Javascript multidimensional array syntax: what am I doing wrong?

Question

I'm really struggling to create a valid multidimensional JavaScript array with the following basic format:

var countries = [
 {
 "country": "UK",
 "properties": {"value1", "value2", "value3"}
 },
 "country": "Spain",
 "properties": {"value4", "value5", "value6"}
 }
]

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong please?

• Cfreak: Well you need square brackets around your values. Are you getting an error?
• Karthikeyan Arumugam: your array declaration itself is wrong... please try to visit w3c schools atleast and get some js basics.... "country":"uk" what are try to do with this line ? trying make key value pair ? country as key and uk as value ??? and you missing some brackets too :(

Answer 1

Please check the below:

var countries = [
 {
 "country": "UK",
 "properties": ["value1", "value2", "value3"]
 },
 {
 "country": "Spain",
 "properties": ["value4", "value5", "value6"]
 }
]

countries is a array, which has 2 element, and the element is an object, whose properties looks like also an array, the array syntax is like [1,2,3]. And be sure { and [ should be pair with } and ].

• Anthony Grist: If they can't see the errors in their own code, they're not necessarily going to spot the difference in yours. Some indication of what they're doing wrong probably wouldn't go amiss.
• Ollie B: Thanks, I found this blindingly obvious bug myself and then went to delete my question... but it was too late. Can you tell I'm having a bad day?

Answer 2

{"value1", "value2", "value3"}

If this is to be an array, the {} should be [].

{} makes an object, which needs to be key/value pairs.

You're also missing a { before "country": "Spain".

• gen_Eric: @jbabey...Actually Anthony Grist noticed that, I added that to my answer after reading his answer =/

Answer 3

"properties": {"value1", "value2", "value3"}

This is an object which requires key / value pairs. So you can either do:

"properties": {"value1": "value1", "value2": "value2", "value3": "value3"}

(Which is kind of silly). Or you can use an array:

"properties": ["value1", "value2", "value3"]

Answer 4

You're missing a { to indicate the start of the second object in the array.