Managing ArrayBuffer with Resizable Capability in JavaScript

Introduction to ArrayBuffer in JavaScript

One of the interesting and new features of JavaScript is the ability to use ArrayBuffer. This feature is useful for working with binary data, allowing for more precise data manipulation alongside DataView and TypedArray. If you are dealing with audio or image encoding and structure, ArrayBuffer will be a very useful tool.

In recent updates, the resizable capability has been added to ArrayBuffer, allowing us to modify the size of this buffer. With this feature, you can dynamically add data to the buffer or remove it.

This capability is beneficial for scenarios where you need to store a large volume of data temporarily, making it very practical. Consider a scenario where you are developing a sound recording software and need to store data directly in memory.

Furthermore, I will provide examples to better understand this capability and will look into multiple methods of using resizable in ArrayBuffer.

Example Code Using Resizable ArrayBuffer

// Creating a resizable ArrayBuffer
let buffer = new ArrayBuffer(10, { resizable: true, maxByteLength: 100 });

// Displaying the initial length
console.log(buffer.byteLength); // 10

// Resizing the buffer
buffer.resize(20);

// Displaying the new length
console.log(buffer.byteLength); // 20

// Attempting to exceed the maximum size
try {
  buffer.resize(120);
} catch (e) {
  console.error(e); // Error: Requested size exceeds the maximum size of 100
}

Line-by-Line Explanation of the Code

// Creating a resizable ArrayBuffer
In this line, we create an ArrayBuffer with an initial length of 10 and the resizable capability, with a maximum length limit.

let buffer = new ArrayBuffer(10, { resizable: true, maxByteLength: 100 });
Creating buffer with the capability to change size and defining the maximum length limit using resizable and maxByteLength properties.

// Displaying the initial length
This line displays the initial length of the buffer, which is 10, in the console.

console.log(buffer.byteLength); // 10
Using console.log to show the current length of the buffer in the console.

// Resizing the buffer
In this line, we resize the buffer with the resize method which changes its size to 20.

buffer.resize(20);
Resizing buffer to a new size of 20 using the resize method.

// Displaying the new length
This line shows the new length of the buffer in the console.

console.log(buffer.byteLength); // 20
We expect the new length of buffer to be 20 and it should be displayed in the console.

// Attempting to exceed the maximum size
In this, we attempt to resize the buffer to a value larger than the maximum allowed size, which will cause an error.

try { buffer.resize(120); } catch (e) { console.error(e); }
Considering the maximum limit restriction, attempting to set a length exceeding that will result in an error, which we log to the console.