removeValues

1/**
2 * Removes specific values from an array.
3 *
4 * @param arr - The input array.
5 * @param valuesToRemove - One or more values to be removed.
6 * @returns A new array without the specified values.
7 */
8export function removeValues<T>(arr: T[], ...valuesToRemove: T[]): T[] {
9  const toRemoveSet = new Set(valuesToRemove);
10  return arr.filter(item => !toRemoveSet.has(item));
11}

• Simple and intuitive API

  Accepts one or more values to remove using rest parameters, making the function easy to use in a variety of scenarios.

• Efficient lookup with Set

  Converts valuesToRemove into a Set for constant-time lookups, ensuring optimal performance even with large input arrays.

• Non-mutating

  Returns a new array, preserving the original input and adhering to functional programming best practices.

• Supports multiple removals in one call

  Convenient for batch exclusions (e.g., removing [0, '', null] in one pass).

• Type-safe and generic

  Works with any type of array (strings, numbers, objects, etc.), as long as the values can be compared using ===.

Tests | Examples

1test('removeValues removes specified primitives', () => {
2  expect(removeValues([1, 2, 3, 4, 2], 2, 4)).toEqual([1, 3]);
3  expect(removeValues(['a', 'b', 'c'], 'b')).toEqual(['a', 'c']);
4});
5
6test('removeValues removes falsy values if specified explicitly', () => {
7  expect(removeValues([0, 1, false, '', null], 0, false)).toEqual([1, '', null]);
8});
9
10test('removeValues handles empty input gracefully', () => {
11  expect(removeValues([], 1, 2)).toEqual([]);
12  expect(removeValues([1, 2, 3])).toEqual([1, 2, 3]);
13});

Common Use Cases

• Data cleanup

  Remove known unwanted values such as null, undefined, 0, false, or empty strings from input data, especially before processing or displaying it.

• Filtering out reserved or invalid options

  In form handling or UI selections, remove reserved values (e.g., "--Select--" or "N/A") from datasets.

• Array differencing

  Use as a lightweight alternative to difference() when you know the exact values to exclude.

• Custom list pruning

  When dynamically filtering lists based on user preferences or permissions, removeValues provides a quick exclusion mechanism.

• Removing banned words or items

  Useful in content moderation, search filtering, or access control scenarios where certain items must be excluded.