[buff-a]

I need some milk! Let me add that to my shopping array.

Back in the real world, I see non techies deal with lists every day. Ordered lists. Given a list, with numbers in the margin, they can easily answer "Who came first?" or "What's next on the list?", or "What's item 5 on the agenda".

But noooo. We have to call them arrays. Lists are something else. o_O

The way I would describe an array to a novice is that it's a more complex and potentially useful type of variable

Fuck me no!!!! Shut up Moss!

[WiseWeasel]

That's because arrays do get more complicated than flat lists like the example I gave above. You can actually have multiple organized data points in each position of the array as well, making arrays function more as a 2D relational database than as a flat list of data.

For example, I could make an address book array with multiple data points as such:

    var addressbook = [{"firstname": "John", "lastname": "Doe", "phone": "555-555-5555", "email": "[e-mail]"}, {"firstname": "Jane", "lastname": "Smith", "phone": "666-666-6666", "email": "[e-mail]"}]

Then, I can retrieve a piece of information like Jane's phone number like this:

    var janesnumber = addressbook[1].phone

Arrays are very powerful tools, especially once you start referencing other arrays in them, as it allows complex organization of data without always needing to resort to a database solution, with a whole new language to learn.