JavaScript for…in vs for

Question

Do you think there is a big difference in for...in and for loops? What kind of \"for\" do you prefer to use and why?

Let\'s say we have an array of associative array

Answer 1

The two are not the same when the array is sparse.

var array = [0, 1, 2, , , 5];

for (var k in array) {
  // Not guaranteed by the language spec to iterate in order.
  alert(k);  // Outputs 0, 1, 2, 5.
  // Behavior when loop body adds to the array is unclear.
}

for (var i = 0; i < array.length; ++i) {
  // Iterates in order.
  // i is a number, not a string.
  alert(i);  // Outputs 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
  // Behavior when loop body modifies array is clearer.
}