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JavaScript Objects, Arrays & Functions

These are important topics for any JavaScript developer and can be used to create powerful and interactive web applications

Harrison Jnr

Harrison Jnr

— 3 min read
JavaScript Objects, Arrays & Functions

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JavaScript is a versatile and powerful scripting language used to create dynamic and interactive websites and applications

Introduction to JavaScript Objects, Arrays & Functions

JavaScript is a scripting language used to create interactive web pages and applications. One of the most important aspects of JavaScript is the ability to work with objects, arrays, and functions. In this article, we’ll introduce these three topics and provide some examples to show how they can be used in JavaScript.

JavaScript Objects

Objects are an important part of JavaScript. Objects are collections of key-value pairs and can contain any type of data. Objects can be used to store data about a particular object or to represent a specific item.

For example, let’s say we wanted to store information about a car. We could create an object to represent the car and store information such as the make, model, year, and color.

// Create a car object
const car = {
    make: 'Honda',
    model: 'Civic',
    year: 2020,
    color: 'black'
};

We can access the values in the object by using the dot notation. For example, to access the make of the car we would use the following code:

// Access the make of the car
console.log(car.make); // Honda

We can also add and remove properties from the object. For example, we can add the mileage of the car to the object by using the following code:

// Add the mileage to the car object
car.mileage = 25000;

JavaScript Arrays

Arrays are another important part of JavaScript. Arrays are used to store a collection of data in a single variable. Arrays can contain any type of data, including objects and other arrays.

For example, let’s say we have a list of cars that we want to store. We could create an array to store this list.

// Create an array of cars
const cars = [
    {
        make: 'Honda',
        model: 'Civic',
        year: 2020,
        color: 'black'
    },
    {
        make: 'Toyota',
        model: 'Corolla',
        year: 2020,
        color: 'white'
    },
    {	
    	make: 'Ford',
        model: 'Fiesta',
        year: 2020,
        color: 'blue'
    }
];

We can access the values in the array by using the array index. For example, to access the first car in the list we would use the following code:

// Access the first car in the list

console.log(cars[0]); 
// {make: 'Honda', model: 'Civic', year: 2020, color: 'black'}

We can also add and remove items from the array. For example, we can add a fourth car to the array by using the following code:

// Add a fourth car to the array

cars.push({
    make: 'Chevrolet',
    model: 'Cruze',
    year: 2020,
    color: 'red'
});

JavaScript Functions

Functions are a powerful tool in JavaScript. Functions allow us to write code that can be reused multiple times. Functions can take parameters and return values.

For example, let’s say we wanted to create a function that takes two numbers and returns the sum of those two numbers. We could do this with the following code:

We can call the function by passing in two numbers. For example, to add 5 and 10 we would use the following code:

// Call the add function
console.log(add(5, 10)); // 15

Benefits of javascript objects, arrays and functions

Objects:
  1. Objects allow developers to store data in a structured way, making it easier to access and manipulate.
  2. Objects provide a level of abstraction that allows the code to be written in a more concise and organized way.
Arrays:
  1. Arrays allow developers to store large amounts of data in an ordered and efficient way.
  2. Array methods provide powerful ways of searching, sorting, and manipulating data.
Functions:
  1. Functions allow developers to write code that can be reused multiple times in different contexts.
  2. Functions promote code reuse, abstraction, and organisation, leading to more maintainable code.

Class Materials

In this video, we’ve introduced JavaScript objects, arrays, and functions. These topics are essential for any JavaScript developer and are covered in detail in our JavaScript classes.

Resources

If you’re interested in learning more about JavaScript objects, arrays, and functions, there are many great resources available online. Here are a few of our favorites:

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve introduced JavaScript objects, arrays, and functions. These are important topics for any JavaScript developer and can be used to create powerful and interactive web applications. We hope this article has been helpful and that you’re now ready to get started with JavaScript programming.

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