Creating a new array from recursive mapping

[tdev81]

I am attempting to do something very complex.

I have a database that has a self relation (categories that contain a nested category).
The ORM I’m using makes use of these categories as objects:

category = [
  {
    name: "Lights",
    description: "some description",
    parentid: "some id",
    children: [
         [{name: "bulbs", description: "some description", parentid: "some id", children: [...more children]}]
         [{name: "LEDs", description: "some description", parentid: "some id", children: [...more children]}]
         [{name: "CFL", description: "some description", parentid: "some id", children: [...more children]}]
                  ]
  },
  {
    name: "Cats",
    description: "some description",
    parentid: "some id",
    children: [
         [{name: "brown", description: "some description", parentid: "some id", children: [...more children]}]
         [{name: "white", description: "some description", parentid: "some id", children: [...more children]}]
         [{name: "gray", description: "some description", parentid: "some id", children: [...more children]}]
                  ]
  },
]

I’m wanting to output a new array of objects that look like this:

newArray = [
     {name: "Lights", lastChildId: "someid"},

     {name: "Lights > bulbs", lastChildId: "someid"},
     {name: "Lights > bulbs > *more children names...*", lastChildId: "someid"},

     {name: "Lights > LEDs", lastChildId: "someid" },
     {name: "Lights > LEDs > *more children names...*", lastChildId: "someid" },

     {name: "Lights > CFL", lastChildId: "someid"},
     {name: "Lights > CFL   > *more children names...*", lastChildId: "someid"},

     {name: "Cats", lastChildId: "someid"},
     {name: "Cats > brown > *more children names...*", lastChildId: "someid"},

     {name: "Cats > white > *more children names...*", lastChildId: "someid" },
     {name: "Cats > gray  > *more children names...*", lastChildId: "someid"},
   ]

Basically I want to output a name of the complete path through the nested category names, but also outputting the intermediate steps between nesting (ie. even though one category might go Cats > Brown > Short, I want the array to contain all 3 different variations: Cats, Cats > Brown, Cats > Brown > Short.

This is going to be output in a drop down select list.

I understand this is super complex so I am not expecting someone to figure out this very quickly. Totally willing to venmo some coffee money if anyone is up for this javascript challenge (okay technically I am doing this with typescript but I think javascript will suffice).

[m_hutley]

Is the parentid on your top level items (Lights, Cats) null? or some specific value that identifies all of htem as being top level nodes?

[tdev81]

Is there any way to edit my question? I don’t see an edit or delete button or anything.

[m_hutley]

You can only edit a post for the first 4 hours after posting it. You can find the delete button inside the ellipsis (…)

[Thallius]

Ok, i am at the iPad and I had 5 beer and 3 grappa but I will try to give you a hint how to solve this

You need a recursive method to add the child’s.

function addChild(itemList, path, parent)
{
for(let child of parent.children)
{
const newItem = path + " → " + children.name;
ItemList.push(newItem);
addChild(itemList, newItem, child);
}
}
itemList = [category.name];
addChild(itemList, path, category);
console.log(itemList);

P.S.

I still do not know how to format a code correct on my iPad. Spaces are ignored

[m_hutley]

you’d need to foreach the top level of category because its an array of objects, but otherwise a solid dive for that deep into the drinking