What Is A JavaScript Array?

I'm trying to understand what a JavaScript array is because traditional programming languages define an array as a contiguous area of storage that can be addressed using an offset.

Solution 1:

A JavaScript array is a hash object with array functions attached using Array.prototype. Put simply, this is an "Array" in JavaScript:

var x = {
    length : 3,
    '0'    : 'first',
    '1'    : 'second',
    '2'    : 'third'
};
x.__proto__ = Array.prototype;

All of the array functions only act on indexes, as you would expect, however you can also do anything to an array object that you would do to a general JS object:

ary.foo = 'bar';

Solution 2:

To a basic yes or no question: Yes all of what you said is true.

Here is a whole array tutorial

Solution 3:

a good read ( that got me going at start ) Mastering Javascript Arrays

Solution 4:

Any JavaScript array is an object that can use different objects* as keys, making it a hash.

*all objects different from strings will be converted to string [object Object], so they will act as the same key! (thanks to cwolves :)

Solution 5:

Javascript objects are associative arrays. Javascript has an Object called Array that has special methods for dealing with their data.