What is href=javascript:;

Question

in a code which i am goin through there is a link has href=javascript:; in code.when it is clicked it opens a lightbox to show some msg with close button.how is it done.I think this uses dojo

Answer 1

All this does is make a call to a javscript function which executes some javascript. Maybe posting the code as an example helps.

Answer 2

href="javascript:somefunction();" is just a way to point to a function of some javascript code.

You can also do: href="#" onclick="somefunction();return false;"

Nothing really dojo about it. All it does is call the function or javascript code. It just tells the element to use javascript.

or href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="somefunction();" as stated already.

Answer 3

<a href="javascript:void(0)" onClick="callFunction();">

Call callFunction() method onClick

this can also be used as foollows

<a href="javascript:callFunction();">


<a href="#" onClick="callFunction();">

this also call javascript callFunction() method but it adds # in your URL to Avoid this Use

<a href="javascript:void(0)" onClick="callFunction();">

Answer 4

I believe this just indicates that your link is going to perform some javascript function. Usually you couple this by hooking up events on the link e.g. OnClick/OnMouseMove

Answer 5

The code:

<a href="javascript:;">..</a>

will actually do nothing. Generally this Nothing link allows some javascript code to use the onclick event instead. The onclick event triggers the window which may be from django or jquery or wherever.

Answer 6

It's known as the javascript pseudo-protocol. It was designed to replace the contents of the document with a value calculated by JavaScript. It's best not to use it, for several reasons, including:

• If JavaScript is disabled, you have a link that goes nowhere
• If your JavaScript returns a value, the contents of the page will be replaced by that value

More reasons why you shouldn't use it

Answer 7

Supposedly, it's a URL to a resource that's reachable via the "javascript" protocol, just like you can have "http:" or "ftp:". I don't know if it's an actual standard but most browsers understand that the URL must be fed to the JavaScript interpreter. So, in practise, you can use it to have JavaScript code that's triggered by a link, e.g.:

<a href="javascript:alert('Hello!')">Say hello</a>

Of course, writing your JavaScript code inside HTML tags is neither clean nor mantainable. But the possibility exists.

What about href="javascript:;"? If you pay close attention, you'll realise that ";" is a JavaScript code snippet that, well, does nothing. That's the point. This is often used to have a link that points nowhere. The main purpose is that clicking on it triggers JavaScript code defined somewhere else (via onclick event handlers).

Last but not least, you often see stuff like onclick="javascript:doStuff()". The onclick HTML attribute expects Javascript code, not a URL. In this situation, the javascript: prefix is totally superfluous. However, the code still runs. It happens to be a label in JavaScript syntax just by chance ;-)

Answer 8

EDITED:

i have just added this link that explane you how dojo work with onlclik event:

• http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1107190/dojo-how-to-do-onclick-event-on-a-div

ok, just for the sake, all the answer here are good answer, in your particular case if you are using Dojo

the <a href="javascript:;" > simply prevent your <a> tag to jump around when clicked and of course have no action!

probably you have something like this in your code:

<a href="javascript:;" id="some" class="some_too" rel="some_too_too">

Dojo simply keep the <a> id OR class OR rel tags and execute the function!