pets ages in human years?

const listOfPets = [{type: 'Dog', age: 5}, {type: 'Cat', age: 11}, {type: 'Dog', age: 9}];

let listOfPetAgesInHumanYears = [];
const dogToHumanYearMultiplier = 7;
const catToHumanYearMultiplier = 4;

for(let i = 0; i < listOfPets.length; i++) {
  if(listOfPets[i].type === 'Dog'){
  listOfPetAgesInHumanYears.push(listOfPets[i].age * dogToHumanYearMultiplier);
  } else if (listOfPets[i].type === 'Cat') {
  listOfPetAgesInHumanYears.push(listOfPets[i].age * catToHumanYearMultiplier);
  }
}

Challenges

• Can be hard to quickly understand what is happening
• Complexity increases significantly with more complex conditions
• Difficult to ensure immutability (ie, that we don't overwrite values in the original array, we may need it again later)

What is Array.map?

• A functional programming tool found natively in javascript
• Creates a new array based off the data in a base array
• Does not modify the original array
• Makes a new list the same length as the original, where the values may be entirely different

How does it work?

• With the same example as above

const listOfPets = [{type: 'Dog', age: 5}, {type: 'Cat', age: 11}, {type: 'Dog', age: 9}];
const dogToHumanYearMultiplier = 7;
const catToHumanYearMultiplier = 4;

let listOfPetAgesInHumanYears = listOfPets.map(function(pet) {
  if(pet.type === 'Dog'){
    return pet.age * dogToHumanYearMultiplier;
  } else if(pet.type === 'Cat') {
    return pet.age * catToHumanYearMultiplier;
  }
});

• map exists as a method on all arrays, it takes one uncalled function as an argument
• This uncalled function is called for each item in the array, as map iterates over each item
• This function is provided the value currently being iterated over as the first parameter, in the above case, that means that pet represents {type: 'Dog', age: 5} the first time it is called, then {type: 'Cat', age: 11} the second time, and then {type: 'Dog', age: 9} the third.
• Whatever is returned in that function ends up in the new array at the same index
• In the above example, the first time pet.type is equal to Dog, therefore what is returned is pet.age * dogToHumanYearMultiplier, which the first time evaluates to 5 * 7, which means that in the new array at the first index, the value is 35

Useful Tips

• Often we want to create new arrays of objects, where we just update the object

const listOfPets = [{type: 'Dog', age: 5}, {type: 'Cat', age: 11}, {type: 'Dog', age: 9}];
const dogToHumanYearMultiplier = 7;
const catToHumanYearMultiplier = 4;

// keep the list of pets, just add a new property for the human years
const updatedListOfPets = listOfPets.map(pet => Object.assign({}, pet, 
  { 
    inHumanYears: pet.type === 'Dog' ?  pet.age * dogToHumanYearMultiplier : pet.age * catToHumanYearMultiplier
  }));

• The above uses Object.assign() - a useful method that merges objects together, when used correctly, it provides you an immutable solution to updating objects

// DO NOT DO THIS
const listOfPets = [{type: 'Dog', age: 5}, {type: 'Cat', age: 11}, {type: 'Dog', age: 9}];
const dogToHumanYearMultiplier = 7;
const catToHumanYearMultiplier = 4;

const updatedListOfPets = listOfPets.map(pet => pet.inHumanYears = pet.type === 'Dog' ?  
      pet.age * dogToHumanYearMultiplier : pet.age * catToHumanYearMultiplier);

• In the above example, you are modifying the original listOfPets