Associative Arrays in JavaScript

Associative arrays are arrays that use strings in place of index numbers, for key elements.
- Using an associative array is quite similar to using a property name with a regular object; you just do it in an array format.

Syntax:

var array_name = new Array();
 array_name['key1'] = value1;
 array_name['key2'] = value2;
 // ...

- "array_name" is the name of the array.
- 'key1', 'key2' are indices (keys) associated with each element (can be written between double or simple quotes, but if they are numbers, do not add quotes).
- "value1", "value2" are the values of the elements (can be: strings, numbers, variables, expressions, or another array). - You can add any number of elements in the Array, with the sintax:

array_name['key'] = value;

• Accessing an associative array is the same as a normal array, except that you use an index string rather than an index number (array_name['key']).
Example:

<script type="text/javascript"><!--
var arrex = new Array();
 arrex['site'] = 'http://coursesweb.net';
 arrex['course'] = 'Web programming';
 arrex['tutorials'] = 'JavaScript';

alert(arrex['site']);         // http://coursesweb.net
--></script>

Traversing Arrays

You can walk through, or traverse, an array with the "for ... in" or "for each ... in".

- Using for ... in

<script type="text/javascript"><!--
var arrex = new Array();
 arrex['site'] = 'coursesweb.net';
 arrex['course'] = 'Web programming';
 arrex['tutorials'] = 'JavaScript';

// parsing the "arrex"
for(var key in arrex) {
  // write the index and the value of each element
  document.write('Index='+ key+ ' - value='+ arrex[key]+ '<br />');
}
--></script>

- "key" is a variable that holds the index of the current element (can be any variable name) of the array "arrex".
- Will display the following result:

Index=site - value=coursesweb.net
Index=course - value=Web programming
Index=tutorials - value=JavaScript

- Using for each ... in

<script type="text/javascript"><!--
var arrex = new Array();
 arrex['site'] = 'coursesweb.net';
 arrex['course'] = 'Web programming';
 arrex['tutorials'] = 'JavaScript';

// parsing the "arrex"
for each (var elm in arrex) {
  document.write(elm+ '<br />');
}
--></script>

- Note the difference from the "for ... in". The "for each ... in" does not get the index component, the variable declared in brackets (here, "elm") stores the element itself.
- Will display the following result:

coursesweb.net
Web programming
JavaScript

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