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Preventing the loss of keystrokes between pages in a web application

Answer 1

A:

AJAX or plugin are your only chances.

Joel Coehoorn 2008-09-14 22:36:50

Answer 2

+6 A:

Keystrokes won't have an effect until the page has loaded, javascript has been processed and the text field is then focused.

Basically what you are really asking is; how do I speed up a web application to increase response times? Your anwser is AJAX!

Carefully think about the most common actions in the application and use AJAX to minimise the reloading of webpages. Remember, don't over-use AJAX. Using too much javascript can hinder usability just as much as it can improve it.

Related reading material:

What JavaScript library would you choose for a new project and why?
Response Times: The Three Important Limits - Great article from the usability king, Jacon Neilson.
Ajax Usability Mistakes
AJAX Usability Checklist

andyuk 2008-09-14 22:43:40

Answer 3

A:

I think it will be quite hard to do what you want. I presume that the real problem is that the new page takes too long to load. You should look at caching the page or doing partial caching on the static components such as pictures etc. to improve the load time or preloading the page and making it invisible. (see Simple Tricks for More Usable Forms for some ideas)

For coding options you could use javascript to capture the keystrokes (see Detecting various Keystroke)

<html><head>
<script language=javascript>
IE=document.all;
NN=document.layers;
kys="";
if (NN){document.captureEvents(Event.KEYPRESS)}
document.onkeypress=katch
function katch(e){
if (NN){kys+=e.which}
if (IE){kys+=event.keyCode}
document.forms[0].elements[0].value=kys
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form><input></form>
</body>
</html>

You will need to save and then transfer them to the new page after control passes from the current page. (see Save Changes on Close of Browser or when exiting the page)

For some general info on problems with detecting keystrokes in the various browsers have a look at Javascript - Detecting keystrokes.

Leo Moore 2008-09-14 22:54:13

Answer 4

+1 A:

Perhaps I am under-thinking the problem but I'll throw this out there... You could just put your form inside a hidden div or similar container that you show (perhaps give it a modal look/behavior?) on the click event of the link. That way the form is already loaded as part of the page. It should appear almost instantly.

You can find modal div tutorials all over the place, shouldn't be too tricky. If you're using ASP.NET there's even one included in Microsoft's AJAX library.

2008-09-16 13:46:27

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Preventing the loss of keystrokes between pages in a web application

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