javascriptarrays

How do I know an array contains all zero(0) in Javascript


I have an array. I need to generate an alert if all the array items are 0. For example,

if myArray = [0,0,0,0];
then alert('all zero');
else
alert('all are not zero');

Thanks.


Solution

  • You can use either Array.prototype.every or Array.prototype.some.

    Array.prototype.every

    With every, you are going to check every array position and check it to be zero:

    const arr = [0,0,0,0];
    const isAllZero = arr.every(item => item === 0);
    

    This has the advantage of being very clear and easy to understand, but it needs to iterate over the whole array to return the result.

    Array.prototype.some

    If, instead, we inverse the question, and we ask "does this array contain anything different than zero?" then we can use some:

    const arr = [0,0,0,0];
    const someIsNotZero = arr.some(item => item !== 0);
    const isAllZero = !someIsNotZero; // <= this is your result
    

    This has the advantage of not needing to check the whole array, since, as soon it finds a non-zero value, it will instantly return the result.

    for loop

    If you don't have access to modern JavaScript, you can use a for loop:

    var isAllZero = true;
    
    for(i = 0; i < myArray.length; ++i) {
      if(myArray[i] !== 0) {
        isAllZero = false;
        break;
      }
    }
    
    // `isAllZero` contains your result
    

    RegExp

    If you want a non-loop solution, based on the not-working one of @epascarello:

    var arr  = [0,0,0,"",0],
        arrj = arr.join('');
    if((/[^0]/).exec(arrj) || arr.length != arrj.length){
        alert('all are not zero');
    } else {
        alert('all zero');
    }
    

    This will return "all zero" if the array contains only 0