.push() and .pop() multiple value lookup field via REST API

Question

I'm updating a multiple value lookup field via REST with the following code:

var itemProperties = {
    '__metadata': { "type": "SP.Data.QuestionsListItem" },
    'AnsChoicesId': { "results": [1,3] }  // multi-valued field 
};

$.ajax({
    url: appweburl + "/_api/web/lists/GetByTitle('Questions')/items("+ListItem+")",
    type: "MERGE",
    data: JSON.stringify(itemProperties),
    headers: {
        "X-RequestDigest": $("#__REQUESTDIGEST").val(),
        "accept": "application/json; odata=verbose",
        "If-Match": "*",
        "content-type": "application/json;odata=verbose"
    }
}).done(function () {
    console.log("Done");
}).fail(function () {
    console.log("FaiL");
});

This works fine. However, it's replacing every value in the multiple value lookup field. Is it possible to use a .pop() and/or .push() technique instead of replacing all the array items?

Answer 1

No,

because (deep down) in the SQL database it is one text-field NOT an Array.

REST, JSOM, CSOM, Powershell all write one value to this text-field.

There is no logic in between that handles pop/push