Array Overview

An array is an Object in JavaScript and holds multiple items in a list. An array can contain any other JavaScript Object, such as numbers, strings, variables, boolean values (e.g. true or false), and functions.

You can store an array into a variable to manipulate and use elsewhere in your code.

Creating Arrays

Below are three different ways to construct an Array in JavaScript.

Method 1: Regular Array

var fruits = new Array();

fruits[0] = "Apples";
fruits[1] = "Oranges";
fruits[2] = "Mangos";

The numbers are the array index, which you can think of as like an ID of the item in the array. You can use this index number to access an item in an array, like so:

alert(fruits[1]);

… which will open an alert box that shows the item, in this case Oranges.

Method 2: Condensed Array

var fruits = new Array("Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos");

This is a slightly more convenient way to construct an array.

The order in which you put the items is the order in which they are added to the array.

Method 3: Literal Array

var fruits = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

This is my favorite way to create an array in JavaScript because it tends to be the cleanest and easiest to write for most use cases.

Arrays of different data

You can create arrays that hold all types of JavaScript Objects, like numbers, strings, boolean values (e.g. true or false), functions and objects.

Here is an example of an array that has various types of content:

var my_array = [
    "Baseball", 
    4, 
    true, 
    { 
        "name": "John Smith",
        "position": "Pitcher" 
    }, 
    function do_something() {
        alert("Do something!");
    }
];

The array above shows a string, a number, a boolean, an Object, and a function.

Working with Arrays of Objects

Arrays of Objects are an incredibly useful aspect of JavaScript. It allows you to create structured arrays of data that you can’t do with simple arrays alone.

For example, here is an array of people:

var people = [
    {
        "first_name": "Bob",
        "last_name": "Smith",
        "birthday": "10/14/1956",
        "gender": "male",
        "number_of_pets": 3,
        "likes_apples": true
    },
    {
        "first_name": "Mary",
        "last_name": "Thompson",
        "birthday": "3/8/1965",
        "gender": "female",
        "number_of_pets": 1,
        "likes_apples": false
    },
    {
        "first_name": "Harry",
        "last_name": "McClintock",
        "birthday": "1/19/1977",
        "gender": "male",
        "number_of_pets": 0,
        "likes_apples": true
    }
];

Now with this data you can loop through each one and do stuff with the information:

for (var i=0; i < people.length; i++) {

    // Create the full_name of the person by joining the first and last.
    var full_name = people[i].first_name + " " + people[i].last_name;

    var html = "";

    html = html + "<h1>" + full_name + "</h1>";
    html = html + "<p>";
    html = html + "Born: " + people[i].birthday + "<br />";
    html = html + "Gender: " + people[i].gender + "<br />";
    html = html + "# of Pets: " + people[i].number_of_pets + "<br />";

    // Indicate if they like apples.
    if (people[i].likes_apples) {
        html = html + "They like apples!!! Yay!!!";
    };

    html = html + "</p>";

    // Write the content to the page.
    document.write(html);

};

This will output each person, structuring the data from the array into something you can present to users.

Note that this is not an example of best practices, it is for demonstration purposes only. It would be better to write a dedicated function that adds the data to the page. I like to use jQuery to add content to a page because of it’s easy to use DOM manipulation and beautiful syntax.

Joining Arrays

If you need to join two more arrays, you can use the concat() function (which stands for concatenate, or “connect or link in a series or chain”):

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];
var veggies = ["Lettuce", "Carrots", "Onions"];

var food = fruit.concat(veggies);

This will take the fruit array and join the veggies array to it. It will result in this array:

["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos", "Lettuce", "Carrots", "Onions"]

If you need to join more than two arrays, you can just pass one more array to the concat() function, like so:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];
var veggies = ["Lettuce", "Carrots", "Onions"];
var cereals = ["Rice", "Wheat", "Oats"];

var food = fruit.concat(veggies, cereals);

… which will result in this array:

["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos", "Lettuce", "Carrots", "Onions", "Rice", "Wheat", "Oats"]

You can change the order of the items in the array by changing the order in which you join them, like so:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];
var veggies = ["Lettuce", "Carrots", "Onions"];
var cereals = ["Rice", "Wheat", "Oats"];

var food = cereals.concat(fruit, veggies);

… which will result in this array:

["Rice", "Wheat", "Oats", "Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos", "Lettuce", "Carrots", "Onions"]

Adding items to an Array

You can add items to an array in a few different ways.

Manually add an item to an Array

If know the items in the array, you could just create a new item:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit[3] = "Strawberries";

This will add "Strawberries" onto the end of the array, making the fruits array have 4 items.

Note that the first item in an array is [0], not [1] as you might expect.

Add an item to the end of an Array using push()

Since the above example only works if you know what items are in you array, JavaScript provides a shortcut function to add an item to the end of an array, called push(). Here is how you use push():

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.push("Strawberries");

… which will return:

["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos", "Strawberries"]

You can add multiple items using push, like so:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.push("Strawberries", "Peaches", "Grapes");

… which will return:

["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos", "Strawberries", "Peaches", "Grapes"]

Add an item to the beginning of an Array using unshift()

If you want to add an item to the beginning of an array, you can use unshift():

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.unshift("Strawberries");

… which will return:

["Strawberries", "Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"]

Like the push() function above, you can pass along one or more new items into the array.

Removing items from an Array

Below are a few ways to remove items from an array in JavaScript.

Remove the last item in an Array using pop()

Using the pop() function allows you to remove the last item in an array:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.pop();

… which will return:

["Apples", "Oranges"]

Like the push() function above, you can pass along one or more new items into the array.

Remove the first item in an Array using shift()

If instead of removing the last item from an array, you want to remove the first item, you can use the shift() function:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.shift();

… which will return:

["Oranges", "Mangos"] 

Like the push() function above, you can pass along one or more new items into the array.

Sorting an Array using sort()

If you have an array that you would like to sort, you can use the sort() function. The sort() function works on arrays of alphanumeric data (e.g. words and/or numbers).

Sorting an Array of words

Here is how to sort an array of words:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.sort();

… which will return:

["Apples", "Mangos", "Oranges"]

Sorting an Array of numbers

In order to sort numerical data, you need to pass the array into a function that orders the content. Below we create two functions to sort the content in an ascending and a descending order.

// Sort an array of numbers in ascending order (e.g. 1, 2, 3).
function sortNumbersAsc(a, b) {
    return a - b;
};

// Sort an array of numbers in descending order (e.g. 3, 2, 1).
function sortNumberDesc(a, b) {
    return b - a;
};

var numbers = ["17", "1", "10", "8943", "4"];

var ascending = numbers.sort(sortNumbersAsc);

// Will result in [1, 4, 10, 17, 8943]

var decending = numbers.sort(sortNumbersDesc);

// Will result in [8943, 17, 10, 4, 1]

Slicing a string using slice()

You can use the slice() tool to get specific items from an array:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos", "Strawberries", "Peaches"];

// Get the first item.
fruit.slice(0,1); // Returns: ["Apples"]

// Get all items after the first item.
fruit.slice(1); // Returns: ["Oranges", "Mangos", "Strawberries", "Peaches"]

// Get the last two items.
fruit.slice(-2); // Returns: ["Strawberries", "Peaches"]

The slice tool works like so:

string.slice(begin,end)

Where the string is the string (or array) you are slicing from, begin is the first item to start the extraction from, and end is where to end the extraction.

If end is not defined, it will get everything from begin to the end of the string or array.

Using splice() to remove items from an Array

If you want to get or remove a specific amount of items from an array, you can use the splice() function:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.splice(1, 0); // Returns ["Oranges", "Mangos"]
fruit.splice(2, 0); // Returns ["Mangos"]
fruit.splice(2, 1); // Returns ["Mangos"] AND removes it from the array

The splice() function adds and/or removes elements to/from an array. It returns the removed element(s):

array.splice(index, how_many, element_1, ..., element_X)

• index — Required. An integer specifying the which to add or remove elements from.
• how_many — Required. The number of elements to remove. If set to 0, no elements will be removed.
• element_1, …, element_X — Optional. The new element(s) to be added to the array.

Reverse the order of an Array using reverse()

If you want to reverse the order of an array, you can use the convient reverse() function:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.reverse();

… which will return:

["Mangos", "Oranges", "Apples"]

Turn an Array into a String using toString() and join()

Using toString() to turn an Array into a String

If you wanted to output your array into a string, you can use the toString() function:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruit.toString();

… which will return:

Apples,Oranges,Mangos

Using join() to turn an Array into a String

A more flexible way to turn an array into a string is using the join() function:

var fruit = ["Apples", "Oranges", "Mangos"];

fruits.join();

… which will return:

Apples,Oranges,Mangos

Now this is the same as the toString() function, but the nice thing about join() is you can pass it a string to use for joining the items together.

Let’s say you wanted the fruit to be separated by a dash instead, you could do the following:

fruits.join(" - ");

… which will return:

Apples - Oranges - Mangos

You can use any characters you want to separate the items, it’s up to your imagination.

External resources

• Mozilla Developer Network — JavaScript documentation on Arrays
• W3 Schools JavaScript Array page

Jessa explained that in cultures where there are no artificial lights people generally go to sleep around 8pm and then wake around 12am where they are awake for a few hours — in a meditative state — before the go to sleep again, waking at dawn.

People who have allowed their bodies to adapt to these cycles report being more awake during the day than they ever have in their lives.

Here is the video:

The tried and true family recipe for making the best Thanksgiving turkey and gravy. Gotta try it!

Prep

• Pre-heat oven to 350℉
• Pull out innards & put in fridge
• Rinse out and pat dry turkey
• Rub salt around inside of cavity
• Rub outside of bird with salt, pepper, sage, thyme, rosemary and any other desired spices
• Stuff skin with fresh herbs (esp. rosemary)
• Place a couple daubs of butter on the top of the turkey
• Stuff turkey with home-made or Stove Top stuffing, chicken/turkey broth, onions, celery and fresh herbs

Basting broth

• Slow cook gizzards in about 1 cup of chicken broth to use for basting bird

Cooking

• Cook for 15-20 minutes a pound
• Place in oven covered in tinfoil for half the cooking time
• Baste turkey when skin begins to dry, keeping it moist at all times
• Cook the turkey until it reaches 162℉ inner temperature (check a thick part of the bird like the breast)

Gravy

• Get pan scrappings & juices from the turkey
• Put in freezer for 3-5 minutes
• Remove from freezer and boil for 3-5 minutes
• Combine flour to thicken (6-8 table spoons or about ¼ cup)
• Stir in sage and chicken broth and mix well and boil for 5-10 minutes (until at desired thickness)

Suggested cooking times

• 5lb turkey = 1:15 – 1:40
• 10lb turkey = 2:30 – 3:20

Eat it!

If you try this recipe let me know how it turns out for you! Bon appetit!

A list of the software I use and recommend for both Windows and Mac OS X

Universal

Software that works on both Windows and Mac.

• Skype — The best video chat software out there.
• FileZilla — An excellent free, open-source FTP client.
• Firefox — One of the most feature rich and robust browsers.
• Google Chrome — Pretty much the fastest browser in town.
• The Last Ripper — A good music gathering tool.
• Pidgin — A multi-client chat tool that lets you connect with a lot of services (AOL, MSN, Google Chat, etc…)
• Open Office — An open-source Office like application suite.
• Synergy — Share one mouse and one keyboard between multiple computers.
• 7-zip — The best file compression/decompression tool out there, free and open-source.
• DeVeDe — A great DVD/CD creation and burning tool.
• Jing — A tool that makes screenshots and screencasts simple and fast.
• VirtualBox — Easy to use and free virtualization tool. Run Windows/Mac/Linux/UNIX/etc… on your computer.
• Dropbox — Makes a virtual folder on your computer that syncs with a server.
• iTunes — The most popular media player, and my personal favorite.
• Adobe CS4 — The leading editing software.
• Blackra1n — An easy to use tool to jailbreak your iPhone.
• Flickr Uploadr — An easy to use and robust Flickr uploading tool.
• BitTorrent — The most popular and easy to use bittorrent client.

Mac

• TextMate — My text editor of choice. Has a robust “bundle” system to add new features.
• SequelPro — A tool to visualize MySQL databases.
• Adium — A chat client that works with all popular clients (AOL, MSN, Facebook, Google Chat, etc…)
• WriteRoom — A bare bones writing client that makes focusing on the task at hand a breeze.
• CandyBar — Skin your Mac like a pro.
• HandBreak — The best ripping tool in town.
• Google Quick Search Box — A way better spotlight.
• LittleSnitch — A reverse firewall that alerts you when programs attempt to access the internet.

Windows

• E-text editor — The self described TextMate for Windows.
• Putty / Pageant — The defacto SSH tool for Windows.
• TortoiseSVN — A great SVN integrated command tool.
• AVG antivirus — My anti-virus tool of choice.
• Ad-Aware — Essential to keep your computer free of ad-ware. Scan regularly!
• DVD rip — Rip your DVDs to your computer in just 1 step.
• InfraRecorder — The best free DVD/CD burning tool I’ve found.

Have you recently had your 3 and 4 finger gestures just stop working in Mac OSX Snow Leopard? Well I did today and after a bit of searching found three different fixes for them and decided to write them down here for future reference.

Solution 1: Shutdown

The first and simplest solution is just to turn off your computer and turn it back on. Restarting may work for you, but for me I had to completely shutdown and start back up.

This fixed the problem for me, but if it doesn’t for you, try these other solutions:

Solution 2: Create a new user account and switch to it

Some people have had success creating a new user account, logging off and then logging in as the new user. Once logged in as the new user the gestures started to work so they just logged back in to their main account, deleted the test user and went on their way.

Solution 3: Error check your hard disk

This solution was offered by a Mac technician named Majicman (see the 8th post down the page.)

The solution involves shutting down and then booting into single user mode, then checking the disk for errors and repairing them.

1. Shutdown.
2. Reboot while holding down Apple+S.

3. When you see the command line type:

   fsck_hfs -f /dev/disk0s2
   

4. Shutdown by typing:

   shutdown -r now
   

5. Reboot.

This, if not the other two solutions, should fix your 3 and 4 finger gestures problems.

I hope this write up was helpful!

Cheers.

What do you get when you type in every letter in your browser address bar and write down the first result? Read more to see my results.

After reading this post from Andy Clark’s blog, I decided to give it a shot; type in every letter in my browser address bar and write down the first result. Here are my results:

A – http://www.apple.com/
B –  http://www.bbcode.org/reference.php
C – http://www.chromeextensions.org/
D – http://www.danawoodman.com/ (yay, thats me!)
E – http://en.gravatar.com/
F – http://www.facebook.com/
G – http://www.google.com/analytics/
H – http://www.danawoodman.com/ (again!?)
I – http://www.iconfinder.net/
J – ttp://www.javascriptcompressor.com/
K – http://www.kayak.com/
L – http://localhost:8000/ (Django‘s home on my computer)
M – http://www.mcshanesnursery.com/
N – http://www.nathanborror.com/
O – http://www.organixcms.com/
P – http://www.panel.webfaction.com/
Q – http://www.qinsb.blogspot.com/
R – http://www.robotson.com/
S – http://www.simplebits.com/
T – http://www.twitter.com/
U – http://utidylib.berlios.de/
V – http://www.vimeo.com/
W – http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/
X – http://www.xp-dev.com/
Y – http://www.youtube.com/
Z – http://www.zillow.com/

This was actually an interesting experiment (game?). I ended up getting a mixed set of results including services or sites I frequent combined with pages I don’t even remember visiting.

Another enjoyable waste of time, try it out!

[b]bold text[/b]

<strong>bold text</strong>

[i]italic text[/i]

<em>italic text</em>

[s]strike-through text[/s]

<strike>strike-through text</strike>

[u]underlined text[/u]

<u>underlined text</u>

[size=30]30px text[/size]

<span style="font-size:30px">30px text</span>

[color=green]green text[/color]

<span style="color:green">green text</span>

[center]centered text[/center]

<div style="text-align:center">centered text</div>

[quote]quoted text[/quote]

<blockquote><p>quoted text</p></blockquote>

[quote="John Smith"]quoted text[/quote]

<blockquote>
    <em>John Smith</em>
    <br />
    <p>quoted text</p>
</blockquote>

[url]http://www.google.com/[/url]

<a href="http://google.com/">http://google.com/</a>

[url=http://google.com/]Google[/url]

<a href="http://google.com/">Google</a>

[list]
    [*]List item[/*]
[/list]

<ul>
    <li>List item</li>
</ul>

[ul]
    [*]List item[/*]
[/ul]

<ul>
    <li>List item</li>
    
</ul>

[ol]
    [*]List item[/*]
[/ol]

<ol>
    <li>List item</li>
</ol>

[img]http://foo.com/img.gif[/img]

<img src="http://foo.com/img.gif" />

[img=200x80]http://foo.com/img.gif[/img]

<img src="http://foo.com/img.gif" width="200" height="80" />

[code]# code here...[/code]

<pre># code here...</pre>

[code=css]body { background: #fff; }[/code]

Depending on the implementation of BBCode you are using, some or all of these codes could be implemented and more could be potentially available. Consult the documentation or FAQ on the BBCode variation you are using to see what is available to you.

If you need to test you Django app’s email sending functionality locally, you’re in luck. Python has a built in “dumb” SMTP email server for doing just that.

All you need to do to run it is open up your console and type:

python -m smtpd -n -c DebuggingServer localhost:1025

EMAIL_HOST = "localhost"
EMAIL_PORT = 1025

See this page for more info: http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/topics/email/#testing-e-mail-sending

Hope that helps, cheers!

A listing of all available Pygments languages including their code names.

Recently I have been working on making a Django power forum (that I may release shortly!) and it has built in BBCode highlighting. With the BBCode in my forum you can use any Pygment supported language which is great but I could not for the life of me find a decent resource that lists all the languages with their corresponding character code (to use in BBCode for example) so I decided to collect a list myself. Below is the list of languages with the language code on the left and the language on the right:

If you see anything I’m missing let me know! Hope this was helps someone out there!

Today I needed to match everything in a string after a certain character, in this case a quote (“). To accomplish this I needed to do the following:

"(.+$)

The " part can be any character or combination of characters and the (.+$) matches anything (.) to the end of the line ($).

That’s about it, nothing fancy but useful none the less.