Working with Maps in JavaScript: Storing Key-Value Pairs with Flexibility and Order

In JavaScript, a map is a built-in data structure that allows you to store key-value pairs. A map is similar to an object, but with some important differences:

1. A map can use any value as a key, including objects, whereas objects can only use strings or symbols as keys.

2. A map maintains the order of its elements, whereas object properties have no guaranteed order.

To create a map, you can use the Map constructor or the Map literal syntax:

// Using the Map constructor
const myMap = new Map();

// Using the Map literal syntax
const myMap = new Map([
  [key1, value1],
  [key2, value2],
  [key3, value3],
]);

To add or update a value in a map, you can use the set() method:

myMap.set(key, value);

To retrieve a value from a map, you can use the get() method:

const value = myMap.get(key);

To check if a key exists in a map, you can use the has() method:

const exists = myMap.has(key);

To remove a key-value pair from a map, you can use the delete() method:

myMap.delete(key);

To iterate over the keys, values, or entries (key-value pairs) in a map, you can use the keys(), values(), and entries() methods, respectively:

// Iterate over keys
for (const key of myMap.keys()) {
  console.log(key);
}

// Iterate over values
for (const value of myMap.values()) {
  console.log(value);
}

// Iterate over entries
for (const [key, value] of myMap.entries()) {
  console.log(key, value);
}

Maps are a useful data structure in many scenarios, such as caching, memoization, and maintaining state.