How To Zip Two Arrays In Javascript

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In programming, “zipping” refers to the process of combining two or more arrays in such a way that their corresponding elements form pairs or tuples. In this blog post, we will explore how to zip two arrays in JavaScript using different approaches.

Using a for Loop

One of the most straightforward ways to zip two arrays in JavaScript is to use a for loop. Let’s consider the following two arrays:

const array1 = [1, 2, 3];
const array2 = ['a', 'b', 'c'];

Now, let’s zip these arrays using a for loop:

function zipArrays(array1, array2) {
  const zippedArray = [];
  
  for (let i = 0; i < array1.length; i++) {
    zippedArray.push([array1[i], array2[i]]);
  }
  
  return zippedArray;
}

const zippedArray = zipArrays(array1, array2);
console.log(zippedArray);

This code will output the following zipped array:

[[1, 'a'], [2, 'b'], [3, 'c']]

Using map() Function

Another more functional approach is to use the map() function. The map() function creates a new array by applying a given function to every element of an existing array.

Let’s reuse our previous example:

const array1 = [1, 2, 3];
const array2 = ['a', 'b', 'c'];

Now, let’s zip these arrays using the map() function:

function zipArrays(array1, array2) {
  return array1.map((value, index) => [value, array2[index]]);
}

const zippedArray = zipArrays(array1, array2);
console.log(zippedArray);

This code will also output the following zipped array:

[[1, 'a'], [2, 'b'], [3, 'c']]

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have learned two different ways to zip two arrays in JavaScript: using a for loop and using the map() function. Both methods provide the same result, and the choice between them depends on your preferences and coding style. Happy coding!