Passing collection in JSTL html:select onChange event javascript

Question

I'm trying to pass an object from the form to a javascript function to change text box values when the value of a select field is changed.
On the jsp page, I have access to the collection called rows.
I also have an html:select field that I need to use the onChange event to change other fields on the page. I can certainly call a javascript function on the onChange with no problem. But I need to take it one step further. I need to send the javascript function the collection called rows, so I can set other fields' values on the jsp page to the values of the selected row.
This (or some facimile) is what I want to do:
<html:select name="currentForm" property="value(id)" onChange="fillUomForm(this.form,this,rows);">
  <c:forEach var="row" items="${rows}">
      <c:choose>
           <c:when test='${row.id == currentForm.stringValues["id"]}'>
                <option value="<c:out value='${row.id}'/>" selected>
                     <c:out value="${row.id}"/>
                </option>
           </c:when>
           <c:otherwise>
                 <option value="<c:out value='${row.id}'/>">
                    <c:out value="${row.id}"/>
                 </option>
           </c:otherwise>
       </c:choose>
    </c:forEach>
</html:select>Of course, rows is not recognized when I try to run this.
I have tried replacing rows with
<c:out value='${rows}'/> but that did not work.
How can I do this?
thanks,
Walter

Answer 1

sigh.
Another user mixing up JAVA and javaSCRIPT.
Java runs on the server. It generates an HTML page, and stops running.
When the client receives the HTML page it can start running javascript.
The only way java code is run again is if you make another http request. - ie the next time you click a link or submit a form.
Most of the time that results in reloading a new page.
You have two options
1 - Download all the information you might possibly want/need as part of the JSP page. Then the javascript onclick event can retrieve it from javascript memory.
2 - Make the onchange event submit an HTTP request, and then pick up the response, and do with it what it will. AJAX is a technology that lets you update the page without refreshing it completely.
Hope this helps,
evnafets