reference to function before its defined - javascript

I have read that if you want to make it look like your site loads faster then you should put your javascript at the end of your html file like the following
<html>
<body>
</body>
<script>
//my awesome javascript functions go here because it lets things load faster
//than if it was at the top
</script>
</html>
The problem is when I create buttons or use onChange events that call these functions.
How am I meant to keep my JS at the bottom of the page and have the JS defined for when it reads that the js function will need to be called?
For example
<html>
<body>
<input type="text" onChange="myfunction()"/>
</body>
<script>
function myfunction(){}
</script>
</html>
I did the code in pseudo code-ishly so you wouldn't focus on any of my syntax errors, but more focus on how I am meant to go about this.
When creating the page, it creates the html properly, but gives me a console error saying "myfunction" is not defined.
If I move the script part above the body this works, but it is recommended to keep it last to increase speed in page load.
Just a note I am not using jquery.
I originally thought this was a duplicate (Javascript at the bottom, function call in the body?) but it doesn't seem to answer my problem.
------------------------update----------------------------
using event listeners
<html>
<body>
<input type="text" id="myawesometext"/>
</body>
<script>
function myfunction(){}
element = document.getElementById('myawesometext');
element.addEventListener("onChange", myfunction, false);
</script>
</html>

Related

HTML will not execute JavaScript functions

I am trying to get a very simple javascript project going, but I cannot get any function to execute. Here is a simple example. It is obviously just an example. I have tried everything I can think of to get the browser to recognize that I am trying to call a function that has been defined, but it never does anything but just display the text, rather than call anything. In the below example, I simply get a page with the text: "varTimesTwo(3);"
<!DOCtype html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
function varTimesTwo(oneVar){
return (oneVar * 2)
}
</script>
varTimesTwo(3);
</body>
</html>
your code is wrong, you have to place varTimesTwo(3); inside the script tag, like this:
<!DOCtype html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
function varTimesTwo(oneVar){
return (oneVar * 2)
}
varTimesTwo(3);
</script>
</body>
</html>
Keep all JavaScript code in the script tags, or better yet, in a file
separate from the html file using <script src="myjsfile.js"></script>
You can use document.write(string) to write a string to the document.
This string is treated as HTML so you need to use <p>text</p> or <br> to get line breaks.
<!DOCtype html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
function varTimesTwo(oneVar){
return (oneVar * 2)
}
document.write("3 times two is "+varTimesTwo(3));
</script>
</body>
</html>
Alternatively, you can use window.alert(string) or simply alert(string) to pop up an alert box. But if you have turned off pop-ups in the browser, these will not pop up.
<!DOCtype html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
function varTimesTwo(oneVar){
return (oneVar * 2)
}
alert("3 times two is "+varTimesTwo(3));
</script>
</body>
</html>
console.log(string) writes to the debugging console, which you can see on many browsers with either control-shift-J or F12.
The javascript debugging console is also useful for learning javascript without messing with input and output. Anything you type in the JS console is immediately executed, so you can define functions there and play with them without having to write additional code to write the output or read input.
Finally, these techniques are insufficient for most websites as they are actually used. Instead, what is done is to define an html container element and change the text or html that is inside. jQuery provides a browser-independent method of manipulating the document to change items on the page.

Why use window.onload

I have tried finding an answer to this on my own, but only found instructions on how to use onload events. I seem to be missing the point.
I've been taught that if I want something to happen when the page loads, I should use window.onload like this:
<script>
window.onload = dosomething();
function dosomething()
{
window.alert('hello');
}
</script>
But now that I am thinking on my own I wonder what the point of doing that is. Because this also produces the same result:
<script>
dosomething();
function dosomething()
{
window.alert('hello');
}
</script>
Anything I put at the top inside <script> is going to execute anyway... so what's the point of window.onload?
If you're directly running your code with dosomething();, you're delaying your browser's rendering for the time it takes your JavaScript code to run.
You can try to insert your code to the <head> of your html document:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<script>
dosomething();
function dosomething()
{
window.alert('hello');
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
Does not render before the alert is dismissed!
</body>
</html>
You'll see that the page stays blank until you dismiss the alert. So every second the browser takes to run your JavaScript code is a second that your users have to wait for the site to be rendered.
Now if you change the code to be run on body's onload, the page gets rendered before the alert is shown:
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<script>
function dosomething()
{
window.alert('hello');
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="dosomething()">
This page gets rendered before the alert!
</body>
</html>
Consider these two blocks of code:
<head>
<script>
alert(document.getElementById('foo').value);
</script>
</head>
<body>
<input id="foo" value="hello">
</body>
<head>
<script>
window.onload = function() {
alert(document.getElementById('foo').value);
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<input id="foo" value="hello">
</body>
In the first example, we'll get an error because the element you are referencing isn't found when the script runs - and so you are trying to get value of null.
In the second example, document.getElementById() will find the element with the id foo, because window.onload will get fired only when the complete DOM has been loaded and so the element is available.
window.onload will fire once the DOM has finished loading. In your example, the DOM is not required. However, the following code will fail if the DOM has not yet loaded:
function doSomething() {
alert(document.getElementById('test').innerText);
}
// Throws: TypeError: Cannot read property 'innerText' of null
Assuming your page contains an element with id test, it will alert its text.
waiting for the onload event assures you that all of your scripts and resources are loaded
Assume you are using jquery in your page and you invoked a function that uses it directly without onload , you can't guarantee that the jquery file has been loaded, which will lead to errors and possibly ruining your whole logic
The onload event is handy to make sure the page is fully loaded before you run a script. For your example above it doesn't make sense, but if your page is still loading an item on the bottom and you try to call it then nothing will run.
I recommend using jQuery and using the ready function. This way you will ensure your page is completely loaded.
$( document ).ready(function() {
// This will only run after the whole page is loaded.
});
If you don't want to load query, just put your javascript at the bottom of the page. It's best practice, and ensures the DOM is loaded in full.
For more info on the jquery ready function go here: https://api.jquery.com/ready/

Javascript run() Function is Not Defined

I know there are a lot of questions like this, but none of them seemed to solve my problem. I have this piece of code that won't run because it says Uncaught ReferenceError: run is not defined. I have tried to move the function into the body of the HTML, but to no avail. My code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<textarea name="Text1" cols="100"rows="20" id="textbox">
</textarea>
<button onclick="run()">Export to C++</button>
<script type="text/javascript">
function run() {
var code=new Array();
var input = document.getElementById("textbox").value;
//convert things that are not subroutines here
code.push(input);
code.push("}");
...
for (var i=0;i<code.length;i++)
{
document.write(code[i]+"<br>");
}
}
</script>
</html>
The ... is irrelevant code.
Why isn't this working? Any ideas on how to fix it?
Thanks
Seems it working fine for me, but as I can see the only reason for the problem is the following.
Your page is loading piece by piece from up to down, so all the scripts are going to be included and executed one by one, all the elements are going to be shown one by one as well.
That's not this case in fact, because you are using "on click" event and there are no init actions, so it should be working, but you can try to move your <script></script> at the top (before you assign event).
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<textarea name="Text1" cols="100"rows="20" id="textbox">
</textarea>
<script type="text/javascript">
you script here
</script>
<button onclick="run()">Export to C++</button>
</html>
You may also replace the whole code inside of
<script></script>
by something like alert("Hello"); to check if it's working. Possible you have the issue with internal code.

Adding JavaScript code with jQuery.html()

<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<html>
<head>
<script src="js/jquery-1.10.2.min.js"></script>
<script>
$(document).ready(function() {
var x="<script>alert('hello world');</script>";
$("#div_one").html(x);
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div id="div_one">
</div>
</body>
</html>
Why does this not work? I'd expect the JS code between the script tags to be interpreted and see an alert message ...
What I want to do:
I have written a set of functions that add and delete items from an array depending on the user input (JavaScript). Then, I have a function that draws() a ul-list of the items held in the array. Behind each item, I want to provide a remove link, which calls a JavaScript function that removes the item from the array and then calls drawList() to redraw the list.
If there weren't that security policy, I'd simply do it as in the code shown above.
That is some weird browser bug I believe. For some reason you can't have </script> inside the script block.
Change to
var x="<scr"+"ipt>alert('hello world');</scr"+"ipt>";
Example on jsFiddle
That is not a bug. The problem is here:
<script>
$(document).ready(function() {
var x="<script>alert('hello world');</script>";
$("#div_one").html(x);
});
</script>
The browser thinks the first <script> tag is associated with the </script> inside your code.
As you can see, the code is shown in the DOM instead of executing.
To further prove it, see this example:
http://jsfiddle.net/DerekL/Ah8Qz/
var x = $("<script>").html("alert('hello world');");
$("#div_one").append(x);
If you avoid the </script> closing tag, then there will be no problem because the HTML parser will ignore any open <script> tag inside <script>.
So to sum up,
Browsers does not have security in place to stop scripts being injected into your page.
This is no where near a browser bug.

JavaScript: Error "Object doesn't support this action"

The code for a counter gives an error
Whereas a similar snippet does not
I can't figure out any valid reason...
The line under consideration is:
<input type=button name="but2" value="stop" onClick="window.clearTimeout(ID);">
The complete code is:
<html>
<head>
<script language="JavaScript">
var counter=0;
ID=window.setTimeout("start();",2000);
function start()
{
counter++;
document.forms[0].elements[0].value=counter;
ID=window.setTimeout("start();",2000);
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<form name="frm1">
<input type="text" name="timer1">
<input type="button" name="but1" value="start" onClick="counter=0; start();">
<input type=button name="but2" value="stop" onClick="window.clearTimeout(ID);">
</form>
</body>
</html>
Use window.start instead of start for the onClick event. It may be that IE doesn't create a window context when you use code instead of a function for the handler.
Everything about that code there is wrong. Please try to avoid that source of tutorials in the future.
Here is a working script: http://jsfiddle.net/teresko/qTJPx/
List of problem with your script:
missing doctype
language="JavaScript" is deprecated
variables ID and counter ended up in global scope
using html to attach events
incorrect use of setTimeout
<script> tag used in <head> when DOM is not ready yet
.. and i don't even want to go over that "similar snippet", it looks like something that by all rights should be dead an buried.
When you add your JavaScript code, it should be right before the closing </body> tag, because at that stage the DOM is already ready, but page has not begun to render yet.
I would strongly suggest for you to get some newer materials for learning JavaScript.
Hi I think in this line your getting the error
ID=window.setTimeout("start();",2000);
Right ?
Put this code
var ID=window.setTimeout("start();",2000);
you'll not get this JavaScript: Error Object doesn't support this action error.

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