WEEK 4: Array Methods and Iterators
(January 27 & January 29)

To Do This Week:

CodeAcademy: Complete the following lessons (not the projects) from the Learn JavaScript module:

  1. “Iterators”
  2. “Objects”

Read (Optional): Chapters from Eloquent JavaScript:

Interactive Website (Due Feb 5)

Module Notes

Hangman Game

  • Extension until Friday January 31
  • Add you natural language steps using Javascript terms, as best you can
  • Comment out your list inside <script> and before your JavaScript 
  • Read carefully the script and try to understand each step. If you don’t understand a part of the script, go back to the same chat and ask for an explanation

Hangman Examples:

 

 

Review JS Terms -m use them in your steps:

  • Variables: Declare and initialize variables. Use let for values that can change and const for constants.
  • Strings: Text treated as literal strings, enclosed in quotes.
  • Increment/Decrement: Use i++ or i-- to increment or decrement a variable.
  • Comparison Operators: Use >, <, &&, and || to compare values.
  • Conditionals: Use if, else if, and else for conditional logic.
  • Arrays: Store lists of items that can be accessed by index.
  • Functions: Encapsulate reusable logic with or without parameters.
  • Scope: Understand the difference between global and local variables.
  • For Loops: Perform repetitive tasks efficiently.

 

Arrays: Storage and Manipulation

Many of your projects used Arrays to store words for the game. As well as variables for the amount of guessed letters. To manipulate the words – ie. select a random word and hide the letters, etc, draws on Array Methods. There are a lot of them! Here are some common ones:

  • join(): Combines guessed letters or the current game word into a readable string (guessedWord.join(" ") for display).

    const guessedWord = ['h', '_', 'l', '_', 'o']; // Current guessed letters
    const displayWord = guessedWord.join(" "); // Combine with spaces
    console.log(displayWord); // Output: "h _ l _ o"
  • split(): Converts strings into arrays for easier iteration or manipulation (e.g., splitting selectedWord for checking letters).

    const selectedWord = "hello";
    const lettersArray = selectedWord.split(""); // Split into individual letters
    console.log(lettersArray); // Output: ["h", "e", "l", "l", "o"]     
  • fill(): Used to initialize arrays with placeholder values like underscores (Array(selectedWord.length).fill('_')).
  • forEach(): Used to iterate over arrays when you want to perform an action on each element without creating a new array.
    const guessedWord = ['h', '_', 'l', '_', 'o'];
    const displayWord = []; // Empty array to store the transformed elements
    guessedWord.forEach(function(char) {
       if (char === '_') {
       displayWord.push('_');
    } else {
       displayWord.push(char.toUpperCase());
    }
    });
    console.log(displayWord.join(" ")); // Output: "H _ L _ O"
  • map(): Applied to transform arrays for display purposes, such as converting _ to readable underscores with spaces.

    const guessedWord = ['h', '_', 'l', '_', 'o'];
    const displayWord = guessedWord.map(char => (char === '_' ? '_' : char.toUpperCase()));
    console.log(displayWord.join(" ")); // Output: "H _ L _ O"
  • Indexing: Arrays are accessed and updated to track guessed letters or hangman part visibility.

    const guessedWord = ['_', '_', '_', '_', '_']; // Initially blank
    guessedWord[1] = 'e'; // Correct guess for the second letter
    guessedWord[3] = 'l'; // Correct guess for the fourth letter
    console.log(guessedWord); // Output: ["_", "e", "_", "l", "_"]

Functions: Modular Game Features

Functions are heavily used to modularize tasks such as initializing the game, updating the word display, checking guesses, and managing the game state.

  • Helper Functions: Small, single-purpose functions like updateWordDisplay() or revealHangmanPart().
  • Event Handlers: Handle user interaction with buttons, such as letter clicks or resetting the game.
  • Game Logic: Core functions like checkGameStatus() to handle win/loss conditions.

Game Initialization:

function startGame() {
   selectedWord = words[Math.floor(Math.random() * words.length)];
   guessedWord = Array(selectedWord.length).fill('_');
   incorrectGuesses = 0;
   displayWord();
   displayLetters();
}

Word Display Update:

function displayWord() {
   wordDisplay.textContent = guessedWord.join(" ");
}

 

DOM Manipulation

The scripts rely heavily on DOM methods to update the UI dynamically based on game state.

  • createElement and appendChild: Generate letter buttons dynamically.
  • Traversing elements: document.querySelector(), document.querySelectorAll()
  • querySelectorAll: Select hangman parts or buttons for batch updates (e.g., disabling after a loss).
  • addEventListener: Attach click handlers for user interactions.

In-class Exercise:

Quick Review: Change Background Color
Background Change Do While

  • variables
  • click > function
  • conditional
  • increment
  • loop

forEach() Demo

Student Pairings

“What Thing Are You?” Quiz

Build a “What Thing Are You?” personality quiz that uses input and conditionals to display a fun result. Students expand the quiz with arrays and add personalized styling.

In class with a partner, describe in detail Quiz using “natural language” in ChatGPT to output the JavaScript based on your specific steps. Specify ES6, but no arrow functions….

Quiz Examples

Main Concepts: Variables, data types, conditionals, logical operators, user input, and basic JavaScript functions.

Prompt Templates 

Prompt for Beginner Students

“I am a beginner learning JavaScript and need help thinking through a problem step-by-step before writing any code. Here’s the problem I want to solve:

[Describe your problem in your own words]

Can you help me break down this problem into clear, plain-language steps? I’ll start by outlining my ideas using everyday language and any JavaScript terms I know. Please review my outline, correct any logical errors, and help me use the right terminology. Once my steps are in order, guide me through translating them into JavaScript code—with clear comments explaining each part. Please use ES6 syntax but avoid arrow functions, ternary operators, and advanced array methods.”

Prompt for Intermediate Students

“I have some programming experience and want to practice solving a problem. I’ll describe the problem and outline the steps I believe are needed:

[Outline your problem and your steps here]

Can you give me feedback on my outline and suggest any improvements or corrections? After that, I’d like to write the JavaScript code for each step and get your feedback along the way. Please help me if I get stuck or make mistakes. Use ES6 syntax but avoid arrow functions, ternary operators, and advanced array methods, and add comments to explain the main steps in the script.”

Prompt for Advanced Students

“I am familiar with JavaScript and want to further improve my problem-solving skills. I’ll begin by describing the problem and outlining the steps I plan to take:

[Outline your problem and your steps here]

Can you review my outline and suggest any improvements? Once the outline is solid, I’ll write the complete JavaScript script for the problem. Please provide feedback on my code and suggest corrections as needed. Use ES6 syntax but avoid arrow functions, ternary operators, and advanced array methods. I’d like my code to be clear, efficient, and well-documented with comments explaining the main steps to ensure my understanding.”

Review JavaScript and the DOM:

Traversing // get to elements on the page

  • document.querySelector('#bio")
  • document.querySelectorAll(".stanza")

Math Methods:

  • Math.random() // returns a random number from 0 (inclusive) up to but not including 1
  • Math.round() // rounds a number to the nearest integer
  • Math.floor() // rounds a number DOWN to the nearest integer
  • Math.max() // returns the number with the highest value
  • Math.min() // returns the number with the lowest valu

String Methods:

  • charAt() // returns the character at a specified index
  • concat() // joins two or more strings
  • includes() // checks if a string contains a specified value, returns true or false
  • indexOf() // returns the index of the first occurrence of a specified value
  • lastIndexOf() // returns the index of the last occurrence of a specified value
  • replace() // replaces specified value(s) with another value in a string
  • slice() // extracts a section of a string and returns it as a new string
  • split() // splits a string into an array of substrings
  • startsWith() // checks if a string begins with specified characters, returns true or false
  • endsWith() // checks if a string ends with specified characters, returns true or false
  • toLowerCase() // converts the entire string to lowercase
  • toUpperCase() // converts the entire string to uppercase
  • trim() // removes whitespace from both ends of a string
  • substring() // returns the part of the string between the start and end indexes
  • repeat() // repeats a string for a specified number of times

Array Methods:

  • pop() // remove the last element of an array
  • push() // add a new item to an array
  • shift() // remove the first item of an array
  • unshift() // add new items to the beginning of an array
  • splice() // adds/removes items to/from an array, and returns the removed item(s)
  • sort(), reverse() // the sort() method sorts an array alphabetically; for numbers, it sorts ascending/descending. reverse() reverses the order of elements
  • slice() // returns the selected elements in an array as a new array object
  • join() // method returns an array as a string and does not change the original array
  • map() // creates a new array by applying a function to each element of the original array
  • forEach() // executes a provided function once for each array element, but does not return a new array

Switch vs Conditionals


// Example using switch
let day = 3;

switch (day) {
 case 1:
  console.log("Monday");
  break;
 case 2:
  console.log("Tuesday");
  break;
 case 3:
  console.log("Wednesday");
  break;
 default:
  console.log("Other day");
}

// Example using else if
let day = 3;

if (day === 1) {
  console.log("Monday");
} else if (day === 2) {
  console.log("Tuesday");
} else if (day === 3) {
c  onsole.log("Wednesday");
} else {
  console.log("Other day");
}