As I navigate through some unfamiliar code at my job, I come across a recurring pattern that involves using .join() and then .split(',') on an array to create a new array. This technique is prevalent in the older codebase, particularly when handling data returned from HTTP requests. However, I'm puzzled by the rationale behind this approach. Here's a snippet that caught my attention:
var first = ['listColumn1','listColumn2','listColumn3'].join();
var headers = first.split(',');
function getEntityLookup(){
$.ajax({
type:"GET",
url:uri,
dataType: "json",
async: true,
success: parseData,
failure: function(data) {console.log("Error - could not be found");}
})
}
function parseData(result){
console.log(result);
var first = ['listColumn1','listColumn2','listColumn3'].join();
var headers = first.split(',');
for ( var i = 0, length = result.length; i < length; i++ ){
var myRow = result[i].join();
var row = myRow.split(',');
var data = {};
for ( var x = 0; x < row.length; x++ ){
data[headers[x]] = row[x];
}
jsonData.push(data);
}
The use of .join() followed by .split() seems unnecessary since variables like first and myRow are not utilized beyond this operation. While it may make sense if you want to create distinct references to arrays, thus avoiding shared memory allocation issues, there should be more efficient ways to achieve this without resorting to such unconventional methods. Additionally, the initial array is never revisited after applying this pattern throughout the codebase.