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

Kosha Burnett
Kosha Burnett
1,869 Points
Posted by Kosha Burnett
Kosha Burnett
1,869 Points

My script is only printing the search results after I quit the prompt and I can't see the difference between mine & his.

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("Enter a student name");
  if (search === null || search.toLowerCase() === 'quit') {
    break;
  }

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

2 Answers

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,248 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
231,248 Points

As Anthony pointed out, it's not your code, it's your browser (and most all browsers nowdays).

You can see this explanation posted in the "Teacher's Notes" section of the Useful Array Methods video:

Important Update

Since this video was shot, the behavior of most browsers has changed, so you won't see the same thing as I demonstrate in the video. In the video, you'll see that my script is able to print out to the browser using document.write( ) while inside a loop.

Most browsers no longer do that: they wait until the loop finishes and then they print to the window. So, you'll see a blank page until you type quit in the prompt window — then you'll see all the output printed to the screen.

And actually, they don't just wait for a loop to finish, they wait for the entire script to finish before they update the screen.