Cascading drop-down restructuring

[OccasionalFlyer]

I maintain JavaScript for my university that is used in an online
admissions application. It's complicated by the software environment
but the basic structure of the JavaScript, its main job is this:
When the apllication's first page comes up, a drop-down is populated
with all the current programs (like a major sort of)
A student chooses a program
The JavaScript populates a list of plans (like concentrations within a
major)
The user chooses a plan from the drop-down
The JavaScript populates drop-downs for location and for term (like
semester).

Currently, there is a hierarchical relation between these:
For every program, there are n plans (values in an option block)
For every plan, there is an option block for location
For some plans, there is an option block for an emphasis (more
specific than a concentration)
For every plan, there is an option block for terms

I have a request to make it possible to link locations and terms,
which are currently independent. This would mean that
if I choose a program, I get a list of plans
If I choose a plan, I get a list of locations
If I choose a location, I get a list of terms
Right now term and location are not connected in any way, except that
they belong to the same plan.

So I have to restructure the JavaScript but the complexity this
introduces sounds like adding another 10,000 lines to the 3,000 lines
that already exist. Any suggestions on the least complex way to do
this? Right now, each option block of course uses a value, like the
plan. I'm thinking that what I might need to somehow create a
"composite" value of plan + location in order to choose which term
block to use, for example. However, I have no idea how to do that.
I'm looking for ideas so that this isn't he only thing I do for the
next six months. Thanks.

Ken

 

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

[…]
A student chooses a program
The JavaScript populates a list of plans (like concentrations within a
major)
The user chooses a plan from the drop-down
The JavaScript populates drop-downs for location and for term (like
semester).

Currently, there is a hierarchical relation between these:
For every program, there are n plans (values in an option block)
For every plan, there is an option block for location
For some plans, there is an option block for an emphasis (more
specific than a concentration)
For every plan, there is an option block for terms

I have a request to make it possible to link locations and terms,
which are currently independent. This would mean that
if I choose a program, I get a list of plans
If I choose a plan, I get a list of locations
If I choose a location, I get a list of terms
Right now term and location are not connected in any way, except that
they belong to the same plan.

So I have to restructure the JavaScript but the complexity this
introduces sounds like adding another 10,000 lines to the 3,000 lines
that already exist.

I would submit that if you need 3'000 lines to do this already, you are
doing something very wrong (YMMV). Compare the iframe of
<http://www.fernfachhochschule.ch/ffhs/studieren/stundenplaene/stundenplan>
which does something very similar to what you want. Granted, it is not XHR,
but it did not take me more than ca. 300 lines for generating the basic form
(server-side). (XHR isn't that much of rocket science either.)

Any suggestions on the least complex way to do
this? Right now, each option block of course uses a value, like the
plan. I'm thinking that what I might need to somehow create a
"composite" value of plan + location in order to choose which term
block to use, for example. However, I have no idea how to do that.
I'm looking for ideas so that this isn't he only thing I do for the
next six months. Thanks.

Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead (which I
did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback). However, if you
absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to cache results (to
avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of Objects, and populate the
SELECT elements from the result.


HTH

PointedEars

 

[OccasionalFlyer]

[…]
A student chooses a program
The JavaScript populates a list of plans (like concentrations within a
major)
The user chooses a plan from the drop-down
The JavaScript populates drop-downs for location and for term (like
semester).

Currently, there is a hierarchical relation between these:
For every program, there are n plans (values in an option block)
For every plan, there is an option block for location
For some plans, there is an option block for an emphasis (more
specific than a concentration)
For every plan, there is an option block for terms

I have a request to make it possible to link locations and terms,
which are currently independent.  This would mean that
if I choose a program, I get a list of plans
If I choose a plan, I get a list of locations
If I choose a location, I get a list of terms
Right now term and location are not connected in any way, except that
they belong to the same plan.

So I have to restructure the JavaScript but the complexity this
introduces sounds like adding another 10,000 lines to the 3,000 lines
that already exist.

I would submit that if you need 3'000 lines to do this already, you are
doing something very wrong (YMMV).  Compare the iframe of
<http://www.fernfachhochschule.ch/ffhs/studieren/stundenplaene/stunden...>
which does something very similar to what you want.  Granted, it is notXHR,
but it did not take me more than ca. 300 lines for generating the basic form
(server-side).  (XHR isn't that much of rocket science either.)

Any suggestions on the least complex way to do
this? Right now, each option block of course uses a value, like the
plan.  I'm thinking that what I might need to somehow create a
"composite" value of plan + location in order to choose which term
block to use, for example.  However, I have no idea how to do that.
I'm looking for ideas so that this isn't he only thing I do for the
next six months.  Thanks.

Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead (which I
did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback).  However, if you
absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to cache results (to
avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of Objects, and populate the
SELECT elements from the result.

I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side. Would you plesae elaborate a little more
on the Array of objects approach? Thanks.

Ken

 

[Evertjan.]

OccasionalFlyer wrote on 08 feb 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:

I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side.

What a strange conclusion.

Why would you access a database clientside BECAUSE Javascript could not
access such [quod non]?

Javascript can perfectly well query a serverside database, when used as a
serverside language. I do this lots of times.

What does it matter wich server the data are on, as long as you SQL-query
the data on that server?

Serverside XMLHTTP at the domain in question can easily request the result
from that other domain's server and send it to the client as an AJAX
response.

Serverside XMLHTTP-requests does not suffer the drawbacks of a clientside
same domain policy of a browser.

 

[Gregor Kofler]

Am 2011-02-08 01:54, schrieb OccasionalFlyer:

On Feb 7, 2:39 pm, Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn<[email protected]>
wrote:
I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side.

JS doesn't access the server-side database. JS sends a plain POST or GET
request to the server, where a server-side script does the query and
delivers the result with the response. The response is plain text -
normally in an appropriate format, that is easy to parse for JS. Whilst
it is called *XML*HttpRequest, nowadays the format of choice is JSON.

Googling for "AJAX", "XMLHttpRequest", "JSON" will give you plenty to read.

As a start try
https://developer.mozilla.org/En/XMLHttpRequest/Using_XMLHttpRequest
(BTW: You are looking for *asynchronous* requests)

Use a tool like Firbug to track requests and responses.

http://vxweb.net/tree#example3

retrieves "branches" via XHR (and caches them) - nice for tracking
requests and responses in JSON format.

Gregor

 

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

[…]
Any suggestions on the least complex way to do this? Right now, each
option block of course uses a value, like the plan. I'm thinking that
what I might need to somehow create a "composite" value of plan +
location in order to choose which term block to use, for example.
However, I have no idea how to do that. I'm looking for ideas so that
this isn't he only thing I do for the next six months. Thanks.

Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead
(which I did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback). However,
if you absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to cache
results (to avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of Objects, and
populate the SELECT elements from the result.

I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side. Would you plesae elaborate a little more
on the Array of objects approach? Thanks.

Gregor has probably clarified most of your misconceptions. As for that
"Array of Objects" (letter case intended!), use

new Array(
new MyObject(…),
new MyObject(…),
…
)

which nowadays is written shorter as

[
{propertyName: value, …},
{propertyName: value, …},
…
]

with the additional benefit that the Object initializer/literal can make
user-defined constructors (here: `MyObject') unnecessary. This is also
JSON-compatible, which is based on that syntax.

I am sure you can figure out how to filter such an Array so that the
resulting Array only contains the Objects that match your conditions,
and to use that to populate the SELECT elements.


PointedEars

 

[OccasionalFlyer]

OccasionalFlyerwrote:

OccasionalFlyerwrote:
[…]
Any suggestions on the least complex way to do this? Right now, each
option block of course uses a value, like the plan.  I'm thinking that
what I might need to somehow create a "composite" value of plan +
location in order to choose which term block to use, for example.
However, I have no idea how to do that. I'm looking for ideas so that
this isn't he only thing I do for the next six months.  Thanks.
Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead
(which I did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback).  However,
if you absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to cache
results (to avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of Objects, and
populate the SELECT elements from the result.

I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side.  Would you please elaborate a little more
on the Array of objects approach?  Thanks.

There are complexities here that go well beyond the simple matter of
writing a server-side script, such as the database being under the
control of PeopleSoft. Then there's the reality that I would not be
allowed to have a server-side script. I would have to follow Oracle's
recommendation of using application messaging to pass data back and
forth, and that's too much work for this. This needs to run clinet-
side only. I didn't design things that way. I just have to live with
it.

So, with the array model, each Array Object is a discrete value
and I have to search the array and look for objects that meet certain
criteria, right? Thanks.

Gregor has probably clarified most of your misconceptions.  As for that
"Array of Objects" (letter case intended!), use

  new Array(
    new MyObject(…),
    new MyObject(…),
    …
  )

which nowadays is written shorter as

  [
    {propertyName: value, …},
    {propertyName: value, …},
    …
  ]

with the additional benefit that the Object initializer/literal can make
user-defined constructors (here: `MyObject') unnecessary.  This is also
JSON-compatible, which is based on that syntax.

I am sure you can figure out how to filter such an Array so that the
resulting Array only contains the Objects that match your conditions,
and to use that to populate the SELECT elements.

PointedEars
--
Use any version of Microsoft Frontpage to create your site.
(This won't prevent people from viewing your source, but no one
will want to steal it.)
  -- from <http://www.vortex-webdesign.com/help/hidesource.htm> (404-comp.)

 

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

There are complexities here that go well beyond the simple matter of
writing a server-side script, such as the database being under the
control of PeopleSoft. Then there's the reality that I would not be
allowed to have a server-side script. I would have to follow Oracle's
recommendation of using application messaging to pass data back and
forth, and that's too much work for this. This needs to run clinet-
side only. I didn't design things that way. I just have to live with
it.

I could not care less about all this.

So, with the array model, each Array Object is a discrete value

Define: discrete value

and I have to search the array

No, but you can.

and look for objects that meet certain criteria, right?
Right.

Thanks.

Your posting has nothing to do with my followup (you have not even quoted
it!), and the rest of your quoting style is awful, too.

[Top post]

Please learn to post.

<http://jibbering.com/faq/#posting>


PointedEars

 

[RobG]

OccasionalFlyerwrote:

Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
OccasionalFlyerwrote:
[…]
Any suggestions on the least complex way to do this? Right now, each
option block of course uses a value, like the plan.  I'm thinking that
what I might need to somehow create a "composite" value of plan +
location in order to choose which term block to use, for example.
However, I have no idea how to do that. I'm looking for ideas so that
this isn't he only thing I do for the next six months.  Thanks.

If you can provide a small data set, you might get some useful help.
Presumably you already have a data structure?

[...]

There are complexities here that go well beyond the simple matter of
writing a server-side script, such as the database being under the
control of PeopleSoft.  Then there's the reality that I would not be
allowed to have a server-side script.  I would have to follow Oracle's
recommendation of using application messaging to pass data back and
forth, and that's too much work for this.  This needs to run clinet-
side only.  I didn't design things that way.  I just have to live with
it.

Depending on client siede javascript is not a great idea, much better
to have it done server side. But if that's all you have...

If you can't link to the database where the data are maintained, your
maintenance has just increased greatly. Whatever structure you decide
on, someone will have to learn how to maintain it and keep it in sync
with the database. So you must document it well.

So, with the array model, each Array Object is a discrete value
and I have to search the array and look for objects that meet certain
criteria, right? Thanks.

More or less. You can build one or more indexes to the array to make
searches faster if there are more than a thousand or so elements in
the array. A simple index based on the first letter of the term to be
searched for that is built when the data object is loaded can make a
difference.

 

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

More or less. You can build one or more indexes to the array to make
searches faster if there are more than a thousand or so elements in
the array. A simple index based on the first letter of the term to be
searched for that is built when the data object is loaded can make a
difference.

Generally a good idea; but if you read the OP more carefully, they have, so
far, a different use-case that does not demand auto-completion; and they do
not have only one select control, but three.


PointedEars

 

[OccasionalFlyer]

OccasionalFlyerwrote:

OccasionalFlyerwrote:
[…]
Any suggestions on the least complex way to do this? Right now, each
option block of course uses a value, like the plan.  I'm thinking that
what I might need to somehow create a "composite" value of plan +
location in order to choose which term block to use, for example.
However, I have no idea how to do that. I'm looking for ideas so that
this isn't he only thing I do for the next six months.  Thanks.
Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead
(which I did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback).  However,
if you absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to cache
results (to avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of Objects, and
populate the SELECT elements from the result.

I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side.  Would you plesae elaborate a little more
on the Array of objects approach?  Thanks.

Gregor has probably clarified most of your misconceptions.  As for that
"Array of Objects" (letter case intended!), use

  new Array(
    new MyObject(…),
    new MyObject(…),
    …
  )

which nowadays is written shorter as

  [
    {propertyName: value, …},
    {propertyName: value, …},
    …
  ]

with the additional benefit that the Object initializer/literal can make
user-defined constructors (here: `MyObject') unnecessary.  This is also
JSON-compatible, which is based on that syntax.

I am sure you can figure out how to filter such an Array so that the
resulting Array only contains the Objects that match your conditions,
and to use that to populate the SELECT elements.

PointedEars

Okay, here's your post. I might say firwt that at least in the
JavaScript book I have, there is no direct call in JavaScript to go to
a database. The examples in Wilton's Beginning JavaScript use ADOs
and that's not going to fly on LINUX servers. Things may have changed
in JS since that book but I don't see APIs to do direct database
access. That is neither here nor there in my case because I"m simply
not allowed to do that for any application.

That said, here is an example of what I have in my JavaScript so far
and I'm having a little difficulty envisioning what you are suggesting
(being relatively "green" at JavaScript). I'm not pasting in the
logic as such, as the file is around 4000 lines long.

Selecting an Academic Program 'NURSG' causes a select to be populated
with the following Academic Plans:
{
value: "NURSG",
options: [
{ value: "GNUR04", caption: "MSN: School Nursing & School Nurse
Services Credential" },
{ value: "GNUR06", caption: "MSN: Adult CNS & ANP" },
{ value: "GNUR08", caption: "MSN: Adult Nurse Practitioner" },
{ value: "GNUR17", caption: "MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner &
School Nurse Services Credential" },
{ value: "GNUR23", caption: "MSN: Parent/Child CNS & PNP" },
{ value: "GNUR29", caption: "MSN: Parish Nursing & Health
Ministries" },
{ value: "GNUR31", caption: "MSN: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner" },
{ value: "GNUR33", caption: "MSN: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner &
School Nurse Services Credential" },
{ value: "GNUR38", caption: "MSN: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse
Practitioner" },
{ value: "GNUR35", caption: "MSN: Adult Nursing " },
{ value: "GNUR36", caption: "MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner " },
{ value: "GNUR37", caption: "MSN: Parent/Child Nursing " },
{ value: "GNEL01", caption: "Entry-Level Master's (ELM)-MSN" },
{ value: "GNEL02", caption: "ELM-MSN: School Nursing & School
Nurse Services Credential" },
{ value: "GNEL03", caption: "ELM-MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner
" },
{ value: "GNEL04", caption: "ELM-MSN: Adult CNS & ANP" },
{ value: "GNEL05", caption: "ELM-MSN: Adult Nurse Practitioner" },
{ value: "GNEL06", caption: "ELM-MSN: Adult Nursing " },
{ value: "GNEL07", caption: "ELM-MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner &
School Nurse Services Credential" },
{ value: "GNEL08", caption: "ELM-MSN: Parent/Child CNS & PNP" },
{ value: "GNEL09", caption: "ELM-MSN: Parent/Child Nursing " },
{ value: "GNEL10", caption: "ELM-MSN: Parish Nursing & Health
Ministries" },
{ value: "GNEL11", caption: "ELM-MSN: Pediatric Nurse
Practitioner" },
{ value: "GNEL12", caption: "ELM-MSN: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
& School Nurse Services Credential" },
{ value: "GNEL13", caption: "ELM-MSN: Psychiatric Mental Health
Nurse Practictioner" }
]
},
If the user chooses the value that goes with 'GNEL11'
two drop-downs are populated:
Term:
{
value: "GNEL10",
options: [
{ value: "2117", caption: "Fall, 2011" },
{ value: "2127", caption: "Fall, 2012" },
{ value: "2137", caption: "Fall, 2013" },
{ value: "2147", caption: "Fall, 2014" }
]
},

and
Location (usually multiple values)
{
value: "GNEL11",
options: [
loc["sd"],
loc["az"]
]
},

What I need to be able to do is to have the term drop-down populated
as now but unlike now, have locations tied to specific terms, e.g.,
'2137' for 'GNEL11' to populate a list of locations. There might be
multiple locations for one term. So the list of locations would be
resolved as

Program + Plan + Term = list of locations in a select

So can you give me a bit more specific direction please?

 

[RobG]

OccasionalFlyerwrote:

Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
OccasionalFlyerwrote:
[…]
Any suggestions on the least complex way to do this? Right now, each
option block of course uses a value, like the plan.  I'm thinking that
what I might need to somehow create a "composite" value of plan +
location in order to choose which term block to use, for example.
However, I have no idea how to do that. I'm looking for ideas so that
this isn't he only thing I do for the next six months.  Thanks.
Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead
(which I did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback).  However,
if you absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to cache
results (to avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of Objects, and
populate the SELECT elements from the result.
I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side.  Would you plesae elaborate a little more
on the Array of objects approach?  Thanks.

Gregor has probably clarified most of your misconceptions.  As for that
"Array of Objects" (letter case intended!), use

  new Array(
    new MyObject(…),
    new MyObject(…),
    …
  )

which nowadays is written shorter as

  [
    {propertyName: value, …},
    {propertyName: value, …},
    …
  ]

with the additional benefit that the Object initializer/literal can make
user-defined constructors (here: `MyObject') unnecessary.  This is also
JSON-compatible, which is based on that syntax.

I am sure you can figure out how to filter such an Array so that the
resulting Array only contains the Objects that match your conditions,
and to use that to populate the SELECT elements.

PointedEars

Okay, here's your post.  I might say firwt that at least in the
JavaScript book I have, there is no direct call in JavaScript to go to
a database.  The examples in Wilton's Beginning JavaScript use ADOs
and that's not going to fly on LINUX servers.  Things may have changed
in JS since that book but I don't see APIs to do direct database
access.  That is neither here nor there in my case because I"m simply
not allowed to do that for any application.

See Gregor and Thomas' earlier posts for how to communicate with a
server-side database. Javascirpt can't do it directly, it must be
provided with a mechanism by the host environment. In a browser, there
is form post/get, XHR, script element, iFrame, and so on that send a
request to a server that completes the request and returns some data.

That said, here is an example of what I have in my JavaScript so far
and I'm having a little difficulty envisioning what you are suggesting
(being relatively "green" at JavaScript).  I'm not pasting in the
logic as such, as the file is around 4000 lines long.

Selecting an Academic Program 'NURSG' causes a select to be populated
with the following Academic Plans:

It would be better to create a small test data set that fits into
lines wrapped at about 70 characters. Allowing auto-wrapping makes
life more difficult for those trying to read your code.

I've reformatted enough of it for it to make sense to me (I think).

{
  value: "NURSG",
  options: [
    { value: "GNUR04",
caption: "MSN: School Nursing & School Nurse Services Credential" },
    { value: "GNUR06",
caption: "MSN: Adult CNS & ANP" },
    { value: "GNUR08", [...]
    { value: "GNEL08",
caption: "ELM-MSN: Parent/Child CNS & PNP" },
    { value: "GNEL09",
caption: "ELM-MSN: Parent/Child Nursing " },
    { value: "GNEL10",
caption: "ELM-MSN: Parish Nursing & Health Ministries" },
    { value: "GNEL11",
caption: "ELM-MSN: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner" },
    { value: "GNEL12", [...]
  ]
},

I'll guess that this is an array of objects, so you have something
like:

var programs = [
{value: 'program name',
options: [
{value: 'plan code', option: 'plan name'},
{value: 'plan code', option: 'plan name'},
...
]
},
...
];

For each program there is an array of plan codes and names.

If the user chooses the value that goes with 'GNEL11'

When the user selects a plan...

two drop-downs are populated:
Term:
{
   value: "GNEL10",

Did you mean GNEL11?

   options: [
     { value: "2117", caption: "Fall, 2011" },
     { value: "2127", caption: "Fall, 2012" },
     { value: "2137", caption: "Fall, 2013" },
     { value: "2147", caption: "Fall, 2014" }
   ]
},

and
Location (usually multiple values)
 {
   value: "GNEL11",
   options: [
     loc["sd"],
     loc["az"]
   ]
 },

So when an plan is selected, users are given list of terms and
locations for that plan. Presumably the plan is offered at each
location during each term, so I can do GNEL11 at sd or az during terms
fall 2011 to 2014.

What I need to be able to do is to have the term drop-down populated
as now but unlike now, have locations tied to specific terms, e.g.,
'2137' for 'GNEL11' to populate a list of locations. There might be
multiple locations for one term.  So the list of locations would be
resolved as

Program + Plan + Term = list of locations in a select

So instead of selecting a plan and getting both term and location, you
want them to select the plan, then the term, then be presented with a
list of locations?

So if I select:

GNEL11 + Fall 2012

I might see both az and sd, but if I select Fall 2013 I might only see
az.

Given the data above, you can only go from term -> plan -> location so
you get the locations for GNEL11 (as that is the only common key
between term and location) which is exactly what you have now.

I think your issue is that plans aren't offered at all the linked
locations during all the linked terms. But the data above doesn't have
that information so you can't present it.

 

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

OccasionalFlyerwrote:

Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
OccasionalFlyerwrote:
[…]
Any suggestions on the least complex way to do this? Right now, each
option block of course uses a value, like the plan. I'm thinking
that what I might need to somehow create a "composite" value of plan
+ location in order to choose which term block to use, for example.
However, I have no idea how to do that. I'm looking for ideas so
that this isn't he only thing I do for the next six months. Thanks.

Sounds like something better solvable with a database query instead
(which I did), and XHR, if available (form submit as fallback).
However, if you absolutely must do this client-side, or if you want to
cache results (to avoid the roundtrip), you can filter an Array of
Objects, and populate the SELECT elements from the result.

I can't get the data from a different server than the one the form is
on (and I didn't think that JS could do database access anyway??), so
I have to do it client-side. Would you plesae elaborate a little more
on the Array of objects approach? Thanks.

Gregor has probably clarified most of your misconceptions. As for that
"Array of Objects" (letter case intended!), use

new Array(
new MyObject(…),
new MyObject(…),
…
)

which nowadays is written shorter as

[
{propertyName: value, …},
{propertyName: value, …},
…
]

with the additional benefit that the Object initializer/literal can make
user-defined constructors (here: `MyObject') unnecessary. This is also
JSON-compatible, which is based on that syntax.

I am sure you can figure out how to filter such an Array so that the
resulting Array only contains the Objects that match your conditions,
and to use that to populate the SELECT elements.

Okay, here's your post.

I beg your pardon? Certainly I am not in need of your postings (in fact, at
the time of writing, I wish I would be without them.)

I will only ask you only one more time to post in a readable manner. If you
do not know what that means, imagine yourself to be a person with a full-
time job, very little free time, and potentially hundreds of postings to
read each day. You would not expect to receive seemingly random replies,
but a followup that shows that your postings had been read and thought
about. And you would (have to) filter out ruthlessly all postings that,
after you remarked on their not recommended nature several times, continued
to show that bad form. <http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>

And please stop quoting signatures.

I might say firwt that at least in the JavaScript book I have, there is no
direct call in JavaScript to go to a database.

That depends on how one defines a "direct call". However, it has not been
suggested that you use JavaScript (or another ECMAScript implementation) to
issue the database query.

The examples in Wilton's Beginning JavaScript use ADOs
and that's not going to fly on LINUX servers.

(Linux is _not_ an acronym.) If I am not very much mistaken, this is the
first time that you say anything about your runtime environment. Remember
that we are not omniscient and that this is not a guessing game. If you
wish us to help you, you need to help us helping you, by providing
sufficient information (which includes what *you* have tried to solve the
problem).

Things may have changed in JS since that book but I don't see APIs to do
direct database access.

You can access a database directly with client-side scripting, a client-side
one (like SQLite, in Gecko-based browsers). But your script needs to be
running in a privileged environment, and there must be a language binding in
the database access API. The former is seldom the case on the web.

That is neither here nor there in my case because I"m simply
not allowed to do that for any application.

Again, nobody suggested that you do. You appear to have a serious reading
problem, and I do not see any serious attempts on *your* part to solve
*your* software development problem, which casts into doubt whether you are
worth spending the free-time for further answers.

That said, here is an example of what I have in my JavaScript so far
and I'm having a little difficulty envisioning what you are suggesting
(being relatively "green" at JavaScript).

Judging from your postings it is very likely indeed that this assignment is
way over your head. Why not try to build simpler things first?

I'm not pasting in the logic as such, as the file is around 4000 lines
long.

(Should I be grateful now?)

Selecting an Academic Program 'NURSG' causes a select to be populated
with the following Academic Plans: […]

Is this a description of what happens now? If yes, how exactly is that
done? If no, what is it supposed to be? (A specification for me to write
to for you for free?)

What I need to be able to do is to have the term drop-down populated
as now but unlike now, have locations tied to specific terms, e.g.,
'2137' for 'GNEL11' to populate a list of locations. There might be
multiple locations for one term. So the list of locations would be
resolved as

Program + Plan + Term = list of locations in a select

For that to be possible client-side, you need the server side to present the
information to the client in usable form. XHR has been mentioned. If the
server-side application does not provide the means, which sure looks so to
me, you cannot do it that way, plain and simple.

So can you give me a bit more specific direction please?

No, because you are being too unspecific yourself; you appear to be very
excited, and, as a result, confused. Calm down, and try again using your
brain. Playing stupid does not work with me.


PointedEars