Question

What I am attempting to do in the code below is to create a search form whereby when the search input matches any of the array elements an alert pops up.As of right now it doesn’t work. I think the problem is I’m not sure how to write out the logic in the first line of the if statement.

<form>
<input type="text" id="formInput"></input>
<input type = "button" id="search"></input>

</form>


<script>


var search = document.getElementById("search");
var formInput = document.getElementById("formInput").value;

var data = ["yay"];

search.onclick = function(){

for (i=0; i<data.length; i++){

    if (data[i] === formInput) {
      alert(data[i]);
    }   
      else{ alert("not working yet");   }
}
};



</script>

Answer 1

Move the line where you get the input into the onclick function:

<form>
 <input type="text" id="formInput"></input>
 <input type="button" id="search"></input>
</form>
<script>
 var search = document.getElementById("search");
 var data = ["yay"];

 search.onclick = function() {
    var formInput = document.getElementById("formInput").value;

    for (i=0; i<data.length; i++){
       if (data[i] == formInput) {
          alert(data[i]);
       } else {
          alert("not working yet");
       }
    }
 };
</script>

Currently, it is only reading the form input once, when the page loads (before the user has a chance to enter anything). If you put that line inside the onclick function, then it checks the input just before it searches the array.