Functional Programming: Using the map Method to Extract Data from an Array
Tags: javascript, devops, beginners, programming
Published: 2021-06-23 16:27:29

* Let's start with some simple array functions, which are methods on the array object prototype. In this post we are looking at `Array.prototype.map()`, or more simply `map`.

* The `map` method iterates over each item in an array and returns a new array containing the results of calling the callback function on each element. It does this without mutating the original array.

* When the callback is used, it is passed three arguments. The first argument is the current element being processed. The second is the index of that element and the third is the array upon which the map method was called.

* Below is an example using the map method on the users array to return a new array containing only the names of the users as elements. For simplicity, the example only uses the first argument of the callback.
```
const users = [
  { name: 'Alan', age: 26 },
  { name: 'Randy', age: 24 },
  { name: 'Bogart', age: 20 }
];

const names = users.map(user => user.name);
console.log(names);
```
* The console would display the value `[ 'Alan', 'Randy', 'Bogart' ]`.

* Now the `watchList` array holds objects with information on several movies. Use `map` on `watchList` to assign a new array of objects with only `title` and `rating` keys to the `ratings` variable. The code in the editor currently uses a for loop to do this, so you should replace the loop functionality with the `map` expression.
```
var watchList = [
  {
    "Title": "Inception",
    "Year": "2010",
    "Rated": "PG-13",
    "Released": "16 Jul 2010",
    "Runtime": "148 min",
    "Genre": "Action, Adventure, Crime",
    "Director": "Christopher Nolan",
    "Writer": "Christopher Nolan",
    "Actors": "Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy",
    "Plot": "A thief, who steals corporate secrets through use of dream-sharing technology, is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO.",
    "Language": "English, Japanese, French",
    "Country": "USA, UK",
    "Awards": "Won 4 Oscars. Another 143 wins & 198 nominations.",
    "Poster": "http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjAxMzY3NjcxNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTI5OTM0Mw@@._V1_SX300.jpg",
    "Metascore": "74",
    "imdbRating": "8.8",
    "imdbVotes": "1,446,708",
    "imdbID": "tt1375666",
    "Type": "movie",
    "Response": "True"
  },
  {
    "Title": "Interstellar",
    "Year": "2014",
    "Rated": "PG-13",
    "Released": "07 Nov 2014",
    "Runtime": "169 min",
    "Genre": "Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi",
    "Director": "Christopher Nolan",
    "Writer": "Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan",
    "Actors": "Ellen Burstyn, Matthew McConaughey, Mackenzie Foy, John Lithgow",
    "Plot": "A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity's survival.",
    "Language": "English",
    "Country": "USA, UK",
    "Awards": "Won 1 Oscar. Another 39 wins & 132 nominations.",
    "Poster": "http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjIxNTU4MzY4MF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzM4ODI3MjE@._V1_SX300.jpg",
    "Metascore": "74",
    "imdbRating": "8.6",
    "imdbVotes": "910,366",
    "imdbID": "tt0816692",
    "Type": "movie",
    "Response": "True"
  },
  {
    "Title": "The Dark Knight",
    "Year": "2008",
    "Rated": "PG-13",
    "Released": "18 Jul 2008",
    "Runtime": "152 min",
    "Genre": "Action, Adventure, Crime",
    "Director": "Christopher Nolan",
    "Writer": "Jonathan Nolan (screenplay), Christopher Nolan (screenplay), Christopher Nolan (story), David S. Goyer (story), Bob Kane (characters)",
    "Actors": "Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine",
    "Plot": "When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, the caped crusader must come to terms with one of the greatest psychological tests of his ability to fight injustice.",
    "Language": "English, Mandarin",
    "Country": "USA, UK",
    "Awards": "Won 2 Oscars. Another 146 wins & 142 nominations.",
    "Poster": "http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTMxNTMwODM0NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODAyMTk2Mw@@._V1_SX300.jpg",
    "Metascore": "82",
    "imdbRating": "9.0",
    "imdbVotes": "1,652,832",
    "imdbID": "tt0468569",
    "Type": "movie",
    "Response": "True"
  },
  {
    "Title": "Batman Begins",
    "Year": "2005",
    "Rated": "PG-13",
    "Released": "15 Jun 2005",
    "Runtime": "140 min",
    "Genre": "Action, Adventure",
    "Director": "Christopher Nolan",
    "Writer": "Bob Kane (characters), David S. Goyer (story), Christopher Nolan (screenplay), David S. Goyer (screenplay)",
    "Actors": "Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes",
    "Plot": "After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from the corruption that Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.",
    "Language": "English, Urdu, Mandarin",
    "Country": "USA, UK",
    "Awards": "Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 66 nominations.",
    "Poster": "http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BNTM3OTc0MzM2OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNzUwMTI3._V1_SX300.jpg",
    "Metascore": "70",
    "imdbRating": "8.3",
    "imdbVotes": "972,584",
    "imdbID": "tt0372784",
    "Type": "movie",
    "Response": "True"
  },
  {
    "Title": "Avatar",
    "Year": "2009",
    "Rated": "PG-13",
    "Released": "18 Dec 2009",
    "Runtime": "162 min",
    "Genre": "Action, Adventure, Fantasy",
    "Director": "James Cameron",
    "Writer": "James Cameron",
    "Actors": "Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang",
    "Plot": "A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.",
    "Language": "English, Spanish",
    "Country": "USA, UK",
    "Awards": "Won 3 Oscars. Another 80 wins & 121 nominations.",
    "Poster": "http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTYwOTEwNjAzMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODc5MTUwMw@@._V1_SX300.jpg",
    "Metascore": "83",
    "imdbRating": "7.9",
    "imdbVotes": "876,575",
    "imdbID": "tt0499549",
    "Type": "movie",
    "Response": "True"
  }
];

// Only change code below this line

var ratings = [];
for(var i=0; i < watchList.length; i++){
  ratings.push({title: watchList[i]["Title"],  rating: watchList[i]["imdbRating"]});
}

// Only change code above this line

console.log(JSON.stringify(ratings));
```
* Answer:
```
const ratings = watchList.map(movie => ({
  title: movie.Title,
  rating: movie.imdbRating
}))

console.log(JSON.stringify(ratings)); // will display 
[{"title":"Inception","rating":"8.8"},{"title":"Interstellar","rating":"8.6"},{"title":"The Dark Knight","rating":"9.0"},{"title":"Batman Begins","rating":"8.3"},{"title":"Avatar","rating":"7.9"}]
```
* Using ES6 notation, each item in array is processed to extract title and rating. Parantheses are needed to return an object.