Replace the original variable with the output of the .split() function

When splitting variables that have already been split and overwriting the original variable, is there potential for any issues?

For example:

arr = str.split(" ");
arr = arr[0].split("/");

I have tested this and it seems to work. However, I am wondering:

  • Is there a risk involved in doing this?
  • Will it consistently behave as expected on all browsers?

Answer №1

It is completely safe to do this in all browsers. There is no risk involved.

When you assign the variable arr to something new, it doesn't matter what it was previously referring to. (This action does not actually "overwrite the older array", but if there are no other references to the previous array, the garbage collector will handle it.)

You can achieve the same result in a single line of code:

arr=str.split(" ")[0].split("/");

Keep in mind that .split() always returns an array with at least one element, even if the original string was empty or did not contain the specified separator.

UPDATE: If both the source string and the separator are empty strings, .split() appears to return an empty array. For example, "".split("") results in []. Thanks to Munim for bringing this to light. (However, "".split(" ") gives [""], so there should be no issue for the purpose of this discussion.)

Answer №2

There is no risk involved if you are aware that the array is being completely overwritten. Using this methodology may not be recommended for longer sections of code or if it will be viewed by others, but there are no logic flaws present.

For a more cryptic approach, consider the following: arr = str.split(" ")[0].split("/");

It is essential to confirm that all components evaluate properly (in case there are no spaces, resulting in a null [0] and an error). If you are certain that there will always be a space within the string, then this version of the code above will be the most challenging to decipher ;)

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