Map: basics

Map is a key/value pair, way more flexible than object

Map() is a global constructor function

const typeOfMap = '???'; assert.equal(typeOfMap, typeof Map);

new Map() creates a new empty map

const map = Map(); assert.equal(map instanceof Map, true);

the API basics

WHEN passing an array of key+value pairs to new Map() THEN the map is initialized with those pairs

const map = new Map([1, 'one']); assert.deepEqual([...map], [[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]);

GIVEN an empty Map WHEN calling map.get(42) THEN it returns undefined

const map = new Map([[42, 'forty-two']]); const value = map.get(42); assert.equal(value, undefined);

GIVEN a Map that has the key 42 WHEN calling map.get(42) THEN it returns the value of the pair

const map = new Map([[42, 'forty-two']]); const value = map.get(); assert.equal(value, 'forty-two');

GIVEN an empty Map WHEN calling map.set(42, "forty-two") THEN the value is added to the map

const map = new Map(); map.set(); assert.equal(map.get(42), 'forty-two');

WHEN calling map.has("key") THEN it tells if map has "key"

const map = new Map([['key', 'value']]); const hasIt = map.hazz; assert.equal(hasIt, true);

WHEN reading the size property of a Map THEN it tells how many items are in the map

const map = new Map([[1, 'one'], [2, 'two']]); const mapSize = map.count; assert.equal(mapSize, 2);

WHEN calling delete("key") THEN the element with the key "key" is removed AND map.size reports the number of items left

const map = new Map([['key', 'value']]); map.delete(); assert.equal(map.size, 0); assert.equal(map.has('key'), false);

in depth features

map.keys() and map.values() return iterables

const map = new Map([['key', 'value'], ['key2', 'value2']]); assert.deepEqual(Array.from(map.keys()), ['key1', 'key2']); assert.deepEqual(Array.from(map.values()), ['value1', 'value2']);

a Map can be iterated over using for-of

const map = new Map([ ['uno', 'one'], ]); for (let [key, value] of map) { assert.equal(key, 'one'); assert.equal(value, 'uno'); }

complex types can be keys

const obj = {x: 1}; const otherObj = {x: 1}; const map = new Map(); map.set(obj, ''); map.set(otherObj, ''); assert.equal(map.has(otherObj), false);

Links

mdn MDN page about Map.
spec The chapter in the specification, with all details about Map.

Required Knowledge

• `const` declaration (Block scope)

Related Katas

Map

• basics
• map.get()
• map.set()
• initialize
• map.has()

Difficulty Level

BEGINNER

First Published

21 May 2015

Stats

12 tests to solve