Array properties

Array

Package Top Level

Class public dynamic class Array

Inheritance Array Object
Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Flash Player 9, AIR 1.0
Versions:
The Array class lets you access and manipulate arrays. Array indices are zero-based, which means that
the first element in the array is [0], the second element is [1], and so on. To create an Array object,
you use the new Array() constructor . Array() can also be invoked as a function. In addition, you can
use the array access ([]) operator to initialize an array or access the elements of an array.

You can store a wide variety of data types in an array element, including numbers, strings, objects, and
even other arrays. You can create a multidimensional array by creating an indexed array and assigning to
each of its elements a different indexed array. Such an array is considered multidimensional because it
can be used to represent data in a table.

Arrays are sparse arrays, meaning there might be an element at index 0 and another at index 5, but
nothing in the index positions between those two elements. In such a case, the elements in positions 1
through 4 are undefined, which indicates the absence of an element, not necessarily the presence of an
element with the value undefined.

Array assignment is by reference rather than by value. When you assign one array variable to another
array variable, both refer to the same array:

var oneArray:Array = new Array("a", "b", "c");
var twoArray:Array = oneArray; // Both array variables refer to the same array.
twoArray[0] = "z";
trace(oneArray); // Output: z,b,c.

Do not use the Array class to create associative arrays (also called hashes), which are data structures
that contain named elements instead of numbered elements. To create associative arrays, use the Object
class. Although ActionScript permits you to create associative arrays using the Array class, you cannot
use any of the Array class methods or properties with associative arrays.

You can extend the Array class and override or add methods. However, you must specify the subclass
as dynamic or you will lose the ability to store data in an array.

View the examples

See also

[] (array access)
Object class

Public Properties
Show Inherited Public Properties

Property

length : uint

A non-negative integer specifying the number of elements in the array.

Public Methods
Show Inherited Public Methods

Method

Array(numElements:int = 0)

Lets you create an array of the specified number of elements.

Array(... values)

Lets you create an array that contains the specified elements.

concat(... args):Array

Concatenates the elements specified in the parameters with the elements in an array and creates a new array.

every(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Boolean

Executes a test function on each item in the array until an item is reached that returns false for the specified function.

filter(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Array

Executes a test function on each item in the array and constructs a new array for all items that return true for the specified function.

forEach(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):void

Executes a function on each item in the array.

indexOf(searchElement:*, fromIndex:int = 0):int

Searches for an item in an array by using strict equality (===) and returns the index position of the item.

join(sep:*):String

Converts the elements in an array to strings, inserts the specified separator between the elements, concatenates them, and returns th

lastIndexOf(searchElement:*, fromIndex:int = 0x7fffffff):int

Searches for an item in an array, working backward from the last item, and returns the index position of the matching item using st

map(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Array

Executes a function on each item in an array, and constructs a new array of items corresponding to the results of the function on ea

pop():*

Removes the last element from an array and returns the value of that element.

push(... args):uint

Adds one or more elements to the end of an array and returns the new length of the array.

reverse():Array

Reverses the array in place.

shift():*

Removes the first element from an array and returns that element.

slice(startIndex:int = 0, endIndex:int = 16777215):Array

Returns a new array that consists of a range of elements from the original array, without modifying the original array.

some(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Boolean

Executes a test function on each item in the array until an item is reached that returns true.

sort(... args):Array

Sorts the elements in an array.

sortOn(fieldName:Object, options:Object = null):Array

Sorts the elements in an array according to one or more fields in the array.

splice(startIndex:int, deleteCount:uint, ... values):Array

Adds elements to and removes elements from an array.

toLocaleString():String

Returns a string that represents the elements in the specified array.

toString():String

Returns a string that represents the elements in the specified array.

unshift(... args):uint

Adds one or more elements to the beginning of an array and returns the new length of the array.

Public Constants
Constant

CASEINSENSITIVE : uint = 1

[static] Specifies case-insensitive sorting for the Array class sorting methods.

DESCENDING : uint = 2

[static] Specifies descending sorting for the Array class sorting methods.

NUMERIC : uint = 16

[static] Specifies numeric (instead of character-string) sorting for the Array class sorting methods.

RETURNINDEXEDARRAY : uint = 8

[static] Specifies that a sort returns an array that consists of array indices.

UNIQUESORT : uint = 4

[static] Specifies the unique sorting requirement for the Array class sorting methods.

Property Detail

length property
length:uint

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

A non-negative integer specifying the number of elements in the array. This property is automatically
updated when new elements are added to the array. When you assign a value to an array element (for
example,my_array[index] = value), if index is a number, and index+1 is greater than
the length property, the length property is updated to index+1.

Note: If you assign a value to the length property that is shorter than the existing length, the array will
be truncated.

Implementation
public function get length():uint
public function set length(value:uint):void

Example ( How to use this example )
The following code creates an Array object names with the string element Bill. It then uses
the push() method to add another string element Kyle. The length of the array, as determined by
the length property, was one element before the use of push() and is two elements after push() is
called. Another string, Jeff, is added to make the length of names three elements. The shift() method
is then called twice to removeBill and Kyle, making the final array of length one.

var names:Array = new Array("Bill");
names.push("Kyle");
trace(names.length); // 2

names.push("Jeff");

names.shift();
names.shift();

Constructor Detail

(
Array ) Constructor
public function Array(numElements:int = 0)

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Lets you create an array of the specified number of elements. If you don't specify any parameters, an
array containing 0 elements is created. If you specify a number of elements, an array is created
with numElementsnumber of elements.

Note: This class shows two constructor method entries because the constructor accepts variable types of
arguments. The constructor behaves differently depending on the type and number of arguments passed,
as detailed in each entry. ActionScript 3.0 does not support method or constructor overloading.

Parameters

numElements:int (default = 0) — An integer that specifies the number of elements in the
array.

Throws

RangeError — The argument is a number that is not an integer greater than or equal to
0.

See also

[] array access
Array.length


The following example creates the Array object myArr with no arguments and an initial length of 0:
package {
import flash.display.Sprite;

public class Array_Array extends Sprite {

public function Array_Array() {
var myArr:Array = new Array();
trace(myArr.length); // 0
}
}
}

The following example creates an Array object with 5 initial elements, with a length of 5, and populates
the first element with the string "one", and adds the string element "six" to the end of the array by
using thepush() method:
package {

public class Array_Array_2 extends Sprite {

public function Array_Array_2() {
var myArr:Array = new Array(5);
myArr[0] = "one";
myArr.push("six");
trace(myArr); // one,,,,,six
}
}
}

(
Array )Constructor
public function Array(... values)

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Lets you create an array that contains the specified elements. You can specify values of any type. The
first element in an array always has an index (or position) of 0.

Note: This class shows two constructor entries because the constructor accepts variable types of
arguments. The constructor behaves differently depending on the type and number of arguments passed,
as detailed in each entry. ActionSript 3.0 does not support method or constructor overloading.

Parameters

... values — A comma-separated list of one or more arbitrary values.

Note: If only a single numeric parameter is passed to the Array constructor, it is assumed to specify the
array's length property.

Throws

RangeError — The argument is a number that is not an integer greater than or equal to
0.

See also

[] array access
Array.length


The following example creates a new Array object with an initial length of 3, populates the array with the
string elements one, two, and three, and then converts the elements to a string.
package {

public class Array_Array_3 extends Sprite {

public function Array_Array_3() {
var myArr:Array = new Array("one", "two", "three");
trace(myArr); // one,two,three
}
}
}

Method Detail

(
concat )
method
AS3 function concat(... args):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Concatenates the elements specified in the parameters with the elements in an array and creates a new
array. If the parameters specify an array, the elements of that array are concatenated.

Parameters

... args — A value of any data type (such as numbers, elements, or strings) to be concatenated in a new array. If

you don't pass any values, the new array is a duplicate of the original array.
Returns

Array — An array that contains the elements from this array followed by elements from the
parameters.


The following code creates four Array objects:

• The numbers array, which contains the numbers 1, 2, and 3.
• The letters array, which contains the letters a, b, and c.
• The numbersAndLetters array, which calls the concat() method to produce the
array [1,2,3,a,b,c].
• The lettersAndNumbers array, which calls the concat() method to produce the
array [a,b,c,1,2,3].

var numbers:Array = new Array(1, 2, 3);
var letters:Array = new Array("a", "b", "c");
var numbersAndLetters:Array = numbers.concat(letters);
var lettersAndNumbers:Array = letters.concat(numbers);

trace(numbers); // 1,2,3
trace(letters); // a,b,c
trace(numbersAndLetters); // 1,2,3,a,b,c
trace(lettersAndNumbers); // a,b,c,1,2,3

(
every )method
AS3 function every(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Boolean

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Executes a test function on each item in the array until an item is reached that returns false for the
specified function. You use this method to determine whether all items in an array meet a criterion, such
as having values less than a particular number.

Parameters

callback:Function — The function to run on each item in the array. This function can contain a simple
comparison (for example, item < 20) or a more complex operation, and is invoked with three arguments; the
value of an item, the index of an item, and the Array object:
function callback(item:*, index:int, array:Array):Boolean;

thisObject:* (default = null) — An object to use as this for the function.
Returns

Boolean — A Boolean value of true if all items in the array return true for the specified function;
otherwise, false.

See also

Array.some()


The following example tests two arrays to determine whether every item in each array is a number. It
also outputs the results of the test, showing that isNumeric is true for the first array and false for the
second:
package {
public class Array_every extends Sprite {
public function Array_every() {
var arr1:Array = new Array(1, 2, 4);
var res1:Boolean = arr1.every(isNumeric);
trace("isNumeric:", res1); // true

var arr2:Array = new Array(1, 2, "ham");
var res2:Boolean = arr2.every(isNumeric);
trace("isNumeric:", res2); // false
}
private function isNumeric(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):Boolean {
return (element is Number);
}
}
}

(
filter )
method
AS3 function filter(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Executes a test function on each item in the array and constructs a new array for all items that
return true for the specified function. If an item returns false, it is not included in the new array.

Parameters

comparison (for example, item < 20) or a more complex operation, and is invoked with three arguments; the

value of an item, the index of an item, and the Array object:

Returns

Array — A new array that contains all items from the original array that
returned true.

See also

Array.map()


The following example creates an array of all employees who are managers:
package {
public class Array_filter extends Sprite {
public function Array_filter() {
var employees:Array = new Array();
employees.push({name:"Employee 1", manager:false});
employees.push({name:"Employee 2", manager:true});
trace("Employees:");
employees.forEach(traceEmployee);

var managers:Array = employees.filter(isManager);
trace("Managers:");
managers.forEach(traceEmployee);
}
private function isManager(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):Boolean {
return (element.manager == true);
}
private function traceEmployee(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):void {
trace("t" + element.name + ((element.manager) ? " (manager)" : ""));
}
}
}

(
forEach )method
AS3 function forEach(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):void

Language ActionScript 3.0

Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Executes a function on each item in the array.

Parameters

command (for example, a trace() statement) or a more complex operation, and is invoked with three arguments;
the value of an item, the index of an item, and the Array object:
function callback(item:*, index:int, array:Array):void;



The following example runs the trace() statement in the traceEmployee() function on each item in the
array:
package {
public class Array_forEach extends Sprite {
public function Array_forEach() {
var employees:Array = new Array();
employees.push({name:"Employee 2", manager:true});
trace(employees);
employees.forEach(traceEmployee);
}
private function traceEmployee(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):void {
trace(element.name + " (" + element.manager + ")");
}
}
}

The following example also runs the trace() statement in a slightly altered traceEmployee() function
on each item in the array:
package {
public class Array_forEach_2 extends Sprite {
public function Array_forEach_2() {
var employeeXML:XML = <employees>
<employee name="Steven" manager="false" />

<employee name="Bruce" manager="true" />
<employee name="Rob" manager="false" />
</employees>;
var employeesList:XMLList = employeeXML.employee;
var employeesArray:Array = new Array();
for each (var tempXML:XML in employeesList) {
employeesArray.push(tempXML);
}
employeesArray.sortOn("@name");
employeesArray.forEach(traceEmployee);
}
private function traceEmployee(element:*, index:Number, arr:Array):void {
trace(element.@name + ((element.@manager == "true") ? " (manager)" : ""));
}
}
}

(
indexOf )method
AS3 function indexOf(searchElement:*, fromIndex:int = 0):int

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Searches for an item in an array by using strict equality (===) and returns the index position of the item.

Parameters

searchElement:* — The item to find in the array.

fromIndex:int (default = 0) — The location in the array from which to start searching for the
item.
Returns

int — A zero-based index position of the item in the array. If the searchElement argument is not found, the
return value is -1.

See also

Array.lastIndexOf()
=== (strict equality)


The following example displays the position of the specified array:

package {
public class Array_indexOf extends Sprite {
public function Array_indexOf() {
var arr:Array = new Array(123,45,6789);
arr.push("123-45-6789");
arr.push("987-65-4321");

var index:int = arr.indexOf("123");
trace(index); // -1

var index2:int = arr.indexOf(123);
trace(index2); // 0
}
}
}

(
join )
method
AS3 function join(sep:*):String

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Converts the elements in an array to strings, inserts the specified separator between the elements,
concatenates them, and returns the resulting string. A nested array is always separated by a comma (,),
not by the separator passed to the join() method.

Parameters

sep:* (default = NaN) — A character or string that separates array elements in the returned string. If you omit this
parameter, a comma is used as the default separator.
Returns

String — A string consisting of the elements of an array converted to strings and separated by the specified
parameter.

See also

String.split()


The following code creates an Array object myArr with elements one, two, and three and then a string
containing one and two and three using the join() method.

var myArr:Array = new Array("one", "two", "three");
var myStr:String = myArr.join(" and ");
trace(myArr); // one,two,three
trace(myStr); // one and two and three

The following code creates an Array object specialChars with elements (, ), -, and a blank space and
then creates a string containing (888) 867-5309. Then, using a for loop, it removes each type of
special character listed in specialChars to produce a string (myStr) that contains only the digits of the
phone number remaining: 888675309. Note that other characters, such as +, could have been added
to specialCharsand then this routine would work with international phone number formats.

var phoneString:String = "(888) 867-5309";

var specialChars:Array = new Array("(", ")", "-", " ");
var myStr:String = phoneString;

var ln:uint = specialChars.length;
for(var i:uint; i < ln; i++) {
myStr = myStr.split(specialChars[i]).join("");
}

var phoneNumber:Number = new Number(myStr);

trace(phoneString); // (888) 867-5309
trace(phoneNumber); // 8888675309

(
lastIndexOf )
method
AS3 function lastIndexOf(searchElement:*, fromIndex:int = 0x7fffffff):int

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Searches for an item in an array, working backward from the last item, and returns the index position of
the matching item using strict equality (===).

Parameters

searchElement:* — The item to find in the array.

fromIndex:int (default = 0x7fffffff) — The location in the array from which to start searching for the item.
The default is the maximum value allowed for an index. If you do not specify fromIndex, the search starts at the

last item in the array.
Returns

int — A zero-based index position of the item in the array. If the searchElement argument is not found, the
return value is -1.

See also

Array.indexOf()
=== (strict equality)


The following example displays the position of the specified array:
package {
public class Array_lastIndexOf extends Sprite {
public function Array_lastIndexOf() {
var arr:Array = new Array(123,45,6789,123,984,323,123,32);

var index:int = arr.indexOf(123);
trace(index); // 0

var index2:int = arr.lastIndexOf(123);
trace(index2); // 6
}
}
}

(
map )method
AS3 function map(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Executes a function on each item in an array, and constructs a new array of items corresponding to the
results of the function on each item in the original array.

Parameters

command (such as changing the case of an array of strings) or a more complex operation, and is invoked with three
arguments; the value of an item, the index of an item, and the Array object:
function callback(item:*, index:int, array:Array):void;

Returns

Array — A new array that contains the results of the function on each item in the original
array.

See also

Array.filter()


The following example changes all items in the array to use uppercase letters:
package {
public class Array_map extends Sprite {
public function Array_map() {
var arr:Array = new Array("one", "two", "Three");
trace(arr); // one,two,Three

var upperArr:Array = arr.map(toUpper);
trace(upperArr); // ONE,TWO,THREE
}
private function toUpper(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):String {
return String(element).toUpperCase();
}
}
}

po (
p ) method
AS3 function pop():*

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Removes the last element from an array and returns the value of that element.

Returns

* — The value of the last element (of any data type) in the specified
array.

See also

Array.push()
Array.shift()
Array.unshift()


The following code creates an Array object letters with elements a, b, and c. The last element (c) is
then removed from the array using the pop() method and assigned to the String object letter.

var letter:String = letters.pop();
trace(letters); // a,b
trace(letter); // c

(
push ) method
AS3 function push(... args):uint

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Adds one or more elements to the end of an array and returns the new length of the array.

Parameters

... args — One or more values to append to the
array.
Returns

uint — An integer representing the length of the new
array.

See also

Array.pop()
Array.shift()
Array.unshift()


The following code creates an empty Array object letters and then populates the array with the
elements a, b, and c using the push() method.

var letters:Array = new Array();

letters.push("a");

letters.push("b");
letters.push("c");

trace(letters.toString()); // a,b,c

The following code creates an Array object letters, which is initially populated with the element a.
The push() method is then used once to add the elements b and c to the end of the array, which is
three elements after the push.

var letters:Array = new Array("a");
var count:uint = letters.push("b", "c");

trace(count); // 3

(
reverse )method
AS3 function reverse():Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Reverses the array in place.

Returns

Array — The new
array.


The following code creates an Array object letters with elements a, b, and c. The order of the array
elements is then reversed using the reverse() method to produce the array [c,b,a].

letters.reverse();
trace(letters); // c,b,a

(
shift )
method
AS3 function shift():*

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:

Runtime
Versions:

Removes the first element from an array and returns that element. The remaining array elements are
moved from their original position, i, to i-1.

Returns

* — The first element (of any data type) in an
array.

See also

Array.pop()
Array.push()
Array.unshift()


The following code creates the Array object letters with elements a, b, and c. The shift() method is
then used to remove the first element (a) from letters and assign it to the string firstLetter.

var firstLetter:String = letters.shift();
trace(letters); // b,c
trace(firstLetter); // a

(
slice )
method
AS3 function slice(startIndex:int = 0, endIndex:int = 16777215):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Returns a new array that consists of a range of elements from the original array, without modifying the
original array. The returned array includes the startIndex element and all elements up to, but not
including, theendIndex element.

If you don't pass any parameters, a duplicate of the original array is created.

Parameters

startIndex:int (default = 0) — A number specifying the index of the starting point for the slice.
If startIndex is a negative number, the starting point begins at the end of the array, where -1 is the last element.

endIndex:int (default = 16777215) — A number specifying the index of the ending point for the slice. If you
omit this parameter, the slice includes all elements from the starting point to the end of the array. IfendIndex is a
negative number, the ending point is specified from the end of the array, where -1 is the last element.

Returns

Array — An array that consists of a range of elements from the original
array.


The following code creates an Array object letters with elements [a,b,c,d,e,f]. The
array someLetters is then created by calling the slice() method on elements one (b) through three
(d), resulting in an array with elements b and c.

var letters:Array = new Array("a", "b", "c", "d", "e", "f");
var someLetters:Array = letters.slice(1,3);

trace(letters); // a,b,c,d,e,f
trace(someLetters); // b,c

The following code creates an Array object letters with elements [a,b,c,d,e,f].The
array someLetters is then created by calling the slice() method on element two (c), resulting in an
array with elements[c,d,e,f].

var someLetters:Array = letters.slice(2);

trace(someLetters); // c,d,e,f

The following code creates an Array object letters with elements [a,b,c,d,e,f]. The
array someLetters is then created by calling the slice() method on the second to last element from
the end (e), resulting in an array with elements e and f.

var someLetters:Array = letters.slice(-2);

trace(someLetters); // e,f

(
some ) method
AS3 function some(callback:Function, thisObject:* = null):Boolean

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Executes a test function on each item in the array until an item is reached that returns true. Use this
method to determine whether any items in an array meet a criterion, such as having a value less than a
particular number.

Parameters

comparison (for example item < 20) or a more complex operation, and is invoked with three arguments; the value
of an item, the index of an item, and the Array object:

Returns

Boolean — A Boolean value of true if any items in the array return true for the specified function;
otherwise false.

See also

every()


The following example displays which values are undefined:
package {
public class Array_some extends Sprite {
public function Array_some() {
var arr:Array = new Array();
arr[0] = "one";
arr[1] = "two";
arr[3] = "four";
var isUndef:Boolean = arr.some(isUndefined);
if (isUndef) {
trace("array contains undefined values: " + arr);
} else {
trace("array contains no undefined values.");
}
}
private function isUndefined(element:*, index:int, arr:Array):Boolean {
return (element == undefined);
}
}
}

(
sort )method
AS3 function sort(... args):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Sorts the elements in an array. This method sorts according to Unicode values. (ASCII is a subset of
Unicode.)

By default, Array.sort() works in the following way:

• Sorting is case-sensitive (Z precedes a).
• Sorting is ascending (a precedes b).
• The array is modified to reflect the sort order; multiple elements that have identical sort
fields are placed consecutively in the sorted array in no particular order.
• All elements, regardless of data type, are sorted as if they were strings, so 100 precedes
99, because "1" is a lower string value than "9".

To sort an array by using settings that deviate from the default settings, you can either use one of the
sorting options described in the sortOptions portion of the ...args parameter description, or you can
create your own custom function to do the sorting. If you create a custom function, you call
the sort() method, and use the name of your custom function as the first argument
(compareFunction)

Parameters

... args — The arguments specifying a comparison function and one or more values that determine the behavior
of the sort.

This method uses the syntax and argument order Array.sort(compareFunction, sortOptions) with the
arguments defined as follows:

• compareFunction - A comparison function used to determine the sorting order of elements in an array.
This argument is optional. A comparison function should take two arguments to compare. Given the
elements A and B, the result of compareFunction can have a negative, 0, or positive value:
o A negative return value specifies that A appears before B in the sorted sequence.
o A return value of 0 specifies that A and B have the same sort order.
o A positive return value specifies that A appears after B in the sorted sequence.
• sortOptions - One or more numbers or defined constants, separated by the | (bitwise OR) operator, that
change the behavior of the sort from the default. This argument is optional. The following values are
acceptable for sortOptions:
o 1 or Array.CASEINSENSITIVE
o 2 or Array.DESCENDING
o 4 or Array.UNIQUESORT
o 8 or Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY
o 16 or Array.NUMERIC

For more information, see the Array.sortOn() method.

Returns

Array — The return value depends on whether you pass any arguments, as described in the following list:

• If you specify a value of 4 or Array.UNIQUESORT for the sortOptions argument of
the ...args parameter and two or more elements being sorted have identical sort fields, Flash returns
a value of 0 and does not modify the array.
• If you specify a value of 8 or Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY for the sortOptions argument of
the ...args parameter, Flash returns a sorted numeric array of the indices that reflects the results of
the sort and does not modify the array.

• Otherwise, Flash returns nothing and modifies the array to reflect the sort order.

See also

| (bitwise OR)
Array.sortOn()


The following code creates the Array object vegetables with elements [spinach, green pepper,
cilantro, onion, avocado]. The array is then sorted by the sort() method, which is called with no
parameters. The result is vegetables sorted in alphabetical order ([avocado, cilantro, green
pepper, onion, spinach]).

var vegetables:Array = new Array("spinach",
"green pepper",
"cilantro",
"onion",
"avocado");

trace(vegetables); // spinach,green pepper,cilantro,onion,avocado
vegetables.sort();
trace(vegetables); // avocado,cilantro,green pepper,onion,spinach

The following code creates the Array object vegetables with elements [spinach, green pepper,
Cilantro, Onion, and Avocado]. The array is then sorted by the sort() method, which is called with
no parameters the first time; the result is [Avocado,Cilantro,Onion,green pepper,spinach].
Then sort() is called on vegetables again with the CASEINSENSITIVE constant as a parameter. The
result isvegetables sorted in alphabetical order ([Avocado, Cilantro, green pepper, Onion,
spinach]).

"green pepper",
"Cilantro",
"Onion",

"Avocado");

vegetables.sort();
trace(vegetables); // Avocado,Cilantro,Onion,green pepper,spinach
vegetables.sort(Array.CASEINSENSITIVE);
trace(vegetables); // Avocado,Cilantro,green pepper,Onion,spinach

The following code creates the empty Array object vegetables, which is then populated through five
calls to push(). Each time push() is called, a new Vegetable object is created by a call to
the Vegetable()constructor, which accepts a String (name) and Number (price) object.
Calling push() five times with the values shown results in the following array: [lettuce:1.49,
spinach:1.89, asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29, squash:1.44]. The sort() method is then used to
sort the array, resulting in the array [asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29, lettuce:1.49,
spinach:1.89, squash:1.44].
var vegetables:Array = new Array();
vegetables.push(new Vegetable("lettuce", 1.49));
vegetables.push(new Vegetable("spinach", 1.89));
vegetables.push(new Vegetable("asparagus", 3.99));
vegetables.push(new Vegetable("celery", 1.29));
vegetables.push(new Vegetable("squash", 1.44));

trace(vegetables);
// lettuce:1.49, spinach:1.89, asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29, squash:1.44

vegetables.sort();

trace(vegetables);
// asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29, lettuce:1.49, spinach:1.89, squash:1.44

//The following code defines the Vegetable class
class Vegetable {
private var name:String;
private var price:Number;

public function Vegetable(name:String, price:Number) {
this.name = name;
this.price = price;
}

public function toString():String {
return " " + name + ":" + price;

}
}

The following example is exactly the same as the previous one, except that the sort() method is used
with a custom sort function (sortOnPrice), which sorts according to price instead of alphabetically. Note
that the new function getPrice() extracts the price.


trace(vegetables);

vegetables.sort(sortOnPrice);

trace(vegetables);
// celery:1.29, squash:1.44, lettuce:1.49, spinach:1.89, asparagus:3.99

function sortOnPrice(a:Vegetable, b:Vegetable):Number {
var aPrice:Number = a.getPrice();
var bPrice:Number = b.getPrice();

if(aPrice > bPrice) {
return 1;
} else if(aPrice < bPrice) {
return -1;
} else {
//aPrice == bPrice
return 0;
}
}

// The following code defines the Vegetable class and should be in a separate package.
class Vegetable {
private var name:String;
private var price:Number;

this.name = name;
this.price = price;
}

public function getPrice():Number {
return price;
}

}
}

The following code creates the Array object numbers with elements [3,5,100,34,10]. A call
to sort() without any parameters sorts alphabetically, producing the undesired
result [10,100,3,34,5]. To properly sort numeric values, you must pass the constant NUMERIC to
the sort() method, which sorts numbers as follows: [3,5,10,34,100].

Note: The default behavior of the sort() function is to handle each entity as a string.
The Array.NUMERIC argument does not actually convert other data types to the Number data type; it
simply allows the sort algorithm to recognize numbers.

var numbers:Array = new Array(3,5,100,34,10);

trace(numbers); // 3,5,100,34,10
numbers.sort();
trace(numbers); // 10,100,3,34,5
numbers.sort(Array.NUMERIC);
trace(numbers); // 3,5,10,34,100

sortO (
n ) method
AS3 function sortOn(fieldName:Object, options:Object = null):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Sorts the elements in an array according to one or more fields in the array. The array should have the
following characteristics:

• The array is an indexed array, not an associative array.
• Each element of the array holds an object with one or more properties.
• All of the objects have at least one property in common, the values of which can be used
to sort the array. Such a property is called a field.

If you pass multiple fieldName parameters, the first field represents the primary sort field, the second
represents the next sort field, and so on. Flash sorts according to Unicode values. (ASCII is a subset of
Unicode.) If either of the elements being compared does not contain the field that is specified in
the fieldName parameter, the field is assumed to be set to undefined, and the elements are placed
consecutively in the sorted array in no particular order.

By default, Array.sortOn() works in the following way:

• Sorting is case-sensitive (Z precedes a).
• Sorting is ascending (a precedes b).
• The array is modified to reflect the sort order; multiple elements that have identical sort
fields are placed consecutively in the sorted array in no particular order.
• Numeric fields are sorted as if they were strings, so 100 precedes 99, because "1" is a
lower string value than "9".

Flash Player 7 added the options parameter, which you can use to override the default sort behavior. To
sort a simple array (for example, an array with only one field), or to specify a sort order that
the options parameter doesn't support, use Array.sort().

To pass multiple flags, separate them with the bitwise OR (|) operator:

my_array.sortOn(someFieldName, Array.DESCENDING | Array.NUMERIC);

Flash Player 8 added the ability to specify a different sorting option for each field when you sort by more
than one field. In Flash Player 8 and later, the options parameter accepts an array of sort options such
that each sort option corresponds to a sort field in the fieldName parameter. The following example
sorts the primary sort field, a, using a descending sort; the secondary sort field, b, using a numeric sort;
and the tertiary sort field, c, using a case-insensitive sort:

Array.sortOn (["a", "b", "c"], [Array.DESCENDING, Array.NUMERIC,
Array.CASEINSENSITIVE]);

Note: The fieldName and options arrays must have the same number of elements; otherwise,
the options array is ignored. Also, the Array.UNIQUESORT and Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY options
can be used only as the first element in the array; otherwise, they are ignored.

Parameters

fieldName:Object — A string that identifies a field to be used as the sort value, or an array in which the first
element represents the primary sort field, the second represents the secondary sort field, and so on.

options:Object (default = null) — One or more numbers or names of defined constants, separated by
the bitwise OR (|) operator, that change the sorting behavior. The following values are acceptable for
theoptions parameter:

• Array.CASEINSENSITIVE or 1
• Array.DESCENDING or 2
• Array.UNIQUESORT or 4
• Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY or 8

• Array.NUMERIC or 16
Returns

Array — The return value depends on whether you pass any parameters:

• If you specify a value of 4 or Array.UNIQUESORT for the options parameter, and two or more
elements being sorted have identical sort fields, a value of 0 is returned and the array is not modified.
• If you specify a value of 8 or Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY for the options parameter, an array is
returned that reflects the results of the sort and the array is not modified.

• Otherwise, nothing is returned and the array is modified to reflect the sort order.

See also

| (bitwise OR)
Array.sort()


The following code creates an empty Array object vegetables and the array is then populated using five
calls to push(). Each time push() is called, a new Vegetable object is created by calling
the Vegetable()constructor, which accepts a String (name) and Number (price) object.
Calling push() five times with the values shown results in the following array: [lettuce:1.49,
spinach:1.89, asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29, squash:1.44]. The sortOn() method is then used
with the name parameter to produce the following array: [asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29,
lettuce:1.49, spinach:1.89, squash:1.44]. ThesortOn() method is then called again with the
price parameter, and the NUMERIC and DESCENDING constants to produce an array sorted by numbers
in descending order: [asparagus:3.99, spinach:1.89, lettuce:1.49, squash:1.44,
celery:1.29].


trace(vegetables);

vegetables.sortOn("name");
trace(vegetables);

// asparagus:3.99, celery:1.29, lettuce:1.49, spinach:1.89, squash:1.44

vegetables.sortOn("price", Array.NUMERIC | Array.DESCENDING);
trace(vegetables);
// asparagus:3.99, spinach:1.89, lettuce:1.49, squash:1.44, celery:1.29

class Vegetable {
public var name:String;
public var price:Number;

this.name = name;
this.price = price;
}

}
}

The following code creates an empty Array object records and the array is then populated using three
calls to push(). Each time push() is called, the strings name and city and a zip number are added
to records. Three for loops are used to print the array elements. The first for loop prints the elements
in the order in which they were added. The second for loop is run after records has been sorted by
name and then city using the sortOn() method. The third for loop produces different output
because records is re-sorted by city then by name.

var records:Array = new Array();
records.push({name:"john", city:"omaha", zip:68144});
records.push({name:"john", city:"kansas city", zip:72345});
records.push({name:"bob", city:"omaha", zip:94010});

for(var i:uint = 0; i < records.length; i++) {
trace(records[i].name + ", " + records[i].city);
}
// Results:
// john, omaha
// john, kansas city
// bob, omaha

trace("records.sortOn('name', 'city');");
records.sortOn(["name", "city"]);
}
// Results:
// bob, omaha
// john, omaha

trace("records.sortOn('city', 'name');");
records.sortOn(["city", "name"]);
}
// Results:
// bob, omaha
// john, omaha

The following code creates an empty Array object users and the array is then populated using four calls
to push(). Each time push() is called, a User object is created with the User() constructor and
a name string and age uint are added to users. The resulting array set
is [Bob:3,barb:35,abcd:3,catchy:4].

The array is then sorted in the following ways:

1. By name only, producing the array [Bob:3,abcd:3,barb:35,catchy:4]
2. By name and using the CASEINSENSITIVE constant, producing the
array [abcd:3,barb:35,Bob:3,catchy:4]
3. By name and using the CASEINSENSITIVE and DESCENDING constants, producing the
array [catchy:4,Bob:3,barb:35,abcd:3]
4. By age only, producing the array [abcd:3,Bob:3,barb:35,catchy:4]
5. By age and using the NUMERIC constant, producing the
array [Bob:3,abcd:3,catchy:4,barb:35]
6. By age and using the DESCENDING and NUMERIC constants, producing the
array [barb:35,catchy:4,Bob:3,abcd:3]

An array called indices is then created and assigned the results of a sort by age and using
the NUMERIC and RETURNINDEXEDARRAY constants, resulting in the
array [Bob:3,abcd:3,catchy:4,barb:35], which is then printed out using a for loop.

class User {
public var name:String;
public var age:Number;
public function User(name:String, age:uint) {
this.name = name;
this.age = age;
}

return this.name + ":" + this.age;
}
}

var users:Array = new Array();
users.push(new User("Bob", 3));
users.push(new User("barb", 35));
users.push(new User("abcd", 3));
users.push(new User("catchy", 4));

trace(users); // Bob:3,barb:35,abcd:3,catchy:4

users.sortOn("name");
trace(users); // Bob:3,abcd:3,barb:35,catchy:4

users.sortOn("name", Array.CASEINSENSITIVE);
trace(users); // abcd:3,barb:35,Bob:3,catchy:4

users.sortOn("name", Array.CASEINSENSITIVE | Array.DESCENDING);
trace(users); // catchy:4,Bob:3,barb:35,abcd:3

users.sortOn("age");
trace(users); // abcd:3,Bob:3,barb:35,catchy:4

users.sortOn("age", Array.NUMERIC);
trace(users); // Bob:3,abcd:3,catchy:4,barb:35

users.sortOn("age", Array.DESCENDING | Array.NUMERIC);
trace(users); // barb:35,catchy:4,Bob:3,abcd:3

var indices:Array = users.sortOn("age", Array.NUMERIC | Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY);
var index:uint;
for(var i:uint = 0; i < indices.length; i++) {
index = indices[i];
trace(users[index].name, ": " + users[index].age);
}

// Results:
// Bob : 3
// abcd : 3
// catchy : 4
// barb : 35

(
splice )
method
AS3 function splice(startIndex:int, deleteCount:uint, ... values):Array

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Adds elements to and removes elements from an array. This method modifies the array without making a
copy.

Note: To override this method in a subclass of Array, use ...args for the parameters, as this example
shows:

public override function splice(...args) {
// your statements here
}

Parameters

startIndex:int — An integer that specifies the index of the element in the array where the insertion or
deletion begins. You can use a negative integer to specify a position relative to the end of the array (for example, -1
is the last element of the array).

deleteCount:uint — An integer that specifies the number of elements to be deleted. This number includes the
element specified in the startIndex parameter. If you do not specify a value for the deleteCountparameter, the
method deletes all of the values from the startIndex element to the last element in the array. If the value is 0, no
elements are deleted.

... values — An optional list of one or more comma-separated values to insert into the array at the position
specified in the startIndex parameter. If an inserted value is of type Array, the array is kept intact and inserted as
a single element. For example, if you splice an existing array of length three with another array of length three, the
resulting array will have only four elements. One of the elements, however, will be an array of length three.
Returns

Array — An array containing the elements that were removed from the original
array.


The following code creates the Array object vegetables with the elements [spinach, green pepper,
cilantro, onion, avocado]. The splice() method is then called with the parameters 2 and 2, which
assigns cilantro and onion to the spliced array. The vegetables array then
contains [spinach,green pepper,avocado]. The splice() method is called a second time using the
parameters 1, 0, and thespliced array to assign [cilantro,onion] as the second element
in vegetables.

"green pepper",
"cilantro",
"onion",
"avocado");

var spliced:Array = vegetables.splice(2, 2);
trace(vegetables); // spinach,green pepper,avocado
trace(spliced); // cilantro,onion

vegetables.splice(1, 0, spliced);
trace(vegetables); // spinach,cilantro,onion,green pepper,avocado

Notice that cilantro and onion trace out as if vegetables has 5 elements, even though it actually has
four (and the second element is another array containing two elements). To
add cilantro and onionindividually, you would use:

"green pepper",
"cilantro",
"onion",
"avocado");

var spliced:Array = vegetables.splice(2, 2);
trace(vegetables); // spinach,green pepper,avocado
trace(spliced); // cilantro,onion

vegetables.splice(1, 0, "cilantro", "onion");
trace(vegetables); // spinach,cilantro,onion,green pepper,avocado

(
toLocaleString )method
public function toLocaleString():String

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Returns a string that represents the elements in the specified array. Every element in the array, starting
with index 0 and ending with the highest index, is converted to a concatenated string and separated by
commas. In the ActionScript 3.0 implementation, this method returns the same value as
the Array.toString() method.

Returns

String — A string of array
elements.

See also

Array.toString()

toStrin (
g ) method
public function toString():String

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Returns a string that represents the elements in the specified array. Every element in the array, starting
with index 0 and ending with the highest index, is converted to a concatenated string and separated by
commas. To specify a custom separator, use the Array.join() method.

Returns

String — A string of array
elements.

See also

String.split()
Array.join()


The following code creates an Array, converts the values to strings, and stores them in
the vegnums variable of the String data type.

vegetables.push(1);
vegetables.push(2);
vegetables.push(3);
vegetables.push(4);
vegetables.push(5);
var vegnums:String = vegetables.toString();
trace(vegnums+",6");
// 1,2,3,4,5,6

(
unshift )method
AS3 function unshift(... args):uint

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Adds one or more elements to the beginning of an array and returns the new length of the array. The
other elements in the array are moved from their original position, i, to i+1.

Parameters

... args — One or more numbers, elements, or variables to be inserted at the beginning of the
array.
Returns

uint — An integer representing the new length of the
array.

See also

Array.pop()
Array.push()
Array.shift()


The following code creates the empty Array object names. The strings Bill and Jeff are added by
the push() method, and then the strings Alfred and Kyle are added to the beginning of names by two
calls to theunshift() method.

var names:Array = new Array();
names.push("Bill");
names.push("Jeff");

trace(names); // Bill,Jeff

names.unshift("Alfred");
names.unshift("Kyle");

trace(names); // Kyle,Alfred,Bill,Jeff

Constant Detail

CASEINSENSITIVE Constant
public static const CASEINSENSITIVE:uint = 1

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Specifies case-insensitive sorting for the Array class sorting methods. You can use this constant for
the options parameter in the sort() or sortOn() method.

The value of this constant is 1.

See also

Array.sort()
Array.sortOn()

DESCENDING Constant
public static const DESCENDING:uint = 2

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Specifies descending sorting for the Array class sorting methods. You can use this constant for
the options parameter in the sort() or sortOn() method.


See also

Array.sort()
Array.sortOn()

NUMERIC Constant
public static const NUMERIC:uint = 16

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime Flash Player 9, AIR 1.0

Versions:

Specifies numeric (instead of character-string) sorting for the Array class sorting methods. Including this
constant in the options parameter causes the sort() and sortOn() methods to sort numbers as
numeric values, not as strings of numeric characters. Without the NUMERIC constant, sorting treats each
array element as a character string and produces the results in Unicode order.

For example, given the array of values [2005, 7, 35], if the NUMERIC constant is not included in
the options parameter, the sorted array is [2005, 35, 7], but if the NUMERIC constant is included, the
sorted array is [7, 35, 2005].

This constant applies only to numbers in the array; it does not apply to strings that contain numeric data
such as ["23", "5"].


See also

Array.sort()
Array.sortOn()

RETURNINDEXEDARRAY Constant
public static const RETURNINDEXEDARRAY:uint = 8

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Specifies that a sort returns an array that consists of array indices. You can use this constant for
the options parameter in the sort() or sortOn() method, so you have access to multiple views of the
array elements while the original array is unmodified.


See also

Array.sort()
Array.sortOn()

UNIQUESORT Constant
public static const UNIQUESORT:uint = 4

Language
ActionScript 3.0
Version:
Runtime
Versions:

Specifies the unique sorting requirement for the Array class sorting methods. You can use this constant
for the options parameter in the sort() or sortOn() method. The unique sorting option terminates the
sort if any two elements or fields being sorted have identical values.


See also

Array.sort()
Array.sortOn()

Examples ( How to use this example )
ArrayExample.as

The following example creates a new Array object myArr with no arguments and an initial length of 0:
package {

public class ArrayExample extends Sprite {
public function ArrayExample() {
var myArr:Array = new Array();
}
}
}

© 2009 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Sat Oct 3 2009, 04:15 AM -07:00

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