Generics
What is a generic?
A generic is a type in TypeScript that allows you to define a class, interface, or function with placeholders for the types of its properties and arguments. This allows you to create a type that is flexible and can work with multiple types, rather than being tied to a specific type.
Generics are useful because they allow you to write code that is more flexible and reusable. For example, you can use generics to create a function that can take arguments of any type and return a value of any type. This allows you to write code that is more generic and can be used in a wider range of situations.
Generics are also useful for creating classes and interfaces that can work with multiple types. For example, you can use generics to create a
Queue
class that can hold values of any type. This allows the Queue
class to be used with different types of values, such as numbers or strings, without having to create separate classes for each type.Generics are a powerful feature of TypeScript that allows you to write flexible and reusable code. By using generics, you can create classes, interfaces, and functions that can work with multiple types, which can make your code more flexible and adaptable to different situations.
Working with generics
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To create an array type in TypeScript, you use the
Array<T>
type where T
is the type of the values that the array will hold. For example, to create an array of numbers, you would use the following code:let numbers: Array<number> = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
In this code, the
Array<number>
type represents an array of number
values. This means that the numbers
variable can only hold an array of numbers, and the TypeScript compiler will check that any values that you add to the array are of type number
.You can also use generics to create an array type that is flexible and can hold values of multiple types. For example, you can use the
Array<T>
type with a union type to create an array that can hold multiple types of values. For example:let values: Array<string | number> = ["hello", 42, "world"];
In this code, the
Array<string | number>
type represents an array that can hold either string
or number
values. This means that the values
variable can hold an array of either string
or number
values, or a mixture of both types.TypeScript’s generics feature allows you to create array types that are specific to a certain type of value. By using generics, you can create arrays that can hold values of a specific type, and the TypeScript compiler will check that the values in the array are of the correct type at runtime. This can help to ensure that your code is correct and free of type errors.