Having trouble with this logic. Where are the smart people?

[m2244]

Hello,

I am having problems with something that seemed really simple at first. I have an XML file (I am not including the entire file, it IS properly formed in its entirety). This file holds data for a glossary. What I am trying to do is populate a div with these terms. I can get it to show all of the terms, what I am having problems with is the 'A', 'B', 'C',.... title at the beginning of each block of terms. In other words, when the 'B' terms begin I want a row that says 'B'. When a letter is not present in the XML (no 'Y' words) I still want the 'Y' title to appear.

The code below is what I have so far and it works for the most part but I have redone it a few times and I am lost. Can someone please help me out here?

<item term="AAA" def="Not the American Automobile Association" rollover="Anti-aircraft Artillery" />

<item term="AC" def="Alternating Current" />

<!-- B -->

<item term="BAS" def="Building Automation System" />


<item term="BBC" def="British Broadcasting Company" />


<!-- C -->



<!-- D -->

<item term="DARPA" def="Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" />


<item term="dB" def="Decibel" />

	function parseGlossXML(xml)
	{
		glossaryXML = xml;
		
		var thisLetter = $(glossaryXML).find(':first').attr('term').substr(0,1).toUpperCase();
		var letterArr2 = ['A','B','C','D','E','F','G','H','I','J','K','L','M','N','O','P','Q','R','S','T','U','V','W','X','Y','Z'];
		var letterArrIndex = 0;
		var continueLoop = true;
		
		for(var t = 0; t < letterArr2.length; t++)
		{
			if(thisLetter == letterArr2[letterArrIndex])// A == A
			{alert(thisLetter);
				$("#glossaryContent").append("<br /><span class='glossAcro'>" + "wtf1 " + thisLetter + "</span><br />");
				$(glossaryXML).find('item').each(function()
				{			
					if(continueLoop)
					{
						//$("#glossaryContent").append("<br /><span class='glossAcro'>" + thisLetter + "</span><br />");
						//letterArrIndex++;
						continueLoop = false;
					}
					else if(!continueLoop)
					{
						thisLetter = $(this).attr('term').substr(0,1).toUpperCase();
						//$("#glossaryContent").append("<br /><span class='glossAcro'>" + thisLetter + "</span><br />");
						//letterArrIndex++;
						
					}
					$("#glossaryContent").append("<br /><span class='glossAcro'>" + $(this).attr('term') + "</span>" + "<span class='glossDef'>" + $(this).attr('def') + "</span><br />");
					//letterArrIndex++;
				});
				letterArrIndex++;
			}
			else if(thisLetter != letterArr2[letterArrIndex])
			{
				$("#glossaryContent").append("<br /><span class='glossAcro'>" + "WTF2 " + letterArr2[letterArrIndex] + "</span><br />");
				letterArrIndex++;
			}
		}
}

[Old Pedant]

What was wrong with the answer I gave you in your other thread?

http://www.codingforums.com/showthread.php?t=287631

If it didn't work, at least respond in that same thread and say why not and/or what happened.

If it did work, it would still be nice to get a response.

[Old Pedant]

Okay, I see the difference. Now you want the letter to appear even if there are no matches in the XML feed.

See, that would have been *SO EASY* for you to have said in response to my prior post. But for all I know, you didn't bother to read my prior post.

This looks trivial. Not much harder than the other problem, where I purposely omitted the missing letters.

    var curLetter = "@";
    $(glossaryXML).find('item').each(function()
    {
        var first = ($(this).attr('term').charAt(0).toUpperCase();
        while ( first > curLetter )
        {
            // bump the curLetter by one (NOTE: "@" + 1 ==>> "A")
            curLetter = String.fromCharCode( curLetter.charCodeAt(0) + 1 );

            if ( curLetter > "Z" ) break; // don't go past last letter (shouldn't happen)

            // output a header for curLetter
            $("#glossaryContent").append(... curLetter ... ); 
        }
        $("#glossaryContent").append(...); // output from XML
    } );

Maybe you could actually respond, this time?

[m2244]

Pedant,

I appologize. I forgot I posted that on Thursday. Around 3:30 that day someone found a problem so I had to jump through hoops correcting it and for got about the post.

Thanks for the help, I will test it now and get the working code back here.

[Old Pedant]

Originally Posted by m2244

... I had to jump through hoops correcting it and for got about the post.

Well, that has certainly never happened to me. Today.

And I've never forgotten a post. In the last hour.

<grin/>

Understood. All's good. Hope this one works.

[m2244]

Pedant you son of a gun, it works.

var curLetter = "@";
		$(glossaryXML).find('item').each(function()
		{
			var first = ($(this).attr('term').charAt(0).toUpperCase());
			while ( first > curLetter )
			{
				// bump the curLetter by one (NOTE: "@" + 1 ==>> "A")
				curLetter = String.fromCharCode( curLetter.charCodeAt(0) + 1 );

				if ( curLetter > "Z" ) break; // don't go past last letter (shouldn't happen)

				// output a header for curLetter
				$("#glossaryContent").append("<span class='glossLetter'>" + curLetter + "</span>"); 
			}
			$("#glossaryContent").append("<span class='glossAcro'>" + $(this).attr('term') + "</span>" + "<span class='glossDef'>" + $(this).attr('def') + "</span>"); // output from XML
		} );

[m2244]

Nope. I missed something. The last 3 letters (x, y, z) do not show up. Let me play around with it.

[m2244]

There is probably a more elegant way to do this but here is my fix. I put thisafter the 'find' loop above:

while(curLetter.charCodeAt(0) < 90)
		{
			curLetter = String.fromCharCode( curLetter.charCodeAt(0) + 1 );
			$("#glossaryContent").append("<span class='glossLetter'>" + curLetter + "</span>");
		}

[Old Pedant]

No, I think that's a fine way to do it.

It's as short as I think you could make the code.

Only thing I (personally) might change:

while ( curLetter <= "Z" )

Just to be consistent with the other code. But it truly doesn't matter in the least.

Great!