Javascript assigning array to element of another array

Question

I have a list of unique ID's of a parent nodes children stored into childrenIDs.

var childrenIDs=["8b69b08e-d75e-6ef6-2cf4-275ff130cd74","42325602-9312-3565-b7dc-37383ca53c17", "2c91dcd6-7436-eff5-393e-cea8cbef338c"]

I then assign those IDs to the second element of another array

nodeArray[index].splice(0,1,childrenIDs);

When nodeArray[index][0] is entered into the console, the right output (containing all of the IDs) is printed. However, if I type childrenIDs.length = 0 to clear the first array, calling nodeArray[index][0] produces a null output. It seems as if nodeArr[index][0] is almost acting as a pointer to childrenIDs in the way that when childrenIDs is cleared, so is nodeArray[index][0].

I need to be able to reuse childrenIDs. Is there something wrong with how I am clearing the array and is there a way for me to preserve the data in nodeArray[index][0] after clearing childrenIDs?

• ashokd: Can you try using this statement? nodeArray[index].splice(0,1,childrenIDs.slice(0))
• kevbud007: I just tried it. It worked! Thank you very much. Please post as an answer for anyone else with this problem.

Answer 1

Can you try using this statement?

nodeArray[index].splice(0,1,childrenIDs.slice(0));

Answer 2

Instead of assigning the array as child, you should assign a copy of it.

childrenIDs.slice(0)

Which would look like this:

nodeArray[index].splice(0,1,childrenIDs.slice(0));