Using the JavaScript array shift() Method you can remove the first element of an array. This method removes the first element from an array and returns that removed element.
array.shift()Note: This method changes the original array.
This method modifies the original array by removing the element from the beginning of the array and shifting all the other elements to a lower index position.
JavaScript array shift
Simple example code removing first element form number and string element arrays. A string, a number, an array, or any other type is allowed in an array.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
const array1 = [1, 2, 3];
const firstElement = array1.shift();
console.log(firstElement)
console.log(array1);
let languages = ["English", "Java", "Python", "JavaScript"];
let first = languages.shift();
console.log(first);
console.log(languages);
</script>
</body>
</html>
Output:
Using the shift() method in the while loop
Where in the example every iteration will remove the next element from an array until it is empty:
const names = ["Andrew", "Edward", "Paul", "Chris" ,"John"];
while( typeof (i = names.shift()) !== 'undefined' ) {
console.log(i);
}Output: Andrew, Edward, Paul, Chris, John
Another example
Let’s say you have an array of tasks to be completed, and you want to implement them.
let tasks = ['Task 1', 'Task 2', 'Task 3'];
function removeFirstTask() {
let firstTask = tasks.shift(); // remove the first task from the array
return firstTask;
}
console.log(tasks); // ["Task 2", "Task 3"]
console.log(removeFirstTask()); /"Task 1"
console.log(tasks); // ["Task 2", "Task 3"]
Comment if you have any doubts or suggestions on this JS array topic.
Note: The All JS Examples codes are tested on the Firefox browser and the Chrome browser.
OS: Windows 10
Code: HTML 5 Version