Split an array of strings using a separator

Question

In JavaScript, is it possible to split each string in a multidimensional array of strings using a separator? I'm trying to split a multidimensional array of strings using a string separator, but I don't yet know how to iterate over a multidimensional array without using multiple for-loops.

var theArray = [["Split,each"],["string, in"],["this, array"]];

As far as I know, it isn't possible to apply the string.split(",") method to a multidimensional array. I'll need to find a workaround, since this code isn't valid:

alert([["Split,each"],["string, in"],["this","array"]].split(","));

And what should your result be? An array of 3 arrays, or an array of 6 strings? — Michael Berkowski
– Michael Berkowski, Commented May 12, 2013 at 3:17
@MichaelBerkowski The result should be an array of 3 arrays, where each of the 3 arrays is an array of strings. — Anderson Green
– Anderson Green, Commented May 12, 2013 at 3:18

score 8 · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-21 22:45:48Z

8

Use the Array map method to return a modified version of your array:

var newArray = theArray.map(function(v,i,a){
   return v[0].split(",");
});

The function that is passed as the argument to the map method is used to determine the values in the mapped array. As you can see, the function takes each value in the array, splits it by comma, and returns the resulting array of two strings.

The output is then:

[["Split", "each"],["string", "in"],["this", "array"]];

To make this work recursively for arrays of arbitrary depth, you can use:

var newArray = theArray.map(function mapper(v,i,a){
    if(typeof v == "string"){
        return v.split(",");
    } else {
        return v.map(mapper);
    }
});

edited Jul 21, 2013 at 22:45

answered May 12, 2013 at 3:16

user1726343

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5 Comments

Elliot Bonneville Over a year ago

No need to include i and a, they're redundant variables. Also, map isn't supported in versions of IE < 9.

user1726343 Over a year ago

@ElliotBonneville Yes, added those from habit.

Anderson Green Over a year ago

I keep getting the error Uncaught TypeError: Object [object Array] has no method 'split' jsfiddle.net/4Psmt

user1726343 Over a year ago

@AndersonGreen You copied the code just a second too early. I modified v to v[0], since the elements in your array are arrays.

user1726343 Over a year ago

@AndersonGreen I've added a recursive version if you're interested.

Elliot Bonneville · Accepted Answer · 2013-05-12 03:17:20Z

4

You can do this using a traditional for loop:

var theArray = [["Split,each"],["string, in"],["this","array"]];

for(var i = 0; i<theArray.length; i++) {
    theArray[i] = theArray[i].split(",");
}

I'd steer clear of using the map method, it doesn't have great support. (IE < 9 doesn't support it)

answered May 12, 2013 at 3:17

Elliot Bonneville

53.6k23 gold badges101 silver badges125 bronze badges

3 Comments

Anderson Green Over a year ago

This doesn't work for multidimensional arrays of any dimension. It only works for 2-dimensional arrays.

Elliot Bonneville Over a year ago

You only provided an example with a 2-dimensional array. Use recursion to iterate through multi-dimensional arrays. I will provide an example of this technique in my answer.

Anderson Green Over a year ago

I still don't see a recursive iteration technique here. Is this part still a work in progress?

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