Angularjs table cell iteration

Question

I have a feeling I am doing something wrong, but this behavior seems odd. I dynamically create a table based on data in the controller. When I enter a character one of the cells in the table it immediately changes focus to the next cell and adds the character there as well.

I have very simple example that reproduces the issue in jsfiddle.

http://jsfiddle.net/rgaskill/Aksec/15/

 <div ng-app="miniapp">
<div ng-controller="Matrix">
    <h1>Enter a value in the fist cell.</h1>
   <table>
<thead>
    <tr>
        <th>Row Name</th>
        <th>0</th>
        <th>1</th>
        <th>2</th>
        <th>3</th>
        <th>4</th>
        <th>5</th>
    </tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
    <tr ng-repeat="(row, values) in valueMap">
        <td>{{row}}</td>
        <td ng-repeat="(col, val) in values" ><input type="text" ng-model="valueMap[row][col]"></input></td>
    </tr>

</tbody>
</table>                      
</div>    
 </div>​

---

 var app = angular.module('miniapp', []);

 function Matrix($scope) {
$scope.valueMap = {
    aRow: {
        '0': '',
        '1': '',
        '2': '',
        '3': '',
        '4': '',
        '5': ''
    }
   };
 }​

What is causing this strange behavior?

Answer 1

Ok, I found the issue. This post added some clarity.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/angular/VD77QR1J6uQ/discussion

when the ngRepeat unrolls it copies the primitive into a local scope under item. Then ng-model binds to it. When you update the model you are updating a copy, not the original. but when you update the original it couses the repeater to realized that something changed in the items array and it then recreates the ng-model, which means ti re-copies it over to items. Hence the strange behavior but it is expected.

Short answer: never iterate and input bind to primitives in ngRepeat, as you are making a copy of value rather the reference and any updates are written to local scope rather then the original location.

and I updated the fiddle which works now

http://jsfiddle.net/rgaskill/Aksec/16/