Finding the best data structures or methods to employ in your code can sometimes take time and effort. However, you can save a lot of time, improve the readability of your code, and boost its performance by simplifying it. Using a JS map with different JavaScript map methods is one of the best methods of streamlining your code.
Until ES6, objects in a map were usually used for mapping keys with any value. Using objects for maps can cause side impacts. The ES6 collection-type Map addresses this problem. So in this article, we will understand all these concepts better by diving deep into Map Methods in JavaScript, and we’ll even introduce you to a platform that makes working on JS map methods easy. So let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is a Map in JavaScript?
Any data type can be used as a key or value in a JavaScript map, which also retains the order in which its elements appear. A new array can be created by continuously iterating through each element in an array. In other words, you can modify the members of an array and then obtain a new array depending on the function’s output. Because of this, Maps are helpful for quick searches and data lookups.How to Build a Map in JavaScript?
A JS map can be instantiated Just like any other JS class. However, we must provide some parameters because it will be an empty Map, the same as an empty object. So, if you want to fill the Map with default values, you must supply it with an iterable value where the first value in the inner array is the key and the second value is the value for the key-value pair. You can also use maps to conduct an action on each item in a collection and compile the results into a new array. The “for loop” or “nesting” constructs in JavaScript can do the same operation; however, we can write more legible functions by using a map. The new Map() syntax allows for the creation and initialization of a map. You can decide to give it a value at a later time. A new map object can also be created by giving an array to a new Map(). A new map object with a key and associated value will be created.const emptyMap = new Map() const map = new Map([ ['key', 'value'] ])
How to Assign Values to a JS Map?
What happens if we have a sizable codebase and want to dynamically add entries that are not known in advance, even though we can manually add them to the Map? This implies that the Map will require frequent updating. This could be a challenging task. You may need a better method of adding values to the map after creating it. Calling the set method and passing the desired key and value is all required. You can expand your program by adding new entries (key-value pairs).const map = new Map() map.set('key', 'value') map.set(true, 'boolean') // "key" => "value" // true => "boolean"
How Easy is Fetching Values from a JS Map?
Values can be assigned and fetched with equal ease. Simply calling the get method with the required key will do. If a key exists, it will either return the map values for that key or be undefined if it cannot be found.const map = new Map() map.set('key', 'value') map.set(true, 'boolean') map.get('key') // "value" map.get(true) // "boolean" map.get('wrong-key') // undefined
Can You Check Values in a Map?
There are times when all you want to do is see if a Map has a particular value saved. You can do this by passing the key you want to check for to the has method.const map = new Map() map.set(1, 'number') map.has(1) // true map.has('1') // false map.has('wrong-key') // false
Can You Even Remove Values from a Map?
The final CRUD operation you want to perform is removal, which is also very easy. Simply call delete while passing the key you want to remove. Note: The key of the entry you want to delete is the only parameter that the .delete() method accepts.const map = new Map() map.set(1, 'number') map.set('a', 'b') map.delete(1) map.has(1) // falseUsing the delete method can be a laborious process if we want to remove all map elements from the Map, not just one particular entry. The .delete() method allows us to delete each entry one at a time, but doing so will be complex and inefficient. Because of this, you should use the .clear() method to effectively and quickly remove all the entries. Like the .delete() method, the .clear() method deletes entries from the Map. It eliminates all the elements in the Map object rather than just a particular entry.
How Easy is Iteration of Maps in JavaScript?
Iteration is the final step, and out of all the methods available, the forEach method is the most frequently used to iterate across a Map. This method calls a callback with a value and key parameters, just like the array forEach function does.const map = new Map() map.set(1, 'number') map.set('a', 'b') map.forEach((value, key) => { console.log(`${key} => ${value}`) }) // 1 => number // a => bTo iterate through the list of items in the Maps, the forEach() method is used. Again, consider the scenario where we want to print the entries from a Map. This time, however, we want to connect the keys and values using a function rather than the usual arrows pattern.