Create HTML List From Javascript Array/Object (Simple Examples)

Welcome to a tutorial on how to create an HTML list from a Javascript array or object. Need to display an array of data nicely?

That covers the basics, read on for more examples!

 

 

TLDR – QUICK SLIDES

[web_stories_embed url=”https://code-boxx.com/web-stories/create-html-list-from-javascript-array/” title=”Create HTML List From Javascript Array” poster=”https://code-boxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/STORY-JS-20230518.webp” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”center”]

Fullscreen Mode – Click Here

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

1) CREATE & APPEND HTML ELEMENTS

<!-- (A) DIV CONTAINER -->
<div id="demoA"></div>
 
<!-- (B) JAVASCRIPT -->
<script>
// (B1) DUMMY ARRAY
var arr = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"];

// (B2) CREATE LIST
var list = document.createElement("ol");
for (let i of arr) {
  let item = document.createElement("li");
  item.innerHTML = i;
  list.appendChild(item);
}

// (B3) APPEND LIST TO CONTAINER
document.getElementById("demoA").appendChild(list);
</script>

This is the “full version” of the snippet in the introduction – It should be pretty straightforward and self-explanatory.

• Create the list.
• Loop and append the list of items.
• Then attach the entire list to wherever you want.

 

 

2) MANUAL HTML STRING

<!-- (A) DIV CONTAINER -->
<div id="demoB"></div>
 
<!-- (B) JAVASCRIPT -->
<script>
// (B1) DUMMY ARRAY
var arr = ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"];

// (B2) CREATE LIST
var list = "<ol>";
for (let i of arr) {
  list += `<li>${i}</li>`;
}
list += "</ol>";

// (B3) APPEND LIST TO CONTAINER
document.getElementById("demoB").innerHTML = list;
</script>

If the above “object-oriented way” of creating HTML elements is not your cup of tea, here is the alternative – We manually generate a string of HTML list, then attach it to the container.

 

 

3) NESTED OBJECT

<!-- (A) DIV CONTAINER -->
<div id="demoC"></div>

<!-- (B) JAVASCRIPT -->
<script>
// (B1) DUMMY OBJECT
var obj = {
  "Fruits" : ["Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"],
  "Vegetables" : ["Celery", "Cabbage", "Carrot"]
};

// (B2) CREATE LIST
var list = document.createElement("ul");
for (let i in obj) {
  // (B2-1) SUB-LIST HEADING
  let item = document.createElement("li");
  let subitem = document.createElement("strong");
  subitem.innerHTML = i;
  list.appendChild(item);
  item.appendChild(subitem);

  // (B2-2) SUB-LIST ITEMS
  let sublist = document.createElement("ul");
  item.appendChild(sublist);
  for (let j of obj[i]) {
    subitem = document.createElement("li");
    subitem.innerHTML = j;
    sublist.appendChild(subitem);
  }
}

// (B3) APPEND LIST TO CONTAINER
document.getElementById("demoC").appendChild(list);
</script>

Finally, how do we deal with nested objects? This example is seemingly intimidating at first, but keep calm and look through slowly – We are pretty much doing the same thing, looping through the nested object and creating the necessary HTML elements.

 

 

 

SORRY FOR THE ADS...

But someone has to pay the bills, and sponsors are paying for it. I insist on not turning Code Boxx into a "paid scripts" business, and I don't "block people with Adblock". Every little bit of support helps.

Buy Me A Coffee Code Boxx eBooks

 

EXAMPLE CODE DOWNLOAD

Click here for the source code on GitHub gist, just click on “download zip” or do a git clone. I have released it under the MIT license, so feel free to build on top of it or use it in your own project.

 

 

LINKS & REFERENCES

• How To Create and Style HTML List – Code Boxx
• Responsive Horizontal List In HTML CSS – Code Boxx
• Sortable List – Code Boxx

 

INFOGRAPHIC CHEAT SHEET