$indexOfArray

The $indexOfArray operator is used to search for an element in an array and return the index of the first occurrence of the element. If the element isn't found, it returns -1. This operator is useful for queries where you need to determine the position of an element within an array. For example, finding the index of a specific value or object in a list.

Syntax

{
    $indexOfArray: [ < array > , < searchElement > , < start > , < end > ]
}

Parameters

Parameter Description
<array> The array in which you want to search for the element.
<searchElement> The element you're searching for in the array.
<start> (Optional) The index from which to start the search. If omitted, the search starts from the beginning of the array.
<end> (Optional) The index at which to end the search. If omitted, the search goes until the end of the array.

Examples

Consider this sample document from the stores collection.

{
    "_id": "7954bd5c-9ac2-4c10-bb7a-2b79bd0963c5",
    "name": "Lakeshore Retail | DJ Equipment Stop - Port Cecile",
    "location": {
        "lat": 60.1441,
        "lon": -141.5012
    },
    "staff": {
        "totalStaff": {
            "fullTime": 2,
            "partTime": 0
        }
    },
    "sales": {
        "salesByCategory": [
            {
                "categoryName": "DJ Headphones",
                "totalSales": 35921
            }
        ],
        "fullSales": 3700
    },
    "promotionEvents": [
        {
            "eventName": "Bargain Blitz Days",
            "promotionalDates": {
                "startDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 3,
                    "Day": 11
                },
                "endDate": {
                    "Year": 2024,
                    "Month": 2,
                    "Day": 18
                }
            },
            "discounts": [
                {
                    "categoryName": "DJ Turntables",
                    "discountPercentage": 18
                },
                {
                    "categoryName": "DJ Mixers",
                    "discountPercentage": 15
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "tag": [
        "#ShopLocal",
        "#SeasonalSale",
        "#FreeShipping",
        "#MembershipDeals"
    ]
}

Example 1: Finding the index of the first occurrence

This query finds the position (index) of a specific category name ("DJ Headphones") inside the salesByCategory array across the collection.

db.stores.aggregate([
  {
    $project: {
      index: {
        $indexOfArray: [
          "$sales.salesByCategory.categoryName",
          "DJ Headphones"
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  // Limit the result to the first 3 documents
  { $limit: 3 } 
])

This query returns the following results:

[
    {
        "_id": "649626c9-eda1-46c0-a27f-dcee19d97f41",
        "index": -1
    },
    {
        "_id": "8345de34-73ec-4a99-9cb6-a81f7b145c34",
        "index": -1
    },
    {
        "_id": "57cc4095-77d9-4345-af20-f8ead9ef0197",
        "index": -1
    }
]

Example 2: Finding the index in a range

This query finds the position of the "Bargain Blitz Days" promotion event inside the promotionEvents array within a specific range of indexes (3 to 5) and filters results along with returning the first three matching documents

db.stores.aggregate([
  // Step 1: Project the index of the "Bargain Blitz Days" event name within the specified range
  {
    $project: {
      index: {
        $indexOfArray: [
          "$promotionEvents.eventName",
          "Bargain Blitz Days",
          3,
          5
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  // Step 2: Match documents where index > 0
  {
    $match: {
      index: { $gt: 0 }
    }
  },
 // Limit the result to the first 3 documents
  { $limit: 3 }                          
])

This query returns the following results:

 [
    {
        "_id": "ced8caf0-051a-48ce-88d3-2935815261c3",
        "index": 3
    },
    {
        "_id": "509be7ce-539a-41b5-8fde-b85fb3ef3faa",
        "index": 3
    },
    {
        "_id": "d06e8136-9a7f-4b08-92c8-dc8eac73bad3",
        "index": 3
    }
]

Related content