In JavaScript, you can initialize an array’s length using the Array()
constructor, or the array literal notation []
.
Here are a few examples:
Using the Array()
constructor:
let myArray = new Array(5); // creates an array with length of 5
console.log(myArray.length); // prints 5
Using the array literal notation:
let myArray = new Array(5);
console.log(myArray.length); // prints 5
Please note that both examples will create an array with a length of 5, but with no elements in it. You can also fill the array with values if you want, for example:
let myArray = new Array(5).fill(0);
console.log(myArray); // prints [0,0,0,0,0]
It’s important to know that the length property of an array is a dynamic property, this means that if you add or remove elements from the array, the length will change accordingly.
let myArray = [];
console.log(myArray.length); // prints 0
myArray.push(1);
console.log(myArray.length); // prints 1
Another way to set a length of an array is by using the .length
property, and just set the number you want it to be.
let myArray = [1,2,3,4,5];
myArray.length = 2;
console.log(myArray); // prints [1,2]
This truncates the array, keeping only the first two elements, and removing the rest.
It’s worth noting that when using .length
property, it can be set to a smaller number, that will truncate the array, or to a larger number, that will set undefined values to the added positions.
Initializing the array with a specific length can be useful when you know in advance the size of the data you’ll be working with, it will also allow to work with indexes more efficiently.