Javascript- how to find the minimum of an array using a function?

Question

I have the following function

function min() {
  var array = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
  array = array.length === 1 && isNumeric(array[0].length) ? array[0] : array;

  var min = array[0];
  var i, count;
  for (i = 1, count = array.length; i < count; i++) {
    if (array[i] < min) min = array[i];
  }
  return min;
},

I don't understand why the following line was placed in, what is its purpose?

array = array.length === 1 && isNumeric(array[0].length) ? array[0] : array;

Answer 1

• condition ? returnIfTrue : returnIfFalse condition ? returnIfTrue : returnIfFalse is called a ternary operator.
• array.length === 1 && isNumeric(array[0].length) means "If array has a single element and that first element is itself an Array".
• a = ternaryOperator means set a to the result of the ternary operator.

These three together mean that you can call min in two ways:

min(1, 2, 3) or min([1, 2, 3]) .

Answer 2

That line allows passing numbers directly as arguments or passing a single array as the first argument:

min(1,2,3);
min([1,2,3]);

Answer 3

I would refactor this function into

 var min = (...args) => Array.isArray(args[0]) ? Math.min(...args[0]) : Math.min(...args); document.write("<pre>" + min([1,2,3,4,-1]) + "</pre>"); document.write("<pre>" + min(1,2,-3,4,-1) + "</pre>"); 

Answer 4

Your code is confusing, try doing something like this

var min = 1000000;
 var temp = 0;
if ( element < min){
 temp = element; 
 min = element;
 }