Table of contents
Summary
Removes the first element from an array and returns that element. This method changes the length of the array.
Method of Array | |
|---|---|
| Implemented in | JavaScript 1.2 |
| ECMAScript Edition | ECMAScript 3rd Edition |
Syntax
array.shift()
Description
The shift method removes the element at the zeroeth index and shifts the values at consecutive indexes down, then returns the removed value.
shift is intentionally generic; this method can be called or applied to objects resembling arrays. Objects which do not contain a length property reflecting the last in a series of consecutive, zero-based numerical properties may not behave in any meaningful manner.
Examples
Example: Removing an element from an array
The following code displays the myFish array before and after removing its first element. It also displays the removed element:
// assumes a println function is defined
var myFish = ["angel", "clown", "mandarin", "surgeon"];
println("myFish before: " + myFish);
var shifted = myFish.shift();
println("myFish after: " + myFish);
println("Removed this element: " + shifted);
This example displays the following:
myFish before: angel,clown,mandarin,surgeon myFish after: clown,mandarin,surgeon Removed this element: angel
