Not sure what's wrong with my code (Javascript Loops, Arrays, and Objects)

Question

I'm following this challenge in the JavaScript Loops, Arrays, and Objects course: here's the link to

challenge: https://teamtreehouse.com/library/javascript-loops-arrays-and-objects/tracking-data-using-objects/the-student-record-search-challenge

solution: https://teamtreehouse.com/library/the-student-record-search-challenge-solution

in nutshell

I want to make a searchable records.

use the prompt method to open a dialog box, and request the name of a student. When a student name is typed into the box, you'll search through the student records and look for the name that matches. If there's a match, then only print out that one student's data. In addition, you'll have the prompt appear over and over again. In other words, you'll use a loop to perform multiple student searches. until the word quit is entered into the prompt dialog box. When quit is entered, then exit the loop, and the program ends.

My code is:

var message = '';
var student;

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


for (var i = 0; i < students.length; i += 1) {
  student = students[i];
  message += '<h2>Student: ' + student.name + '</h2>';
  message += '<p>Track: ' + student.track + '</p>';
  message += '<p>Points: ' + student.points + '</p>';
  message += '<p>Achievements: ' + student.achievements + '</p>';

while (true) {
  var userInput = prompt('please enter a value a student name to search or quit to stop the program');

if ( userInput === 'quit' ||  userInput === null ) {
    break;
}

  if (userInput.toLowerCase() === student.name.toLowerCase()) {

      document.write(message);
  }

  if ( userInput === 'quit' ||  userInput === null ) {
    break;
  } else {

        alert('please enter a vaild name');

}  


}

}

if i removed the if ( userInput === 'quit' || userInput === null ) { break; } my code works perfect

can anyone help?

Answer 1 · 2017-10-16T17:59:42Z

October 16, 2017 5:59pm

Your question is a bit unclear. But what I think you're asking is why if you comment out the beginning of the if statement, why does your code does not work.

// If this condition is met
if ( userInput === 'quit' ||  userInput === null ) {
   // if the above condition is met run code here
   // break is not needed
    break;
} else {
   // if above condition is not met, run this code
   alert('please enter a vaild name');
}

If you commented out just the first portion of the if statement, your code will not work since there is a syntactical error.

if (condition) {
   // code to be executed
} else {
   // run this code
}

If statements do not always need an else also.

if (condition) { // do something }

they can also have multiple ifs

if (condition) {
// do something
} else if (another condition) {
// do something else 
} else {
// if none of the conditions were met, do something
}

Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Looking to learn something new?

Belal Ismail

Belal Ismail

Not sure what's wrong with my code (Javascript Loops, Arrays, and Objects)

1 Answer

Justin Otero

Justin Otero

Belal Ismail

Belal Ismail