I've been pletely stumped by this bit of code here. Basically, I'm trying to go through an array of Word objects, and organize them based on word type using a switch statement. This is all triggered by jQuery waiting for a button to be pressed.

for (var i=0; i<wordList.length; i++)
{
    switch (wordList[i].type) {
        case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        //"1" is the type flag for noun, the "word" property is the string containing the word
        ... //Rest of word types
    }
}

The word wouldn't actually get assigned to the nouns array. So I changed the case "1" line to this:

case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); asdf = nouns; asdf2 = wordList[i].word; break;

Without var, asdf and asdf2 became implicitly global, so I could play with them in console:

asdf
asdf2

returned [] and "I" respectively, so it could pick up the word, but it didn't add it to the array.

asdf.push(asdf2)

Returned 1 and the next log of asdf gave me ["I"].

What's wrong here?

Edit: Full relevant code

//Declare arrays
var articles=[], properNouns=[], nouns=[], pluralNouns=[], adjectives=[], conjunctions=[], verbs=[], pluralVerbs=[], adverbs=[], prepositions=[], interrogatives=[];

//Sort words into proper arrays
for (var i=0; i<wordList.length; i++)
{
    switch (wordList[i].type) {
        case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); asdf = nouns; asdf2 = wordList[i].word; break;
        case "11": pluralNouns.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "12": properNouns.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "2": verbs.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "21": pluralVerbs.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "3": adjectives.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "4": adverbs.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "5": conjunctions.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "6": prepositions.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "7": interrogatives.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "8": articles.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        default: console.log("Error, could not sort "+wordList[i].word); break;
    }
}

I've been pletely stumped by this bit of code here. Basically, I'm trying to go through an array of Word objects, and organize them based on word type using a switch statement. This is all triggered by jQuery waiting for a button to be pressed.

for (var i=0; i<wordList.length; i++)
{
    switch (wordList[i].type) {
        case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        //"1" is the type flag for noun, the "word" property is the string containing the word
        ... //Rest of word types
    }
}

The word wouldn't actually get assigned to the nouns array. So I changed the case "1" line to this:

case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); asdf = nouns; asdf2 = wordList[i].word; break;

Without var, asdf and asdf2 became implicitly global, so I could play with them in console:

asdf
asdf2

returned [] and "I" respectively, so it could pick up the word, but it didn't add it to the array.

asdf.push(asdf2)

Returned 1 and the next log of asdf gave me ["I"].

What's wrong here?

Edit: Full relevant code

//Declare arrays
var articles=[], properNouns=[], nouns=[], pluralNouns=[], adjectives=[], conjunctions=[], verbs=[], pluralVerbs=[], adverbs=[], prepositions=[], interrogatives=[];

//Sort words into proper arrays
for (var i=0; i<wordList.length; i++)
{
    switch (wordList[i].type) {
        case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); asdf = nouns; asdf2 = wordList[i].word; break;
        case "11": pluralNouns.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "12": properNouns.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "2": verbs.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "21": pluralVerbs.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "3": adjectives.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "4": adverbs.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "5": conjunctions.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "6": prepositions.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "7": interrogatives.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        case "8": articles.push(wordList[i].word); break;
        default: console.log("Error, could not sort "+wordList[i].word); break;
    }
}

• javascript
• arrays
• push

Share Improve this question Follow edited Jun 14, 2013 at 1:40 Rstevoa asked Jun 14, 2013 at 1:22 RstevoaRstevoa 27144 silver badges1717 bronze badges 5

• 1 how is nouns declared? – karthikr Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 1:23
• 1 yes, please show full code... – shennan Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 1:27
• I have edited to include all the code I think could be relevant. If you would like more, please let me know – Rstevoa Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 1:41
• 1 Show us your wordList declaration, please. – Walter Macambira Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 1:46
• I unfortunately believe I will have to close/delete this question, because I don't think I can find a satisfactory explanation. It turns out the issue was caused somewhere entirely different in the filesystem which didn't even contain any script, and I suspect that it has to do with a subversion bug of some sort. If I can find the exact cause, and it has potential to help someone else with a similar issue, I'll post it. Otherwise I'm taking this down. Thanks for your assistance, everyone. – Rstevoa Commented Jun 14, 2013 at 2:36

Add a ment  | 

3 Answers 3

Sorted by: Reset to default 1

here is a JSFiddle example.

The only changes made from your code to the example:

• definition of wordList

• in jsfiddle example a div tag to append output to

It appears to do what you want. Is your definition of wordList different?

    $(document).ready(function () {
    //Declare arrays
    var articles = [], properNouns = [], nouns = [], pluralNouns = [], adjectives = [], conjunctions = [], verbs = [], pluralVerbs = [], adverbs = [], prepositions = [], interrogatives = [];

    var wordList = [{ 'type': "1", 'word': 'foo' },
         { 'type': "1", 'word': 'foo1' },
         { 'type': "1", 'word': 'foo2'}, 
         { 'type': "1", 'word': 'foo3' }];

    //Sort words into proper arrays
    for (var i = 0; i < wordList.length; i++) {
        switch (wordList[i].type) {
            case "1":
                nouns.push(wordList[i].word);
                asdf = nouns;
                asdf2 = wordList[i].word;
                break;
            case "11":
                pluralNouns.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "12":
                properNouns.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "2":
                verbs.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "21":
                pluralVerbs.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "3":
                adjectives.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "4":
                adverbs.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "5":
                conjunctions.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "6":
                prepositions.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "7":
                interrogatives.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            case "8":
                articles.push(wordList[i].word);
                break;
            default:
                console.log("Error, could not sort " + wordList[i].word);
                break;
        }
    }
    for (var i in nouns) {
        console.log(nouns[i]);
        $('#output').append(nouns[i] + '<br>');
    }
    console.log(nouns);
});

Cause of the problem: A data file had been modified and the VERBS were no longer tagged correctly, leading to no sentences being generated

Why the array was empty: The system used to process the arrays emptied them, and the new variable asdf merely pointed to the array, which was empty by the time I used it in console

How I could have avoided a lot of this:

case "1": nouns.push(wordList[i].word); asdf = nouns.slice(0); break;

Let this be a Public Service Announcement. Copy your array during debug.

Yep - digging up an old thread...

I had this same problem today. Took me a while to figure out that I had a Watch Expression in Chrome Debugger that emptied the array..

so code to push looked like this:

$scope.emailMsg.Bcc.push(EmailAddress);

Watch expression in debugger like this

$scope.emailMsg.Bcc = [];

So - every time I stepped my array would zero out :)