JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition

Name

Array.splice( ): insert, remove, or replace array elements — ECMAScript v3

Synopsis

array.splice(start, deleteCount, value, ...)

Arguments

start

The array element at which the insertion and/or deletion is to begin.

deleteCount

The number of elements, starting with and including start, to be deleted from array. Specify 0 to insert elements without deleting any.

value, ...

Zero or more values to be inserted into array, beginning at the index specified by start.

Returns

An array containing the elements, if any, deleted from array.

Description

splice( ) deletes zero or more array elements starting with and including the element start and replaces them with zero or more values specified in the argument list. Array elements that appear after the insertion or deletion are moved as necessary so that they remain contiguous with the rest of the array. Note that, unlike the similarly named slice( ), splice( ) modifies array directly.

Example

The operation of splice( ) is most easily understood through an example:

var a = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
a.splice(1,2);      // Returns [2,3]; a is [1,4]
a.splice(1,1);      // Returns [4]; a is [1]
a.splice(1,0,2,3);  // Returns []; a is [1 2 3]

See Also

Array.slice( )