JavaScript arrays offer a plethora of methods for manipulating and modifying their elements efficiently. Among these methods, fill()
stands out as a powerful tool for populating an array with a specified value. In this article, we’ll delve into the fill()
method, examining its syntax, functionality, and usage through comprehensive examples.
Syntax:
The syntax of the fill()
method is straightforward:
array.fill(value[, start[, end]])
Parameters:
value
: The value to fill the array with.start
(optional): The index at which to start filling the array (default is 0).end
(optional): The index at which to stop filling the array (default is array.length).
Return Value:
The modified array with the specified value filled in the specified range.
Examples:
Let’s explore the fill()
method with detailed examples:
Example 1:
let numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
numbers.fill(0);
console.log(numbers); // Output: [0, 0, 0, 0, 0]
In this example, the fill()
method is used to populate the numbers
array with the value 0
, effectively replacing all existing elements with 0
.
Example 2:
let fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
fruits.fill('orange', 1, 2);
console.log(fruits); // Output: ['apple', 'orange', 'cherry']
Here, the fill()
method is employed to replace the element at index 1
(‘banana’) with the value 'orange'
, while leaving the rest of the array unchanged.
Example 3:
let matrix = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]];
matrix.fill([0, 0, 0]);
console.log(matrix); // Output: [[0, 0, 0], [0, 0, 0], [0, 0, 0]]
In this example, the fill()
method is used to populate each sub-array within the matrix
array with the array [0, 0, 0]
, effectively replacing all sub-arrays with identical arrays.