What is the purpose of the Array.slice() method?

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The Array.prototype.slice() method allows you to create a shallow copy of a portion of an array, while preserving the original data. In other words, it extracts a subset of elements from an existing array and returns a new array with the desired data.

Syntax

Array.slice(startIndex, [endIndex]);

Example Use Cases

1. Extracting a subset of elements from an array:

let originalArray = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

// Create a new array by slicing originalArray
// from index 1 to 3 (not inclusive)
let slicedArr = originalArray.slice(1, 3);

// Log the original and sliced array
// - Output: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] (unchanged)
console.log(originalArray); 
// - Output: [2, 3]
console.log(slicedArr); 

2. Creating a copy of an array:

let originalArray = [
  "Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"
];

// Creates a shallow copy of the
// original array
let newArray = arr.slice(); 

// Adding an element to the original
// array doesn't affect the copied array
originalArray.push("Orange");

// Log the original and sliced array
// - [ 'Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry', 'Orange' ]
console.log(originalArray); 
// - [ 'Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry' ]
console.log(newArray);

Purpose

The primary purpose of Array.prototype.slice() is to:

1. Extract specific parts: Get a subset of elements from a larger array based on a specified start and end index.
2. Create a copy: Return a new array object that contains only the selected elements, without modifying the original array.
3. Preserve data integrity: Ensure that the extracted elements are not affected by any subsequent modifications to the original array.

In summary, the Array.prototype.slice() method provides a convenient way to extract specific parts of an array while preserving its integrity and creating a new copy.