Calculator JavaScript issue

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Views: 1159 | Replies: 7

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Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: St. Louis

Posts: 145

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kahaj

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Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 20th, 2007

I've written the following code for a JavaScript calculator, but when I hit equal it says "undefined" in the Input field. I can't figure out what's going on with it...

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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtmll/DTD/xhtmll-transitional.dtd">
<html />
<head />
<title />Calculator</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!-- HIDE FROM INCOMPATIBLE BROWSERS

var inputString = "";
function updateString(value) {
	inputString += value;
	document.Calculator.Input.value = inputString;
}

//STOP HIDING FROM INCOMPATIBLE BROWSERS -->
</script>
</head>

<body />

<form name="Calculator" action="" />
<input type="text" name="Input" /><br />
<input type="button" name="plus" value=" + " onclick="updateString"('+')" />
<input type="button" name="minus" value=" - " onclick="updateString"('-')" />
<input type="button" name="times" value=" x " onclick="updateString"('*')" />
<input type="button" name="div" value=" / " onclick="updateString"('/')" />
<input type="button" name="mod" value=" mod " onclick="updateString"('%')" /><br />
<input type="button" name="zero" value=" 0 " onclick="updateString"('0')" />
<input type="button" name="one" value=" 1 " onclick="updateString"('1')" />
<input type="button" name="two" value=" 2 " onclick="updateString"('2')" />
<input type="button" name="three" value=" 3 " onclick="updateString"('3')" />
<input type="button" name="four" value=" 4 " onclick="updateString"('4')" /><br />
<input type="button" name="five" value=" 5 " onclick="updateString"('5')" />
<input type="button" name="six" value=" 6 " onclick="updateString"('6')" />
<input type="button" name="seven" value=" 7 " onclick="updateString"('7')" />
<input type="button" name="eight" value=" 8 " onclick="updateString"('8')" />
<input type="button" name="nine" value=" 9 " onclick="updateString"('9')" /><br />
<input type="button" name="point" value=" . " onclick="updateString"('.')" />
<input type="button" name="clear" value=" clear " onclick="document.Calculator.Input.value=''; inputString=''" />
<input type="button" name="calc" value=" = " onclick="document.Calculator.Input.value=eval(inputString); inputString=''" />
</form>

</body>
</html>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtmll/DTD/xhtmll-transitional.dtd">
<html />
<head />
<title />Calculator</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
<!-- HIDE FROM INCOMPATIBLE BROWSERS

var inputString = "";
function updateString(value) {
	inputString += value;
	document.Calculator.Input.value = inputString;
}

//STOP HIDING FROM INCOMPATIBLE BROWSERS -->
</script>
</head>

<body />

<form name="Calculator" action="" />
<input type="text" name="Input" /><br />
<input type="button" name="plus" value=" + " onclick="updateString"('+')" />
<input type="button" name="minus" value=" - " onclick="updateString"('-')" />
<input type="button" name="times" value=" x " onclick="updateString"('*')" />
<input type="button" name="div" value=" / " onclick="updateString"('/')" />
<input type="button" name="mod" value=" mod " onclick="updateString"('%')" /><br />
<input type="button" name="zero" value=" 0 " onclick="updateString"('0')" />
<input type="button" name="one" value=" 1 " onclick="updateString"('1')" />
<input type="button" name="two" value=" 2 " onclick="updateString"('2')" />
<input type="button" name="three" value=" 3 " onclick="updateString"('3')" />
<input type="button" name="four" value=" 4 " onclick="updateString"('4')" /><br />
<input type="button" name="five" value=" 5 " onclick="updateString"('5')" />
<input type="button" name="six" value=" 6 " onclick="updateString"('6')" />
<input type="button" name="seven" value=" 7 " onclick="updateString"('7')" />
<input type="button" name="eight" value=" 8 " onclick="updateString"('8')" />
<input type="button" name="nine" value=" 9 " onclick="updateString"('9')" /><br />
<input type="button" name="point" value=" . " onclick="updateString"('.')" />
<input type="button" name="clear" value=" clear " onclick="document.Calculator.Input.value=''; inputString=''" />
<input type="button" name="calc" value=" = " onclick="document.Calculator.Input.value=eval(inputString); inputString=''" />
</form>

</body>
</html>

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Join Date: Jun 2006

Location: India

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~s.o.s~

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Lazy, Useless & Apathetic

Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 20th, 2007

Some points:

Why are you treating head and body tags as having a empty content model by writing them as <head /> and <body />? It's incorrect.
You are having one too many double quotes in your onclick handlers. onclick="updateString"('+')" should be onclick="updateString('+')"
Placing alert's all over your code or using debugger like 'Firebug' if you are developing for Firefox is a good way to spot such errors.

I don't accept change. I don't deserve to live.

Happiness corrupts people.

Failing to value the lives of others cheapens your own.

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Join Date: Jun 2006

Location: India

Posts: 7,012

Reputation: ~s.o.s~ is a splendid one to behold

Rep Power: 25

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~s.o.s~

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Lazy, Useless & Apathetic

Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 20th, 2007

I would personally go for something along the lines of the below pasted code and make javascript do all the dirty work and keep the markup free of inline javascript:

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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtmll/DTD/xhtmll-transitional.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<title>Calculator</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
var inputString = '';
function init()
{
    var list = getElementsByClassName('calcBtn')[0].getElementsByTagName('*');
    for(var i = 0, limit = list.length; i < limit; ++i)
    {
        var elem = list[i];
        if(elem.type == 'button')
        {
            var str = elem.value;
            elem.onclick = function(e) {
                e = e || window.event;
                var el = e.srcElement || e.target;
                updateString(el);
            }
        }
    }
}

function getElementsByClassName(findClass)
{
    var result = [];
    var list = document.getElementsByTagName('*');
    for(var i = 0, list = list || [], limit = list.length; i < limit; ++i)
    {
        var e = list[i];
        if(e.className.indexOf(findClass) != -1)
        {
            result.push(e);
        }
    }
    return(result);
}

function updateString(elem)
{
    var value = elem.value.replace(/^\s|\s$/g, '')
    inputString += value;
    elem.form.elements['Input'].value = inputString;
}

function compute(frm)
{
    var element, result;
    try
    {
        element = frm.elements['Input'];
        result = eval(inputString);
        element.value = result || 'Empty Expression';
    }
    catch(e)
    {
        element.value = 'Invalid expression';
    }
    inputString = '';    //reset the string
}

function resetForm()
{
    inputString = '';
}
</script>
</head>

<body onload="init()";>
<form name="Calculator" action="#" onreset = "resetForm();"/>
<input type="text" name="Input" /><br />
<div class="calcBtn">
    <input type="button" name="plus" value=" + " />
    <input type="button" name="minus" value=" - " />
    <input type="button" name="times" value=" * " />
    <input type="button" name="div" value=" / " />
    <input type="button" name="mod" value=" mod " /><br />
    <input type="button" name="zero" value=" 0 " />
    <input type="button" name="one" value=" 1 "  />
    <input type="button" name="two" value=" 2 "  />
    <input type="button" name="three" value=" 3 " />
    <input type="button" name="four" value=" 4 "  /><br />
    <input type="button" name="five" value=" 5 "  />
    <input type="button" name="six" value=" 6 "  />
    <input type="button" name="seven" value=" 7 " />
    <input type="button" name="eight" value=" 8 " />
    <input type="button" name="nine" value=" 9 "  /><br />
    <input type="button" name="point" value=" . "  />
</div>
<input type="reset" name="clear" value=" clear " />
<input type="button" name="calc" value=" = " onclick="compute(this.form);" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtmll/DTD/xhtmll-transitional.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<title>Calculator</title>
<script type="text/javascript">
var inputString = '';
function init()
{
    var list = getElementsByClassName('calcBtn')[0].getElementsByTagName('*');
    for(var i = 0, limit = list.length; i < limit; ++i)
    {
        var elem = list[i];
        if(elem.type == 'button')
        {
            var str = elem.value;
            elem.onclick = function(e) {
                e = e || window.event;
                var el = e.srcElement || e.target;
                updateString(el);
            }
        }
    }
}

function getElementsByClassName(findClass)
{
    var result = [];
    var list = document.getElementsByTagName('*');
    for(var i = 0, list = list || [], limit = list.length; i < limit; ++i)
    {
        var e = list[i];
        if(e.className.indexOf(findClass) != -1)
        {
            result.push(e);
        }
    }
    return(result);
}

function updateString(elem)
{
    var value = elem.value.replace(/^\s|\s$/g, '')
    inputString += value;
    elem.form.elements['Input'].value = inputString;
}

function compute(frm)
{
    var element, result;
    try
    {
        element = frm.elements['Input'];
        result = eval(inputString);
        element.value = result || 'Empty Expression';
    }
    catch(e)
    {
        element.value = 'Invalid expression';
    }
    inputString = '';    //reset the string
}

function resetForm()
{
    inputString = '';
}
</script>
</head>

<body onload="init()";>
<form name="Calculator" action="#" onreset = "resetForm();"/>
<input type="text" name="Input" /><br />
<div class="calcBtn">
    <input type="button" name="plus" value=" + " />
    <input type="button" name="minus" value=" - " />
    <input type="button" name="times" value=" * " />
    <input type="button" name="div" value=" / " />
    <input type="button" name="mod" value=" mod " /><br />
    <input type="button" name="zero" value=" 0 " />
    <input type="button" name="one" value=" 1 "  />
    <input type="button" name="two" value=" 2 "  />
    <input type="button" name="three" value=" 3 " />
    <input type="button" name="four" value=" 4 "  /><br />
    <input type="button" name="five" value=" 5 "  />
    <input type="button" name="six" value=" 6 "  />
    <input type="button" name="seven" value=" 7 " />
    <input type="button" name="eight" value=" 8 " />
    <input type="button" name="nine" value=" 9 "  /><br />
    <input type="button" name="point" value=" . "  />
</div>
<input type="reset" name="clear" value=" clear " />
<input type="button" name="calc" value=" = " onclick="compute(this.form);" />
</form>
</body>
</html>

Last edited by ~s.o.s~ : Oct 20th, 2007 at 2:58 pm.

I don't accept change. I don't deserve to live.

Happiness corrupts people.

Failing to value the lives of others cheapens your own.

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Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: St. Louis

Posts: 145

Reputation: kahaj is an unknown quantity at this point

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kahaj

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Junior Poster

Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 21st, 2007

Alright, I fixed the html tags. Don't quite know what I was thinking there. As for the extra set of quotes, I just looked at the book that I'm striving to learn from wrong.

Are there any programs out there that can be used to check for general syntax errors in JavaScript?

-kahaj

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Join Date: Jun 2006

Location: India

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Lazy, Useless & Apathetic

Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 21st, 2007

You can try out the Javascript focussed IDE called 'Aptana' or an online Javascript verifier called 'JSLint' to avoid silly mistakes and assistance with the general javascript syntax.

I don't accept change. I don't deserve to live.

Happiness corrupts people.

Failing to value the lives of others cheapens your own.

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MidiMagic

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Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 21st, 2007

I would have had a separate function call for each button, and operated a stack with the function calls.

Daylight-saving time uses more gasoline

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Join Date: Jun 2006

Location: India

Posts: 7,012

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Lazy, Useless & Apathetic

Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 22nd, 2007

That would be a lot of work for no real reason assuming that the intent of the OP is to build a working calculator and not learn stack operations.

I don't accept change. I don't deserve to live.

Happiness corrupts people.

Failing to value the lives of others cheapens your own.

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Join Date: Sep 2005

Location: St. Louis

Posts: 145

Reputation: kahaj is an unknown quantity at this point

Rep Power: 4

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kahaj

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Junior Poster

Re: Calculator JavaScript issue

Oct 23rd, 2007

Thanks SOS. I'll give Aptana a try.

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