javascript in anchor tags

[yawnmoth]

If using an onclick event handler to execute javascript when an anchor
element is clicked on, what should the href attribute be? #?
javascript:void(0)? Something else?

[Evertjan.]

yawnmoth wrote on 05 sep 2005 in comp.lang.javascript:

If using an onclick event handler to execute javascript when an anchor
element is clicked on, what should the href attribute be? #?
javascript:void(0)? Something else?

Provide a default page for visitors without active js
and give a return false in js:

<a href='/mySorries/sorryNoJS.html' onclick='doMyClick();return false;'>
Please click me anyway</a>

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Replace all crosses with dots in my emailaddress)

[Ivo]

"yawnmoth" wrote

If using an onclick event handler to execute javascript when an anchor
element is clicked on, what should the href attribute be? #?
javascript:void(0)? Something else?

A normal URL of a normal page, with alternative content for the visitors
without Javascript. By returning false from the event handler, those with
Javascript will never know or care about the href value. Also bots can
follow that link, while they have some problem accessing Javascripted
content.
In case you haven't already, check the newsgroup FAQ as well, especially
<URL: http://www.jibbering.com/faq/#FAQ4_24 >

hth
ivo

[Alvaro G Vicario]

*** Evertjan. wrote/escribió (05 Sep 2005 09:11:07 GMT):

Provide a default page for visitors without active js
and give a return false in js:

<a href='/mySorries/sorryNoJS.html' onclick='doMyClick();return false;'>
Please click me anyway</a>

Using '#' is particularly annoying. It forces your browser to scroll to top
of page.
--
-- Álvaro G. Vicario - Burgos, Spain
-- http://bits.demogracia.com - Mi sitio sobre programación web
-- Don't e-mail me your questions, post them to the group
--

[Randy Webb]

Alvaro G Vicario said the following on 9/5/2005 5:45 AM:

*** Evertjan. wrote/escribió (05 Sep 2005 09:11:07 GMT):

Provide a default page for visitors without active js
and give a return false in js:

<a href='/mySorries/sorryNoJS.html' onclick='doMyClick();return false;'>
Please click me anyway</a>

Using '#' is particularly annoying. It forces your browser to scroll to top
of page.

Only for authors who don't have the common sense to know how to stop it
from scrolling.

But if all a person wants is a dead link/button to click on to activate
a script, then use a Button and the # problem is gone.

--
Randy
comp.lang.javascript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq & newsgroup weekly

[yawnmoth]

Randy Webb wrote:

<snip>

Only for authors who don't have the common sense to know how to stop it
from scrolling.

But if all a person wants is a dead link/button to click on to activate
a script, then use a Button and the # problem is gone.

That is indeed all I want. I'm using anchor tags to make it so that
clicking on select bits of text will insert something into a textarea.
Sending people to a new page when they're unable to insert something
into a textarea is a bit overkill.

As for alternatives... I want to make something happen when text - not
a button or an image - is clicked.

As for stopping the page from scrolling... I guess I don't have common
sense... Care to enlighten me?

[Randy Webb]

yawnmoth said the following on 9/5/2005 11:58 PM:

Randy Webb wrote:

<snip>

Only for authors who don't have the common sense to know how to stop it
from scrolling.

But if all a person wants is a dead link/button to click on to activate
a script, then use a Button and the # problem is gone.

That is indeed all I want. I'm using anchor tags to make it so that
clicking on select bits of text will insert something into a textarea.
Sending people to a new page when they're unable to insert something
into a textarea is a bit overkill.

As for alternatives... I want to make something happen when text - not
a button or an image - is clicked.

As for stopping the page from scrolling... I guess I don't have common
sense... Care to enlighten me?

You return false in the onclick event handler:

onclick="doSomething();return false";

Or, you can do this:

onclick="return doSomething()";

Where doSomething will return true or false.

--
Randy
comp.lang.javascript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq & newsgroup weekly

[Donius]

When you set the href of an anchor to '#', it means "go to the current
page, at the top" and so the browser will scroll to the top. When you
return false in javascript, it cancels the click action of the
hyperlink, which means when normally it would follow the link ((this
page, top)), it will not do any hyperlink action ((link-following)), so
there's no scrolling. So for those users without javascript, it
doesn't have a chance to return false ((since none of the script will
run at all)), and will "fall through" and do the hyperlink action. In
a lot of cases, an empty href will do what you're looking for ((that
is, nothing, i think, when there is no javascript available)), or
javascript:void(0), or some similar gimmick.

Hope that was vaguely enlightening. :) It's early where i am though,
so i'll check back later and see if that made any sense.

[Randy Webb]

Donius said the following on 9/6/2005 9:44 AM:

When you set the href of an anchor to '#', it means "go to the current
page, at the top" and so the browser will scroll to the top. When you
return false in javascript, it cancels the click action of the
hyperlink, which means when normally it would follow the link ((this
page, top)), it will not do any hyperlink action ((link-following)), so
there's no scrolling. So for those users without javascript, it
doesn't have a chance to return false ((since none of the script will
run at all)), and will "fall through" and do the hyperlink action. In
a lot of cases, an empty href will do what you're looking for ((that
is, nothing, i think, when there is no javascript available)), or
javascript:void(0), or some similar gimmick.

Setting javascript:void(0) in a non-JS environment doesn't "do nothing".
It navigates. Test it.

--
Randy
comp.lang.javascript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq & newsgroup weekly

[Stephen Chalmers]

Donius <ra**************@gmail.com> wrote in message news:11**********************@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...

So for those users without javascript, it
doesn't have a chance to return false ((since none of the script will
run at all)), and will "fall through" and do the hyperlink action.

In compliant browsers, that situation can be alleviated by setting the href to the name of an anchor placed at the top
of the body element, like:

<BODY>
<A name='screenTop' style="position:fixed;top:0;visibility:hidden">.</A>
....

Then for relevant links: <A href='#screenTop' ...

The position of the anchor will always be the current scrolled position, so if the href has to be followed, the page
does not scroll.

--
S.C.

[Randy Webb]

Stephen Chalmers said the following on 9/7/2005 5:26 PM:

Donius <ra**************@gmail.com> wrote in message news:11**********************@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...

So for those users without javascript, it
doesn't have a chance to return false ((since none of the script will
run at all)), and will "fall through" and do the hyperlink action.

In compliant browsers, that situation can be alleviated by setting the href to the name of an anchor placed at the top
of the body element, like:

<BODY>
<A name='screenTop' style="position:fixed;top:0;visibility:hidden">.</A>
....

Then for relevant links: <A href='#screenTop' ...

The position of the anchor will always be the current scrolled position, so if the href has to be followed, the page
does not scroll.

You can create the same effect, and have it work in IE, by adding an
Anchor before/after each link.

<a name="thisLink">
<a href="#thisLink">.....</a>

But better is to have JS create links/buttons that are JS dependent.
Then, the non-JS people never know it doesn't work because they never
see it.

--
Randy
comp.lang.javascript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq & newsgroup weekly

[Stephen Chalmers]

Randy Webb <Hi************@aol.com> wrote in message news:Hd********************@comcast.com...

Stephen Chalmers said the following on 9/7/2005 5:26 PM:

Donius <ra**************@gmail.com> wrote in message news:11**********************@o13g2000cwo.googlegr oups.com...

So for those users without javascript, it
doesn't have a chance to return false ((since none of the script will
run at all)), and will "fall through" and do the hyperlink action.

In compliant browsers, that situation can be alleviated by setting the href to the name of an anchor placed at the top of the body element, like:

<BODY>
<A name='screenTop' style="position:fixed;top:0;visibility:hidden">.</A>
....

Then for relevant links: <A href='#screenTop' ...

The position of the anchor will always be the current scrolled position, so if the href has to be followed, the page
does not scroll.

You can create the same effect, and have it work in IE, by adding an
Anchor before/after each link.

<a name="thisLink">
<a href="#thisLink">.....</a>

It's not quite the same effect, as the page scrolls to position the target anchor at the top of the screen.

You don't need a separate anchor, the link can refer to itself:

<a name='thisLink' href="#thisLink">.....</a>

--
S.C.