Get the first and last item in an array using JavaScript
JavaScript array is used to store multiple elements in a single variable. It is often used when we want to store a list of elements and access them by a single variable. We will learn how to get the first & last element in an array in JavaScript, along with understanding their implementation through the examples.
These are the following approaches:
Approach 1: Using length property in JavaScript
The array length property in JavaScript is used to set or return the number of elements in an array.
Example 1: This example illustrates how to access the first and last numbers in the array.
Javascript
let s = [3, 2, 3, 4, 5];
function Gfg() {
let f = s[0];
let l = s[s.length - 1];
console.log( "First element is " + f);
console.log( "Last element is " + l);
}
Gfg();
|
Output
First element is 3
Last element is 5
Example 2: This example illustrates to access the first and last word in the array.
Javascript
let s = [ "Geeks" , "for" , "geeks" , "computer" , "science" ];
function Gfg() {
let f = s[0];
let l = s[s.length - 1];
console.log( "First element is " + f);
console.log( "Last element is " + l);
}
Gfg();
|
Output
First element is Geeks
Last element is science
The Array.pop() method removes the last element of the array and returns it and the Array.shift() method removes the first element from the array and returns it.
Example: In this example, we will be using the array pop() and shift() methods to get the last and first element of the array.
Javascript
let s = [3, 2, 3, 4, 5];
function Gfg() {
let f = s.shift(0);
let l = s.pop();
console.log( "first element is " + f);
console.log( " Last element is " + l);
}
Gfg();
|
Output
first element is 3
Last element is 5
Array.slice() method returns the part of the array by slicing it with provided index and length.
Example: In this example, we will be using the slice() method to get the first and the last element of the array.
Javascript
let s = [3, 2, 3, 4, 5];
function Gfg() {
let f = s.slice(0, 1);
let l = s.slice(-1);
console.log( "first element is " + f);
console.log( "Last element is " + l);
}
Gfg();
|
Output
first element is 3
Last element is 5
Array.filter() method returns a filtered array that removes the element which returns false for the callback function.
Example: In this example, we will be using the filter() method to get the first and the last element of the array.
Javascript
let s = [3, 2, 3, 4, 5];
function Gfg() {
let [f, l] = s.filter((item, i) =>
(i == 0) || (i == s.length - 1));
console.log( "first element is " + f);
console.log( " Last element is " + l);
}
Gfg();
|
Output
first element is 3
Last element is 5
The Spread operator allows an iterable to expand in places where 0+ arguments are expected. It is mostly used in the variable array where there is more than 1 value is expected. It allows us the privilege to obtain a list of parameters from an array.
Example:
Javascript
const array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const [firstItem, ...rest] = array;
const lastItem = rest.pop();
console.log( 'First item:' , firstItem);
console.log( 'Last item:' , lastItem);
|
Output
First item: 1
Last item: 5
Approach 6: Using Array.at() Method
The Array.at() method in JavaScript allows to access elements of an array by their index. To get the first and last elements of an array using the at() method, pass the desired indices to the method. The first element has an index of 0. Array last element can be accessed by using the array’s length-1 as the index.
Example: In this example, we are using array.at() method.
Javascript
function gfg() {
let s = [ "Geeks" , "for" , "geeks" , "computer" , "science" ];
console.log(s.at(0))
console.log(s.at(s.length - 1))
}
gfg();
|
Last Updated :
01 Feb, 2024
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