jQuery programmatically trigger events - javascript

What all events can be triggered programmatically using jQuery? Also is there any important differences to be remembered when one is doing event triggering using jQuery Vs a natural way of it being triggered?

Every event can be programmatically fired, just use the callback-less version of it.
Example:
$('#button').click(function() { alert('event hanlder'); });
$('#button').click(); // generate the event
About your second question, there should be no difference between the native and jQuery event handlers.
One thing that is neat though is that jQuery binds this to the element that received the event, inside the callback (this doesn't happen in native event handlers):
$('#button').click(function() { alert(this); }); // here 'this' == document.getElementById('button');
Warning: the element referenced by this is not "jQuery augmented". If you want to traverse or modify it with jQuery goodness you'll have to do something like var $this = $(this);

You should know the differences between trigger and triggerHandler in jQuery.
trigger
trigger attempts to replicate the natural event as best as it can. The event handler for the event being triggered get's executed, but the default browser actions will not always be replicated exactly. For example $('a#link).trigger('click'); will execute the javascript function bound to the links click event handler, but will not redirect the browser to the href of the anchor, like a normal click would. EX: http://jsfiddle.net/AxFkD/
All the short forms of the trigger call behave exactly like trigger IE. click(), mouseup(), keydown(), etc
triggerHandler
triggerHandler prevents bubbling up ( EX. http://jsfiddle.net/LmqsS/ ), it avoids default browser behaviour and just executes the events callback, and it returns the return value of the event handler instead of a jQUery object for chaining.
You should also be aware that trigger affects all elements matched by a selector, but triggerHandler only affects the first one EX: http://jsfiddle.net/jvnyS/

You can trigger any event programmatically. But most of the events cannot be simulated as the natural event using programmatic triggers.
//to trigger a click event on a button
$("buttonSelector").trigger("click");

First, for obvious reasons, you cannot trigger the ready event.
That said, events raised by trigger() behave the same way as if they were triggered by the user. In particular, the event handlers are called in the same order.
The only difference I know of is that triggered events did not bubble up the DOM tree in older versions of jQuery (that behavior was fixed in version 1.3).

Related

Simulate clicking a button

If I have an existing click event associated with a button, can I use code to simulate that button being pressed so the code in the click event will run? I'm asking because I want there to be certain times where the user does not have to press the button for code to be executed. I would like to press the button automatically for them in certain instances if that makes any sense.
As simple as this,
$(function() {
$('#button').trigger('click');
});
var button = document.getElementById('yourButtonIdHere');
button.click();
This will fire a click event in the button
You can trigger a click event on an element by calling the .click() function on the element. By passing no value to the function the click event will fire, as opposed to setting up a listener for the click event.
If the button has an id of "form-btn", here's what that would like:
<button id="form-btn">Submit</button>
<script type="text/javascript">
//Setup the click event
$('#form-btn').on('click', function (e) {
alert('clicked!');
});
//Call the click event
$('#form-btn').click();
</script>
This should work fine, although I usually try to use a named function when setting up my event handlers, instead of anonymous functions. By doing so, rather than triggering the event I can call the function directly.
Note that in my experience, older browsers (IE6, IE7) sometimes limit what code-triggered events can do as a safety precaution for the user.
Here's documentation on the .click() function: http://www.w3schools.com/jquery/event_click.asp
Edit 1
I forgot that jQuery also has the .trigger() function, as used in choz's answer. That will also the job quite nicely as an alternative to .click(). What's nice about .trigger() is that it can trigger standard events as well as custom events, and also allow you to pass more data in your event.
Just make a function and run the function from within the button.
Three Choices:
You can call the click event handling function directly when appropriate:
if(timeIsRightForClick){
yourClickHandler();
}
You can simulate a button click by calling the .click() method of the button.
$("#ButtonID").click()
https://api.jquery.com/click/
Same as #2, but using jQuery's trigger() function, which can be used on standard events and custom ones:
$("#ButtonID").trigger("click");
http://api.jquery.com/trigger/
Choices #2 and #3 are usually better because they will cause the event handling function to receive a reference to the click event in case it needs to use that object. Choice #1 doesn't cause an actual click event (just runs the code you tell it to) and so no event object is created or passed to the event handler.

Manually click a child link (and navigate) when clicking parent [duplicate]

Recently I found jQuery cannot trigger the native click event on an anchor tag when I'm clicking on other elements, the example below won't work:
html
<a class="js-a1" href="new.html" target="_blank">this is a link</a>
<a class="js-a2" href="another.html" target="_blank">this is another link</a>
javascript
$('.js-a1').click(function () {
$('.js-a2').click();
return false;
});
And here is the jsfiddle - 1. Click on the first link won't trigger native click on the second one.
After some searches, I found a solution and an explanation.
Solution
Use the native DOM element.
$('.js-a1').click(function () {
$('.js-a2').get(0).click();
return false;
});
And here is the jsfiddle - 2.
Explanation
I found a post on Learn jQuery: Triggering Event Handlers. It told me:
The .trigger() function cannot be used to mimic native browser events, such as clicking on a file input box or an anchor tag. This is because, there is no event handler attached using jQuery's event system that corresponds to these events.
Question
So here comes my question:
How to understand 'there is no event handler attached using jQuery's event system that corresponds to these events'?
Why is there not such corresponding event handler?
EDIT
I update my jsfiddles, it seems there's and error on the class name.
there is no event handler attached using jQuery's event system that corresponds to these events
This means, at this point of the learning material, no jQuery event handlers has been attached to these elements using .click(function() {} or .bind('click', function () {}), etc.
The no-argument .click() is used to trigger (.trigger('click')) a "click" event from jQuery's perspective, which will execute all "click" event handlers registered by jQuery using .click, .bind, .on, etc. This pseudo event won't be sent to the browser.
.trigger()
Execute all handlers and behaviors attached to the matched elements for the given event type.
Check the updated jsFiddle example, click on the two links to see the difference. Hope it helps.
First of all you need to prevent the default behaviour of link
$('.js-a1').click(function (e) {
e.preventDefault();
$('.js-a2').get(0).click();
return false;
});
And to trigger the click event you can also use .trigger('click') better way
And the event handler is used like this:
$(document).on('click', '.js-a1',function(){//code in here});
// here now .js-a1 is event handler
i think you forgot to read documentation.
Document says :
// Triggering a native browser event using the simulate plugin
$( ".js-a2" ).simulate( "click" );
Old question, but here's a nifty and simple solution:
You can basically "register" a native JS event with jQuery by assigning the DOM element's onEvent handler to be the native event. Ideally, we would check first to ensure the onEvent handler has not already been set.
For example, 'register' the native JS click event so it will be triggered by jQuery:
$('.js-a1').click(function (e) {
$('.js-a2').click();
e.preventDefault();
});
var trigger_element = $('.js-a2')[0]; // native DOM element
if (!trigger_element.onclick) {
trigger_element.onclick = trigger_element.click;
}
Here is a fiddle: http://jsfiddle.net/f9vkd/162/
You have to use $("selector").trigger('click')

Capture only hashchange events not resulting from anchor clicks

I am trying to use Javascript to emulate the CSS :target pseudo-class so as to capture all events that result in an element on page being targeted. I've identified 3 trigger events:
window.location.hash already targets an element of the same ID on initialisation
An anchor targeting the element is clicked
The hashchange event is fired independently of the above (for example via the window.history API)
Scenario 2 is important as a distinct case since I would want to invoke the click event's preventDefault. The simplified code for this scenario follows:
$('body').on('click', 'a[href*=#]', function filterTarget(clickEvent){
$(this.hash).trigger('target', [clickEvent]);
});
The problem comes when trying to implement scenario 3:
$(window).on('hashchange', function filterTarget(hashChangeEvent){
$(this.hash).trigger('target', [hashChangeEvent]);
});
If a target handler doesn't cancel the native behaviour for scenario 2, it will be triggered again when the native behaviour causes the resulting hashchange event. How can I filter out these edge cases?
POST-SOLUTION EDIT:
roasted's answer held the key — handle a namespaced hashchange event, then unbind and rebind the handler based on logic handled inside the click handler and its preventDefault. I wrote up the full plugin here.
If i understand it, you don't want the hashchange event to be fired if an anchor tag is clicked. You could then set your logic using namespaced events:
DEMO
$('body').on('click', 'a[href*=#]', function (clickEvent) {
filterTarget(clickEvent,this);
$(window).off('hashchange.filter').on('hashchange.tmp', function () {
$(this).off('hashchange.tmp').on('hashchange.filter', filterTarget);
});
});
$(window).on('hashchange.filter', filterTarget);
function filterTarget(event,elem) {
$(elem?elem.hash:window.location.hash).trigger('target', [event]);
//you could filter depending event.type
alert(event.type + '::'+ (elem?elem.hash:window.location.hash));
}
if the click is setting the hash with the fragment anyway, just throw away duplicates in the hash change event:
onhashchange=function(e){
if(e.newURL == e.oldURL ){return; }
//do your normal hashchange event stuff below:
};
ref: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/window.onhashchange
this fixes cascade issues no matter what invoked the change.
Seems like you could use mousedown instead of click, if you're going to be calling preventDefault on it. Then presumably the hashchange would not be triggered.

need help understanding this code

this code in book jQuery in action page 131
i don't understand
.trigger('adjustName');
what is adjustName
and Simple explanation for trigger()
thanks :)
$('#addFilterButton').click( function() {
var filterItem = $('<div>')
.addClass('filterItem')
.appendTo('#filterPane')
.data('suffix','.' + (filterCount++));
$('div.template.filterChooser')
.children().clone().appendTo(filterItem)
.trigger('adjustName');
});
It is a string, the name of a custom event you defined.
E.g. it would trigger the event handler bound by:
el.bind('adjustName', function(){...});
For more information I suggest to have a look at the documentation:
Any event handlers attached with .bind() or one of its shortcut methods are triggered when the corresponding event occurs. They can be fired manually, however, with the .trigger() method. A call to .trigger() executes the handlers in the same order they would be if the event were triggered naturally by the user.
Without knowing the context of the code, I would say that calling .trigger() here has no effect, as it is called on the cloneed elements and the event handlers are only cloned if true is passed to clone.
Maybe the original jQuery manual could be helpful?
Description: Execute all handlers and
behaviors attached to the matched
elements for the given event type.
It allows you to trigger, or run, an event. For instance if you wanted the code to mimic the clicking of a button, you could write....
$("#myButton").trigger('click');
This would then run exactly as if you had clicked the button yourself.
'adjustName' is a custom event. So the trigger function is running that custom event. The custom event is assigned using the jQuery bind function.
$("#someElement").bind('adjustName', function() {/* Some Code */});
You might create a customer event for clarity. Perhaps your application opens a document, so you might want an event called 'openDocument' and 'closeDocument' assigned to the element containing the document.

How to call JS to click a table element

Assume I get a table element with ID="emTab", how do I call JS to click it?
Thanks.
document.getElementById("emTab").onclick = function() {
// your code goes here
};
See element.onclick
To trigger click event
document.getElementById("emTab").click();
See element.click
The click method is intended to be
used with INPUT elements of type
button, checkbox, radio, reset or
submit. Gecko does not implement the
click method on other elements that
might be expected to respond to
mouse–clicks such as links (A
elements), nor will it necessarily
fire the click event of other
elements.
Non–Gecko DOMs may behave differently.
When a click is used with elements
that support it (e.g. one of the INPUT
types listed above), it also fires the
element's click event which will
bubble up to elements higher up the
document tree (or event chain) and
fire their click events too. However,
bubbling of a click event will not
cause an A element to initiate
navigation as if a real mouse-click
had been received.
Cross browser way
If you can use jQuery then it would be
$("#emTab").trigger("click");
Firing events cross-browser - http://jehiah.cz/archive/firing-javascript-events-properly
its simple using JQuery
$('#emTab').click(functionToCall);
while in JS
document.getElementById('emTab').onclick = function() {};
for details on DOM events:
http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/tutorials/javascript/domevents

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