Getting the last element of an array in CoffeeScript

arrays, coffeescript

Solution

If you're using a modern version of CoffeeScript, do not use this. Use the answer by dule instead.

If you don't mind modifying the array,

last = array.pop()

If you don't want the array modified,

last = array[..].pop()

That compiles to `last = array.slice(0).pop()`. I think it's pretty readable to people already exposed to CoffeeScript or Python slices. However, keep in mind that it will be much slower than `last = array[array.length-1]` for large arrays.

I wouldn't recommend `last = array[-1..][0]`. It's short, but I don't think its meaning is immediately obvious. It's all subjective, though.

Problem

Original source