Javascript – How to determine if Javascript array contains an object with an attribute that equals a given value

arraysjavascript

I have an array like

vendors = [{
    Name: 'Magenic',
    ID: 'ABC'
  },
  {
    Name: 'Microsoft',
    ID: 'DEF'
  } // and so on... 
];

How do I check this array to see if "Magenic" exists? I don't want to loop, unless I have to. I'm working with potentially a couple thousand records.

Best Answer

No need to reinvent the ~~wheel~~ loop, at least not explicitly (using arrow functions, modern browsers only):

if (vendors.filter(e => e.Name === 'Magenic').length > 0) {
  /* vendors contains the element we're looking for */
}

or, better yet, as it allows the browser to stop as soon as one element is found that matches, so it's going to be faster:

if (vendors.some(e => e.Name === 'Magenic')) {
  /* vendors contains the element we're looking for */
}

EDIT: If you need compatibility with lousy browsers then your best bet is:

if (vendors.filter(function(e) { return e.Name === 'Magenic'; }).length > 0) {
  /* vendors contains the element we're looking for */
}

Related Solutions

Javascript – Remove properties from objects (JavaScript)

To remove a property from an object (mutating the object), you can do it like this:

delete myObject.regex;
// or,
delete myObject['regex'];
// or,
var prop = "regex";
delete myObject[prop];

Demo

var myObject = {
    "ircEvent": "PRIVMSG",
    "method": "newURI",
    "regex": "^http://.*"
};
delete myObject.regex;

console.log(myObject);

For anyone interested in reading more about it, Stack Overflow user kangax has written an incredibly in-depth blog post about the delete statement on their blog, Understanding delete. It is highly recommended.

If you'd like a new object with all the keys of the original except some, you could use the destructuring.

Demo

let myObject = {
  "ircEvent": "PRIVMSG",
  "method": "newURI",
  "regex": "^http://.*"
};

const {regex, ...newObj} = myObject;

console.log(newObj);   // has no 'regex' key
console.log(myObject); // remains unchanged

Javascript – How to check if an array includes a value in JavaScript

Modern browsers have Array#includes, which does exactly that and is widely supported by everyone except IE:

console.log(['joe', 'jane', 'mary'].includes('jane')); //true

You can also use Array#indexOf, which is less direct, but doesn't require polyfills for outdated browsers.

console.log(['joe', 'jane', 'mary'].indexOf('jane') >= 0); //true

Many frameworks also offer similar methods:

jQuery: $.inArray(value, array, [fromIndex])
Underscore.js: _.contains(array, value) (also aliased as _.include and _.includes)
Dojo Toolkit: dojo.indexOf(array, value, [fromIndex, findLast])
Prototype: array.indexOf(value)
MooTools: array.indexOf(value)
MochiKit: findValue(array, value)
MS Ajax: array.indexOf(value)
Ext: Ext.Array.contains(array, value)
Lodash: _.includes(array, value, [from]) (is _.contains prior 4.0.0)
Ramda: R.includes(value, array)

Notice that some frameworks implement this as a function, while others add the function to the array prototype.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Javascript – Remove properties from objects (JavaScript)

Javascript – How to check if an array includes a value in JavaScript

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