first()

first<T>(array): T | undefined

Gets the first element of array.

DEPRECATED

Use array[0] or array.at(0) directly instead.

Reason:
Native equivalent method now available

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Type Parameters

T: T

The type of elements in the array.

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Parameters

array: T[]

The array to query.

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Returns: T | undefined

The first element of the array, or undefined if empty.

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See Also

• Array.at() - MDN
• Browser support - Can I Use

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Since

2.0.0

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Also known as

at(arr, 0) (Antfu) · first (Lodash, Remeda, Radashi) · head (es-toolkit, Ramda, Effect) · ❌ (Modern Dash)

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Example

const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

// ❌ Deprecated approach
const firstElement = first(numbers);
console.log(firstElement); // 1

// ✅ Recommended approach
const firstNative = numbers[0];
console.log(firstNative); // 1

// ✅ Modern approach with ES2022
const firstModern = numbers.at(0);
console.log(firstModern); // 1

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How it works?

Gets the first element of an array. Alias for head. Deprecated: Use array[0] or array.at(0) directly.

Native Equivalent

// ❌ first(arr)
// ✅ arr[0]
// ✅ arr.at(0)  // ES2022

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Use Cases

Get default selection from lists 📌

Retrieve the first element as the default selected item.

#get#default#selection#dropdown

const countries = ["United States", "Canada", "Mexico"];
countries[0];
// => "United States"

Extract primary result from search

Get the top/most relevant result from a search response.

#extract#search#results#top

const searchResults = [{ title: "Best Match", score: 0.98 }, ...];
searchResults[0];
// => { title: "Best Match", score: 0.98 }

Get primary validation error

Extract the first validation error to display.

#validation#errors#primary#forms

const errors = [{ field: "email", message: "Invalid" }, ...];
errors[0];
// => { field: "email", message: "Invalid" }