What is the significance of utilizing an empty value `[]` for a typed array interface instead of using an empty `{}` for a typed object interface?

Why can I initialize friends below as an empty array [], but not do the same for session with an empty object {}? Is there a way to use the empty object without needing to make all keys optional in the interface?

const initialState: {
  friends: Array<{
    name: string;
    age: number;
  }>;
  session: {
    login: string;
    avatar: string;
  }
} = {
  friends: [], // works fine
  session: {}  // results in an error!
};

Answer №1

Since the [] represents a valid array (with zero length) for the type

Array<{name:string;age:number;}>
.

However, the curly braces {} do not form a valid object structure like {login: string; avatar: string}

Answer №2

When you have an object defined as let x = {} and then add a property with x.login = "name", you end up altering the structure of the object. Even if it is empty, it can still be considered an array of a specific type.

If you need an interface that can accept both empty objects {} and objects with specific properties like {login: string, avatar: string}, you can implement the following:

interface GenericObject {
  [property: string]: any;
}

It's important to use this approach judiciously, as if your intention is to allow objects in any format, perhaps you wouldn't be specifying types in your code at all.

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