Prototype: How to prevent button pushing until response is made

Question

I am using this piece of code to make text button on web page

<a href='#' onclick="new Ajax.Updater('history', '/responsesG', {parameters: {name: '%s', port: '%s', profil: '201', action: 'profile'}, 
    insertion: Insertion.Top}
        ); return false;">Do something</a>

since it is costly call I would like to prevent user from multiple clicking it since it makes asynchronous call and they get for instance 3 responses for same thing (since response last for 3 to 5 seconds) i tried option

asynchronous: false

with same success(failure). How can I do it?

Edit:

<a href="#" onclick="diagnostika('mac_adresa');return false;">-Mac address</a>
<script type="text/javascript">
function diagnostika(akcija) {
            if(!this.clicked) {
                this.clicked = true;
                button = this;
                new Ajax.Updater('history', '/responsesG', {
                    parameters: {
                        name: '%(name)s',
                        port: '%(port)s',
                        action: akcija},
                    insertion: Insertion.Top,
                    onComplete: function() {
                    button.clicked = false;}});}
                return false;};
</script>

This is what I implemented in the end.

Answer 1

You'll need to add something like:

if(!this.clicked) {
    this.clicked = true;
    button = this;
    new Ajax.Updater('history', '/responsesG', {
        parameters: {
            name: '%s',
            port: '%s',
            profile: '201',
            action: 'profile'
        },
        insertion: Insertion.Top,
        onComplete: function() {
            button.clicked = false;
        }
    });
}

return false;

But, really, bring this out of an inline onClick so that it's easier to read.

Answer 2

Disable (or even hide) the link in the onclick handler, and then reenable or show it when you get a response.

Answer 3

send the onclick to your own function, disable the button, start a timer that will re-enable the button then do the Ajax.Updaer.

Answer 4

Give your link a unique ID attribute, e.g:

<a href="#" id="foo">Do something</a>

Then in your JavaScript you can do this:

$("foo").observe("click", function() {
  this.disabled = true;
  new Ajax.Updater("history", "/responsesG",
                   { parameters: { name: "%s",
                                   port: "%s",
                                   profile: "201",
                                   action: "profile" },
                   insertion: Insertion.Top });
  return false;
});

Answer 5

return a global flag onclick, that is set to false once a request goes out, and back to true when it comes back