[SOLVED] Find missing element by comparing 2 arrays in Javascript

Find missing element by comparing 2 arrays in Javascript

For some reason I'm having some serious difficulty wrapping my mind around this problem. I need this JS function that accepts 2 arrays, compares the 2, and then returns a string of the missing element. E.g. Find the element that is missing in the currentArray that was there in the previous array.

function findDeselectedItem(CurrentArray, PreviousArray){

var CurrentArrSize = CurrentArray.length;
var PrevousArrSize = PreviousArray.length;

// Then my brain gives up on me...
// I assume you have to use for-loops, but how do you compare them??

return missingElement;

}

Thank in advance! I'm not asking for code, but even just a push in the right direction or a hint might help...

Solution

This should work. You should also consider the case where the elements of the arrays are actually arrays too. The indexOf might not work as expected then.

function findDeselectedItem(CurrentArray, PreviousArray) {

   var CurrentArrSize = CurrentArray.length;
   var PreviousArrSize = PreviousArray.length;

   // loop through previous array
   for(var j = 0; j < PreviousArrSize; j++) {

      // look for same thing in new array
      if (CurrentArray.indexOf(PreviousArray[j]) == -1)
         return PreviousArray[j];

   }

   return null;

}