# Can the listbox data variable be a string?
**URL:** https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305
**Category:** Uncategorized
**Created:** [May 25, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305 "2004-05-25T18:25:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Sparky\_J](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/Sparky_J)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 6:25pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305/1 "2004-05-25T18:25:14Z")
Hello,
I followed the tutorial on listbox management and applied it to a project I’m working on, but I can’t get it to work. Can the “data” variable in the listbox be a string? I can’t get it to work.
The tutorial uses this:
```auto
list.addItem("My birthday",new Date(2002,4,9));
```
I’d like to use arrays that contain text for mine:
```auto
list_of_terms.addItem(wordList[0],definitionList[0]);
```
where wordList[0] is equal to “cat” and definitionList[0] is equal to “meow, meow”
It doesn’t seem to work, does anybody have any ideas on this?
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305/2 "2004-05-25T21:46:46Z")
```auto
list_of_terms.addItem({label:wordList[0],data:definitionList[0]});
```
try that 😉
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305/3 "2004-05-26T14:13:15Z")
OK, I now have a listbox that is working, I am populating it by typing into input textboxes, any ideas on how to delete a particular entry, the following only seems to delete the first reference in the list, not the selected.
My code to populate the box:
```auto
stop();
var wordList = new Array();
var definitionList = new Array();
var j;
var i;
function saveWord() {i = "\"" + word + "\"";
j = "\"" + definitions + "\"";
wordList.push(i);
definitionList.push(j);
}
function displayDetails(c){
var j = c.getSelectedItem().data;
textbox.htmlText = c.getSelectedItem().data;
}
// 3
listbox.setChangeHandler("displayDetails");
```
and then the button I’m trying to set up to delete a selected listbox item:
```auto
on (press) {
listbox.removeItemAt(j);
}
```
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305/4 "2004-05-26T15:09:48Z")
```auto
on (release) {
_parent.listbox.removeItemAt(_parent.listbox.selectedIndex);
}
```
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/can-the-listbox-data-variable-be-a-string/111305/5 "2004-05-26T16:13:20Z")
Thank you, I’m working on the next step now.