RemoveItem

removeItem is a generic programming function name used across languages and libraries to remove an element from a collection. It can apply to arrays, lists, maps, and sets, and its exact behavior depends on the API. In many implementations, removeItem targets a specific item by value or a specific position by index, and it may mutate the original collection or return a new collection with the item removed.

Removal by value usually deletes the first matching element; some APIs remove all occurrences unless stated otherwise. When removing by index, the element at that position is deleted. For maps or objects, removal often occurs by key; for sets, by value. The function may return the removed element, a boolean indicating success, or the updated collection, depending on design.

Mutating versus immutable styles: some removeItem implementations modify the input collection in place, which is common in imperative code; others return a new collection with the element omitted, supporting functional or immutable patterns. This distinction affects how callers manage references and iteration.

Edge cases include attempting to remove an item that is not present, removing from an empty collection, or removing while iterating over the collection. Performance considerations vary: removing from arrays by value or index is typically O(n), while map or set deletions are typically O(1) on average.

Best practices: clearly document whether removeItem mutates or returns a new collection, what happens with duplicates, and what is returned. When possible, prefer safe immutable patterns in multi-threaded contexts and avoid modifying a collection during iteration. See also remove, delete, discard.