primitiveArrayEqual

Compares two arrays for primitive value equality using strict equality (===). Performs a shallow comparison of two arrays by checking if they have the same length and if all elements at corresponding indices are strictly equal. This function is optimized for primitive values (strings, numbers, booleans, null, undefined) but will also work with object references (comparing by reference, not deep equality).

Signature

const primitiveArrayEqual: (base: unknown[], target: unknown[]) => boolean

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
base	-	First array to compare
target	-	Second array to compare

Returns

true if arrays have the same length and all elements are strictly equal, false otherwise

Examples

Primitive value comparison

import { primitiveArrayEqual } from '@winglet/common-utils';

const numbers1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const numbers2 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const numbers3 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 6];

console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(numbers1, numbers2)); // true
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(numbers1, numbers3)); // false

const strings1 = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
const strings2 = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(strings1, strings2)); // true

Different lengths and mixed types

const array1 = [1, 'two', true, null, undefined];
const array2 = [1, 'two', true, null, undefined];
const array3 = [1, 'two', true, null]; // Different length
const array4 = [1, 'two', false, null, undefined]; // Different value

console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(array1, array2)); // true
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(array1, array3)); // false (different length)
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(array1, array4)); // false (different value at index 2)

// Object references are compared by reference, not deep equality
const obj = { id: 1 };
const refs1 = [obj, obj];
const refs2 = [obj, obj];
const refs3 = [{ id: 1 }, { id: 1 }]; // Different objects with same content
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(refs1, refs2)); // true (same references)
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(refs1, refs3)); // false (different references)

Playground

import { primitiveArrayEqual } from '@winglet/common-utils';

const numbers1 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const numbers2 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];
const numbers3 = [1, 2, 3, 4, 6];

console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(numbers1, numbers2)); // true
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(numbers1, numbers3)); // false

const strings1 = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
const strings2 = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'];
console.log(primitiveArrayEqual(strings1, strings2)); // true

Notes

Performance: Optimized with early return for length mismatch and efficient loop iteration. Time complexity is O(n) where n is the array length.

Strict Equality: Uses !== operator for comparison, which means:

• Type coercion does not occur (1 !== '1')
• NaN !== NaN (standard JavaScript behavior)
• Object references must be identical

Use Cases: Ideal for comparing arrays of primitive values, checking if array contents have changed, or validating array equality in unit tests.

Limitations: Does not perform deep comparison of objects or nested arrays. For deep equality, consider using a deep comparison utility.