How to Fix the Issue of Table Rows Disappearing When Using JavaScript with Your Form Input

Learn how to effectively manage table rows in JavaScript when adding new entries from form inputs, ensuring that your data persists rather than disappearing!
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Solving the Table Row Disappearance in JavaScript

If you're building a web application and trying to create a section (like a DETAILS HISTORY table) where users can input data, you might find yourself facing a frustrating problem: you successfully see the data being inserted into the table, but it disappears after a few seconds. This is a common issue, especially when using forms in JavaScript. In this post, we’ll dive into why this happens and how you can rectify this as you develop your expenses tracker application.

The Problem: Why Does the Table Data Disappear?

The main reason your newly inserted data is disappearing is that when you submit the form, the entire page refreshes. By default, a form submission triggers a page reload, which clears all dynamic content that's not stored in the backend or in the browser's local storage.

Key Points to Consider

Form Submission: Submitting a form usually means the page will refresh.

JavaScript Execution: Any JavaScript that runs to add new rows is reset due to the refresh, leading to the loss of data displayed in the table.

The Solution: Prevent the Default Form Submission

To fix this issue, you need to stop the form from submitting the traditional way. There are two main approaches to doing this:

Option 1: Change the Button Type

Change the button type from the default to a type of button. This way, it won't attempt to submit the form, and your JavaScript display function will execute without any refresh.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Option 2: Use preventDefault()

If you want to keep the button as a submit type, you can utilize the preventDefault() method in your JavaScript. This will stop the form from submitting and allow your data insertion logic to run smoothly.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Add Event Listener on Form Submission:

Change the event listener to listen for the submit event on the form, rather than a button click.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Prevent Default Behavior:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Full JavaScript Code:

Here’s how your updated JavaScript function will look:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

With these changes, your DETAILS HISTORY table will accurately display the data without disappearing after submission. By preventing the default behavior of the form and ensuring your JavaScript runs correctly, you can provide a smooth user experience.

If you're working on a similar project or facing issues related to table management in JavaScript, make sure to implement these strategies! Happy coding!