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From: "Mel Smith" <med_cutout_syntel@aol.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.javascript
Subject: Re: Perhaps OT ?
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:53:40 -0700
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Michael said:

> crowded part of my screen) in which the user will input a U.S. State
> Abbreviation (e.g., AZ for Arizona), or a Canadian province (e.g., AB for
> Alberta), OR, click a key to return this correct abbreviation.

So what do the other mentioned fields do? Are they relevant at all?

what do you mean by "click a key to return this correct abbreviation."

Hi Michael:

    I (currently) have a 2-char input text field where the user will enter a 
U.S State Abbreviation or Canadian Province 2-char abbreviation.  There are 
four of these fields stacked vertically in a <td> column.  The other fields 
in neighboring columns are all Name/Street/Zip-PostCode/Contact info 
related on each of the four lines of the table.

    The problem is that the user will 'know' the name of the state (usually) 
(from a hand-written form ), but *may not* know the region *abbreviation* or 
may mis-spell it.

    So, I would like to change this 2-char <input type="text"> field to a 
<select> field where the user can either (confidently) type in the 2-char 
fields, or 'click' on something to show all the various states and 
provinces, and them let her 'select' one.  Then, I want to return *only* the 
correct 2-char abbreviation.

> I have, of course, a concordance file with all the correct names and
> region abbreviations.

Why use a 2 character field at all then? A select box seems
appropriate

    Because my Database has a 2-char region field,  The line is already very 
crowded (see below), and I want a 2-char state/province abbreviation

> But, my problem:
>
> If my user knows that the input U.S. State name should be the correct
> abbreviation for (say) Minnesota, but does not know the abbreviation 
> itself
> (i.e., MN), how can I show the user a drop-down list of States & 
> Provinces,
> from which the return value will always be the proper abbreviation, and
> *not* the full State name ?

If you have a dropdown list, why can't they just type the letter "M"
and see the corresponding values? I quite confident that all major
browsers since the late 1990's have this feature.

    She may not know *what* char to type or may make a mistake.  If she is 
confused, I want a clickable 2-char dropdown field that will show for 
example:

        AB - Alberta
        AL - Alabama
        MN - Minnesota
        etc,
        etc,

    Then when she 'clicks on the 'AL - Alabame' option, *only*  AL is 
returned.

> I don't know how to configure the <Select > tag for this operation. My
> head is aching here :(

>>Since I am American, I am a bit skeptical that other countries exist.
>>As a result you'll have to help me with my ignorance/laziness on this
>>fact:
>>between States and Provinces, are the abbreviations unique? If so,
j>>ust simply populate the element as such:


    Yes, the Canadian provinces *are* unique, and my concordance table has 
both states and provinces, with the provinces at the bottom of the <select> 
option list along with a disabled 'Canada' line as a separator between the 
states and the provinces!


<select ...>
    <option value="AB">Alabama</select>
    ...
</select>

    But, then *Alabama* is returned NOT my required 'AL'   (not AB which is 
Alberta, in Canada)

So, in essence, I want my user to see in the dropdown list 'AL - Alabama', 
then clicking on it I want returned 'AL'

Thanks for your response !

-Mel Smith