javascript - search for string in array of objects and return array

Question

I would like to write a function that will search the fields of objects in an array for a specific string, adding this object to a new array if the string is found in any of the object's fields. I've gotten my function to work, but was having the issue of the new list containing multiple copies of the objects which contain multiple copies of the string being searched for. I know this is because I've looped it so that each field it finds the string in, it will add the object once more to the new array. However, I wasn't sure of what alternative way I could go about writing the function to add the object only once, regardless of how many of its fields have matched with the string being searched for. This is my function:

function search (keyword, array){
    var newArray = [];
    for(let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
        for (key in array[i]) {
            if(array[i][key].includes(keyword)){
                newArray.push(array[i]);
            }
        }
    }
    return newArray;
}

An example of where the output is problematic is if I do:

console.log(search('yes', myArray))

And if myArray contains an object in which 'yes' appears in 3 different fields, it will add this object to newArray 3 times.

Answer 1

You could use a Set , this will prevent duplicates.

function search (keyword, array){
    var result = new Set();
    for(let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
        for (key in array[i]) {
            if(array[i][key].includes(keyword)){
                result.add(array[i]);
            }
        }
    }
    return Array.from(result);
}

Answer 2

Improved version of Danny Buonocore code.

• No accidental global variables.
• Uses forEach to iterate over the array.
• Uses for...of and Object.values() to iterate over the values of the object (using for..in iterates over all non-Symbol, enumerable properties of an object itself and those the object inherits from its constructor's prototype and are cause for many bugs)
• "short circuit" the test for adding an object: if a value has matched, there is no need to check the other values. This alone would probably solved your problem, but using a set will prevent duplicates if you have the same object multiple times in your array.

 function search (keyword, array){ var result = new Set(); array.forEach( object => { for (const value of Object.values(object)) { if ( value.includes(keyword) ) { result.add(object); continue; // Don't need to check more on this item. } } }); return Array.from(result); } console.log(search("yes", [ { key1:"yes", key2:"yes" }, { key1:"no", key2:"no" } ]));