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JavaScript

Posted by Maurice Tafolla- Cunningham
Maurice Tafolla- Cunningham
7,708 Points

AJAX Basics Challenge 4 - Why doesn't this approach work?

Okay I just worked on this challenge and I want to know why my code doesn't work. I'll post my code and Dave McFarland's and then elaborate on the differences:

me:

    $(document).ready(function() {


 $('form').submit(function (evt) {
    evt.preventDefault();
    var searchTerm = $("#search").val();

    // the AJAX part
    var flickerAPI = "http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?jsoncallback=?";
    var flickrOptions = {
      tags: searchTerm,
      format: "json"
    };
    function displayPhotos(data) {
      var photoHTML = '<ul>';
      $.each(data.items,function(i,photo) {
        photoHTML += '<li class="grid-25 tablet-grid-50">';
        photoHTML += '<a href="' + photo.link + '" class="image">';
        photoHTML += '<img src="' + photo.media.m + '"></a></li>';
      }); // end each
      photoHTML += '</ul>';
      $('#photos').html(photoHTML);
    }
    $.getJSON(flickerAPI, flickrOptions, displayPhotos);

      }); // end submit

    }); // end ready

dave: 

$(document).ready(function() {


 $('form').submit(function (evt) {
    evt.preventDefault();
    var searchTerm = $("#search")

    // the AJAX part
    var flickerAPI = "http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne?jsoncallback=?";
    var animal = searchTerm.val();
    var flickrOptions = {
      tags: animal,
      format: "json"
    };
    function displayPhotos(data) {
      var photoHTML = '<ul>';
      $.each(data.items,function(i,photo) {
        photoHTML += '<li class="grid-25 tablet-grid-50">';
        photoHTML += '<a href="' + photo.link + '" class="image">';
        photoHTML += '<img src="' + photo.media.m + '"></a></li>';
      }); // end each
      photoHTML += '</ul>';
      $('#photos').html(photoHTML);
    }
    $.getJSON(flickerAPI, flickrOptions, displayPhotos);

  }); // end submit

}); // end ready

Differences: My variable searchTerm is $('#search).val(); and his is simply searchTerm = $('#search').

I don't have an extra variable animal that is set to searchTerm.val() which is passed into the flickrOptions object that reads tags:animal. My code skips that step and just injects the searchTerm variable that is already set to $('#search').val(), like so: tags:searchTerm. Yet my code doesn't work and his does, I would like to know why.