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

H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points
Posted by H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points

if/else branches

I'm trying to have the browser respond that a student is not in a class with an else clause, but it's causing my code to not return any information for students in the roster. 

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

while (true) {
  search = prompt ("Please input the student's name. To quit, type 'QUIT'.");
  if (search === null || search.toUpperCase() === "QUIT") {
    break;
  }
  for (var i = 0; i < students.length; i += 1) {
    student = students[i];
    if (student.name === search) {
      message = getStudentReport (student);
      print (message);
    } else {
     print (search + " is not a student here."); 
    }
  }
}

What's wrong with my logic branch? I thought there were three possibilities- a null/quit, student in the roster, and a student who's not in the roster. Why isn't the else branch working correctly? Thanks.

3 Answers

Sheryl Darroch
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Sheryl Darroch
Treehouse Project Reviewer
Sheryl Darroch
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Sheryl Darroch
Treehouse Project Reviewer

Hi Henry!

Almost there. Try changing the () after your else to {}.

Don't give up!

H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points
H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points

Hi Sheryl,

Excuse me, I believe those are brackets. I just checked it again and it's not working. Unless you're referring to the ones after "print"?

Thanks for the help.

Craig Garner
Craig Garner
25,732 Points
Craig Garner
Craig Garner
25,732 Points

Your if statement is wrong, No batter what, the last loop will run. break !== exit

H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points
H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points

Would you mind specifying what's wrong with the if statement? When I run my code without the last two lines (i.e. without the else statement) it runs.

Sheryl Darroch
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Sheryl Darroch
Treehouse Project Reviewer
Sheryl Darroch
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree seal-36
Sheryl Darroch
Treehouse Project Reviewer

Hi Henry,

Sorry, I was reading on a small screen, originally.

Try this:

while (true) { search = prompt("Search student records: type a name 'Sheryl' or 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.toLowerCase() === search.toLowerCase()) { message += getStudentReport( student );

}

}

if(message === '') { message = 'No records matching student name: ' + search; } print(message); }

H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points
H Yang
H Yang
2,066 Points

Sheryl,

I see how you built the branches and how it works. Thanks a lot!

Are you able to hazard a guess as to why my else branch didn't work as typed? I accounted for null, for a hit on the records- I thought that the only possibility left was for no result, and all of that would funnel into the else. But coding the way I did broke the working part (i.e. Finding and displaying an existing student).

Thanks again for your time.