How can I convert an async iterator to an array?

Question

Given I have an async generator:

async function* generateItems() {     // ... } 

What's the simplest way to iterate all the results into an array? I've tried the following:

// This does not work const allItems = Array.from(generateItems()); 

// This works but is verbose const allItems = []; for await (const item of generateItems()) {     allItems.push(item); } 

(I know this is potentially bad practice in a Production app, but it's handy for prototyping.)

Answer 1

Here is a simple function to convert async iterator to an array without having to include a whole package.

async function toArray(asyncIterator){      const arr=[];      for await(const i of asyncIterator) arr.push(i);      return arr; } 

Answer 2

Your solution is the only one I know of. Here it is as a TypeScript function:

async function gen2array<T>(gen: AsyncIterable<T>): Promise<T[]> {     const out: T[] = []     for await(const x of gen) {         out.push(x)     }     return out } 

TypeScript Playground