FastRemoveObject in CCArray will change the positions of objects?

Question

I was told that if relying on a specific ordering of objects, I should not use the fastRemoveObject methods in CCArray. Cocos2d API references don't show the contents of the method specifically. Can anyone tell me the reason?

Answer 1

Yes, fastRemoveObject changes the order of nodes. It is therefore not recommended unless it really doesn't matter in your case.

What it does is the following:

• assign object at last index to index of object being removed
• nil last object
• decrease array count

That way the array will not have to perform memory operations (hence: fast). But the last object will now be at the index of the removed object.