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JavaScript JavaScript Loops, Arrays and Objects Tracking Data Using Objects The Student Record Search Challenge

Ermin Bicakcic
Ermin Bicakcic
5,144 Points
Posted by Ermin Bicakcic
Ermin Bicakcic
5,144 Points

cannot get this to work with else statement

So I cannot get this code to work once I add else statement (In case that username is not in database) why is that?

let message = '';
let student;

function print(message) {
    let outputDiv = document.getElementById('output');
    outputDiv.innerHTML = message;
}

while (true) {
    search = prompt("Search for a student in our database and to quit type in 'quit' to exit").toLowerCase();
    if ( search === 'quit') {
        break;
    } else {
        for ( let i = 0; i < students.length; i++ ) {
            if ( search === students[i].name.toLowerCase() ) {
                let data = students[i];
                message += '<h2>Student: ' + data.name + '</h2>';
                message += '<p>Track: ' + data.track + '</p>';
                message += '<p>Achievement: ' + data.achievements + '</p>';
                message += '<p>Points: ' + data.points + '</p>';
                print(message);
            } else {
                print( search + ' is not in database.'); 
            }
        }
    }
}

3 Answers

KRIS NIKOLAISEN
KRIS NIKOLAISEN
54,971 Points

The issue is you are looping through the entire students array whether the student is found or not. So unless the last student in the array is entered, in this case Trish, the message will always be the one from the else statement. To fix you could break if a student was found.

for ( let i = 0; i < students.length; i++ ) {
    if ( search === students[i].name.toLowerCase() ) {
        let data = students[i];
        message += '<h2>Student: ' + data.name + '</h2>';
        message += '<p>Track: ' + data.track + '</p>';
        message += '<p>Achievement: ' + data.achievements + '</p>';
        message += '<p>Points: ' + data.points + '</p>';
        print(message);
        break;
    } else {
        print( search + ' is not in database.'); 
    }
}
a v
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a v
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 2,302 Points
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Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 2,302 Points

I added a break, but My program couldn't stop

Bartlomiej Pajak
Bartlomiej Pajak
5,063 Points
Bartlomiej Pajak
Bartlomiej Pajak
5,063 Points

Or you could remove print(message) from the loop and add it after the loop like this:

let message = '';
let student;

function print(message) {
    let outputDiv = document.getElementById('output');
    outputDiv.innerHTML = message;
}

while (true) {
    search = prompt("Search for a student in our database and to quit type in 'quit' to exit").toLowerCase();
    if ( search === 'quit') {
        break;
    } else {
        for ( let i = 0; i < students.length; i++ ) {
            if ( search === students[i].name.toLowerCase() ) {
                let data = students[i];
                message += '<h2>Student: ' + data.name + '</h2>';
                message += '<p>Track: ' + data.track + '</p>';
                message += '<p>Achievement: ' + data.achievements + '</p>';
                message += '<p>Points: ' + data.points + '</p>';

            } else {
                print( search + ' is not in database.'); 
            }
        }
    }
}

print(message);