While programming, the programmers ofter have to deal with many variables. However, it is sometimes inconvenient to make so much number of variables. So instead, the programmers ofter prefer to use the array.
The array helps to accept and store a sequence of inputs. Thus, the programmer does not have to make many variables with similar properties. For example, suppose there are 100 students in the class, and we want to accept the marks obtained by each in mathematics. But it will take 100 variable names to store the marks.
As a result, it is much more convenient to store the marks in the array instead of where they will be written as a sequence of elements.
Like marks = [54, 65, 57, 46……] (100 elements in the array). The arrays have another special property in that they have fixed lengths. So we need to use special methods to clear the array in javascript.
JavaScript clear array
To clear or empty an array in JavaScript, assign an empty array to a non-empty array variable. It will update the non-empty array to an empty array and hence clear the array indirectly.
Example
let x = [23, 45, 66];
let y = [];
x = y;
console.log(x);Output
[]Explanation
We created an array named x using the let keyword. Then we created another empty array named y using the let keyword. Now we assigned the value of empty variable y to the array x. So the array x now becomes empty.
Setting the length of the array to zero.
To empty an array in JavaScript, set the length of the array to zero. If we update the length of the array to zero, the array will now hold no elements, and hence the array is cleared.
Example
let x = [23, 45, 66];
x.length = 0;
console.log(x);Output
[]Explanation
In the above code, we initialized an array named x using the let keyword. Now we use the x.length=0 method, which updated the length of the array to 0. As a result, the array is cleared.
Using splice() method
JavaScript array splice() is a built-in method that removes the array elements and clears the array. The splice() method contains two important parameters. The first parameter determines how many elements will be kept in the array. The second parameter determines the length to be traversed in the array.
Example
let x=[23,45,66];
x.splice(0,arr.length);
console.log(x);Output
[]Explanation
In the above code, we have first created an array named x using the let keyword. Now we have used the x.splice() method. First, we have given the argument 0 to specify that we want no element in the array to be left. The second parameter we have passed is the total length of the array to be traversed throughout the process.
We could have passed other arguments like (1, arr. length). However, in this case, the first element should have been left in the array.
Example
let x=[23,45,66];
x.splice(1,x.length);
console.log(x);Output
[23]Conclusion
In this article, we learned how to clear the array in JavaScript. Sometimes the programmers need to clear the array to dynamically use the same array name in the program, especially in the loop.
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Krunal Lathiya is a Software Engineer with over eight years of experience. He has developed a strong foundation in computer science principles and a passion for problem-solving. Krunal has experience with various programming languages and technologies, including PHP, Python, and expert in JavaScript. He is comfortable working in front-end and back-end development.