Help me find out why this isn't working (JavaScript)

Question

So I've been trying to create something similar to a game in JavaScript, where it starts off by using a prompt to ask for the player's name.

If the player doesn't input a name, I have it ask if they want to use the default name.

If they click no, the question is asked again until a name is declared.

The code looks something like this:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
function promptname() {
var name=prompt("What is your name?");

if (name=name) {
sayHello(name);
}

else {
var result=confirm("Would you like to use our default name");
if (result===true) {
sayHello("Red");
}
else {
var name=prompt("Ok then, what is your name?");
if(name=name) {
sayHello(name);
}
else {
alert("Ok, let's do this again");
promptname();

}
}
}
}

alert("Welcome to the World of Pokemon! I'm Professor Oak! Let's begin!");
promptname();

function sayHello(name) {
document.write("Welcome to the world of Pokémon, " + name + " Please choose one of these three starter Pokémon!");
}

document.write("hello" + name);
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I put the "document.write("hello" + name);" at the end to test if I could call upon the name variable afterwards, but however I couldn't. I slightly understand that it has to do with the variable name being within the function "promptname", but then the function "sayHello" could use the name variable. Why couldn't "document.write("hello" + name);" call upon this variable? Is there a way to? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

var name=""
function promptname() {
name=prompt("What is your name?");

if (name=name) {
sayHello(name);
}

else {
var result=confirm("Would you like to use our default name");
if (result===true) {
sayHello("Red");
}
else {
name=prompt("Ok then, what is your name?");
if(name=name) {
sayHello(name);
}
else {
alert("Ok, let's do this again");
promptname();

}
}
}
}

alert("Welcome to the World of Pokemon! I'm Professor Oak! Let's begin!");
promptname();

function sayHello(x) {
document.write("Welcome to the world of Pokémon, " + x + " Please choose one of these three starter Pokémon!");
}

document.write("hello " + name);

The var name = “” statement outside the function sets ‘name’ as a global variable. Removing the two ‘var’s stops name being reset as a local (inside the function only) variable.

Answer 2

Thanks you two! I've looked into both global variables and local variables and now I've not only gotten the code to work but I've also learned more about JavaScript variables.