Use selected value from mapped Inputs.select in JavaScript cell

[dkrasne]

I'm new to Observable Framework and a relative novice in JavaScript, so I'm sure that someone more advanced would be able to extract an answer to this problem from some other answers. But I'm stuck, and would really appreciate some help.

I have an Inputs.select() where I use new Map() to set the options, since I need to keep an ID associated with the choice.

Here's the code I have:

const authorList = [];
const authorTable = nodegoatTables.author_table;

for (let author in authorTable) {
	const authorSet = [authorTable[author].author_name, authorTable[author].obj_id];
	authorList.push(authorSet);
}

const authorPicker = Inputs.select(new Map(authorList), {label: "Author:", sort: true});
const authorID = view(authorPicker);

When I use ${authorID} in Markdown to view the selected ID, it works fine. But if I try to use it as a value in a JavaScript cell, it doesn't work, since it's actually an AsyncGenerator. How on earth can I assign the actual changing value to a variable to use elsewhere?? (So, for instance, I would want to be able to extract the string '20215016' when the corresponding key was chosen, so that I could test if something was equal to it.)

Many thanks in advance!!!

[Fil]

Can you make sure you're not trying to use the value in the same cell where you're declaring the view?

[dkrasne]

Thanks!!! I really thought I had checked that yesterday, and it hadn't worked, but since today it seems to be working, I must have misplaced my tick marks. (If it stops working again, I'll come back for more help.)

Is this in the documentation anywhere?

[Fil]

https://observablehq.com/framework/reactivity: “Generators are implicitly iterated across code blocks.”

[dkrasne]

Thanks -- that unfortunately means absolutely nothing to me, even knowing what it's supposed to mean! :)

[Fil]

Feel free to open a PR with better wording 👍