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javascript: Does Array.sort() fail on large arrays? - javascript

Does Array.sort() fail on large arrays? Or did I miss something? I also checked that I'm not sorting strings by mistake. I can't seem to understand why this fails
Pasting directly from Chrome Debugger's Watch:
And here's something you can play with:
arr = [1.238648000000012,1.5776880000000233,1.6462280000000078,10.007896000000017,10.014455999999996,10.016970000000015,10.018888000000004,10.028069000000016,10.047926000000018,10.056818000000021,10.057980999999984,10.075353000000007,10.086242000000027,10.088684999999998,10.097217,10.102441999999996,10.104630999999983,10.107723000000021,10.108536000000015,10.115552999999977,10.137179000000003,10.171389999999974,10.203172999999992,10.208004000000017,10.217614000000026,10.231874000000005,10.241456000000028,10.243750999999975,10.252985000000024,10.255207999999982,10.27183500000001,10.30159500000002,10.342756000000008,10.35523599999999,10.364777000000004,10.391841,10.40662900000001,10.422856000000024,10.428019000000006,10.438702999999975,10.493548999999973,10.495686999999975,10.522063000000003,10.541649000000007,10.577163999999982,10.605306999999982,10.614864000000011,10.63799899999998,10.677408000000014,10.677971000000014,10.678615999999977,10.683666000000017,10.697460999999976,10.702691000000016,10.738349000000028,10.748320999999976,10.783839,10.834334000000013,10.843086000000028,10.862792000000013,10.893118000000015,10.905455000000018,10.906916000000024,10.923288000000014,10.958798999999999,10.999311999999975,11.003940999999998,11.01112999999998,11.011986999999976,11.022662000000025,11.030069000000026,11.033493000000021,11.06088699999998,11.089207999999985,11.120248000000004,11.169981000000007,11.22742599999998,11.373028999999974,11.38974300000001,11.406037000000026,11.422123,11.445996999999977,11.445996999999977,11.452351000000021,11.45395400000001,11.455066999999985,11.530115000000023,11.563641000000018,11.649070999999992,11.681149000000005,11.699284999999975,11.715215,11.786181,11.798755000000028,11.912154999999984,11.914702999999975,11.92000999999999,11.925179000000014,11.989391000000012,12.065800000000024,12.077261000000021,12.144492000000014,12.213693999999975,12.22724199999999,12.244993000000022,12.293795999999986,12.337166000000025,12.366329000000007,12.42165799999998,12.511757999999986,12.57682699999998,12.583461,12.612408000000016,12.616739999999993,12.662854999999979,12.663344999999993,12.663866999999982,12.673579000000018,12.727368000000013,12.738046999999995,12.748396000000014,12.768007000000011,12.853508999999974,12.860353999999973,12.884284999999977,12.900110999999981,12.92121800000001,12.976439000000028,12.98437100000001,13.01056299999999,13.012036000000023,13.055876000000012,13.138213000000007,13.13959699999998,13.147134999999992,13.156939000000023,13.171355000000005,13.223600999999974,13.240787000000012,13.26833499999998,13.271131999999994,13.272153000000003,13.291954999999973,13.307935999999984,13.41423500000002,13.417280000000005,13.43734999999998,13.448892,13.489640000000009,13.490972,13.491602999999998,13.502335000000016,13.532481000000018,13.55182000000002,13.555890999999974,13.578921999999977,13.580539999999985,13.652214000000015,13.662713999999994,13.674057000000005,13.722780999999998,13.781020000000012,13.790301,13.801070999999979,13.801070999999979,13.826026000000013,13.843449000000021,13.974924999999985,14.012158,14.02240599999999,14.041520999999989,14.088280999999995,14.189909,14.226448000000005,14.288890999999978,14.298192000000029,14.36671100000001,14.379841999999996,14.459216000000026,14.471633999999995,14.51484099999999,14.527475999999979,14.538589000000002,14.608111000000008,14.72200700000002,14.750081000000023,14.818646999999999,14.847937000000002,14.85942,14.874291000000028,14.987093000000016,15.072758000000022,15.126066999999978,15.220902000000024,15.24462699999998,15.323228000000029,15.434033999999997,15.44965000000002,15.45765799999998,15.519754999999975,15.53459700000002,15.599244999999996,15.611743999999987,15.636731999999995,15.672317000000021,15.752161999999998,15.753962999999999,15.835087999999985,16.102216,16.126821000000007,16.12912,16.158558000000028,16.169849999999997,16.178314,16.188782000000003,16.251914,16.32066900000001,16.33669900000001,16.339541999999994,16.38289900000001,16.408960999999977,16.430653000000007,16.437236999999982,16.44171399999999,16.506533999999988,16.60108200000002,16.630889000000025,16.63222300000001,16.64343200000002,16.661643000000026,16.66319199999998,16.71718199999998,16.729517999999985,16.786464000000024,16.796617000000026,16.80394100000001,16.80713800000001,16.811587999999972,16.82970899999998,16.83151700000002,16.854597000000012,16.913752999999986,16.96798100000001,17.025273000000027,17.02839799999998,17.03959900000001,17.19691899999998,17.388582999999983,17.426383999999985,17.633208000000025,17.72530999999998,17.7765,17.925899000000015,17.985956999999985,18.03461299999998,18.035158000000024,18.33455600000002,18.554474000000027,18.819136000000015,19.294691,19.326833000000022,19.370652000000007,19.391025000000013,19.50171900000001,19.568479000000025,19.721015000000023,19.742188999999996,2.0741820000000075,2.190782000000013,2.414432999999974,2.763974000000019,2.792461000000003,2.9027659999999855,2.9076390000000174,2.9481509999999957,2.958406000000025,20.116471999999987,20.465129999999988,21.20068900000001,21.50477699999999,21.81089800000001,22.290697000000023,22.53896800000001,22.783582000000024,23.24664999999999,23.392704999999978,23.70305000000002,24.176241000000005,24.234451999999976,24.29212100000001,25.152215000000012,25.736550000000022,25.955720999999983,26.245765000000006,26.43552199999999,26.738576000000023,26.738576000000023,263.05566699999997,27.455123000000015,27.954201000000012,28.238260000000025,28.66128900000001,3.0292380000000207,3.031385,3.031385,3.104728000000023,3.105985999999973,3.122132000000022,3.1631780000000163,3.1631780000000163,3.1825150000000235,3.1861999999999853,3.1906769999999938,3.2074680000000058,3.2309399999999755,3.2394219999999905,3.248293999999987,3.2692579999999793,3.288909999999987,3.3179549999999836,3.3348550000000046,3.3937690000000202,3.400891999999999,3.427570000000003,3.46416099999999,3.501057000000003,3.5119619999999827,3.5348280000000045,3.535535999999979,3.541954999999973,3.591132000000016,3.595874999999978,3.629410000000007,3.6372420000000147,3.651020000000017,3.674457000000018,3.6869740000000206,3.788045000000011,3.8290949999999953,3.8317579999999793,3.869131999999979,3.8867349999999874,3.8997770000000287,3.9023500000000126,3.970973000000015,4.004128999999978,4.010781000000009,4.013157999999976,4.02364399999999,4.031284000000028,4.034339999999986,4.069560000000024,4.071885000000009,4.07367099999999,4.1598299999999995,4.1598299999999995,4.168802000000028,4.186954000000014,4.259670000000028,4.301670999999999,4.30785800000001,4.326250000000016,4.32803899999999,4.336463999999978,4.396554999999978,4.39680199999998,4.466684999999984,4.5498230000000035,4.551680999999974,4.572103000000027,4.584344999999985,4.592156999999986,4.637402000000009,4.637402000000009,4.645713999999998,4.661412999999982,4.677417999999989,4.681489999999997,4.6883359999999925,4.693658000000028,4.698712999999998,4.703738999999985,4.722540999999978,4.746127999999999,4.786383999999998,4.895690000000002,4.927435000000003,4.949255999999991,4.955774000000019,4.9658640000000105,4.978013999999973,4.9782599999999775,4.982582999999977,5.010145000000023,5.010145000000023,5.027368000000024,5.050145999999984,5.085066999999981,5.089823000000024,5.127470000000017,5.127541000000008,5.157640000000015,5.197153000000014,5.208763999999974,5.216631000000007,5.220619999999997,5.220917999999983,5.241790999999978,5.243516,5.298768999999993,5.302400999999975,5.351732000000027,5.358871000000022,5.395045999999979,5.42818699999998,5.428384999999992,5.440371000000027,5.451302999999996,5.451569000000006,5.453372000000002,5.571251000000018,5.583474000000024,5.603423000000021,5.625193000000024,5.62644499999999,5.6379459999999995,5.639406000000008,5.644623000000024,5.647972999999979,5.654788999999994,5.657871,5.677160000000015,5.684604999999976,5.704746999999998,5.721533000000022,5.754840999999999,5.787960999999996,5.799408000000028,5.836040000000025,5.910754999999995,5.935788000000002,5.98094500000002,5.99198100000001,6.071149999999989,6.167112999999972,6.2217110000000275,6.242680000000007,6.247160000000008,6.299575000000004,6.318251999999973,6.3246240000000284,6.346104000000025,6.390022999999985,6.390474999999981,6.393546000000015,6.406645000000026,6.428521999999987,6.428521999999987,6.4325509999999895,6.474005999999974,6.486009000000024,6.53541899999999,6.588966000000028,6.611136999999985,6.65598,6.661902999999995,6.685046,6.870761000000016,6.897823000000017,6.946781999999985,6.962023999999985,7.0745319999999765,7.079858999999999,7.203704000000016,7.231561999999997,7.396878000000015,7.526357000000019,7.5280500000000075,7.533020000000022,7.540190999999993,7.541165999999976,7.546674999999993,7.567698000000007,7.608597999999972,7.6137899999999945,7.6496609999999805,7.695861999999977,7.754680000000008,7.761375999999984,7.802596999999992,7.803015000000016,7.852875999999981,7.85482300000001,7.881430000000023,7.897682999999972,7.9383980000000065,7.953649999999982,7.977274000000023,7.9786040000000185,8.042038999999988,8.051116999999977,8.058231999999975,8.06355000000002,8.063913000000014,8.065433999999982,8.096699000000001,8.106979000000024,8.11287900000002,8.114483000000007,8.116393000000016,8.123027999999977,8.127981999999975,8.133666000000005,8.133793000000026,8.139561000000015,8.158335000000022,8.16064,8.161336000000006,8.162181999999973,8.162982999999997,8.171137999999985,8.171824000000015,8.176378,8.180379000000016,8.188331000000005,8.19033300000001,8.199669000000029,8.202963000000011,8.205122000000017,8.209947999999997,8.212396000000012,8.214103000000023,8.225754999999992,8.228440999999975,8.236157999999989,8.236670000000004,8.237368000000004,8.246976000000018,8.248426999999992,8.253366000000028,8.257947000000001,8.26767799999999,8.268155999999976,8.272303000000022,8.27318200000002,8.273479000000009,8.275866000000008,8.282681000000025,8.28576099999998,8.287439000000006,8.295105999999976,8.300284999999974,8.301493999999991,8.309056999999996,8.312666999999976,8.313319999999976,8.316741999999977,8.316802999999993,8.319496000000015,8.319905000000006,8.32196399999998,8.33465000000001,8.33758899999998,8.339861999999982,8.343349999999987,8.345591000000013,8.34741600000001,8.351251999999988,8.353306999999973,8.355660999999998,8.35797500000001,8.359123000000011,8.359248999999977,8.361414000000025,8.362278000000003,8.365722000000005,8.367165999999997,8.369223999999974,8.37142399999999,8.372978999999987,8.377184,8.378419000000008,8.380657999999983,8.384374999999977,8.384838000000002,8.38826499999999,8.389519000000007,8.389977999999985,8.391399999999976,8.399541,8.401728999999989,8.40463699999998,8.412535999999989,8.418292000000008,8.418292000000008,8.419540999999981,8.432033999999987,8.436644000000001,8.438633999999979,8.443922999999984,8.445126000000016,8.44520399999999,8.448188000000016,8.454391999999984,8.459992,8.460725000000025,8.471234999999979,8.471527999999978,8.47944799999999,8.481763999999998,8.486855999999989,8.489449999999977,8.48962499999999,8.50250699999998,8.503026999999975,8.505698999999993,8.507151000000022,8.513235000000009,8.521359000000018,8.525622999999996,8.526872000000026,8.529190000000028,8.535190999999998,8.53812499999998,8.539010000000019,8.539371000000017,8.547703000000013,8.54963600000002,8.554725000000019,8.566249000000028,8.56833499999999,8.57478900000001,8.575331000000006,8.59310499999998,8.595698000000027,8.597024999999974,8.603522999999996,8.612051000000008,8.612723000000017,8.621368000000018,8.624873999999977,8.626608999999974,8.631421999999986,8.63256899999999,8.639211999999986,8.647650999999996,8.647655999999984,8.65259900000001,8.666755000000023,8.669451999999978,8.671897999999999,8.673334000000011,8.676539999999989,8.676541999999984,8.686063999999988,8.691044999999974,8.696206000000018,8.706594999999993,8.708612000000016,8.710546000000022,8.713917999999978,8.730766000000017,8.73489699999999,8.737711999999988,8.757464000000027,8.764999999999986,8.809542000000022,8.813491999999997,8.823485000000005,8.834194000000025,8.847305000000006,8.852978000000007,8.855246000000022,8.867098999999996,8.867160000000013,8.871987999999988,8.872235999999987,8.877161999999998,8.884758999999974,8.885359999999991,8.896462999999983,8.938504000000023,8.94348100000002,8.948960999999997,8.988140999999985,9.012393999999972,9.023325,9.029688000000021,9.036518000000001,9.042911000000004,9.042911000000004,9.05015400000002,9.053764999999999,9.077519999999993,9.078524000000016,9.123334,9.125787000000003,9.14443399999999,9.164394000000016,9.177406000000019,9.20016800000002,9.233752999999979,9.236719999999991,9.237805999999978,9.24724500000002,9.256552,9.311277000000018,9.314472000000023,9.324853000000019,9.335095000000024,9.338369,9.34037699999999,9.377050999999994,9.405439999999999,9.414457000000027,9.426608999999985,9.442176000000018,9.445582000000002,9.448505000000011,9.460384999999974,9.460384999999974,9.468001000000015,9.469430999999986,9.469588999999985,9.483652000000006,9.492338000000018,9.507689000000028,9.508412000000021,9.512595999999974,9.51297599999998,9.515115999999978,9.556629999999984,9.560936000000027,9.566130999999984,9.576274000000012,9.582446000000004,9.606822000000022,9.608585000000005,9.615522999999996,9.623440000000016,9.655497000000025,9.685047999999995,9.693380999999988,9.759818999999993,9.788680999999997,9.81468000000001,9.82288699999998,9.829159000000004,9.829363999999998,9.830933000000016,9.835459000000014,9.848674000000017,9.862322000000006,9.877218000000028,9.915767000000017,9.943819000000019,9.944711999999981,9.946091000000024,9.960337999999979,9.976361999999995,9.998279000000025];
output = document.getElementById("output");
output.innerHTML += Math.max(...arr) + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += arr.sort()[arr.length-1] + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += arr.sort()[arr.length-2] + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += arr.sort()[0] + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += '---------------------------------------' + '<br />'
a = [1,2,3,0];
output.innerHTML += Math.max(...a) + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += a.sort()[a.length-1] + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += a.sort()[a.length-2] + '<br />';
output.innerHTML += a.sort()[0] + '<br />';
<html>
<body>
<div id='output'></div>
</body>
</html>
Shouldn't the last element in the sorted array be the max?

If you want to sort numbers you should pass a call back. If you don't pass a callback it will sort() it as strings. According to MDN
The default sort order is built upon converting the elements into strings, then comparing their sequences of UTF-16 code units values.
var array = [1, 10, 100, 20];
array.sort((a, b) => a - b);
console.log(...array);
array.sort();
console.log(...array);
Note:sort() modifies the original array. You are using sort() like you assume it doesnot. In this case it works fine but maybe in other cases it can cause problems

Math.max called this way will be unreliable. From MDN:
However, both spread (...) and apply will either fail or return the wrong result if the array has too many elements, because they try to pass the array elements as function parameters. See Using apply and built-in functions for more details. The reduce solution does not have this problem.
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Math/max

Related

I've been watching a javascript tutorial to refresh my knowledge of it.
I just need some guidance on why he decided to use this code "style"
Basically, there's a variable named result with an empty string ("") and I'm not so sure why he used (result += ...) when he can also use (result = ...) where it showed the same output when I tried.
function mySentence(myName, myVerb){
var result = "";
result += myName + " " + myVerb + " towards the tree.";
return result;
}
console.log(mySentence("Dale", "walked"));
vs
function mySentence(myName, myVerb){
var result = "";
result = myName + " " + myVerb + " towards the tree.";
return result;
}
console.log(mySentence("Dale", "walked"));
Link of video: https://youtu.be/PkZNo7MFNFg
36:28:00 : Word Blanks

The only reason I can think of for having it there is that the author wanted to be able to rearrange a series of statements after the initial declaration that all used += without having to worry about which was the first statement originally. E.g.:
var result = "";
result += "something";
result += "another thing";
result += "yet another thing";
...where they may want later to swap things around:
var result = "";
result += "another thing";
result += "something";
result += "yet another thing";

The variable result is set to "", an empty string in the beginning.
When you do result= the variable will be replaced with the new value.
But when you do result+= the variable does not get replaced. It will be added with the value that already exists.
For example, in your code, if the variable is set to some value in the beginning, like result="The answer is: ", then the two styles would yield different results. The result= style will return Dale walked towards the tree.. And the result+= will return The answer is: Dale walked towards the tree.

sorry I just started with javascrippt and html and I am having trouble finding out what the unexpected identifier is?
here is my function
function fillSearchPlayer(data){
$('#searchPlayers tbody').html('');
for (var i = data.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
var p = data[i]
var item = '<tr><td>'p.firstname + ' ' + p.lastname'</td><td>'p.job'</td><td><button class="cbtn" onclick="requestPlayer("'+ p.identifier + '")">More</button></td></tr>'
$('#searchPlayers tbody').append('item');
}
}
maybe you guys could help me, it's saying its coming from the line that starts with "var item"

'<tr><td>'p.firstname look like you missed a plus sign over there. The other thing is .append('item'); - you probably intented to do .append(item);.
As the guys mentioned in the direct comments above you should try to use some templating engine instead of constructing the strings the way you did it.
I would recommend you to read these pieces:
Handlebars - simple and convenient template engine in JavaScript - give it a try!
Template strings in ES2016 - a cleaner way to do what you did with manual string concatenation

There are several errors. String concatenation works with +, and you're missing a semicolon.
Try:
function fillSearchPlayer(data) {
$('#searchPlayers tbody').html('');
for (var i = data.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
var p = data[i];
var item = '<tr><td>' + p.firstname + ' ' + p.lastname + '</td><td>' + p.job + '</td><td><button class="cbtn" onclick="requestPlayer("'+ p.identifier + '")">More</button></td></tr>';
$('#searchPlayers tbody').append('item');
}
}

The var item = ... item mixes variable and literal definitions without the real concatenation going on. Just put a + between each varying element to achieve your goal.

You need to enclose the concatenation operator around the p.job variable.
Your assignment should look like this...
var item = '<tr><td>'+p.firstname + ' ' + p.lastname+'</td><td>'+p.job+'</td><td><button class="cbtn" onclick=requestPlayer('+ p.identifier + ')>More</button></td></tr>'

Closed. This question needs debugging details. It is not currently accepting answers.
Edit the question to include desired behavior, a specific problem or error, and the shortest code necessary to reproduce the problem. This will help others answer the question.
Closed 5 years ago.
Improve this question
For some reason I have to use JSON like this:
php code
$json = json_decode([{
"key":1812,
"ticks":0,
"events":"7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E",
"s1a":"011A00002066C0D9",
"s1c":"011C0149040901496650002830000000000000023344000043410000000300000004C5BD",
"s46":"014600283000CA8D","s10":"011000287182943B",
"s9a":"019A0000000018000000000000000000DC69",
"version" : "18.05"
}]);
// and use $json in loop to populate the table...
that pair of square brackets does not let me do anything with it in php. My editor show an parse error. I solved this problem in js like this:
var data = json[0];
var i;
for(i=0; i<json.length; i++){
var html = '';
html += '<td>' + json[i]["key"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["ticks"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["events"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["s1a"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["s1c"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["s46"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["s9a"] + '</td>'
+ '<td>' + json[i]["version"] + '</td>';
}
$(html).appendTo('#bundle');
//var jsonEncoded = JSON.parse(data);
console.log(json.length);*/
But it seems bad to use it like this. How can I solve this in php?

you can simply use json_decode for this in PHP, Like:
<?php
$data = json_decode($json);
var_dump($data[0]->key);
var_dump($data[0]->events);
And you can access them simply by using the index 0. Demo
Edit: The problem with your code is that your are not enclosing the json string in quotations. You should use it like this:
$json = json_decode('[{
"key":1812,
"ticks":0,
"events":"7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E7F7E",
"s1a":"011A00002066C0D9",
"s1c":"011C0149040901496650002830000000000000023344000043410000000300000004C5BD",
"s46":"014600283000CA8D","s10":"011000287182943B",
"s9a":"019A0000000018000000000000000000DC69",
"version" : "18.05"
}]');

Also worth mentioning that if you are using an ORM, and you are working with collections (which is a common use case with Laravel, for example, and with many other PHP frameworks), there are two ways you can return something that you are looking for in a query.
First: you query an array of elements, and in this case, only one is found. Then, if you pass that as your response, it will contain the array brackets - a valid JSON type.
But if you specifically query for a single element (like with ::first() in the case of Eloquent), if you return that, it will automatically only return the object, without any enclosing brackets.
Edit: seeing your edit, yeah, mega6382 has the answer.

A Caveat: As a dilettante I lack the vocabulary to precisely describe my problem. Bear with me.
Let's assume I have a string like the following one:
A1%%A2%%A3%%A4||B1%%B2%%B3%%B4||C1%%C2%%C3%%C4||D1%%D2%%D3%%D4
Using JavaScript / JQuery I would like to split it twice (using '||' and '%%' as delimiters) and have the following HTML as output:
<p><input value="A1"></input><input value="A2"></input><input value="A3"></input><input value="A4"></input></p>
<p><input value="B1"></input><input value="B2"></input><input value="B3"></input><input value="B4"></input></p>
<p><input value="C1"></input><input value="C2"></input><input value="C3"></input><input value="C4"></input></p>
<p><input value="D1"></input><input value="D2"></input><input value="D3"></input><input value="D4"></input></p>
I know how to do basic splitting and joining, but this goes beyond my comprehension.

You can use something like this.
s = "A1%%A2%%A3%%A4||B1%%B2%%B3%%B4||C1%%C2%%C3%%C4||D1%%D2%%D3%%D4";
s2 = s.split("||");
s2.forEach(function(item){
s3 = item.split("%%");
s3.forEach(function(item2){
console.log(item2);
});
});

You can use replace
function splitString(match, part) {
switch (part) {
case '%%':
return '"></input><input value="';
case '||':
return '"></input></p>\n<p><input value="';
}
}
var formattedValue = 'A1%%A2%%A3%%A4||B1%%B2%%B3%%B4||C1%%C2%%C3%%C4||D1%%D2%%D3%%D4'.replace(/(%%|\|\|)/g, splitString);
formattedValue = '<p><input value="' + formattedValue + '"></input></p>';
console.log(formattedValue);

All split joins. It will be fast.
var str = 'A1%%A2%%A3%%A4||B1%%B2%%B3%%B4||C1%%C2%%C3%%C4||D1%%D2%%D3%%D4',
result = str.split('||').join('"></input></p>\n<p><input value="');
result = '<p><input value="'+
result.split('%%').join('"></input><input value="')+
'"></input></p>';
console.log(result);
//or
//alert(result);
//
With problems like this don't think so much about what format you want.
Start with something simple first like:
var result = str.split('||').join('><');
result = str.split('%%').join('><');
Then you might see how to use the longer string to get what you actually want.

I have a very simple Javascript function that hits a MS SQL server and returns some records back. There is a cell that i want to only display in the top table row when it is unique.
I believe my problem is var hoisting because the variable that i assign within the while loop does not work because the value is not carried from the last records to compare. Here is the code
function searchIndex()
{
var termcounter = "";
flyoutHTML = '<table>';
var adOpenDynamic = 2
var adLockOptimistic = 3
var conn = new ActiveXObject("ADODB.Connection");
var connectionstring = "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Server=XXXXXXXX;INTEGRATED SECURITY=SSPI;DATABASE=YYYYYYYYYY;"
conn.Open(connectionstring)
var rs = new ActiveXObject("ADODB.Recordset")
rs.Open("SELECT field1, field2, field4, field4, field5 FROM dbo.table;", conn)
if (rs.eof)
{
flyoutHTML += '<tr><td align="center">No Records Found!</td></tr>';
}
else
{
while(!rs.eof)
{
if (termcounter != rs(0))
{
var termcounter = rs(0);
flyoutHTML += '<tr>';
flyoutHTML += '<td colspan="3">' + rs(0) + '</td>';
flyoutHTML += '</tr>';
}
flyoutHTML += '<tr>';
flyoutHTML += '<td>' + rs(1) + '</td><td>' + rs(2) + '</td><td>' + rs(3) + '</td>';
flyoutHTML += '</tr>';
rs.movenext
}
rs.close
conn.close
flyoutHTML += '</table>';
}

Take the "var" off the var termcounter = rs(0);
You're probably right about hoisting--JavaScript doesn't have block scope, so both times you declare termcounter it's in the same scope. This is a very common mistake, since JavaScript looks like C-based languages which have block scope.
Declaring a var in a conditional or looping block is equivalent to declaring it at the beginning of the function that block is in, scope-wise.
You'll lose less hair if you always place your var declarations at the top of functions--never in conditional or loop blocks. See Crockford. You can use JSLint to warn you. (Oh, by the way, you're missing a ton of semicolons--JSLint will hurt your feelings.)
So why are you redeclaring it? Drop the second "var" and just do the assignment.
The Microsoft stuff is alien to me, but I find the rs(0) syntax baffling. Is rs an object? Or is there some kind of magic that makes it into a function as well (you never know with JS)? I did some Googling and I wonder if you need to be using rs.fields(0) or rs.fields(0).name or rs.fields(0).value or something.

You have this:
var termcounter = rs(0);
I don't think you want to be redeclaring it here - remove the var:
termcounter = rs(0);

AKA How can one de-reference JavaScript variables when enclosing an outer scope?