Shift Method

Shift Method

The shift method removes the first item from the array and returns its value. This method is useful for removing and accessing the first element in the array.

How It Works

1. Initialization: Create an instance of the MyArray class.
2. Adding Elements: Use the push method to add elements.
3. Removing the First Element: Call the shift method to remove the first element from the array.

note

Using the shift method, the remaining elements are reindexed to maintain the array structure.

Implementation Logic

The shift method retrieves the first element and then shifts all subsequent elements one position to the left. It deletes the last element and decrements the array length.

Code Example

class MyArray {
  constructor() {
    this.length = 0;
    this.data = {};
  }

  /**
   * Removes the first element from the array and returns it.
   * Shifts all other elements to the left.
   * @returns {*} - The removed element.
   */
  shift() {
    const firstElement = this.data[0];
    for (let i = 0; i < this.length - 1; i++) {
      this.data[i] = this.data[i + 1];
    }
    delete this.data[this.length - 1];
    this.length--;
    return firstElement;
  }
}

const myArray = new MyArray();
myArray.push("apple"); // Adding "apple" to the array
myArray.push("banana"); // Adding "banana" to the array
console.log(myArray.shift()); // Removing and displaying the first element
console.log(myArray); // Displaying the array's contents

Output

"apple"
MyArray { length: 1, data: { '0': 'banana' } }