TypeScript: implementing Deep Cloning an Array of Complex Objects Using JSON Methods
I'm deploying to production and I'm integrating two systems and I'm converting an old project and I've been banging my head against this for hours... I'm working with a question while trying to deep clone an array of complex objects in TypeScript. I've read that using `JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(array))` is a common method for deep cloning. However, when I use it, I notice that any functions or methods attached to the objects are lost in the process. Here’s a concise example of my code: ```typescript interface User { id: number; name: string; greet: () => string; } const users: User[] = [ { id: 1, name: 'Alice', greet: () => `Hello, my name is ${this.name}` }, { id: 2, name: 'Bob', greet: () => `Hi, it's ${this.name}` } ]; const clonedUsers = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(users)); console.log(clonedUsers[0].greet()); // TypeError: clonedUsers[0].greet is not a function ``` The `greet` method does not exist in the cloned objects, which is expected behavior when using `JSON` methods. However, I need a solution that retains the methods as well. I've considered using libraries like Lodash with its `cloneDeep` function, but I want to avoid additional dependencies if possible. I tried manually cloning the array using the spread operator, but it appears to only create a shallow copy: ```typescript const shallowCopyUsers = [...users]; shallowCopyUsers[0].name = 'Changed'; console.log(users[0].name); // Outputs 'Changed' - not what I expected ``` How can I achieve a deep clone of my array while retaining the object methods, preferably in TypeScript 4.x? Any recommendations or best practices would be greatly appreciated. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Am I approaching this the right way? Is this even possible? This is my first time working with Typescript stable. Could someone point me to the right documentation? Could this be a known issue?