options not loading in IE

[Claus Mygind]

The following code loads fine in fireFox but does not load in IE. The list box loads but the options in the list box fail to load

function writeMenu(cPage)
{
/anny8.html" onclick="goNext(\'/ABC/anny8.html\'); return false">An(n)y Geocaching</a>/&nbsp;'
    if (cPage == "anny8")
    {
        document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '<select id="getNextGeoPage" onchange="navigate(this)" name="getNextGeoPage">;'
        document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '</select>&nbsp;/'
    }
 
    document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '<a href="/ABC/index.html" onclick="goNext(\'/ABC/index.html\'); return false">An(n)y Home</a>/&nbsp;'
    document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '<a href="/SEC/testanny4.html" onclick="goNext(\'/SEC/testanny4.html\'); return false">An(n)y Testing</a>/&nbsp;'
    if (cPage == "anny8")
    {
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML  = '<option value="" selected="selected">Select from archive</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<optgroup label="2009">'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="21">January</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '</optgroup>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<optgroup label="2008">'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="18">December</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="13">November</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="7">October</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="5">September</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="1">August</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '</optgroup>'
    }
 
}
 

Thinking it might have been a timing problem I also tried this method of loading the options. But it did not work either.

function writeMenu(cPage)
{
/anny8.html" onclick="goNext(\'/ABC/anny8.html\'); return false">An(n)y Geocaching</a>/&nbsp;'
    if (cPage == "anny8")
    {
        document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '<select id="getNextGeoPage" onchange="navigate(this)" name="getNextGeoPage">;'
        document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '</select>&nbsp;/'
    }
 
    document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '<a href="/ABC/index.html" onclick="goNext(\'/ABC/index.html\'); return false">An(n)y Home</a>/&nbsp;'
    document.getElementById("myMenu").innerHTML +=  '<a href="/SEC/testanny4.html" onclick="goNext(\'/SEC/testanny4.html\'); return false">An(n)y Testing</a>/&nbsp;'
    if (cPage == "anny8")
    {
    setTimeout("loadListBox()", 0);
    }
}
function loadListBox()
{
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML  = '<option value="" selected="selected">Select from archive</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<optgroup label="2009">'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="21">January</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '</optgroup>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<optgroup label="2008">'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="18">December</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="13">November</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="7">October</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="5">September</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="1">August</option>'
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '</optgroup>'
}
 

[acoder]

It's a bug in IE. Use the DOM methods, e.g. options[] with new Option(), or createElement(), setAttribute(), appendChild(), or the add() method.

[Claus Mygind]

@acoder
Ok thanks for your reply, but I am stuck again as I was when I previously posted "Dynamic Option Group" thread. A little sample code would be very helpful here.

Here is my partial attempt to load the list box with options. Corrections to this code would be very much appreciated (as is clearly visible in the code I am stuck on line 2):

    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").options[0] = new Option("Select from archive", "", true, true)
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").options[1] = new Option("<optgroup label="2009">'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="21">January</option>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '</optgroup>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<optgroup label="2008">'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="18">December</option>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="13">November</option>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="7">October</option>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="5">September</option>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '<option value="1">August</option>'
    document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML += '</optgroup>'
 

[acoder]

For optgroup, you'd need to create an optgroup element and set its label:

var el = document.createElement("optgroup");
el.label = "2009";

and the options would be appended to the optgroup which in turn would be appended to the select element, e.g.

var opt = document.createElement('option');
opt.value = "21";
oOption.appendChild(document.createTextNode("January"));
// append the option to the option group
optGrp.appendChild(opt);
// append the option group to the select
sel.appendChild(optGrp);

[Claus Mygind]

Thank you very much. I was able to complete the list box with your sample code and gain some knowledge in the process. Just one aspect I am not sure about, my first option on the select box is a blank option asking the user to make a selection. While not necessary here, I would like to know how to add it anyway. The default property of "Selected = Selected"

// document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTM L = '<option value="" selected="selected">Select from archive</option>'

Since I am creating a object "var opt" and then assigning attributes to the object "opt.value = ..."

Can I then assign the following "opt.selected = "selected"?

        var opt = document.createElement('option');
        opt.value = "";
        opt.appendChild(document.createTextNode("Select from archive"));
        // append first option to the select
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").appendChild(opt);
 
        //1. create option group for 2009
        var optGrp = document.createElement("optgroup");
        optGrp.label = "2009";
 
        //2. define each options to option group for 2009 
        var opt = document.createElement("option");
        opt.value = "21";
        opt.appendChild( document.createTextNode("January") );
 
        //3. append the option to the option group 2009
        optGrp.appendChild(opt);
 
        //4. append the option group 2009 to the page selector (this is done once for each year)
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").appendChild(optGrp);
 
        //create option group 2008
        var optGrp = document.createElement("optgroup");
        optGrp.label = "2008";
 
        //December
        //add each month as an option (repeat next 4 lines for each option)
        var opt = document.createElement("option");
        opt.value = "18";
        opt.appendChild( document.createTextNode("December") );
        optGrp.appendChild(opt);
 
        //November
        var opt = document.createElement("option");
        opt.value = "13";
        opt.appendChild( document.createTextNode("November") );
        // append the option to the option group
        optGrp.appendChild(opt);
 
        //October
        var opt = document.createElement("option");
        opt.value = "7";
        opt.appendChild( document.createTextNode("October") );
        // append the option to the option group
        optGrp.appendChild(opt);
 
        //September 2008
        var opt = document.createElement("option");
        opt.value = "5";
        opt.appendChild( document.createTextNode("September") );
        // append the option to the option group
        optGrp.appendChild(opt);
 
        //August 2008
        var opt = document.createElement("option");
        opt.value = "1";
        opt.appendChild( document.createTextNode("August") );
        // append the option to the option group
        optGrp.appendChild(opt);
 
        // append the option group to the select (this is done once for each year)
        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").appendChild(optGrp);
 
//        document.getElementById("getNextGeoPage").innerHTML  = '<option value="" selected="selected">Select from archive</option>'
 

[acoder]

If you want it selected and you're using elem.selected syntax, then you need to set it to true. If you set the attribute, you can set it to "selected":

// set property
opt.selected = true;
// alternatively, set the attribute:
opt.setAttribute("selected","selected");