var subjectObject = {
  "Front-end": {
    "HTML": ["Links", "Images", "Tables", "Lists"],
    "CSS": ["Borders", "Margins", "Backgrounds", "Float"],
    "JavaScript": ["Variables", "Operators", "Functions", "Conditions"]
  },
  "Back-end": {
    "PHP": ["Variables", "Strings", "Arrays"],
    "SQL": ["SELECT", "UPDATE", "DELETE"]
  }
}
window.onload = function() {
  var subjectSel = document.getElementById("subject");
  var topicSel = document.getElementById("topic");
  var chapterSel = document.getElementById("chapter");
  for (var x in subjectObject) {
    subjectSel.options[subjectSel.options.length] = new Option(x, x);
  }
  subjectSel.onchange = function() {
    //empty Chapters- and Topics- dropdowns
    chapterSel.length = 1;
    topicSel.length = 1;
    //display correct values
    for (var y in subjectObject[this.value]) {
      topicSel.options[topicSel.options.length] = new Option(y, y);
    }
  }
  topicSel.onchange = function() {
    //empty Chapters dropdown
    chapterSel.length = 1;
    //display correct values
    var z = subjectObject[subjectSel.value][this.value];
    for (var i = 0; i < z.length; i++) {
      chapterSel.options[chapterSel.options.length] = new Option(z[i], z[i]);
    }
  }
}