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array.shift()

Returns

The value of the first element of array, which is also deleted.

Description

The shift( ) method deletes the first element of an array and then moves all the remaining elements of the array up one position. The affected array's length is reduced by 1. Note that shift( ) differs from the pop( ) method, which deletes the last element of an array.

Example

myList = new Array ("a", "b", "c");
myList.shift();                         // myList becomes ["b", "c"]

See Also

Array.pop( ), Array.splice( ), Array.unshift( ); "Removing Elements from an Array," in Chapter 11

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