Discover the depth of a deeply nested array

Question

Discover the depth of a deeply nested array

I have a complex array structure that looks something like this: I am trying to determine the depth of this nested array, focusing on the element with the most deeply embedded children.

let arr = [
   {
     name: 'tiger',
     children: [{
       name: 'sinba',
       children: [{
         name: 'cute',
         children: []
        }]
      }]
    },
    {
      name: 'lion',
      children: []
    }
]

In this scenario, the maximum depth is 3, as the item tiger reaches a depth of 3 levels. Therefore, the depth is 3

I have attempted to solve this using recursion, but I am struggling to identify the element with the most nesting level.

Any guidance or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

javascript arrays recursion nested

Answer 1

Answer №1

If there are no circular references present, one approach to solve this issue is by implementing the following code:

let arr = [{
    name: 'tiger',
    children: [{
      name: 'sinba',
      children: [{
        name: 'cute',
        children: []
      }]
    }]
  },
  {
    name: 'lion',
    children: []
  }
]

function count(children) {
  return children.reduce((depth, child) => {
    return Math.max(depth, 1 + count(child.children));
  }, 0);
}

console.log(count(arr))

If circular references do exist within the data structure, the function may require adjustments to handle them appropriately. Detecting circular references can be challenging and failing to address it might lead to a "Maximum call stack size exceeded" error.

To tackle this issue without additional implementations, utilizing the native JSON.stringify function could be beneficial. This method will throw an exception only in cases where BigInt values need serialization or when cyclic objects are detected - which aligns with our requirements.

let arr = [{
  name: 'tiger',
  children: []
}]

function testCircular(arr){
  try {
    BigInt.prototype.toJSON = function() { return this.toString() }
    JSON.stringify(arr);
    return false;
  }
  catch (e) {
    return true;
  }
}

function count(children) {
  if (testCircular(children)) return Infinity;
  return children.reduce((depth, child) => {
    return Math.max(depth, 1 + count(child.children));
  }, 0); 
}

console.log(count(arr))
arr[0].children = arr;
console.log(count(arr))

Answer 2

If there are no circular references present, one approach to solve this issue is by implementing the following code:

let arr = [{
    name: 'tiger',
    children: [{
      name: 'sinba',
      children: [{
        name: 'cute',
        children: []
      }]
    }]
  },
  {
    name: 'lion',
    children: []
  }
]

function count(children) {
  return children.reduce((depth, child) => {
    return Math.max(depth, 1 + count(child.children));
  }, 0);
}

console.log(count(arr))

If circular references do exist within the data structure, the function may require adjustments to handle them appropriately. Detecting circular references can be challenging and failing to address it might lead to a "Maximum call stack size exceeded" error.

To tackle this issue without additional implementations, utilizing the native JSON.stringify function could be beneficial. This method will throw an exception only in cases where BigInt values need serialization or when cyclic objects are detected - which aligns with our requirements.

let arr = [{
  name: 'tiger',
  children: []
}]

function testCircular(arr){
  try {
    BigInt.prototype.toJSON = function() { return this.toString() }
    JSON.stringify(arr);
    return false;
  }
  catch (e) {
    return true;
  }
}

function count(children) {
  if (testCircular(children)) return Infinity;
  return children.reduce((depth, child) => {
    return Math.max(depth, 1 + count(child.children));
  }, 0); 
}

console.log(count(arr))
arr[0].children = arr;
console.log(count(arr))

Discover the depth of a deeply nested array

Answer №1

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