javascript/html running too fast to get data from php scripts

I think that your issue is the scope. What I mean.You fetch the database data via async function like $.get or $.ajax. You must set the html elements values inside their scope in the success method().Could you post a sample of your js script?

I am guessing that you are using AJAX to call the server side scripts AND you are not waiting for those AJAX scripts to complete.

Your typical AJAX request looks like this

$.ajax({
   url: 'path/to/script',
   data: {some: 'value'},
   type: 'GET',
   dataType: 'JSON'
}).then(function(resp) {
   // Values are available here
})
// Values ARE NOT available here as script is still in progress

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I would look at getEmpInfo() and see if it returns a promise that you can then wait on for the script to complete.
For example (this is for illustration I am not saying this will work for you - it depends on the implmentation)

var empinfo = getEmpInof();
empinfo.then(function(resp) {
   // runs when empinfo resolves (completes)
});

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OR maybe getEmpInfo() provides the option for a callback

getEmpInfo(function(data) {
   // called when getEmpInfo() AJAX completes
});

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You need to look at how getEmpInfo() is coded to determine what method to use.

Since the java functions and jqueries are company property I cannot provide those here.  That said, I can use similar examples.  So my .htm file that calls the captivate training module has a call to a company developed javascript and jquery (php) scripts.  The script I call is a getEmployeeID php script via a javascript function call before I load the captivate training module.  The javascript function call does have a callback function.  When I use the callback function, it still is not fast enough to hold off the html processing while processing the callback function so I captivate javascript does not always get the employee ID.  I have tried developing a "sleep" javascript function to slow it down, but it did not work.  That being said, sometime it does work.  Why?  who knows.  Perhaps the server is busy and slower so that the php script can complete in time for the captivate javascript to pick up the values.  So.  Is there anyway I can delay loading a html file while I wait for a php script to return a value - a php script that I cannot modify.  I have run the php script by itself - bypassing the javascript funtion and that php script will display the employee ID on a new html window.  However, I do not know how to grab that... moreover, would a javascript function grabbing that value without displaying it to a webpage still be to slow???  This I do not know!  :)

I admit I am new to javascript and php.  I do have 30 years programming experience in fortran, pascal, cobol, c, c++, oracle, sql server, visual basic, etc.  So I do understand programming but not so much web-based programming.

So teach me yodas!!!!!

As I understand you don't use ajax method.

Not that I know of, but I could be wrong.  The scripts I see in the shared functions/scripts are php.  I am able to load the latest jquery file, so I guess that means I can utilize ajax.  That being said, I guess I can utilize ajax if necessary, and I am more than willing to try!

Not that I know of, but I could be wrong.

That's the only way for JavaScript to get a value from the server.

You say your lib function has a callback - if that is the case then I suspect that you are not using it as it should. Without seeing the code though we cannot really help you.

I still believe your problem is that you are processing before the AJAX completes - but to tell you how to fix that would require seeing the code. We would only need to see the JavaScript code - not the server code.

Nice work Olaf.

Adobe Captivate training, documentation and support is horrible at best.  Unfortunately, it is what my company uses from creating training modules.

You are right in that I do not have web experience.  I do understand low level programming so I can to a certain extent pick up new languages with little training; however, I have found lately that most information on new languages does not really get into depth of the language but more into do this code to get that result and do that code to get this result.  For example I had to understand how to swap fortran functions into and out of 32K of memory while saving important values.  When I started programming there were no debuggers and there were NO word (16 bit at the time) boundaries for declaration statements.  One could literally declare a variable that was NOT aligned with a 16bit word boundary resulting in a invalid number - we used BYTE buffer fillers to keep variables on word boundaries!  So one had to really understand memory and processing capability of computers.  Fortunately, compilers and interrupters take care of these issues today.  That said, I learned a ton on how programs work low level.

Interestingly, I was able to figure out a solution on this issue.  I always look a ways to make code work somehow... outside the box I guess. The javascript function that calls the PHP script has a callback.  I used that callback to get DOM data loaded before the captivate page was loaded.  To do this, I put ALL of the code in the callback function!  Nothing in the HTML body...  So ALL of the adobe captivate html and javascript was moved from the HTML body to the callback.  This allows for the processing of the php scripts which loads the DOM data!

I really appreciate all the assistance all of the expert-exchange contributors have offered.

I appreciate the contributor's patience and assistance!

The callback surely is the right place to process the result. That's the point the result arrived.

Julian explained here about a promise's .then() definition. Note promise is a term for a type of object representing the eventual completion of the asynchronous request, and that's not only a jQuery but already a JS topic, eg see https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Using_promises

Bye, Olaf.

I always look a ways to make code work somehow... outside the box I guess. The javascript function that calls the PHP script has a callback.  I used that callback to get DOM data loaded before the captivate page was loaded.  To do this, I put ALL of the code in the callback function!

This is exactly what I highlighted in my posts - if you read them again you will see that I discussed the issue that you cannot use the data ANYWHERE until the AJAX request completes - which is why you have to put your processing in the callback.

Let me also summarize a bit: In your earlier question gr8gonzo's first answer included usage of $ajax using the success attribute to set a function, Julian used .then and I used an anonymous function as the third parameter of the get call, so you've already seen three variants of callback usages and not noticed them being callbacks. On one side: Sorry for not pointing out, on the other side, once you have sample code it's easy to find reference/description at sites like https://api.jquery.com/ and https://developer.mozilla.org

You could have turned up your sleep time any way you want, the result only arrives in the callback, you're not calling a function in memory or within the same script, you're making an HTTP request and code immediately continues before a result comes back, so, for example, you can do calls in parallel and react to their results in the order they arrive in each ones callback. That's enabling parallelism in things independent from each other. Because an HTTP request does have a latency this model is chosen as the default, and that's different than in any normal code. You mainly have to get used to that "async thing".

So actually you moved to thinking inside the box, when using the callback to process the result, you were outside of the box with whatever you did first.

Bye, Olaf.