How to Save Multiple HTML Multi-Select Option Values in Local Storage

Описание: Discover how to effectively save multiple selected values from an HTML multi-select element to local storage, enabling seamless user experience even after navigating away.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68675022/ asked by the user 'ilpo4282' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/15499909/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68675226/ provided by the user 'Mister Jojo' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/10669010/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to save multiple HTML multi-select option values into local storage?

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Save Multiple HTML Multi-Select Option Values in Local Storage

Have you ever faced a situation where users accidentally navigated away from a form, leading to potential data loss? This is particularly challenging when you're dealing with multi-select HTML elements, like when allowing users to select multiple payment methods. In this post, we'll explore how you can save these selections into local storage so that users can return to their previous choices even after refreshing the page or navigating away.

The Challenge

When creating a multi-select HTML element, users often may need to choose one or more options at the same time. For instance, if a user is selecting their payment methods (like "Credit cards" and "Cash"), we want to ensure that their selections persist if they accidentally leave the page.

The Default Setup

The initial code snippet for a multi-select might look something like this:

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

However, this code only saves the latest selected value. To allow for multiple selections, we need to modify our approach slightly.

Solution Steps

Step 1: Updating the Select Element

Ensure the <select> element allows for multiple selections:

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

Step 2: JavaScript for Saving Choices

We will also need JavaScript to save those selections to local storage:

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

Explanation of the Code

Document Query: The JavaScript code starts by selecting the multi-select element by its ID.

Initialization: We attempt to retrieve any previously saved payment options using localStorage.getItem(). If none exist, we initialize with an empty array.

Setting Selections: We loop through each option in the multi-select dropdown and check if it exists in our saved options. If it does, we set that option as selected.

Handling Selections: We utilize the onchange event to detect when a user selects or deselects any option. Here, we collect the currently selected values and save them back to local storage in JSON format. This way, it can easily accommodate multiple selections.

Conclusion

By implementing the above adjustments, you'll provide a robust and user-friendly experience where selections persist between navigations and page refreshes. This means users can select multiple payment methods—and feel confident knowing those choices won’t be lost.

With a little JavaScript and understanding of local storage, you can significantly enhance the usability of your HTML forms. So, the next time you're designing a form element, consider the user experience and how you can implement features that save their valuable input.

By following this guide, you're all set to keep track of your users' selections accurately and efficiently!