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

Example

var cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];

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:

var array_name = [item1item2, ...];      

Example

var cars = ["Saab", "Volvo", "BMW"];
 

Spaces and line breaks are not important. A declaration can span multiple lines:

Example

var cars = [
  "Saab",
  "Volvo",
  "BMW"
];
 

Using the JavaScript Keyword new

The following example also creates an Array, and assigns values to it:

Example

var 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 first one (the array literal method).



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