Turning each string in an array into a JavaScript array

Question

I have an array with length 220 as follows:

var tF = ["PETMEI 2011: the 1st international workshop on pervasive eye tracking and mobile eye-based interaction","Pseudo-Volumetric 3D Display Solutions", .....]

I want to create an array like this:

var arr = ["PETMEI","2011:", "the", "1st", "international", "workshop".........]

I have tried this method but it doesn't work as intended:

var arr = Object.keys(tF).map(function(k) { return tF[k] });

Any ideas on how to create an array as fast as possible?

Here is my working DEMO.

Thanks for your help!

• Dave Newton: It's an array of strings; split each one on spaces, and gather it up however you need it?
• Felix Kling: Just to point it out again: you don't have JSON and you don't have an object.

Answer 1

It looks like a string so just .split it

var arr = tF[0].split(/\s/);

If you want all of tF flattened into one big array,

var arr = [];
tF.forEach(function (e) {arr = arr.concat(e.split(/\s/));});

• wahwahwah: Also tF[0].split(/\s/).filter(Boolean); will remove the extra empty array items that are blank (caused by double spaces)
• Paul S.: @wahwahwah It'd be better to do it as .split(/\s+/) instead of two steps. I didn't write this as OP didn't define behaviour for such occurrences though

Answer 2

You could use map followed by concat:

var arr = tF.map(function(k) { 
 return k.split(' ') 
});
arr = Array.prototype.concat.apply([], arr);

Example: http://jsfiddle.net/whtb9ves/2/

• xdazz: Object.keys(tF).map for an array? just tF.map would be better.
• Paul S.: If you wanted the index, it's the second param of the map fn, no need to .keys in this particular case
• Andrew Whitaker: @xdazz: Thanks, I wasn't looking carefully enough at the original code. Updated.

Answer 3

This is the shortest one.

var arr = tF.join(' ').split(/\s+/);

Answer 4

You could do like this:

var arr = tF.reduce(function(a, b) {
 return a.concat(b.split(/\s+/));
}, []);
console.log(arr);

The demo.

• Paul S.: Reduce works so often but I so rarely think to use it

Answer 5

Maybe use array concat?

var tF = ["PETMEI 2011: the 1st international workshop on pervasive eye tracking and mobile eye-based interaction","Pseudo-Volumetric 3D Display Solutions"]
var newArr = [];
for(var key in tF)
{
 newArr = newArr.concat(tF[key].split(' '));
}
console.log(newArr);

Answer 6

If I understand it correctly, what you need to do is "split" the string by " " to turn it into an array of words.

http://jsfiddle.net/whtb9ves/1/

var arr = Object.keys(tF).map(function(k) { return tF[k].split(" ") });

If you are looking at splitting by words - you might want to look at normalizing it too, such as removing punctuation etc. It does depend on the application...