Question

I’m using this code:

$newFilter = getNewFilter();

$fieldDropdown = getFieldDropdown(fieldData.field);
$newFilter.append($fieldDropdown);

$typeDropdown = getTypeDropdown($fieldDropdown.data('zenfilter').fieldId, $fieldDropdown.val(), fieldData.type);
$newFilter.append($typeDropdown);

$inputBox = getInputBox($typeDropdown.data('zenfilter').fieldId, $typeDropdown.data('zenfilter').fieldType, $typeDropdown.val(), fieldData.value);
$newFilter.append($inputBox);

And I get a error ($fieldDropdown.data("zenfilter") is null) on the fourth line ($typeDropdown = getTypeDropdown...). This is because the getFieldDropdown didn’t finished execution yet. How can I call the functions lineally? Thanks a lot.

Edit: Added the getFieldDropdown function:

getFieldDropdown = function (populateData) {
    var $hiddenInput, i, $obj;

    $hiddenInput = $('<input>', {
        name: defaults.paramName + '[' + nFilters + '][field]',
        type: 'hidden'
    });
    $obj = $('<select></select>', {
        'class': classesHash.individualField,
        name: defaults.paramName + '[' + nFilters + '][fakefield]'
    }).
    data('zenfilter', { fieldId: nFilters }).
    addOption(fieldOptions).
    sortOptions(true).
    selectOptions('').
    change(function(){
        $(this).nextAll('select, div.' + classesHash.individualInputContainer).detach();
        $(this).removeClass(classesHash.incompleteField).after(getTypeDropdown($(this).data('zenfilter').fieldId, $(this).val()));
        $(this).prev('input[type=hidden]').val(defaults.data[$(this).val()].fieldname);
    });
    if (populateData) {
        for (i = 0; i < defaults.data.length; i += 1) {
            if (defaults.data[i].fieldname === populateData) {
                $obj.selectOptions(String(i));
            }
        }
    }

    return $hiddenInput.add($obj);
};

(addOptions, sortOptions and selectOptions are just a plugin’s methods to manipulate selects easier, they don’t do any AJAX)

Answer 1

Those functions are called synchronously. What’s most likely happening is that getFieldDropdown(fieldData.field) is returning null, or the object that it returns doesn’t have the zenfilter property defined internally.