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Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms
Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms

Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms: JavaScript Data Structures and algorithms can help you solve complex development problems – learn how by exploring a huge range of JavaScript data types

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Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms

Chapter 2. Arrays

An array is the simplest memory data structure. For this reason, all programming languages have a built-in array data type. JavaScript also supports arrays natively, even though its first version was released without array support. In this chapter, we will dive into the array data structure and its capabilities.

An array stores a sequence of values that are all of the same data type. Although JavaScript allows us to create arrays with values from different data types, we will follow the best practices and consider that we cannot do that (most languages do not have this capability).

Why should we use arrays?

Let's consider that we need to store the average temperature of each month of the year of the city that we live in. We could use something like the following to store this information:

var averageTempJan = 31.9;
var averageTempFeb = 35.3;
var averageTempMar = 42.4;
var averageTempApr = 52;
var averageTempMay = 60.8;

However, this is not the best approach. If we store the temperature for only 1 year, we could manage 12 variables. However, what if we need to store the average temperature for more than 1 year? Fortunately, that is why arrays were created, and we can easily represent the same information mentioned earlier as follows:

averageTemp[0] = 31.9;
averageTemp[1] = 35.3;
averageTemp[2] = 42.4;
averageTemp[3] = 52;
averageTemp[4] = 60.8;

We can also represent the averageTemp array graphically:

Why should we use arrays?

Creating and initializing arrays

Declaring, creating, and initializing an array in JavaScript is as simple, as follows:

var daysOfWeek = new Array(); //{1}
var daysOfWeek = new Array(7); //{2}
var daysOfWeek = new Array('Sunday', 'Monday', 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', 'Thursday', 'Friday', 'Saturday'); //{3}

We can simply declare and instantiate a new array by using the keyword new (line {1}). Also, using the keyword new, we can create a new array specifying the length of the array (line {2}). And a third option would be passing the array elements directly to its constructor (line {3}).

However, using the new keyword is not a best practice. If you want to create an array in JavaScript, simply use brackets ([]) like in the following example:

var daysOfWeek = [];

We can also initialize the array with some elements, as follows:

var daysOfWeek = ['Sunday', 'Monday', 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', &apos...

Adding and removing elements

Adding and removing elements from an array is not that difficult; however, it can be tricky. For the examples we will use in this section, let's consider we have the following numbers array initialized with numbers from 0 to 9:

var numbers = [0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9];

If we want to add a new element to this array (for example, the number 10), all we have to do is reference the latest free position of the array and assign a value to it:

numbers[numbers.length] = 10;

Note

In JavaScript, an array is a mutable object. We can easily add new elements to it. The object will grow dynamically as we add new elements to it. In many other languages, such as C and Java, we need to determine the size of the array, and if we need to add more elements to the array, we need to create a completely new array; we cannot simply add new elements to it as we need them.

However, there is also a method called push that allows us to add new elements to the end of the array. We can add as...

Two-dimensional and multi-dimensional arrays

At the beginning of this chapter, we used the temperature measurement example. We will now use this example one more time. Let's consider that we need to measure the temperature hourly for a few days. Now that we already know that we can use an array to store the temperatures, we can easily write the following code to store the temperatures over two days:

var averageTempDay1 = [72,75,79,79,81,81];
var averageTempDay2 = [81,79,75,75,73,72];

However, this is not the best approach; we can write better code! We can use a matrix (two-dimensional array) to store this information, where each row will represent the day and each column will represent every hourly measurement of the temperature:

var averageTemp = [];
averageTemp[0] = [72,75,79,79,81,81];
averageTemp[1] = [81,79,75,75,73,72];

JavaScript only supports one-dimensional arrays; it does not support matrices. However, we can implement matrices or any multidimensional array by using an array...

References for JavaScript array methods

Arrays in JavaScript are modified objects, meaning that every array that we create has a few methods available to be used. JavaScript arrays are very interesting because they are very powerful and have more capabilities available than the primitive arrays of other languages. This means that we do not need to write basic capabilities ourselves, such as adding and removing elements in/from the middle of the data structure.

The following is a list of the core available methods in an array object. We have covered some methods already.

Method

Description

concat

Joins multiple arrays and returns a copy of the joined arrays

every

Calls a function for every element of the array until false is returned

filter

Creates an array with each element that evaluates to true in the function provided

forEach

Executes a specific function on each element of the array

join

Joins all the array elements into a string

indexOf

Searches the array for...

Why should we use arrays?


Let's consider that we need to store the average temperature of each month of the year of the city that we live in. We could use something like the following to store this information:

var averageTempJan = 31.9;
var averageTempFeb = 35.3;
var averageTempMar = 42.4;
var averageTempApr = 52;
var averageTempMay = 60.8;

However, this is not the best approach. If we store the temperature for only 1 year, we could manage 12 variables. However, what if we need to store the average temperature for more than 1 year? Fortunately, that is why arrays were created, and we can easily represent the same information mentioned earlier as follows:

averageTemp[0] = 31.9;
averageTemp[1] = 35.3;
averageTemp[2] = 42.4;
averageTemp[3] = 52;
averageTemp[4] = 60.8;

We can also represent the averageTemp array graphically:

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Description

If you are a JavaScript developer or someone who has basic knowledge of JavaScript, and want to explore its optimum ability, this fast-paced book is definitely for you. Programming logic is the only thing you need to know to start having fun with algorithms.

What you will learn

  • Declare, initialize, add, and remove items from arrays, stacks, and queues
  • Create and use the most complex data structure, graphs, along with DFS and BFS algorithms
  • Grasp the power of linked lists, doubly linked lists, and circular linked lists
  • Store unique elements with hash tables, dictionaries, and sets
  • Explore the applications of binary trees and binary search trees
  • Sort data structures using bubble sort, selection sort, insertion sort, merge sort, and quick sort
  • Search elements in data structures using sequential sort and binary search
  • Understand the importance of big O notation, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Oct 27, 2014
Length: 218 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783554874
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Product Details

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Length: 218 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783554874
Category :
Languages :

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Table of Contents

11 Chapters
1. JavaScript – A Quick Overview Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Arrays Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Stacks Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Queues Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Linked Lists Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Sets Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Dictionaries and Hashes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Trees Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Graphs Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Sorting and Searching Algorithms Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.3
(24 Ratings)
5 star 62.5%
4 star 25%
3 star 4.2%
2 star 0%
1 star 8.3%
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IntegralBill May 20, 2015
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This book is one of my favorite algorithm texts. It gets straight to the point providing you with examples of how the data structure or algorithm can be used and application of the algorithm in JavaScript. If you are studying algorithms in school, you're probably using the Cormen text or possibly Sedgewick's or Kleinberg's. Definitely recommend using this as a supplement for those texts.If you're not taking an algorithm class and want to see how to implement common data structures and algorithms in JavaScript, or you're looking to brush-up for a job interview, or you have some JavaScript background and want to improve your skills, definitely pick this up! The price is great as well.
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Josh Goldberg Dec 02, 2014
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The book's title undersells it a little. The first chapter is a solid, concise introduction to using the language, and is followed by a series of chapters that each bring the reader into a better understanding of how to use both JavaScript and programming concepts in general. I see this book as a good companion for teaching Computer Science II level material in JavaScript. The examples are straightforward and logical, as are the explanations. It's hard to find fault with the book's approach to teaching because there's so little chaff to complain about. It simply teaches you what you need to know, which I found very refreshing.Overall, while the book isn't positioned as the be-all and end-all of understanding the JavaScript language, it is an overall excellent introduction to the language and implementing data structures in it.
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Brent Farwick Feb 22, 2020
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I gave this 5 stars in spite of the considerable errata. The author does an excellent job of explaining the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms. If you're going to get a degree in CS, go ahead and pass on this book, but if like me, you discovered your love of computers too late in life, this is your ticket to penetrating some of the mystery surrounding terms like linked lists, hashes, binary trees and their traversals, queues, stacks, graphs, search algos, and sorting. I really wish there were more books like this. You can leave your math books on the shelf, the explanations and programs in this book are conceptual and explanatory. Lots of fun code to type in an play with -- of course you can just download all the code and copy paste, but there's a lot to be said for slowing down and typing it in -- as Donald Knuth said, "Information sinks into the brain at about the same rate it always has," or words to that effect. Some of the programs will make your head hurt. The author, Loiane Groner, can teach... not every writer can.
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Sam chao Jun 04, 2015
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I got the item on time and it was the one I wanted.
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Silvia Jul 01, 2016
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Clear and concise material, good for a beginner (with some knowledge) to get up to speed with the subject.
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