window.onload() set element value that has not been loaded?

Liming · Aug 26, 2005

Hi,

Here is my situation. I have a textarea on the page. When the page
loads, I need it to have some default text (which will be generated
dynamically)

so I did something like this

function init()
{
document.getElementById("TexareaID").value = "default text";
}

window.onload
{
init();
}

but the problem is firefox always return "TextAreaID" has no properties
because the textbox hasn't loaded it yet..it seems. How do I get around
that? (I know mabye i can insert the script below the textbox.. but
that's ugly. Any other ways? Thanks

Liming

RobG · Aug 26, 2005

Liming said:
Hi,

Here is my situation. I have a textarea on the page. When the page
loads, I need it to have some default text (which will be generated
dynamically)

so I did something like this

function init()
{
document.getElementById("TexareaID").value = "default text";
}

window.onload
{
init();
}

but the problem is firefox always return "TextAreaID" has no properties
because the textbox hasn't loaded it yet..it seems. How do I get around
that? (I know mabye i can insert the script below the textbox.. but
that's ugly. Any other ways? Thanks

1. Be accepting of the ugliness - beauty fades but dumb is forever

2. Use <body onload="init()"

3. Assign init to window.onload in your script element:

window.onload = init; // Note there are no brackets "()"

Liming · Aug 26, 2005

Rob,

Thanks a lot. I did the third way and it works. If you dont' mind.. how
come window.onload =init works and window.onload{ init(); } is not? Is
there anything speical about it? Sorry, kinda a stupid question,
obvioulsy in this case it made a differnece, i'm just curious if there
are other situations where these two will be different.

Thanks a lot.

Liming

RobG · Aug 26, 2005

Liming said:
Rob,

Thanks a lot. I did the third way and it works. If you dont' mind.. how
come window.onload =init works and window.onload{ init(); } is not? Is
there anything speical about it? Sorry, kinda a stupid question,
obvioulsy in this case it made a differnece, i'm just curious if there
are other situations where these two will be different.

The statement:

function init() { ... }

creates a property of the window object called 'init' that is a function.

The statement - window.onload.init; - assigns a *reference* to init to
the window.onload property.

The statement - window.onload.init(); - will assign the *result* of
running init() to the window.onload property.

i.e. init() causes the function to be executed immediately (so that the
result can be assigned to the onload property).

You could also do it with an anonymous function:

window.onload = function(){ ... };

You can also add an onload event in a way that will not upset existing
onload events, follow the ideas in this thread:

<URL:http://groups.google.com/group/comp...tion+to+window.onload+&hl=en#9c228ec1551ad7ef>

Css not being loaded	1	Oct 3, 2017
Setting the NAME attibute of an for element after page has loaded	15	Aug 19, 2010
window.onload when DOM complete	1	Feb 9, 2007
Script in AJAX-loaded page inside parent page not firing	2	Sep 11, 2009
Using Javascript to find if Java applet has loaded	1	Dec 1, 2009
Suggestion for FAQ, OR has it been done (URL?)	0	May 15, 2010
Play mp3 on body load call.	1	Dec 10, 2024
Set 'disabled' attribute of 'input' based on value of radio button?	5	Jul 27, 2011

window.onload() set element value that has not been loaded?

Liming

RobG

Liming

RobG

Ask a Question

Similar Threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Latest Threads