Find index of an object with a specific value stored in an array

Question

I am using the following code in order to retrieve the index for an object stored in a JavaScript array.

Scripts works fine, but I would like your opinion regarding performance.

Also would like to know also if using [].map() could be more appropriate of [].some().

http://jsbin.com/nasiyiyavi/1/

var data = [{ id: 3 }, { id: 4 }, { id: 1 }, { id: 0 }, { id: 2 }];

function findIndexInData(optionsArg) {
    var options = {
        data: optionsArg.data,
        where: optionsArg.where,
        what: optionsArg.what
    },
    result = -1;
    options.data.some(function (item, i) {
        if (item[options.where] === options.what) {
            result = i;
            return true;
        }
    });
    return result;
}
alert(findIndexInData({ data: data, where: 'id', what: 2 }));

Answer 1

Eric Blade is correct that this is a perfect use-case for findIndex. But I'd like to comment on your current code:

• Why are you using an object to pass the arguments? You need all three components (data, where, and what), whereas a object usually means each part is optional. If you want to make it clear that all the parts are required, then just use regular arguments:

  function findIndexInData(data, property, value)
  

  I'm also naming them property and value, since that's the usual name for such things (or key and value).

• I'm not sure what the purpose of this part is:

  var options = {
      data: optionsArg.data,
      where: optionsArg.where,
      what: optionsArg.what
  }
  

  So you start with the optionsArg object, and from that you create... basically an identical object. Why? What's the point?

• I'd probably just use a plain old for loop rather than some

• And if you do that, you don't need the result variable. Right now, you're modifying the closed-over result variable, which, while ok, isn't too pretty.

I end up with this, which seems simpler.

function findIndexInData(data, property, value) {
  for(var i = 0, l = data.length ; i < l ; i++) {
    if(data[i][property] === value) {
      return i;
    }
  }
  return -1;
}

But again, the simplest is probably to just use findIndex, as Eric Blade suggests.

Answer 2

I think the best way of doing that would be using the new ES6 function Array.prototype.findIndex:

data.findIndex(function(obj) { return obj[where] === what; })

If you don't have that function, there are good polyfills at MDN and NPM.

(if you do have full ES6, you apparently could also do

data.findIndex(obj => obj[where] === what)

but i'm still learning how that syntax works so i may be wrong there)