How to change css for each additional innerHTML element in a javascript for loop

Question

<div id="test"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">

window.names=["heihachi", "forest law"];
window.values=[22, 31];
len=names.length
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++)
{
    document.getElementById('test').innerHTML+= names[i];
    //names[i].css=margin-left: values[i]px;//

}

</script>

This is what I would like to do. The for loop works exactly as intended except for that 10th line. I want each element added to that innerHTML to be moved over a different amount. So heihachi is moved over 22 px, forest law is moved over 31 px, ect. for all other names and values added. What I have put there is my attempt (pseudo-code) but it doesn't work. How can I do this?

David Thomas · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-27 00:48:54Z

I'd suggest the following:

// declare variables in the local scope:
var names=["heihachi", "forest law"],
    values=[22, 31],
// get a reference to the element outside of the loop (once, versus multiple times):
    test = document.getElementById('test'),
// create an element in which to wrap the text:
    span = document.createElement('span'),
// declare a variable which will become a reference to the node on which we're working:
    _tmp;

// to move the element/words around we need to have 'position: relative':
span.style.position = 'relative';

// iterate over the names array:
for (var i = 0, len = names.length; i < len; i++)
{
    // working on a clone of the 'span':
    _tmp = span.cloneNode();
    // appending a child textNode to that node:
    _tmp.appendChild(document.createTextNode(names[i]));
    // setting the left property of the Node's style object:
    _tmp.style.left = values[i] + 'px';
    // appending the node to the 'test' node:
    test.appendChild(_tmp);    
}

JS Fiddle demo.

I would, however, prefer to have an explicit correlation between the two arrays, in this case converting the arrays into an array of objects (each object having a name and value property):

var namesAndPositions = [{
    'name' : 'heihachi',
    'value' : 22
},{
    'name' : 'forest law',
    'value' : 31
}],
    test = document.getElementById('test'),
    span = document.createElement('span'),
    _tmp;

span.style.position = 'relative';

for (var i = 0, len = namesAndPositions.length; i < len; i++)
{
    _tmp = span.cloneNode();
    _tmp.appendChild(document.createTextNode(namesAndPositions[i].name));
    _tmp.style.left = namesAndPositions[i].value + 'px';
    test.appendChild(_tmp);
}

JS Fiddle demo.

If the goal is to have that measurement (22px and 31px to the left of each element), then you could instead use display: inline-block and set the marginLeft property of the HTMLElement-node:

// everything above this point in the code remains the same

span.style.display = 'inline-block';

for (var i = 0, len = namesAndPositions.length; i < len; i++)
{
    _tmp = span.cloneNode();
    _tmp.appendChild(document.createTextNode(namesAndPositions[i].name));
    _tmp.style.marginLeft = namesAndPositions[i].value + 'px';
    test.appendChild(_tmp);
}

JS Fiddle demo.

References:

anjianshi · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-27 00:45:56Z

0

and here's a more simpler example:

window.names=["heihachi", "forest law"];
window.values=[22, 31];
var len=names.length;

var test = document.getElementById('test');
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++)
{
    var elm = document.createElement("span")
    elm.innerHTML = names[i];
    elm.style.marginLeft = values[i] + 'px';
    test.appendChild(elm);
}

answered Oct 27, 2013 at 0:45

anjianshi

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