# sliceDimension
> Return a read-only view of an input [`ndarray`][@stdlib/ndarray/ctor] when sliced along a specified dimension.
## Usage
```javascript
var sliceDimension = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/slice-dimension' );
```
#### sliceDimension( x, dim, slice\[, options] )
Returns a **read-only** view of an input [`ndarray`][@stdlib/ndarray/ctor] when sliced along a specified dimension.
```javascript
var Slice = require( '@stdlib/slice/ctor' );
var ndarray = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/ctor' );
var ndarray2array = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/to-array' );
var buffer = [ 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 ];
var shape = [ 3, 2 ];
var strides = [ 2, 1 ];
var offset = 0;
var x = ndarray( 'generic', buffer, shape, strides, offset, 'row-major' );
// returns
var sh = x.shape;
// returns [ 3, 2 ]
var arr = ndarray2array( x );
// returns [ [ 1.0, 2.0 ], [ 3.0, 4.0 ], [ 5.0, 6.0 ] ]
var s = new Slice( null, null, -1 );
// returns
var y = sliceDimension( x, 0, s );
// returns
sh = y.shape;
// returns [ 3, 2 ]
arr = ndarray2array( y );
// returns [ [ 5.0, 6.0 ], [ 3.0, 4.0 ], [ 1.0, 2.0 ] ]
```
The function accepts the following arguments:
- **x**: input [`ndarray`][@stdlib/ndarray/ctor].
- **dim**: index of dimension along which to slice. If provided an integer less than zero, the dimension index is resolved relative to the last dimension, with the last dimension corresponding to the value `-1`.
- **slice**: a [`Slice`][@stdlib/slice/ctor] instance, `null`, `undefined`, or an integer. If provided `null` or `undefined`, the argument is equivalent to `new Slice()` (i.e., the returned view should include all elements along a specified dimension). If provided an integer less than zero, the corresponding element along the specified dimension is resolved relative to the last element along that dimension. For negative integers, the last element corresponds to the value `-1`.
- **options**: function options.
The function supports the following `options`:
- **strict**: boolean indicating whether to enforce strict bounds checking.
By default, the function throws an error when provided a slice which exceeds array bounds. To return an empty array when a slice exceeds array bounds, set the `strict` option to `false`.
```javascript
var Slice = require( '@stdlib/slice/ctor' );
var ndarray = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/ctor' );
var ndarray2array = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/to-array' );
var buffer = [ 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 ];
var shape = [ 3, 2 ];
var strides = [ 2, 1 ];
var offset = 0;
var x = ndarray( 'generic', buffer, shape, strides, offset, 'row-major' );
// returns
var sh = x.shape;
// returns [ 3, 2 ]
var arr = ndarray2array( x );
// returns [ [ 1.0, 2.0 ], [ 3.0, 4.0 ], [ 5.0, 6.0 ] ]
var s = new Slice( 10, 20, 2 );
// returns
var y = sliceDimension( x, 1, s, {
'strict': false
});
// returns
sh = y.shape;
// returns [ 3, 0 ]
arr = ndarray2array( y );
// returns []
```
## Examples
```javascript
var S = require( '@stdlib/slice/ctor' );
var array = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/array' );
var ndarray2array = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/to-array' );
var zeroTo = require( '@stdlib/array/base/zero-to' );
var sliceDimension = require( '@stdlib/ndarray/slice-dimension' );
// Alias `null` to allow for more compact indexing expressions:
var _ = null;
// Create a linear ndarray buffer:
var buf = zeroTo( 27 );
// Create an ndarray:
var x = array( buf, {
'shape': [ 3, 3, 3 ]
});
// Get each matrix...
var y1 = sliceDimension( x, 0, 0 );
// returns
var a1 = ndarray2array( y1 );
// returns [ [ 0, 1, 2 ], [ 3, 4, 5 ], [ 6, 7, 8 ] ]
var y2 = sliceDimension( x, 0, 1 );
// returns
var a2 = ndarray2array( y2 );
// returns [ [ 9, 10, 11 ], [ 12, 13, 14 ], [ 15, 16, 17 ] ]
var y3 = sliceDimension( x, 0, 2 );
// returns
var a3 = ndarray2array( y3 );
// returns [ [ 18, 19, 20 ], [ 21, 22, 23 ], [ 24, 25, 26 ] ]
// Reverse the matrix order:
var s = S( _, _, -1 );
var y4 = sliceDimension( x, 0, s );
// returns
var a4 = ndarray2array( y4 );
// returns [...]
// Get the second rows from each matrix:
var y5 = sliceDimension( x, 1, 1 );
// returns
var a5 = ndarray2array( y5 );
// returns [ [ 3, 4, 5 ], [ 12, 13, 14 ], [ 21, 22, 23 ] ]
// Get the second columns from each matrix:
var y6 = sliceDimension( x, 2, 1 );
// returns
var a6 = ndarray2array( y6 );
// returns [ [ 1, 4, 7 ], [ 10, 13, 16 ], [ 19, 22, 25 ] ]
```
[@stdlib/ndarray/ctor]: https://github.com/stdlib-js/ndarray/tree/main/ctor
[@stdlib/slice/ctor]: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@stdlib/slice-ctor
[@stdlib/ndarray/array]: https://github.com/stdlib-js/ndarray/tree/main/array
[@stdlib/ndarray/slice]: https://github.com/stdlib-js/ndarray/tree/main/slice
[@stdlib/ndarray/slice-dimension-from]: https://github.com/stdlib-js/ndarray/tree/main/slice-dimension-from
[@stdlib/ndarray/slice-dimension-to]: https://github.com/stdlib-js/ndarray/tree/main/slice-dimension-to