JavaScript Forum

**monkey64** · 06-28-2007, 04:49 PM

Well I use www.w3schools.com quite a lot for coding examples. The're normally fully working.

This particular example works on thieir site, but not when I copy and paste the code into a new .html doc. All I get is ONE outputed value; Apple and I should get all four as I do on their website.

The URL is: http://www.w3schools.com/js/tryit.as...select_options

Any ideas?

Here's the source code:

Code:

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
function getOptions()
  {
  var x=document.getElementById("mySelect");
  for (i=0;i<x.length;i++)
    {
    document.write(x.options[i].text)
    document.write("<br />")
    }
  }
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form>
Select your favorite fruit:
<select id="mySelect">
  <option>Apple</option>
  <option>Orange</option>
  <option>Pineapple</option>
  <option>Banana</option>
</select>
<br /><br />
<input type="button" onclick="getOptions()" value="Output all options">
</form>
</body>
</html>

**willcode4beer** · 06-28-2007, 09:48 PM

At first glance I would guess that

Code:

for (i=0;i<x.length;i++)

should be

Code:

for (i=0;i<x.options.length;i++)

But, I haven't tested.

hope it helps (and works)

**chrishirst** · 06-30-2007, 08:36 AM

What browser are you testing in?

only FF & Opera gave all four option values for me.

IE6, NS7.1 and Moz1.7 only returned the first one.

**monkey64** · 06-30-2007, 03:11 PM

You're correct!

The code works fine in Firefox and I get four values returned.

Using Internet Explorer [tested 5, 5.5,6 and 7], you get one value returned.
Now I'm really confused!

I thought Javascript was universally accepted by all browsers. Am I wrong in this assumption?

**NinjaKitty** · 06-30-2007, 07:18 PM

I know that I had to download a new browser when I started to work with JavaScript, cause IE didn't like it. I think there is an option to allow JS to work on IE, but am not sure where it is.

**tripy** · 06-30-2007, 09:27 PM

No, javascript is available on IE as almost any other browser.

The problem is that javascript is implemented at client side (in the browser).
So, different browser may implement javascript differently, and they may be bugs (or "features" as some would say) in those implementations that can make them react differently to the same command.

They can even be totally different command to do the same thing.

To make it short, Javascript can be a real hell...
But I like it !

**tripy** · 06-30-2007, 09:41 PM

And for the curiosity, it looks like on IE, the document.write, once called, place the element where it writes in "read-only" mode.

This correct the statement, but using document.write is really to avoid.

Use the DOM instead, and create/append elements in the page.
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs....createElement
The exemple above works everywhere (As far as I know) and is the way you should take.

Code:

function getOptions(){
  var x=document.getElementById("mySelect");
  var str="";
  for (var i=0;i<x.options.length;i++){
    str+=x.options[i].text+"<br/>";
  }
  document.write(str);
}