views:

277

answers:

2

Guys I have the following Code which I know doesnt work correctly. Yes I know how to do this in JQuery but In this case I cannot use jquery. Please no jquery answers.

<form>
  <input type="text" name="input1" onclick="alert('hello')">
  <input type="text" name="input2">
  <input type="text" name="input3">
</form>


<script type="text\javascript">
  window.onload = function () {
    var currentOnClick;
    for (var i = 0; i < document.forms[0].elements.length; i++) {
      currentOnClick = document.forms[0].elements[i].onclick;
      document.forms[0].elements[i].onclick = function () {
        if (currentOnClick) {
          currentOnClick();
        }
        alert("hello2");
      }
    }
  }
</script>

What Im trying to do is iterate through the form's elements and add to the onclick function. But due to the fact that in my last iteration currentOnClick is null this does not run as expected. I want to preserve each of the elements onclick methods and play them back in the new fuction Im creating.

What I want:

  • When input1 is clicked, alert "hello" then alert "hello2"

  • When Input2 is clicked, alert "hello2"

  • When Input3 is clicked, alert "hello2"

+1  A: 

This helps:

window.onload = function () {
    for (var i = 0, element; element = document.forms[0].elements[i]; i++) {
        element.onclick = (function (onclick) {
            return function(oEvent) {
                // reference to event to pass argument properly
                oEvent  = oEvent || event;
                if (onclick)
                    onclick(oEvent);
                // new code "injection"
                alert("hello2");
            }
        })(element.onclick);
    }
}

Or this:

window.onload = function () {
    for (var i = 0, element; element = document.forms[0].elements[i]; i++) {
        element.exonclick = element.onclick;
        element.onclick = function (oEvent) {
            if (this.exonclick) {
                this.exonclick(oEvent);
            }
            //
            alert("hello2");
        }
    }
}

Please be warned, the technique will not work if event handlers were added with DOM-Events API.

Sergey Ilinsky
Thanks the first method works like i would expect but I need some help understanding the syntax. you seem to call element.onclick = (somefunction)(element.onclick). I appologize but I just dont understand.
John Hartsock
Both work in fact. The JavaScript technique used in the first solution is called "closure".
Sergey Ilinsky
+1  A: 

the way you have it, your elements all refer to the same instance of currentOnClick. each time you assign currentOnClick to the current element's existing onclick function, it loses the reference to the previous function. you need to create the new event handler function in a separate scope for each element.

function addClickProxy(element) {
    var currentOnClick = element.onclick;
    element.onclick = function() {
        if (currentOnClick) {
            currentOnClick();
        }
        alert("hello2");
    }
}

window.onload = function() {
    for (var i = 0; i < document.forms[0].elements.length; i++) {
        addClickProxy(document.forms[0].elements[i]);
    }
}

this way, there are 3 different instances of currentOnClick floating around, each sealed from the others by the function scope.

lincolnk