document.getElementByID external or inline? - javascript

I have been trying to use the document.getElementByID to pull information from an HTML file from an external JS file and it does not seem to be working. Does the document.getElementByID only work if it is inline with the HTML file or can it work properly on an external JS file? The JS file is called upon within the HTML document properly because other functions are working.

First off, make sure you're using document.getElementById("xxx"), not document.getElementByID("xxx") (note the difference in capitalization at the end). Your question refers to document.getElementByID("xxx") so that could be the problem right here.
Second, you must make sure that the function is executed AFTER the relevant DOM items have been parsed by the browser. If you are putting the document.getElementById in an external JS file that is loaded in the <head> section and is executed immediately after it loads, then the DOM will not yet be ready.
You have several options:
1) Place the external JS file <script> tags at the end of the body, right before the </body> tag. This will not only load/display your page faster, but will guarentee that the DOM is parsed before anything in that JS file can run.
<body>
Your HTML here
<script type="text/javascript" src="myscript.js"></script>
</body>
2) Since you have jQuery, put your immediately executed code inside of a $(document).ready(fn) block so that jQuery will hold back the execution until the DOM is ready. If you do it this way, then you can put your code anywhere (including in the <head> section if you want).
$(document).ready(function() {
// put your page initialization code here
});
3) Put your code anywhere you want, but don't have any of it execute immediately. Instead, put all your initialization code in an intialization function (let's call it myPageInit() that you call from:
$(document).ready(myPageInit);
4) Put your code anywhere you want, but don't have any of it execute immediately. Instead, put all your initialization code in an intialization function (let's call it myPageInit() that you call from a script right before the </body> tag with this:
<script type="text/javascript">myPageInit()</script>

Does the document.getElementByID only work if it is inline with the HTML file
No.
can it work properly on an external JS file?
Yes.
You're probably calling document.getElementById() before the DOM is ready.

My suggestion is to do this:
window.onload = function () {
// document.getElementById() code here
}
Then your document.getElementById() would not execute until every element on the page has fully loaded.

If you put the script in the <head> then the body hasn't loaded yet and so the elements aren't there.
Either defer the script by using jQuery's functions, or put the script at the end of the body.

window.onload = function() {
document.getElementById("demo").innerHTML = "My First JavaScript";
}
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>js in ts</title>
<script src="app.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<h2>JavaScript in Body</h2>
<p id="demo"></p>
</body>
</html>

Related

Show page after specific Javascript is loaded

I dont want to reveal html page content if one specific javascript is not fully loaded. I want to show blank page when this javascript is loading. Javascript is located in .js file, so in html page it looks like this:
<script src = "file.js"></script>
Put the script tag into the head element of the html document, e.g.
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<script src="file.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html>
This depends on whether file.js performs asynchronous operations.
If your file contains simple, synchronous code, a hackish solution would be to put document.body.style.display="none" at the start of the code and document.body.style.display="block" at the end. This will hide your document body until the script reaches the end.
A more robust solution would be to make sure all your code is in appropriate functions, and wrap the initial function with a callback that displays the body.
window.onload = runOnLoad( function() { document.body.style.display="block"; } );
function runOnLoad( callback ) {
document.body.style.display="none";
// rest of your code
callback();
}

How to call a JavaScript function when the external JavaScript file is referenced at the end of the HTML body?

I know that when you want to invoke a JavaScript function inside a HTML body section you can do it by putting <script> someFunction(); </script> inside your body tag, here is an example, I have HTML like this:
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="/Script.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<script>
showAlert();
</script>
</body>
</html>
And the javascript file like this:
function showAlert(){
alert("This is an alert!");
}
This works fine but if I put the JavaScript file reference at the end of the body like this:
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
</head>
<body>
<script>
showAlert();
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="/Script.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
the function showAlert() is no longer being invoked. Can you please answer these 2 questions:
Why is showAlert() not invoked in the second scenario?
How (if possible) to invoke a function from a JavaScript file when
it is referenced in the end of the body?
The reason why I'm asking is because I know that it is a good practice to refer your JavaScript files in the end of the body instead of the head, so that the page will be rendered first before loading all the JavaScript code.
1) The scripts are loaded linearly. Since the script has not yet been loaded, the function is undefined. (This is in contrast to function hoisting within a script.)
2) Simply wait till the page loads.
window.onload = function(){
showAlert();
}
(Simply doing window.onload = showAlert won't work because of reason #1. Here you delay evaluation until such time that the function will exist.)
Assuming you want to run showAlert() immediately when the page has loaded, try adding an onload() event handler to call showAlert rather than just calling it as the script loads. This can be done a few ways:
<body onload="showAlert();">
or define the window onload event programatically where your current function all is made in the html
window.onload = new function() {showAlert();}
or (and I think this is the preferred way because it won't cancel out other event handlers bound to the onload event)
window.addEventListener("load", showAlert);
By default, scripts run sequentially. Your code doesn't work because showAlert() runs before loading Script.js, so at that point the function showAlert is not defined yet.
To make it work, you must delay the showAlert call.
The load event has already been mentioned in other answers, but it will wait for all resources (like images) to load. So listening to the DOMContentLoad event is usually better, the function will be called sooner.
<script>
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
showAlert();
});
</script>
<script src="data:text/javascript,
function showAlert() {
console.log('Hello!')
}
"></script>
The reason for your script isn't working is the way how a webpage is parsed..From top to bottom..Here is some link (would help to know why script added at bottom).
1) in your First case the browser loaded script when it parsed the page and when you called it in body it was available so it got invoked.
2) in Second scenario (My be typo) You have placed the call to function before loading the script that contain your function. so during page parsing browser wont find it and continue to next line where script containing function is loaded which has no effect for now as it already parsed the call.
If you still want to follow the second scenario you have to trigger the function call (after ensuring all resources being loaded ie Your script).
so you can use window.load=<your function call> or in case of jQuery place it inside
$(document).ready(function(){
//call here
});
Javascript processes in the order given. You are trying to call showAlert before showAlert have been defined. Change to:
<body>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="/Script.js">
</script>
<script>
showAlert();
</script>
</body>
and all should work as intended.

Script tags - not linking (JS platform game)

I'm working through the 'create a platform game' project from Eloquent JavaScript and have an issue with script tags.
In the book we're told to display our level using:
<link rel="stylesheet" href="css/game.css">
<script>
var simpleLevel = new Level(simpleLevelPlan);
var display = new DOMDisplay(document.body, simpleLevel);
</script>
I've tried adding this (together with an additional script tag for my platform.js file) into index.html but the browser is giving nothing back, not sure what I'm doing wrong?
Ensure you are inserting your scripts in the right order:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
Here you should put your "included" scripts with <script src=...>
</head>
<body>
...
</body>
<script>
Here you should put your first execution, if it needs the html page been completely loaded (as to use document.body).
</script>
</html>
The scripts are being executed as they appear into the page. If you use document, you have to delay the execution until the whole page has been loaded: Either by putting your script at the end of the HTML, either by putting an initialization function within the HEAD, and call it from body onload:
<head>
<script>
function myFunction(){...}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="return myFunction()">
...
</body>
Make sure to include the external JavaScript file you need in a separate <script> tag before your inline script!

Why is $(document).ready needed after the <script> tag?

Why is $(document).ready needed after the <script> tag?
What would happen if we don't use $(document).ready?
$(document).ready is javascript code, so it has to be written in <script> element and after jQuery is loaded.
If you don't write $(document).ready, your code will not wait for DOM to load completely and execute the javascript code immediately.
If you're using script in <head> that is using/manipulating some elements from DOM, you'll need ready, otherwise you'll get null/undefined.
If you're using script at the end of <body>, then you'll be safe as all the elements are loaded.
Quoting as it is from jQuery Docs
While JavaScript provides the load event for executing code when a page is rendered, this event does not get triggered until all assets such as images have been completely received. In most cases, the script can be run as soon as the DOM hierarchy has been fully constructed. The handler passed to .ready() is guaranteed to be executed after the DOM is ready, so this is usually the best place to attach all other event handlers and run other jQuery code. When using scripts that rely on the value of CSS style properties, it's important to reference external stylesheets or embed style elements before referencing the scripts.
In cases where code relies on loaded assets (for example, if the dimensions of an image are required), the code should be placed in a handler for the load event instead.
Example? Sure!
In Head no ready
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Document</title>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.0/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script>
alert($('#myname').val());
</script>
</head>
<body>
<input type="text" value="Tushar" id="myname" />
</body>
</html>
At the end of body
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Document</title>
</head>
<body>
<input type="text" value="Tushar" id="myname" />
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.0/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script>
alert($('#myname').val());
</script>
</body>
</html>
In head with ready
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Document</title>
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.10.0/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script>
$(document).ready(function() {
alert($('#myname').val());
});
</script>
</head>
<body>
<input type="text" value="Tushar" id="myname" />
</body>
</html>
For the <script> at the end of <body>, you can omit ready.
Why is $(document).ready really need after <script> tag when we use javascript.
It isn't.
What else if we don't use $(document).ready
First, understand why people use ready: It's used to delay the code within the function you pass into it until jQuery calls that function, which jQuery does when it thinks the document is fully loaded.
JavaScript code within script tags runs immediately. If the script tag is above an element it refers to, the element won't exist when the script runs:
<script>
$("#foo").show();
</script>
<div id="foo" style="display: none">...</div>
That div will not be shown, because it doesn't exist when the code runs. So people use ready to delay their code.
There's a better way if you control where your script tags go: Just put your script tag at the end of the document, just before the closing </body> tag:
<div id="foo" style="display: none">...</div>
<!-- ... -->
<script>
$("#foo").show();
</script>
</body>
All of the elements defined above the script tag will exist when the code runs. No need for ready.
The ready event occurs when the DOM (document object model) has been loaded.
Because this event occurs after the document is ready, it is a good place to have all other jQuery events and functions.
//Use ready() to make a function available after the document is loaded:
$(document).ready(function(){
$("button").click(function(){
$("p").slideToggle();
});
});
Like in the example above.
The ready() method specifies what happens when a ready event occurs.
Direct quote from Learn jQuery
A page can't be manipulated safely until the document is "ready."
jQuery detects this state of readiness for you. Code included inside
$( document ).ready() will only run once the page Document Object
Model (DOM) is ready for JavaScript code to execute. Code included
inside $( window ).load(function() { ... }) will run once the entire
page (images or iframes), not just the DOM, is ready.

External JavaScript does not work with jquery

I wrote a small page with jQuery and an external .js file. But it won't load the jQuery part. Here my Code:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<head>
<script src="js/jquery-1.11.1.min.js"></script>
<script src="js/testScript.js"></script>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
</head>
<body>
<button id="testBtn">Oh my Goood...</button>
<div id="testDiv">testText</div>
</body>
</html>
And here is my external Script:
alert("no jQuery");
$("button#testBtn").click(function(){
alert("Works!");
});
As you can see, jQuery will load before all other scripts. The alert pops up fine. But if I click the button, nothing happens. If I put the script inside the html document directly, the button event works as expected.
I reviewed these questions: Link and Link. But still not working as expected.
Instead of using the $(document).ready() method, you could also just move your javascript references to the bottom of the page, right above the </body> tag. This is the recommended way to include javascript in webpages because loading javascript blocks the page rendering. In this case it also makes sure the elements are already rendered when the javascript is executed.
You'll need to add the click function inside document ready.
$(document).ready(function(){
$("button#testBtn").click(function(){
alert("Works!");
});
});
Your method fails because the code is being executed as the page is being loaded and the elements it refers to haven't been loaded yet. Using $(document).ready holds the function execution till the DOM elements are ready.

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