.slice()

The .slice() method in JavaScript returns a partial copy of an array, otherwise known as a shallow copy, without altering the original array.

A shallow copy can be imagined as a photo of the original array. This photo (the new array) looks exactly like the original, but it’s a separate entity.

Syntax

array.slice(start, end);

• array: The name of the array to be sliced.
• start (optional): The index at which the method will begin copying. If omitted, the process of copying elements starts with the array’s first element.
• end (optional): The index before which the method will stop copying. The element located at this index is not copied to the new array.

Example

With Two Arguments

In the following example, the .slice() method creates a new array containing elements from index 1 to index 3 in the original array:

const weekDays = [
  'Monday',
  'Tuesday',
  'Wednesday',
  'Thursday',
  'Friday',
  'Saturday',
  'Sunday',
];

const outOutOffice = weekDays.slice(1, 4);

console.log(outOutOffice);

The above example produces the following output:

[ 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', 'Thursday' ]

With One Argument

In the next example, the method creates a new array containing all the elements from index 4 to the end of the original array:

const weekDays = [
  'Monday',
  'Tuesday',
  'Wednesday',
  'Thursday',
  'Friday',
  'Saturday',
  'Sunday',
];

const weekend = weekDays.slice(4);

console.log(weekend);

Here is the output for the above example:

[ 'Friday', 'Saturday', 'Sunday' ]

Without Arguments

Using .slice() without any arguments creates a complete copy of the original array. This is particularly useful when there is a need to work with a full array but also ensure that the original array remains unchanged. Since this operation creates a shallow copy, any changes to non-primitive elements (like objects or arrays) will reflect in both the original and the copied array:

const originalArray = ['Monday', 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', 'Thursday', 'Friday'];

const copyOfArray = originalArray.slice();

console.log(copyOfArray);

The above example gives the following output:

[ 'Monday', 'Tuesday', 'Wednesday', 'Thursday', 'Friday' ]

Using Negative Arguments

The .slice() method also accepts negative indices as arguments. A negative index is treated as an offset from the end of the array.

For example, -1 refers to the last element of the array, -2 to the second last, and so on. This feature is particularly useful for selecting elements from the end of an array without needing to calculate their absolute positions:

const weekDays = [
  'Monday',
  'Tuesday',
  'Wednesday',
  'Thursday',
  'Friday',
  'Saturday',
  'Sunday',
];

// Using negative indices to select the weekend days
const weekend = weekDays.slice(-2);

console.log(weekend);

const fruits = [
  'Apple',
  'Banana',
  'Cherry',
  'Date',
  'Elderberry',
  'Fig',
  'Grape',
];

const selectedFruits = fruits.slice(-3, -1);

console.log(selectedFruits);

Following is the output for the above example:

[ 'Saturday', 'Sunday' ]
[ 'Elderberry', 'Fig' ]

Codebyte Example

Here is a codebyte example for the .slice() method:

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