Dynamic variables

[Antonie C Malan Snr]

Dear All,

In short, this works:
function testEval(){
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "= new
Array('Fiesta', 'Mondeo','Falco n');");
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

This doesn't:

function testEval(){
var FordModels = new Array('Fiesta', 'Mondeo','Falco n');
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "=" + FordModels);
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

The browser (two of them) thinks Fiesta is an undefined variable. How
do I get the second example to work, i.e. where there is a reference to
an Array of Strings. I also tried eval(veh + "Ford" + "models") =
FordModels; but no luck.

I'm quite stuck.

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[Martin Honnen]

Antonie C Malan Snr wrote:

function testEval(){
var FordModels = new Array('Fiesta', 'Mondeo','Falco n');
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "=" + FordModels);
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

The browser (two of them) thinks Fiesta is an undefined variable.

I am sure you don't need all those evals but I think what you are
looking for is
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "= FordModels;");
as what you have yields
eval("carFordmo dels=Fiesta,Mon deo,Falcon")
and then the scripting engine rightly complaints that Fiesta is undefined.

--

Martin Honnen
http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[Lee]

Antonie C Malan Snr said:

Dear All,

In short, this works:
function testEval(){
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "= new
Array('Fiesta' ,'Mondeo','Falc on');");
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

This doesn't:

function testEval(){
var FordModels = new Array('Fiesta', 'Mondeo','Falco n');
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "=" + FordModels);
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

var dynamic=new Object();
function doNotUseEvalFor DynamicVariable s() {
var FordModels = ['Fiesta','Monde o','Falcon'];
var veh = "car";
dynamic[veh + "Ford" + "models"] = FordModels;
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + dynamic.carFord models[i]);
}
}

[Douglas Crockford]

Antonie C Malan Snr wrote:

Dear All,

In short, this works:
function testEval(){
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "= new
Array('Fiesta', 'Mondeo','Falco n');");
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

This doesn't:

function testEval(){
var FordModels = new Array('Fiesta', 'Mondeo','Falco n');
var veh = "car";
eval(veh + "Ford" + "models" + "=" + FordModels);
for(i = 0; i < 3; i++){
alert("The model: " + carFordmodels[i]);
}
}

The browser (two of them) thinks Fiesta is an undefined variable. How
do I get the second example to work, i.e. where there is a reference to
an Array of Strings. I also tried eval(veh + "Ford" + "models") =
FordModels; but no luck.

Cheese and crackers! That is about the worst possible way to do that.
Objects do this much much more nicely. And here's a tip: If you are
using eval, you are doing it wrong.

var veh = {car: {}, truck: {}};
veh['car']["Ford" + "models"] = ['Fiesta', 'Mondeo', 'Galcon'];
var models = veh.car.Fordmod els;
for (i = 0; i < models.length; i += 1) {
alert("The model: " + models[i]'
}

http://www.crockford.com/javascript/survey.html

[Antonie Malan]

Chris Malan

Thanks guys. Now it works. What I wanted to do is create any number of
JavaScript arrays from data in the database. The array names are
dynamic, but can be got at from data in the selects. E.g. if somebody
wants to see all the Fords in the Category car the name of the
modelsArray will be carFordModels. As I don't know which makes are
going to be in the database I could think of no other way to do it. I
don't want a round trip for every select value selection to see what the
next select valid values are.

Thanks,

Chris

*** Sent via Developersdex http://www.developersdex.com ***
Don't just participate in USENET...get rewarded for it!