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

CRIS ACOSTA
CRIS ACOSTA
2,121 Points
Posted by CRIS ACOSTA
CRIS ACOSTA
2,121 Points

Why is the if - else statement not working on this challenge?

So every time I search a student's name regardless if the student's name exist within my object array it always brings up the 'student not found' alert box. I am using if else statement.

Please help understand why this code is not working.

var search; 
var studentReport = '';
var student;


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



function studentRecord(obj){
  var report = '<h4>Name: ' + obj.name + '</h4>';
      report += '<p>Track:'+ obj.track + '</p>';
      report += '<p>Achievements'+ obj.achievements + '</p>';
      report += '<p>Points:'+ obj.points + '</p>';
    return report;
}

//'while' loop allow the program to continually ask to 
//enter student name until user types quit
while(true){
  search = prompt('Enter student name i.e "Dave" or type "Quit" to quit.');
  if(search === null || search.toLowerCase() === 'quit') break;
  for (i=0; i<students.length; i++){
      student = students[i];
        if(search.toLowerCase() === student.name.toLowerCase()){
        studentReport += studentRecord(student);
        print(studentReport);
      }else alert('student not found');
      break;
   }
}

4 Answers

Jennifer Nordell
seal-mask
STAFF
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Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher
Jennifer Nordell
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher

Hi there! In your for loop, you are looking at each student to see if the name matches the name being searched for. Let's suppose you're searching for "Ben", and your first student is named "Ben". Great! It runs the print function with "Ben's" student report. Then it moves on to the next student. Let's say student #2 is named "Anne". Anne is not equal to Ben and the alert shows and the loop exits.

To fix this, you would need to display that no students have been found after you've checked the entire list and no result was found. The way you have it now, the only way it would not show the alert is if the list did not contain a student who did not have the name being searched for.

Hope this helps! :sparkles:

CRIS ACOSTA
CRIS ACOSTA
2,121 Points
CRIS ACOSTA
CRIS ACOSTA
2,121 Points

Thanks Jennifer Nordell !

Here is the finished code

var search; 
var studentReport = '';
var student;
var found;

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

function getStudentRecord(obj){
  var report = '<h4>Name: ' + obj.name + '</h4>';
      report += '<p>Track: '+ obj.track + '</p>';
      report += '<p>Achievements: '+ obj.achievements + '</p>';
      report += '<p>Points: '+ obj.points + '</p>';
    return report;
}

//'while' loop allows the program to continually ask user to 
//enter student name until user types quit
while(true){
  search = prompt('Enter student name i.e "Dave" or type "Quit" to quit.');
    found = false;//assume student value entered is not found

  if(search === null || search.toLowerCase() === 'quit') break;

  for (i=0; i<students.length; i++){
        student = students[i];
        if(search.toLowerCase() === student.name.toLowerCase()){
          studentReport += getStudentRecord(student);// '+=' appends 'student' value  to 'studentReport' instead of just assigning it which means that each student name searched will show when 'print' function is called.
          /*using '='  only assigns value to studentReport which means that it will overide the last student value and will only show last matched value when print function is called.*/
          print(studentReport);
          found = true;
        }
      }
//if value is false alert user student is not found. 
  if(!found){
      alert('Student not found!');
   }
 }

Also credits to:

Steven Parker

I can finally move on to the next challenge after a week of this. I guess after this course I will run out of hair to pull. lol.

Heidi Puk Hermann
Heidi Puk Hermann
33,366 Points
Heidi Puk Hermann
Heidi Puk Hermann
33,366 Points

from your code, it appears that you are missing your students array... In that case your conditional will always return false.

just disregard :)

Jennifer Nordell
seal-mask
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher
Jennifer Nordell
.a{fill-rule:evenodd;}techdegree
Jennifer Nordell
Treehouse Teacher

Heidi Puk Hermann the students array is found in a separate JavaScript file which is linked in the HTML. Had it not been able to read the students array the student who posted the question would have received an error about students being undefined.

Thomas Grimes
Thomas Grimes
10,097 Points
Thomas Grimes
Thomas Grimes
10,097 Points

Thank you everyone. I was trying the exact same approach as Cris and this was really hanging me up. So by setting the var found value to 'true' after finding a student, that's how we're able to skip the alert?