JavaScript Arrays Tutorial

JavaScript Arrays

JavaScript arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable.

What is an Array?

An array is a special variable, which can hold more than one value at a time.

If you have a list of items (a list of car names, for example), storing the cars in single variables could look like this:

var car1 = "Saab"; var car2 = "Volvo"; var 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:

array_name = [item1, item2, ...];

Access the Elements of an Array

You refer to an array element by referring to the index number.

This statement accesses the value of the first element in cars:

var name = cars[0];