Why do I get an "Array not defined" reference error with this code? [closed]

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What's wrong with this code?

var divarray = document.getElementById("yui-main").getElementsByTagName("div");
var articleHTML = array();
var absHTML;
var keyHTML;
var bodyHTML = array();
var i = 0;
for ( var j in divarray) {
    if(divarray[i].className == "articleBody"){
  alert("found");
  articleHTML = divarray[i];
  break;
 }
 bodyHTML[i] = '';
 if(articleHTML[i].className == "issueMiniFeature"){continue;}
 if(articleHTML[i].className == "abstract"){absHTML = articleHTML[i]; continue;}
 if(articleHTML[i].className == "journalKeywords"){keyHTML = articleHTML[i]; continue;}
 bodyHTML[i] = articleHTML[i];
 i++;
}

This is the error I am getting:

ReferenceError: array is not defined

I am using Google Chrome if it helps any.

Andris · Accepted Answer · 2010-05-18 19:08:00Z

25

It's not php - you should use

var variable_name = new Array()

or even better

var variable_name = []

answered May 18, 2010 at 19:08

Andris

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Community · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-23 10:30:46Z

8

That's not how to declare variables as an empty array. You should be using:

var articleHTML = [];

See this previous question for reasoning of using this method instead of new Array()

edited May 23, 2017 at 10:30

CommunityBot

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answered May 18, 2010 at 19:07

Chad Birch

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meder omuraliev · Accepted Answer · 2010-05-18 19:07:38Z

2

It's [] in ECMAScript; this isn't PHP. The interpreter is right - array is not defined, which is why you're getting that.

answered May 18, 2010 at 19:07

meder omuraliev

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Wh1T3h4Ck5 · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-13 02:02:56Z

2

var articleHTML = new Array();

edited Nov 13, 2012 at 2:02

Wh1T3h4Ck5

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answered May 18, 2010 at 19:08

derek

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jave.web · Accepted Answer · 2013-02-21 07:36:15Z

2

Note! Javascript IS case sensitive you have to use upper-case A in word Array.

var myarr = new array(); //THIS IS WRONG! and will result in error not defined

So these are the correct ways:

var myarr = new Array(); //THIS IS CORRECT (note the "big" A) :)
var myarr = []; //and this is correct too

answered Feb 21, 2013 at 7:36

jave.web

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D'Arcy Rittich · Accepted Answer · 2010-05-18 19:09:03Z

1

Instead of

var articleHTML = array();

and

var bodyHTML = array();

do

var articleHTML = [];

and

var bodyHTML = [];

answered May 18, 2010 at 19:09

D'Arcy Rittich

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Mark Pieszak - Trilon.io · Accepted Answer · 2015-07-13 20:20:20Z

1

You first need to define

var divarray = new Array();

edited Jul 13, 2015 at 20:20

Mark Pieszak - Trilon.io

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answered May 18, 2010 at 19:10

Pinu

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IndieInvader · Accepted Answer · 2010-05-19 01:59:40Z

0

You also don't need to use var six times, you can do:

var divarray = document.getElementById("yui-main").getElementsByTagName("div"),
    articleHTML = [],
    absHTML = [],
    keyHTML = [],
    bodyHTML = [],
    i = 0;

Which works just as well as your six vars but looks much nicer.

Also there are a number of compelling reasons not to use new in instantiate an array (besides []; is much shorter than new Array();)

answered May 19, 2010 at 1:59

IndieInvader

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2 Comments

Alexander Mills Over a year ago

having fun reading your own code that way - totally difficult to determine where variables are first declared. see python.

Alexander Mills Over a year ago

ruby is also that way for shame

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