JQuery - how to select dropdown item based on value

Answer 1

I have a different situation, where the drop down list values are already hard coded. There are only 12 districts so the jQuery Autocomplete UI control isn't populated by code.

The solution is much easier. Because I had to wade through other posts where it was assumed the control was being dynamically loaded, wasn't finding what I needed and then finally figured it out.

So where you have HTML as below, setting the selected index is set like this, note the -input part, which is in addition to the drop down id:

$('#project-locationSearch-dist-input').val('1');

                <label id="lblDistDDL" for="project-locationSearch-input-dist" title="Select a district to populate SPNs and PIDs or enter a known SPN or PID." class="control-label">District</label>
                <select id="project-locationSearch-dist" data-tabindex="1">
                    <option id="optDistrictOne" value="01">1</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictTwo" value="02">2</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictThree" value="03">3</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictFour" value="04">4</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictFive" value="05">5</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictSix" value="06">6</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictSeven" value="07">7</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictEight" value="08">8</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictNine" value="09">9</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictTen" value="10">10</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictEleven" value="11">11</option>
                    <option id="optDistrictTwelve" value="12">12</option>
                </select>

Something else figured out about the Autocomplete control is how to properly disable/empty it. We have 3 controls working together, 2 of them mutually exclusive:

//SPN
spnDDL.combobox({
    select: function (event, ui) {
        var spnVal = spnDDL.val();
        //fire search event
        $('#project-locationSearch-pid-input').val('');
        $('#project-locationSearch-pid-input').prop('disabled', true);
        pidDDL.empty(); //empty the pid list
    }
});
//get the labels so we have their tool tips to hand.
//this way we don't set id values on each label
spnDDL.siblings('label').tooltip();

//PID
pidDDL.combobox({
    select: function (event, ui) {
        var pidVal = pidDDL.val();
        //fire search event
        $('#project-locationSearch-spn-input').val('');
        $('#project-locationSearch-spn-input').prop('disabled', true);
        spnDDL.empty(); //empty the spn list
    }
});

Some of this is beyond the scope of the post and I don't know where to put it exactly. Since this is very helpful and took some time to figure out, it's being shared.

Und Also ... to enable a control like this, it's (disabled, false) and NOT (enabled, true) -- that also took a bit of time to figure out. :)

The only other thing to note, much in addition to the post, is:

    /*
Note, when working with the jQuery Autocomplete UI control,
the xxx-input control is a text input created at the time a selection
from the drop down is picked.  Thus, it's created at that point in time
and its value must be picked fresh.  Can't be put into a var and re-used
like the drop down list part of the UI control.  So you get spnDDL.empty()
where spnDDL is a var created like var spnDDL = $('#spnDDL);  But you can't
do this with the input part of the control.  Winded explanation, yes.  That's how
I have to do my notes or 6 months from now I won't know what a short hand note means
at all. :) 
*/
    //district
    $('#project-locationSearch-dist').combobox({
        select: function (event, ui) {
            //enable spn and pid drop downs
            $('#project-locationSearch-pid-input').prop('disabled', false);
            $('#project-locationSearch-spn-input').prop('disabled', false);
            //clear them of old values
            pidDDL.empty();
            spnDDL.empty();
            //get new values
            GetSPNsByDistrict(districtDDL.val());
            GetPIDsByDistrict(districtDDL.val());
        }
    });

All shared because it took too long to learn these things on the fly. Hope this is helpful.