weird variable scoping problem

[slightlymore]

Hi

Have been programming an javascript for a number of years now, and just started to get involved with jQuery, and I've stumbled across a problem which has really got me stumped.

function calc_calculate ()
{
	// empty all quotation areas
	$("#quotation-aggregates").empty();
	$("#quotation-stones").empty()
	$("#quotation-total-discount").empty()
	$("#quotation-total-collect").empty()
	extras = calc_get_extras ();
	aggstotal = 0;
	agglist = $("<ul />");
	if(extras['cement']['retail'])
	{
		aggstotal+=extras['cement']['retail'];
		agglist.append($("<li />").append("Bags of cement: "+extras['cement']['bags']+" (&pound;"+extras['cement']['retail']+")"));
	}
	if(extras['sharpSand']['retail'])
	{
		aggstotal+=extras['sharpSand']['retail'];
		aggstotal+=extras['buildingSand']['retail'];
		agglist.append($("<li />").append("Bags of sharp sand: "+extras['sharpSand']['bags']+" (&pound;"+extras['sharpSand']['retail']+")"));
		agglist.append($("<li />").append("Bags of building sand: "+extras['buildingSand']['bags']+" (&pound;"+extras['buildingSand']['retail']+")"));
	}
	stoneslist = $("<ul />");
	var stonestotal=0;
	$.post("/legacy/costCalculatorResults.php", {
				colour: $("#calc-colour input:checked").attr("value"),
				patio_size: $("#calc-size-input").attr("value"),
				pattern: $("#calc-pattern input:checked").attr("value"),
				paving_variety: $("#calc-variety-select").val()},
			function(data){
				stones = data.split ("\n");
				for(i=0;i<stones.length;i++)
				{
					if (stones[i].length)
					{
						details = stones[i].split(",");
						stoneslist.append($("<li />").append(details[0] + ": " + details[1] + " (&pound;"+details[2]+")"));
						stonestotal+=Number(details[2]);
					}
				}
			});

	stonestotal=(Math.round(100*stonestotal)/100);
        // alert (stonestotal)
	$("#quotation-stones").append(stoneslist);
	$("#quotation-aggregates").append(agglist);
	$("#quotation-total").append(stonestotal);
}

The problem variable is stonestotal. for some reason, it's value is 0, UNLESS i uncomment out the alert 4 lines from the bottom, in which case the alert says 0, then the correct value is appended to the document.

Any ideas on why this might be happening? Seems very weird to me that the scope of the variable changes after it gets used in the alert function.

Any suggestions of how else to get this variable out of the anonymous function would also be useful!

[Mittineague]

Hi slightlymore, welcome to the forums,
I see

	// empty all quotation areas
	$("#quotation-aggregates").empty();
	$("#quotation-stones").empty()
	$("#quotation-total-discount").empty()
	$("#quotation-total-collect").empty()

and

	$("#quotation-stones").append(stoneslist);
	$("#quotation-aggregates").append(agglist);
	$("#quotation-total").append(stonestotal);

Is "total", w/o "discount/collect", also getting empty()ed?
If stonestotal is 0, can 0 be divided by 100 without breaking the code?

[jimfraser]

UNLESS i uncomment out the alert 4 lines from the bottom, in which case the alert says 0, then the correct value is appended to the document

That part sounds like you are calling the function before the elements in question exist, but when you put in the alert it gives the page time to finish loading so the elements do exist.