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

Raphael Chen
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Raphael Chen
Front End Web Development Techdegree Student 8,751 Points

Extra Coding Challenge

It seems that the program doesn't print out the correct message when the correct name has been keyed in. I'm trying to figure out the approach to code for when an incorrect name is keyed in, a message will be printed saying that the incorrect name is not found in the records.

This is the code that I have written:

var message = '';
var student;
var studentName;

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

function getStudentReport(student) {
  var report = '<h2>Student: ' + student.name + '</h2>';
  report += '<p>Track: ' + student.track + '</p>';
  report += '<p>Points: ' + student.points + '</p>';
  report += '<p>Achievements: ' + student.achievements + '</p>';
  return report;
}


while (true) {
  studentName = prompt("Search student records: type a name [Jody] (or type 'quit' to end");
  if (studentName === null || studentName.toLowerCase() === "quit") {
    break;
  } else if (studentName === "") {
    message = 'No student name " ' + studentName + '" found in the student records. Try again.';
    print(message);
  } else {
  for (var i = 0; i < students.length; i += 1) {
    student = students[i];
    if (student.name === studentName) {
    message = getStudentReport(student);
    print(message);
   } else {
      message = 'No student name "' + studentName + '" found in the student records. Try again.';
      print(message);
   } 
  }
 }
}

1 Answer

You could set a flag to false before your loop and update to true if a student was found. Then after the loop check the flag to determine if you should print the not found message.

var message = '';
var student;
var studentName;
var wasFound = false 

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

function getStudentReport(student) {
  var report = '<h2>Student: ' + student.name + '</h2>';
  report += '<p>Track: ' + student.track + '</p>';
  report += '<p>Points: ' + student.points + '</p>';
  report += '<p>Achievements: ' + student.achievements + '</p>';
  return report;
}


while (true) {
  studentName = prompt("Search student records: type a name [Jody] (or type 'quit' to end");
  if (studentName === null || studentName.toLowerCase() === "quit") {
    break;
  } else if (studentName === "") {
    message = 'No student name " ' + studentName + '" found in the student records. Try again.';
    print(message);
  } else {

    wasFound=false

  for (var i = 0; i < students.length; i += 1) {
    student = students[i];
    if (student.name === studentName) {
    message = getStudentReport(student);
    print(message);
      wasFound=true
   } 
   } 

  if (!wasFound) {
      message = 'No student name "' + studentName + '" found in the student records. Try again.';
      print(message);
  }
  }
 }