Trying to build Tax Calculator with JS; need simple feedback

1

The program in question should simply take two inputs, convert each one using Number, and then multiply them – assigning the result to a seperate variable. It should then display that value using an alert() method.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Document</title>
</head>
<body>

<script>
function taxCalculator(price, taxRate) {
	var price = parseInt(prompt("What is the price of the item you're about to buy? ex: 10.00"));
  var taxRate = parseInt(prompt("What is the state tax rate? ex: 0.08"));
  priceAfterTax = price + (price * taxRate);
  return priceAfterTax
}

alert(priceAfterTax);
</script>
    
</body>
    
</html>

What am I totally missing here? I’ve googled individual facets of this code, and can’t understand why it’s not working in toto.

2

Is that pseudocode? I am not familiar with this syntax.
Also, do you call the function you define? Maybe use an IIFE.

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3

Notice his edit to prompt.

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4

the Number() function is built into ES6, and is recommended in use-cases where the specificity of parseInt() is not needed.

In theory, either Number or parseInt() should work just fine.

5

You are calling alert for priceAfterTax after tax, but you never call the function that returns priceAfterTax tax.
You will want to do something like alert(yourFunction)

I think he was referring to your input typo instead of prompt

6

I’m having a hard time understanding this. Can you idiot-mode me and just sort of show me the example?

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8

Sure.

function taxCalculator() {
  var price = parseInt(prompt("What is the price of the item you're about to buy? ex: 10.00"));
  var taxRate = parseInt(prompt("What is the state tax rate? ex: 0.08"));
  priceAfterTax = price + (price * taxRate);
  return priceAfterTax
}

alert(taxCalculator());

@camperextraordinaire beat me to the parameters :smile:

Hope the example helps. I can explain more if you don’t understand.

Randell’s second way of doing it is great too, it all depends on how you want to approach the problem.

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9

My brain just exploded, but I am trying to cope and internalize the above examples.

Thanks so much for the input, and don’t mind me while I figure out what I need to figure out (pretty sure I’ve gotten all the help I NEED, now my brain is just lagging)

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11

Good observation, I didn’t even think of that.

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12

Thanks for the help guys. This will surely help me gain a more solid understanding of how to declare functions.

Right now, I’m about to hop in the car and head to a meetup on Git! Again, I appreciate the help and will be going back tonight and hammering ‘why yours worked and why mine didn’t’ into my brain.

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13

Glad to help! You were originally trying to use parameters. Let me throw another example that you can think about (eventually, once you recover from the first two :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:).

var price = parseInt(prompt("What is the price of the item you're about to buy? ex: 10.00"));
var taxRate = parseInt(prompt("What is the state tax rate? ex: 0.08"));

function taxCalculator(price, taxRate) {  
  priceAfterTax = price + (price * taxRate);
  return priceAfterTax
}

alert(taxCalculator(price, taxRate));
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