Transitioning from a .NET background to learning JavaScript has presented some challenges, particularly when it comes to handling arrays of objects. Unlike in .NET where using structs or structures provides convenience, JavaScript requires a different approach.
In my .NET code, I often use structures like this (in VB.NET):
Public Structure WidgetsStruc
Public Name As String
Public LocX As Integer
Public LocY As Integer
End Structure
Private myWidgets As New WidgetsStruc
myWidgets.LocX = 35
myWidgets.LocY = 312
myWidgets.Name = "compass"
Messagebox(myWidgets.Name) // displays 'compass'
...
While researching JavaScript alternatives, I discovered that there isn't an exact equivalent. Instead, you can create an object and add it to an array as shown below:
var widget = new Object();
var widgetTemplates = new Array();
widgetTemplates.push(widget);
widgetTemplates[0].name = "compass";
widgetTemplates[0].LocX = 35;
widgetTemplates[0].LocY = 312;
alert(widgetTemplates[0].name); // also displays 'compass'
As someone accustomed to working with strongly typed languages, the JavaScript method may not seem optimal due to having to push unstructured objects into the array and initialize variables afterward. Additionally, managing objects within the array using methods like 'pop' and 'slice' might feel cumbersome.
Am I understanding this correctly? Is there a more efficient way to declare and work with arrays of objects in JavaScript? I've explored JSON but am unsure how to leverage it for manipulating user-defined objects within an array.
Any advice for a JavaScript beginner would be greatly appreciated!