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Array ​

A built-in data structure that holds a sequence of elements.

Description

An array data structure that can contain a sequence of elements of any Variant type. Elements are accessed by a numerical index starting at 0. Negative indices are used to count from the back (-1 is the last element, -2 is the second to last, etc.).

Example:

gdscript
var array = ["First", 2, 3, "Last"]
print(array[0])  # Prints "First"
print(array[2])  # Prints 3
print(array[-1]) # Prints "Last"

array[1] = "Second"
print(array[1])  # Prints "Second"
print(array[-3]) # Prints "Second"

Note: Arrays are always passed by reference. To get a copy of an array that can be modified independently of the original array, use duplicate.

Note: Erasing elements while iterating over arrays is not supported and will result in unpredictable behavior.

Differences between packed arrays, typed arrays, and untyped arrays: Packed arrays are generally faster to iterate on and modify compared to a typed array of the same type (e.g. PackedInt64Array versus Array[int]). Also, packed arrays consume less memory. As a downside, packed arrays are less flexible as they don't offer as many convenience methods such as map. Typed arrays are in turn faster to iterate on and modify than untyped arrays.

INFO

There are notable differences when using this API with C#. See C# API differences to GDScript for more information.

Constructors

Array

Array()

Array

Array(base: Array, type: int, class_name: StringName, script: Variant)

Array

Array(from: Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedByteArray)

Array

Array(from: PackedColorArray)

Array

Array(from: PackedFloat32Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedFloat64Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedInt32Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedInt64Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedStringArray)

Array

Array(from: PackedVector2Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedVector3Array)

Array

Array(from: PackedVector4Array)

Methods

bool

all(method: Callable) const

bool

any(method: Callable) const

void

append(value: Variant)

void

append_array(array: Array)

void

assign(array: Array)

Variant

back() const

int

bsearch(value: Variant, before: bool = true) const

int

bsearch_custom(value: Variant, func: Callable, before: bool = true) const

void

clear()

int

count(value: Variant) const

Array

duplicate(deep: bool = false) const

void

erase(value: Variant)

void

fill(value: Variant)

Array

filter(method: Callable) const

int

find(what: Variant, from: int = 0) const

Variant

front() const

int

get_typed_builtin() const

StringName

get_typed_class_name() const

Variant

get_typed_script() const

bool

has(value: Variant) const

int

hash() const

int

insert(position: int, value: Variant)

bool

is_empty() const

bool

is_read_only() const

bool

is_same_typed(array: Array) const

bool

is_typed() const

void

make_read_only()

Array

map(method: Callable) const

Variant

max() const

Variant

min() const

Variant

pick_random() const

Variant

pop_at(position: int)

Variant

pop_back()

Variant

pop_front()

void

push_back(value: Variant)

void

push_front(value: Variant)

Variant

reduce(method: Callable, accum: Variant = null) const

void

remove_at(position: int)

int

resize(size: int)

void

reverse()

int

rfind(what: Variant, from: int = -1) const

void

shuffle()

int

size() const

Array

slice(begin: int, end: int = 2147483647, step: int = 1, deep: bool = false) const

void

sort()

void

sort_custom(func: Callable)

Operators

bool

operator !=(right: Array)

Array

operator +(right: Array)

bool

operator <(right: Array)

bool

operator <=(right: Array)

bool

operator ==(right: Array)

bool

operator >(right: Array)

bool

operator >=(right: Array)

Variant

operator [](index: int)


Constructor Descriptions

Array Array() 🔗

Constructs an empty Array.


Array Array(base: Array, type: int, class_name: StringName, script: Variant)

Creates a typed array from the base array. A typed array can only contain elements of the given type, or that inherit from the given class, as described by this constructor's parameters:

If type is not @GlobalScope.TYPE_OBJECT, class_name must be an empty StringName and script must be null.

gdscript
class_name Sword
extends Node

class Stats:
    pass

func _ready():
    var a = Array([], TYPE_INT, "", null)               # Array[int]
    var b = Array([], TYPE_OBJECT, "Node", null)        # Array[Node]
    var c = Array([], TYPE_OBJECT, "Node", Sword)       # Array[Sword]
    var d = Array([], TYPE_OBJECT, "RefCounted", Stats) # Array[Stats]

The base array's elements are converted when necessary. If this is not possible or base is already typed, this constructor fails and returns an empty Array.

In GDScript, this constructor is usually not necessary, as it is possible to create a typed array through static typing:

gdscript
var numbers: Array[float] = []
var children: Array[Node] = [$Node, $Sprite2D, $RigidBody3D]

var integers: Array[int] = [0.2, 4.5, -2.0]
print(integers) # Prints [0, 4, -2]

Array Array(from: Array)

Returns the same array as from. If you need a copy of the array, use duplicate.


Array Array(from: PackedByteArray)

Constructs an array from a PackedByteArray.


Array Array(from: PackedColorArray)

Constructs an array from a PackedColorArray.


Array Array(from: PackedFloat32Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedFloat32Array.


Array Array(from: PackedFloat64Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedFloat64Array.


Array Array(from: PackedInt32Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedInt32Array.


Array Array(from: PackedInt64Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedInt64Array.


Array Array(from: PackedStringArray)

Constructs an array from a PackedStringArray.


Array Array(from: PackedVector2Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedVector2Array.


Array Array(from: PackedVector3Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedVector3Array.


Array Array(from: PackedVector4Array)

Constructs an array from a PackedVector4Array.


Method Descriptions

bool all(method: Callable) const 🔗

Calls the given Callable on each element in the array and returns true if the Callable returns true for all elements in the array. If the Callable returns false for one array element or more, this method returns false.

The method should take one Variant parameter (the current array element) and return a bool.

gdscript
func greater_than_5(number):
    return number > 5

func _ready():
    print([6, 10, 6].all(greater_than_5)) # Prints true (3/3 elements evaluate to true).
    print([4, 10, 4].all(greater_than_5)) # Prints false (1/3 elements evaluate to true).
    print([4, 4, 4].all(greater_than_5))  # Prints false (0/3 elements evaluate to true).
    print([].all(greater_than_5))         # Prints true (0/0 elements evaluate to true).

    # Same as the first line above, but using a lambda function.
    print([6, 10, 6].all(func(element): return element > 5)) # Prints true

See also any, filter, map and reduce.

Note: Unlike relying on the size of an array returned by filter, this method will return as early as possible to improve performance (especially with large arrays).

Note: For an empty array, this method always returns true.


bool any(method: Callable) const 🔗

Calls the given Callable on each element in the array and returns true if the Callable returns true for one or more elements in the array. If the Callable returns false for all elements in the array, this method returns false.

The method should take one Variant parameter (the current array element) and return a bool.

gdscript
func greater_than_5(number):
    return number > 5

func _ready():
    print([6, 10, 6].any(greater_than_5)) # Prints true (3 elements evaluate to true).
    print([4, 10, 4].any(greater_than_5)) # Prints true (1 elements evaluate to true).
    print([4, 4, 4].any(greater_than_5))  # Prints false (0 elements evaluate to true).
    print([].any(greater_than_5))         # Prints false (0 elements evaluate to true).

    # Same as the first line above, but using a lambda function.
    print([6, 10, 6].any(func(number): return number > 5)) # Prints true

See also all, filter, map and reduce.

Note: Unlike relying on the size of an array returned by filter, this method will return as early as possible to improve performance (especially with large arrays).

Note: For an empty array, this method always returns false.


void append(value: Variant) 🔗

Appends value at the end of the array (alias of push_back).


void append_array(array: Array) 🔗

Appends another array at the end of this array.

gdscript
var numbers = [1, 2, 3]
var extra = [4, 5, 6]
numbers.append_array(extra)
print(nums) # Prints [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

void assign(array: Array) 🔗

Assigns elements of another array into the array. Resizes the array to match array. Performs type conversions if the array is typed.


Variant back() const 🔗

Returns the last element of the array. If the array is empty, fails and returns null. See also front.

Note: Unlike with the [] operator (array[-1]), an error is generated without stopping project execution.


int bsearch(value: Variant, before: bool = true) const 🔗

Returns the index of value in the sorted array. If it cannot be found, returns where value should be inserted to keep the array sorted. The algorithm used is binary search.

If before is true (as by default), the returned index comes before all existing elements equal to value in the array.

gdscript
var numbers = [2, 4, 8, 10]
var idx = numbers.bsearch(7)

numbers.insert(idx, 7)
print(numbers) # Prints [2, 4, 7, 8, 10]

var fruits = ["Apple", "Lemon", "Lemon", "Orange"]
print(fruits.bsearch("Lemon", true))  # Prints 1, points at the first "Lemon".
print(fruits.bsearch("Lemon", false)) # Prints 3, points at "Orange".

Note: Calling bsearch on an unsorted array will result in unexpected behavior. Use sort before calling this method.


int bsearch_custom(value: Variant, func: Callable, before: bool = true) const 🔗

Returns the index of value in the sorted array. If it cannot be found, returns where value should be inserted to keep the array sorted (using func for the comparisons). The algorithm used is binary search.

Similar to sort_custom, func is called as many times as necessary, receiving one array element and value as arguments. The function should return true if the array element should be behind value, otherwise it should return false.

If before is true (as by default), the returned index comes before all existing elements equal to value in the array.

gdscript
func sort_by_amount(a, b):
    if a[1] < b[1]:
        return true
    return false

func _ready():
    var my_items = [["Tomato", 2], ["Kiwi", 5], ["Rice", 9]]

    var apple = ["Apple", 5]
    # "Apple" is inserted before "Kiwi".
    my_items.insert(my_items.bsearch_custom(apple, sort_by_amount, true), apple)

    var banana = ["Banana", 5]
    # "Banana" is inserted after "Kiwi".
    my_items.insert(my_items.bsearch_custom(banana, sort_by_amount, false), banana)

    # Prints [["Tomato", 2], ["Apple", 5], ["Kiwi", 5], ["Banana", 5], ["Rice", 9]]
    print(my_items)

Note: Calling bsearch_custom on an unsorted array will result in unexpected behavior. Use sort_custom with func before calling this method.


void clear() 🔗

Removes all elements from the array. This is equivalent to using resize with a size of 0.


int count(value: Variant) const 🔗

Returns the number of times an element is in the array.


Array duplicate(deep: bool = false) const 🔗

Returns a new copy of the array.

By default, a shallow copy is returned: all nested Array and Dictionary elements are shared with the original array. Modifying them in one array will also affect them in the other.

If deep is true, a deep copy is returned: all nested arrays and dictionaries are also duplicated (recursively).


void erase(value: Variant) 🔗

Finds and removes the first occurrence of value from the array. If value does not exist in the array, nothing happens. To remove an element by index, use remove_at instead.

Note: This method shifts every element's index after the removed value back, which may have a noticeable performance cost, especially on larger arrays.

Note: Erasing elements while iterating over arrays is not supported and will result in unpredictable behavior.


void fill(value: Variant) 🔗

Assigns the given value to all elements in the array.

This method can often be combined with resize to create an array with a given size and initialized elements:

gdscript
var array = []
array.resize(5)
array.fill(2)
print(array) # Prints [2, 2, 2, 2, 2]

Note: If value is a Variant passed by reference (Object-derived, Array, Dictionary, etc.), the array will be filled with references to the same value, which are not duplicates.


Array filter(method: Callable) const 🔗

Calls the given Callable on each element in the array and returns a new, filtered Array.

The method receives one of the array elements as an argument, and should return true to add the element to the filtered array, or false to exclude it.

gdscript
func is_even(number):
    return number % 2 == 0

func _ready():
    print([1, 4, 5, 8].filter(is_even)) # Prints [4, 8]

    # Same as above, but using a lambda function.
    print([1, 4, 5, 8].filter(func(number): return number % 2 == 0))

See also any, all, map and reduce.


int find(what: Variant, from: int = 0) const 🔗

Returns the index of the first occurrence of what in this array, or -1 if there are none. The search's start can be specified with from, continuing to the end of the array.

Note: If you just want to know whether the array contains what, use has (Contains in C#). In GDScript, you may also use the in operator.

Note: For performance reasons, the search is affected by what's Variant.Type. For example, 7 (int) and 7.0 (float) are not considered equal for this method.


Variant front() const 🔗

Returns the first element of the array. If the array is empty, fails and returns null. See also back.

Note: Unlike with the [] operator (array[0]), an error is generated without stopping project execution.


int get_typed_builtin() const 🔗

Returns the built-in Variant type of the typed array as a Variant.Type constant. If the array is not typed, returns @GlobalScope.TYPE_NIL. See also is_typed.


StringName get_typed_class_name() const 🔗

Returns the built-in class name of the typed array, if the built-in Variant type @GlobalScope.TYPE_OBJECT. Otherwise, returns an empty StringName. See also is_typed and Object.get_class.


Variant get_typed_script() const 🔗

Returns the Script instance associated with this typed array, or null if it does not exist. See also is_typed.


bool has(value: Variant) const 🔗

Returns true if the array contains the given value.

gdscript
print(["inside", 7].has("inside"))  # Prints true
print(["inside", 7].has("outside")) # Prints false
print(["inside", 7].has(7))         # Prints true
print(["inside", 7].has("7"))       # Prints false

In GDScript, this is equivalent to the in operator:

gdscript
if 4 in [2, 4, 6, 8]:
    print("4 is here!") # Will be printed.

Note: For performance reasons, the search is affected by the value's Variant.Type. For example, 7 (int) and 7.0 (float) are not considered equal for this method.


int hash() const 🔗

Returns a hashed 32-bit integer value representing the array and its contents.

Note: Arrays with equal hash values are not guaranteed to be the same, as a result of hash collisions. On the countrary, arrays with different hash values are guaranteed to be different.


int insert(position: int, value: Variant) 🔗

Inserts a new element (value) at a given index (position) in the array. position should be between 0 and the array's size.

Returns @GlobalScope.OK on success, or one of the other Error constants if this method fails.

Note: Every element's index after position needs to be shifted forward, which may have a noticeable performance cost, especially on larger arrays.


bool is_empty() const 🔗

Returns true if the array is empty ([]). See also size.


bool is_read_only() const 🔗

Returns true if the array is read-only. See make_read_only.

In GDScript, arrays are automatically read-only if declared with the const keyword.


bool is_same_typed(array: Array) const 🔗

Returns true if this array is typed the same as the given array. See also is_typed.


bool is_typed() const 🔗

Returns true if the array is typed. Typed arrays can only contain elements of a specific type, as defined by the typed array constructor. The methods of a typed array are still expected to return a generic Variant.

In GDScript, it is possible to define a typed array with static typing:

gdscript
var numbers: Array[float] = [0.2, 4.2, -2.0]
print(numbers.is_typed()) # Prints true

void make_read_only() 🔗

Makes the array read-only. The array's elements cannot be overridden with different values, and their order cannot change. Does not apply to nested elements, such as dictionaries.

In GDScript, arrays are automatically read-only if declared with the const keyword.


Array map(method: Callable) const 🔗

Calls the given Callable for each element in the array and returns a new array filled with values returned by the method.

The method should take one Variant parameter (the current array element) and can return any Variant.

gdscript
func double(number):
    return number * 2

func _ready():
    print([1, 2, 3].map(double)) # Prints [2, 4, 6]

    # Same as above, but using a lambda function.
    print([1, 2, 3].map(func(element): return element * 2))

See also filter, reduce, any and all.


Variant max() const 🔗

Returns the maximum value contained in the array, if all elements can be compared. Otherwise, returns null. See also min.

To find the maximum value using a custom comparator, you can use reduce.


Variant min() const 🔗

Returns the minimum value contained in the array, if all elements can be compared. Otherwise, returns null. See also max.


Variant pick_random() const 🔗

Returns a random element from the array. Generates an error and returns null if the array is empty.

gdscript
# May print 1, 2, 3.25, or "Hi".
print([1, 2, 3.25, "Hi"].pick_random())

Note: Like many similar functions in the engine (such as @GlobalScope.randi or shuffle), this method uses a common, global random seed. To get a predictable outcome from this method, see @GlobalScope.seed.


Variant pop_at(position: int) 🔗

Removes and returns the element of the array at index position. If negative, position is considered relative to the end of the array. Returns null if the array is empty. If position is out of bounds, an error message is also generated.

Note: This method shifts every element's index after position back, which may have a noticeable performance cost, especially on larger arrays.


Variant pop_back() 🔗

Removes and returns the last element of the array. Returns null if the array is empty, without generating an error. See also pop_front.


Variant pop_front() 🔗

Removes and returns the first element of the array. Returns null if the array is empty, without generating an error. See also pop_back.

Note: This method shifts every other element's index back, which may have a noticeable performance cost, especially on larger arrays.


void push_back(value: Variant) 🔗

Appends an element at the end of the array. See also push_front.


void push_front(value: Variant) 🔗

Adds an element at the beginning of the array. See also push_back.

Note: This method shifts every other element's index forward, which may have a noticeable performance cost, especially on larger arrays.


Variant reduce(method: Callable, accum: Variant = null) const 🔗

Calls the given Callable for each element in array, accumulates the result in accum, then returns it.

The method takes two arguments: the current value of accum and the current array element. If accum is null (as by default), the iteration will start from the second element, with the first one used as initial value of accum.

gdscript
func sum(accum, number):
    return accum + number

func _ready():
    print([1, 2, 3].reduce(sum, 0))  # Prints 6
    print([1, 2, 3].reduce(sum, 10)) # Prints 16

    # Same as above, but using a lambda function.
    print([1, 2, 3].reduce(func(accum, number): return accum + number, 10))

If max is not desirable, this method may also be used to implement a custom comparator:

gdscript
func _ready():
    var arr = [Vector2(5, 0), Vector2(3, 4), Vector2(1, 2)]

    var longest_vec = arr.reduce(func(max, vec): return vec if is_length_greater(vec, max) else max)
    print(longest_vec) # Prints Vector2(3, 4).

func is_length_greater(a, b):
    return a.length() > b.length()

See also map, filter, any and all.


void remove_at(position: int) 🔗

Removes the element from the array at the given index (position). If the index is out of bounds, this method fails.

If you need to return the removed element, use pop_at. To remove an element by value, use erase instead.

Note: This method shifts every element's index after position back, which may have a noticeable performance cost, especially on larger arrays.

Note: The position cannot be negative. To remove an element relative to the end of the array, use arr.remove_at(arr.size() - (i + 1)). To remove the last element from the array, use arr.resize(arr.size() - 1).


int resize(size: int) 🔗

Sets the array's number of elements to size. If size is smaller than the array's current size, the elements at the end are removed. If size is greater, new default elements (usually null) are added, depending on the array's type.

Returns @GlobalScope.OK on success, or one of the other Error constants if this method fails.

Note: Calling this method once and assigning the new values is faster than calling append for every new element.


void reverse() 🔗

Reverses the order of all elements in the array.


int rfind(what: Variant, from: int = -1) const 🔗

Returns the index of the last occurrence of what in this array, or -1 if there are none. The search's start can be specified with from, continuing to the beginning of the array. This method is the reverse of find.


void shuffle() 🔗

Shuffles all elements of the array in a random order.

Note: Like many similar functions in the engine (such as @GlobalScope.randi or pick_random), this method uses a common, global random seed. To get a predictable outcome from this method, see @GlobalScope.seed.


int size() const 🔗

Returns the number of elements in the array. Empty arrays ([]) always return 0. See also is_empty.


Array slice(begin: int, end: int = 2147483647, step: int = 1, deep: bool = false) const 🔗

Returns a new Array containing this array's elements, from index begin (inclusive) to end (exclusive), every step elements.

If either begin or end are negative, their value is relative to the end of the array.

If step is negative, this method iterates through the array in reverse, returning a slice ordered backwards. For this to work, begin must be greater than end.

If deep is true, all nested Array and Dictionary elements in the slice are duplicated from the original, recursively. See also duplicate).

gdscript
var letters = ["A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F"]

print(letters.slice(0, 2))  # Prints ["A", "B"]
print(letters.slice(2, -2)) # Prints ["C", "D"]
print(letters.slice(-2, 6)) # Prints ["E", "F"]

print(letters.slice(0, 6, 2))  # Prints ["A", "C", "E"]
print(letters.slice(4, 1, -1)) # Prints ["E", "D", "C"]

void sort() 🔗

Sorts the array in ascending order. The final order is dependent on the "less than" (<) comparison between elements.

gdscript
var numbers = [10, 5, 2.5, 8]
numbers.sort()
print(numbers) # Prints [2.5, 5, 8, 10]

Note: The sorting algorithm used is not stable. This means that equivalent elements (such as 2 and 2.0) may have their order changed when calling sort.


void sort_custom(func: Callable) 🔗

Sorts the array using a custom Callable.

func is called as many times as necessary, receiving two array elements as arguments. The function should return true if the first element should be moved behind the second one, otherwise it should return false.

gdscript
func sort_ascending(a, b):
    if a[1] < b[1]:
        return true
    return false

func _ready():
    var my_items = [["Tomato", 5], ["Apple", 9], ["Rice", 4]]
    my_items.sort_custom(sort_ascending)
    print(my_items) # Prints [["Rice", 4], ["Tomato", 5], ["Apple", 9]]

    # Sort descending, using a lambda function.
    my_items.sort_custom(func(a, b): return a[0] > b[0])
    print(my_items) # Prints [["Apple", 9], ["Tomato", 5], ["Rice", 4]]

It may also be necessary to use this method to sort strings by natural order, with String.naturalnocasecmp_to, as in the following example:

gdscript
var files = ["newfile1", "newfile2", "newfile10", "newfile11"]
files.sort_custom(func(a, b): return a.naturalnocasecmp_to(b) < 0)
print(files) # Prints ["newfile1", "newfile2", "newfile10", "newfile11"]

Note: In C#, this method is not supported.

Note: The sorting algorithm used is not stable. This means that values considered equal may have their order changed when calling this method.

Note: You should not randomize the return value of func, as the heapsort algorithm expects a consistent result. Randomizing the return value will result in unexpected behavior.


Operator Descriptions

bool operator !=(right: Array) 🔗

Returns true if the array's size or its elements are different than right's.


Array operator +(right: Array) 🔗

Appends the right array to the left operand, creating a new Array. This is also known as an array concatenation.

gdscript
var array1 = ["One", 2]
var array2 = [3, "Four"]
print(array1 + array2) # Prints ["One", 2, 3, "Four"]

Note: For existing arrays, append_array is much more efficient than concatenation and assignment with the += operator.


bool operator <(right: Array) 🔗

Compares the elements of both arrays in order, starting from index 0 and ending on the last index in common between both arrays. For each pair of elements, returns true if this array's element is less than right's, false if this element is greater. Otherwise, continues to the next pair.

If all searched elements are equal, returns true if this array's size is less than right's, otherwise returns false.


bool operator <=(right: Array) 🔗

Compares the elements of both arrays in order, starting from index 0 and ending on the last index in common between both arrays. For each pair of elements, returns true if this array's element is less than right's, false if this element is greater. Otherwise, continues to the next pair.

If all searched elements are equal, returns true if this array's size is less or equal to right's, otherwise returns false.


bool operator ==(right: Array) 🔗

Compares the left operand Array against the right Array. Returns true if the sizes and contents of the arrays are equal, false otherwise.


bool operator >(right: Array) 🔗

Compares the elements of both arrays in order, starting from index 0 and ending on the last index in common between both arrays. For each pair of elements, returns true if this array's element is greater than right's, false if this element is less. Otherwise, continues to the next pair.

If all searched elements are equal, returns true if this array's size is greater than right's, otherwise returns false.


bool operator >=(right: Array) 🔗

Compares the elements of both arrays in order, starting from index 0 and ending on the last index in common between both arrays. For each pair of elements, returns true if this array's element is greater than right's, false if this element is less. Otherwise, continues to the next pair.

If all searched elements are equal, returns true if this array's size is greater or equal to right's, otherwise returns false.


Variant operator [](index: int) 🔗

Returns the Variant element at the specified index. Arrays start at index 0. If index is greater or equal to 0, the element is fetched starting from the beginning of the array. If index is a negative value, the element is fetched starting from the end. Accessing an array out-of-bounds will cause a run-time error, pausing the project execution if run from the editor.