What are the differences between JavaScript's Array.concat() and Array.join() methods?
Davide S
JavaScript'sArray.concat() andArray.join() methods are used to manipulate arrays, but they serve different purposes. Here are the differences between them:
1. Purpose:
-Array.concat():
- Concatenates two or more arrays together to create a new array.
- Returns a new array containing the combined elements of the original arrays.
-Array.join():
- Joins all elements of an array into a single string.
- Returns a string representation of the array elements concatenated with a specified separator.
2. Input and Output:
-Array.concat():
- Accepts arrays as arguments.
- Returns a new array with the elements from all arrays combined.
-Array.join():
- Accepts no arguments or a single argument specifying the separator.
- Returns a string with all array elements joined together using the separator.
3. Modifying Original Array:
-Array.concat():
- Does not modify the original arrays.
- Creates and returns a new array with the concatenated elements.
-Array.join():
- Does not modify the original array.
- Returns a new string representation of the joined elements.
4. Handling Non-Array Values:
-Array.concat():
- If any argument is not an array, it is treated as a single element to be concatenated.
- Non-array arguments are added as separate elements to the resulting array.
-Array.join():
- Converts all array elements to strings before joining them.
- Non-string elements are converted to strings using theirtoString() method.
Here's an example to illustrate the differences:
In the example above, we have two arrays,array1 andarray2. UsingArray.concat(), we concatenate the two arrays, resulting in a new arrayconcatenatedArray that contains all the elements from both arrays. On the other hand, usingArray.join(), we join the elements ofarray1 with a hyphen separator, resulting in a stringjoinedString with the elements joined together.
Understanding the differences betweenArray.concat() andArray.join() helps you choose the appropriate method based on your desired outcome. UseArray.concat() when you want to combine arrays into a new array, and useArray.join() when you want to convert an array to a string representation with a specified separator.