Validate user entry against array for getURL

[cstansbu]

This is the item selection piece for a Sharepoint knowledge base. If you type a valid plan code you get info, but if you type garbage you get a 404 file not found. I want to check user input against an array of allowable values (eg. A33, B33, A80, B22, etc...) .

true = go to the topic you put in; false = go to a form similar to the original but alerting you to invalid entry.

Script:

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>
 
/* 
Navigate to  specific plan code web page
*/
 
 
function getURL(val){
base = 'http://dhpulse.hosp.dhha.org/EducationTraining/DH_Revenue_Ed/DH_Rev_Ed_Resources/Ins%20Gadget/PlanCards/';
location = base + val + '.htm';
return false;
}
 
</SCRIPT>

Form that collects input:

<FORM id=form2 name=form2 onsubmit="return getURL(this.url.value)" action="" 
method=post>Enter a Plan Code<BR>
<LABEL><INPUT size=3 name=url> </LABEL>
<LABEL><INPUT type=submit value=GO name=Submit> </LABEL>
</FORM>

Thanks for any help,

[acoder]

Declare an array:

var array = ["A33",...];

then loop over it to compare with the url (passed value). If it doesn't match, return false.

[rnd me]

you can avoid the loop by using an object to specify ok values.
this also avoids multiple comparisons, so it should be faster in theory, though i doubt for something small like this it matters much.

still, it's a handy pattern that's fast and avoids more complicated branching and comparing.

add any others in the same format (xx:1,) to customize...

function getURL(val){
  if( ! ({ A33:1, B33:1, A80:1, B22:1 })[ val ]  ){ 
    alert("not a valid val");
    return;
  }
base = 'http://dhpulse.hosp.dhha.org/EducationTraining/DH_Revenue_Ed/DH_Rev_Ed_Resources/Ins%20Gadget/PlanCards/';
location = base + val + '.htm';
return false;
}
 
 
A33, B33, A80, B22
 
 

[cstansbu]

Thanks for both! I'm learning, so its very good to see both approaches. I see now that to polish it off, I'll either need to check for A33, a33, B33, b33, etc... or convert the case of the user input.

[rnd me]

@cstansbu
if that's the case, simply do it once in the object value matcher:

 
function getURL(val){
   if( ! ({ A33:1, B33:1, A80:1, B22:1 })[ String(val).toUpperCase() ]  ){ 
     alert("not a valid val");
     return;
   }
 base = 'http://dhpulse.hosp.dhha.org/EducationTraining/DH_Revenue_Ed/DH_Rev_Ed_Resources/Ins%20Gadget/PlanCards/';
 location = base + val + '.htm';
 return false;
 }
 
 

notice how a string is created for safety, then the string is converted to uppercase for the comparison.

now you only need to code upper case versions.

[cstansbu]

Perfect. I was trying to put the toUppercase before the If