Getting the last element of a split string array

Nitty-gritty methods

When your string enjoys costume parties

What happens when your delimiters come in a cocktail of forms? You can still split with multiple separators like commas or spaces using:

let fancyString = "one, two three".split(/[, ]+/).pop(); // "three" amidst the merriment


Now the party (/[, ]+/) doesn't stop at commas and spaces!

Safe wisdom in a crowd

If your crowd (the string) may not have any separators at all, this function won't leave you alone:

function lonelyAtTheParty(str) {
  let parts = str.split(/[, ]+/);
  return parts.length > 1 ? parts.pop() : str; // Never walk alone with just one word or no separators
}


Trimming that stylish beard

Whitespace can sometimes be your string's beard. Time to give it a trim before splitting:

let cleanedString = " a, b, c ".trim().split(/[, ]+/).pop(); // Now "c" can flaunt its clean shave!


Road less travelled

Look Ma, no modifications!

You wish to preserve the array while accessing the last element because, who likes spoilers?

let preserved = arr.slice(-1)[0]; // Copycat method! Shows the last element without a hint of spoilers


Overturned cart- not on this road

You might see reverse()[0] for getting the last element, but best to dump it in the bin 🗑️ because it:

• Upends the original array like an overturned cart.
• Is a lousy performer in front of large crowds (arrays).

Checking under the hood

While testing your function with various strings, console.log() is your friendly mechanic:

console.log(getTheToast("test1, test2, test3")); // "test3" is the toast of the town!


Use alert(thingToAlert) to flash alerts to the user in a UI context.