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

Michael Williams
PLUS
Michael Williams
Courses Plus Student 8,059 Points
Posted by Michael Williams
Michael Williams
Courses Plus Student 8,059 Points

I used a while loop to display search results with multiple entries by the same name. However, it's not working.

My while loop isn't working. When I enter a name that has more than one entry, the program times out.

AND before I put the while loop in, a search result would only display AFTER I quit the program, not right after I searched for it. Anywho, here's my code. Help? 

var message = "";
var student;
var search;

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>Achievements: " + student.achievements + "<p>";
  report += "<p>Points: " + student.points + "<p>";
  return report;
}

while (true) {
  search = prompt("Search for a student in our database. Type 'quit' to exit.");
  if (search === null || search.toLowerCase() === "quit") {
    break;
  }
  for (var i = 0; i < students.length; i += 1) {
  student = students[i];
    if ( student.name === search) {
      while (student.name === search){
      message = getStudentReport(student);
      print(message);
      }
     } else {
      message = "We couldn't find that student in our system."
      print(message);
    }
  }
}
Charles Badger
Charles Badger
18,189 Points
Charles Badger
Charles Badger
18,189 Points

You have an infinite loop in your code, that's why it's timing out and why nothing displayed until you quit the program. 

while (student.name === search){
      message = getStudentReport(student);
      print(message);
      }

In this loop, there is nothing that stops the condition from being true, which causes it to loop infinitely.

1 Answer

Ruben Ponce
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Ruben Ponce
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 12,035 Points
Ruben Ponce
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Ruben Ponce
Full Stack JavaScript Techdegree Student 12,035 Points

I noticed you're using two while loops. One of them is inside an if statement that test to see if student.name === search, using the same test condition. Check if that's the source of your error.

Michael Williams
Michael Williams
Courses Plus Student 8,059 Points
Michael Williams
Michael Williams
Courses Plus Student 8,059 Points

In the instruction video, the teacher wrote the first while loop, and I still couldn't get anything to display until after I quit the program. I just figured it was a Treehouse bug?

However, I put the second while loop in there to iterate through all the students that could be named, say, "Sarah" for example. So while there are Sarahs it would loop until it can't find any more Sarahs. So from that standpoint, I thought it would eventually end up false once it's exhausted everyone by that name.

But going back to the first while loop, how do I get it to display search results the instant I search like in the teacher's video? He had an infinite loop (that only stopped when you typed 'quit') but everything worked fine for him.