Creating an empty array with <code>this.arr = []
will assign it to the
arr
property. If there are no more references to the previous array in the program, it will be automatically garbage collected by the JS engine. However, if there are still references to it, the array will persist.
this.arr = [1, 2, 3, 4];
var backup = this.arr;
this.arr = [];
// backup still points to the array, preventing it from being destroyed
If you want to delete an array that you no longer need, you can set it to null
like this: this.arr = null
.
In JavaScript, there is no concept of "memory leaks". Instead, forgetting to dispose of an unnecessary object can lead to lingering references within a chain of objects, preventing any of them from being destroyed.
By using temporary variables, memory management becomes less of a concern in most cases.