Array Loop problem

[dfowler]

Hey guys, I need some help.  Ok, here is the original array.  It contains different plans for a product we are offereing.

plansA = new Array(); 
plansA[0] = new Array(); 
plansA[0]['minutes'] = '500'; 
plansA[0]['price'] = '39.95'; 
plansA[0]['description'] = '1 Year; 500 minutes'; 
plansA[1] = new Array(); 
plansA[1]['minutes'] = '1000'; 
plansA[1]['price'] = '78.95'; 
plansA[1]['description'] = '1 Year; 1,000 minutes'; 
plansA[2] = new Array(); 
plansA[2]['minutes'] = '1500'; 
plansA[2]['price'] = '117.95'; 
plansA[2]['description'] = '1 Year; 1,500 minutes'; 
plansA[3] = new Array(); 
plansA[3]['minutes'] = '2000'; 
plansA[3]['price'] = '153.00'; 
plansA[3]['description'] = '1 Year; 2,000 minutes'; 

The user answers questions and ends up with a number ('total'), let's say 900.  In my script I use this loop:

for (var j in plansA) {
if (plansA[j]['minutes'] >= total) {
	var minutes = plansA[j]['minutes'];
	var price = plansA[j]['price'];
	var description = plansA[j]['description'];
	break;
	}
}

To get the plan that is closest to the number they end up with (in this case it would be the 1000 minute plan).  At the bottom I am giving the user the ability to compare plans.  So I need to get the information from the other plans so I can display them at the bottom.  I don't think I can do it in the first loop as there are multiple plans >= 900.  So I thought I could create a second loop that would only get the information on the other plans:

for (var j in plansA) {
if (plansA[j]['minutes'] != minutes) {
	var minutes2 = plansA[j]['minutes'];
	var price2 = plansA[j]['price'];
	var description2 = plansA[j]['description'];
  	}
}

My problem is that I know there will end up being 3 plans in the second loop.  I was hoping to have the var's named minutes2, minutes3, minutes4, price2, price3, price4, etc...  That way I can call them later in the code.  I couldn't figure out how to do that, so I tried to put everything into an array, like this:

min = newArray();
var i = 1;
for (var j in plansA) {
if (plansA[j]['minutes'] != minutes) {
	min[i]['minutes'] = plansA[j]['minutes'];
	min[i]['price']  = plansA[j]['price'];
	min[i]['description']  = plansA[j]['description'];
	i++;
  	}
}

However, whenever I try to call the variable (like min[1]['minutes']) I get 'undefined'.  Anybody know how I can do what I need to do?  Thanks!

[dfowler]

Ok, I figured it out myself.  I forgot to declare a new array!  I modified this:

min = new Array();
var i = 1;
for (var j in plansA) {
   if (plansA[j]['minutes'] != minutes) {
      min[i]['minutes'] = plansA[j]['minutes'];
      min[i]['price']  = plansA[j]['price'];
      min[i]['description']  = plansA[j]['description'];
      i++;
     }
}

into this:

min = newArray();
var i = 1;
for (var j in plansA) {
   if (plansA[j]['minutes'] != minutes) {
      min[i] = new Array();
      min[i]['minutes'] = plansA[j]['minutes'];
      min[i]['price']  = plansA[j]['price'];
      min[i]['description']  = plansA[j]['description'];
      i++;
     }
}

[bibby]

Arrays in javascript aren't meant to be used that way, fyi.

Not like "associative arrays" that you'd find in php.

 

What you want to use are new Objects(),  or just {};

 

The difference is subtle, but arrays should have numeric keys only.

 

check out

http://godbit.com/article/js-tidbits-datatypes-object-object-vs-array

and search for similar articles.

 

beware of this, too:

a = []; // new array
a[10] = true; 
a.length; //  == 11 !