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$arrayElemAt (aggregation)

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  • Definition
  • Compatibility
  • Syntax
  • Behavior
  • Example
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$arrayElemAt

Returns the element at the specified array index.

You can use $arrayElemAt for deployments hosted in the following environments:

  • MongoDB Atlas: The fully managed service for MongoDB deployments in the cloud

$arrayElemAt has the following syntax:

{ $arrayElemAt: [ <array>, <idx> ] }

The <array> expression can be any valid expression that resolves to an array.

The <idx> expression can be any valid expression that resolves to an integer.

For more information on expressions, see Expression Operators.

  • If the <idx> expression resolves to zero or a positive integer, $arrayElemAt returns the element at the idx position, counting from the start of the array.

  • If the <idx> expression resolves to a negative integer, $arrayElemAt returns the element at the idx position, counting from the end of the array.

  • If idx exceeds the array bounds, $arrayElemAt does not return a result.

  • If the <array> expression resolves to an undefined array, $arrayElemAt returns null.

Example
Results
{ $arrayElemAt: [ [ 1, 2, 3 ], 0 ] }
1
{ $arrayElemAt: [ [ 1, 2, 3 ], -2 ] }
2
{ $arrayElemAt: [ [ 1, 2, 3 ], 15 ] }
{ $arrayElemAt: [ "$undefinedField", 0 ] }
null

A collection named users contains the following documents:

{ "_id" : 1, "name" : "dave123", favorites: [ "chocolate", "cake", "butter", "apples" ] }
{ "_id" : 2, "name" : "li", favorites: [ "apples", "pudding", "pie" ] }
{ "_id" : 3, "name" : "ahn", favorites: [ "pears", "pecans", "chocolate", "cherries" ] }
{ "_id" : 4, "name" : "ty", favorites: [ "ice cream" ] }

The following example returns the first and last element in the favorites array:

db.users.aggregate([
{
$project:
{
name: 1,
first: { $arrayElemAt: [ "$favorites", 0 ] },
last: { $arrayElemAt: [ "$favorites", -1 ] }
}
}
])

The operation returns the following results:

{ "_id" : 1, "name" : "dave123", "first" : "chocolate", "last" : "apples" }
{ "_id" : 2, "name" : "li", "first" : "apples", "last" : "pie" }
{ "_id" : 3, "name" : "ahn", "first" : "pears", "last" : "cherries" }
{ "_id" : 4, "name" : "ty", "first" : "ice cream", "last" : "ice cream" }
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