BB Code Parser (in formatting phase) with jQuery jammed due to messed up loops most likely

Question

Greetings everyone, I'm making a BB Code Parser but I'm stuck on the JavaScript front. I'm using jQuery and the caret library for noting selections in a text field. When someone selects a piece of text a div with formatting options will appear.

I have two issues.
Issue 1. How can I make this work for multiple textfields? I'm drawing a blank as it currently will detect the textfield correctly until it enters the

$("#BBtoolBox a").mousedown(function() { }

loop. After entering it will start listing one field after another in a random pattern in my eyes.

!!! MAIN Issue 2. I'm guessing this is the main reason for issue 1 as well. When I press a formatting option it will work on the first action but not the ones afterwards. It keeps duplicating the variable parsed. (if I only keep to one field it will never print in the second)

Issue 3 If you find anything especially ugly in the code, please tell me how to improve myself.

I appriciate all help I can get. Thanks in advance

$(document).ready(function() {
    BBCP();
});

function BBCP(el) {
    if(!el) { el = "textarea"; }
    // Stores the cursor position of selection start

    $(el).mousedown(function(e) {
    coordX = e.pageX;
    coordY = e.pageY;

    // Event of selection finish by using keyboard
    }).keyup(function() {
        BBtoolBox(this, coordX, coordY);

    // Event of selection finish by using mouse
    }).mouseup(function() {
        BBtoolBox(this, coordX, coordY);

    // Event of field unfocus
    }).blur(function() {
        $("#BBtoolBox").hide();

    });

}

function BBtoolBox(el, coordX, coordY) {
    // Variable containing the selected text by Caret
    selection = $(el).caret().text;
    // Ignore the request if no text is selected
    if(selection.length == 0) {
        $("#BBtoolBox").hide();
        return;
    }
    // Print the toolbox
    if(!document.getElementById("BBtoolBox")) {
        $(el).before("<div id=\"BBtoolBox\" style=\"left: "+ ( coordX + 5 ) +"px; top: "+ ( coordY - 30 ) +"px;\"></div>");
        // List of actions
        $("#BBtoolBox").append("<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"return false\"><img src=\"./icons/text_bold.png\" alt=\"B\" title=\"Bold\" /></a>");
        $("#BBtoolBox").append("<a href=\"#\" onclick=\"return false\"><img src=\"./icons/text_italic.png\" alt=\"I\" title=\"Italic\" /></a>");

    } else {
        $("#BBtoolBox").css({'left': (coordX + 3) +'px', 'top': (coordY - 30) +'px'}).show();
    }

    // Parse the text according to the action requsted
    $("#BBtoolBox a").mousedown(function() {
        switch($(this).children(":first").attr("alt"))
        {
            case "B": // bold
                parsed = "[b]"+ selection +"[/b]";
                break;
            case "I": // italic
                parsed = "[i]"+ selection +"[/i]";
                break;
        }

        // Changes the field value by replacing the selection with the variable parsed
        $(el).val($(el).caret().replace(parsed));
        $("#BBtoolBox").hide();
        return false;
    });
}

Answer 1

This line: $("#BBtoolBox a").mousedown(function() attaches a function to the links. However, this line is run multiple times, and each time it runs it attaches another function to the links, leaving you with duplicated text.

An optimal solution is to use a plugin, for example (the first one I found): http://urlvars.com/code/example/19/using-jquery-bbcode-editor (demo)