Need Help Understanding Solution 1 of Steamroller

JavaScript
1

This function is to flatten an array with nested arrays inside:

function steamrollArray(arr) {
  const flattenedArray = [];
  // Loop over array contents
  for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
    if (Array.isArray(arr[i])) {
      // Recursively flatten entries that are arrays
      //  and push into the flattenedArray
      flattenedArray.push(...steamrollArray(arr[i]));
    } else {
      // Copy contents that are not arrays
      flattenedArray.push(arr[i]);
    }
  }
  return flattenedArray;
};

// test here
steamrollArray([1, [2], [3, [[4]]]]);

Why do we use the spread (…) in line 5? What does it actually do to the input? I wrote the whole thing without it but couldn’t understand how I would know to use it!

Thanks

2

This solution was from the forum post for this exercise

3

Can you explain a little more what you need help understanding?

Ahhh, sorry, I see you included that after code. It just didn’t stick out enough form me to see. My bad.

4

That line is making a recursive call to steamrollArray. What value does that function always return?

5

I’m thinking it is returning an array ? Do you always have to spread an array when using it as an input then?

6

That’s exactly right. So how does the push method work?

8

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