Utilize a single array to point to multiple elements

I am curious about the potential to create a unique scenario using JavaScript. Imagine having two arrays:

a = [1, 2, 3]
b = [4, 5, 6]

What if we could combine these arrays into a new array, c, that encapsulates both:

c = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

The intriguing part is making changes to one of the original arrays automatically reflect in array c as well:

a[1] = 1
c = [1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6]

My question is: Is there a way to implement this functionality in JavaScript?

Answer №1

In JavaScript, the traditional pass-by-reference method is not available, requiring developers to implement a workaround solution. One simple approach involves dynamically returning 'c' as a combination of 'a' and 'b' within a function. Another option is to utilize an object with getter/setters to control the manipulation of values when accessing 'c'.

For example:

var $ = (function () {
  /* Arrays kept hidden */
  var a = [1, 2, 3];
  var b = [4, 5, 6];

  /* Visible object */
  return {
    get a () {
      return a;
    },
    set a (v) {
      a = v;
    },
    get b () {
      return b;
    },
    set b (v) {
      b = v;
    },
    get c () {
      return a.concat(b);
    },
  };
})();

/* Example */
console.log(JSON.stringify($.a), JSON.stringify($.b), JSON.stringify($.c));
$.a = [0, 1, 2];
console.log(JSON.stringify($.a), JSON.stringify($.b), JSON.stringify($.c));
$.b[1] = 7;
console.log(JSON.stringify($.a), JSON.stringify($.b), JSON.stringify($.c));

Answer №2

To access the data, utilize a Proxy server.

const x = [7,8,9];
const y = [10,11,12];
const z = new Proxy([x,y], {
    _localIndex: function(arrays, index) {
        index = +index;
        if( isNaN(index)) throw new TypeError("Invalid index provided");
        if( Math.floor(index) !== index) throw new RangeError("Index must be an integer");
        if( index < 0) throw new RangeError("Positive integer required for index");
        for( let i=0; i<arrays.length; i++) {
            if( arrays[i].length > index) return [i,index];
            index -= arrays[i].length;
        }
        throw new RangeError("Index is out of bounds");
    },
    get: function(arrays, index) {
        if( index === "size") {
            return arrays.reduce((a,c)=>a+c.length,0);
        }
        if( index === "collection") {
            return arrays;
        }
        const [arr, idx] = this._localIndex(arrays, index);
        return arrays[arr][idx];
    },
    set: function(arrays, index, value) {
        const [arr, idx] = this._localIndex(arrays, index);
        arrays[arr][idx] = value;
    }
});

console.log("Accessing element at index 4 in array z: "+z[4]);
z[2] = 15;
console.log("Updated element at index 2 in array z, first array now contains: "+JSON.stringify(x));
console.log("Original source array for z: "+JSON.stringify(z.collection));
x.push('y');
console.log("Added 'y' to array x, current state of z: "+JSON.stringify(z.collection));

Mozilla Developer Network documentation

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