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Javascript Removing jQuery events and getting user input

I have a problem with the javascript code I am trying to work with. I am trying to call a function to set an event handler and within that event handler also remove it when the event is called. In this particular instance I am trying to ADD an event handler whenever I want input, then a callback is passed to the function and the code is run when the input is ready. Also at this stage I try to remove it so the callback doesn't get triggered more than once, but there seems to be a problem with this. Here is the code:
this.validateInput = function(NaN, callback) {
// Wait for the user to click submit or press
// enter, then if the input is a valid number
// return true. If it is not valid return false
$(document).keydown(function(e) {
// If the enter key is pressed, if the box is focused and if
if (e.which == 13 && $("#inputBox").is(":focus")) {
// Print the user's input regardless of whether it is a
// number or not.
var newOutput = $("#inputBox").val()
$("#output").append(newOutput + "<br>");
// If the user wants the input to be a number then
// the program checks if the input is not numerical.
if (NaN && !isNaN($("#inputBox").val())) {
// Get input from screen
var newInput = $("#inputBox").val();
// Remove this handler
this.removeKeyhandler();
// Call the code passed to the function
callback(newInput);
// Return from the function.
return;
// This checks if the user wants non-number input
// and runs the following code IF the input is not numerical
} else if (!NaN && isNaN($("#inputBox").val())) {
// Get input from screen
var newInput = $("#inputBox").val();
// Remove this handler
this.removeKeyhandler();
// Call the code passed to the function
callback(newInput);
// Return from the function
return;
}
}
});
}
For reference, #inputBox is an input box, #output is the <div> I am trying to output to, and removeKeyHandler() simply contains the code $(document).off("keydown", document);. If you want to see the full file/project, it is here.
The only thing that seems not to be working is the event handler not removing, it keeps going as many times as you add input. If you download the project and open up index.html you should see what I mean.

I see your problem.. your 'this' you refer to in your code is not in the right scope..
simply do this:
function display() {
var ref = this;
}
Now replace these:
this.removeKeyhandler();
with this:
ref.removeKeyhandler();
Also in your removing function change it to this:
$(document).off("keydown");
good luck!

How to throttle "actions" (updates) to take on a changed source on a page

I searched a lot for a solution to this certainly-not-unique problem, but I have not found anything that will work in my context of an HTML page.
I have an input text that contains some kind of source-code that generates something, and I can show a preview of that something on the same HTML page (by updating the background image, for example). Note that the source could be a LaTeX file, an email, a Java program, a ray-trace code, etc. The "action" to generate the preview has a certain cost to it, so I don't want to generate this preview at each modification to the source. But I'd like the preview to auto-update (the action to fire) without the user having to explicitly request it.
Another way to phrase the problem is to keep a source and sink synchronized with a certain reasonable frequency.
Here's my solution that's too greedy (updates at every change):
$('#source-text').keyup(function(){
updatePreview(); // update on a change
});
I tried throttling this by using a timestamp:
$('#source-text').keyup(function(){
if (nextTime "before" Now) { // pseudocode
updatePreview(); // update on a change
} else {
nextTime = Now + some delay // pseudocode
}
});
It's better, but it can miss the last updates once a user stops typing in the source-text field.
I thought of a "polling loop" for updates that runs at some reasonable interval and looks for changes or a flag meaning an update is needed. But I wasn't sure if that's a good model for an HTML page (or even how to do it in javascript).

Use setTimeout, but store the reference so you can prevent it from executing if further editing has occurred. Basically, only update the preview once 5 seconds past the last keystroke has passed (at least in the below example).
// maintain out of the scope of the event
var to;
$('#source-text').on('keyup',function(){
// if it exists, clear it and prevent it from occuring
if (to) clearTimeout(to);
// reassign it a new timeout that will expire (assuming user doesn't
// type before it's timed out)
to = setTimeout(function(){
updatePreview();
}, 5e3 /* 5 seconds or whatever */);
});
References:
clearTimeout
setTimeout
And not to self-bump, but here's another [related] answer: How to trigger an event in input text after I stop typing/writing?

I tweaked #bradchristie's answer, which wasn't quite the behavior I wanted (only one update occurs after the user stops typing - I want them to occur during typing, but at a throttled rate).
Here's the solution (demo at http://jsfiddle.net/p4u2mhb9/3/):
// maintain out of the scope of the event
var to;
var updateCount = 0;
var timerInProgress = false;
$('#source-text').on('keyup', function () {
// reassign a new timeout that will expire
if (!timerInProgress) {
timerInProgress = true;
to = setTimeout(function () {
timerInProgress = false;
updatePreview();
}, 1e3 /* 1 second */ );
}
});

How to kill a Javascript function if it is called again?

I have a search box on my web page that has check boxes in order for the user to filter their results. Only one check box can be checked at once.
When a check box is clicked my code runs off and applies the filter to the list and returns the correct results.
The problem I have is that when a check box is clicked multiple times in quick succession, it queues the requests and pulls them back one by one. This can take a while if a check box is checked and then un-checked multiple times.
Is there any way in Javascript to inform the function that it has been called again and it should stop everything other than this last request?

You want to wrap your onclick callback in a debouncing function like
http://underscorejs.org/#debounce
Say you have this
function search() {
// ...
}
$jquery(".myFilterCheckboxes").click(search);
You should be able to just change the above to:
// Only allow one click event / search every 500ms:
$jquery(".myFilterCheckboxes").click(_.debounce(search, 500));
There are tons of debouncing functions out there, and writing your own isn't a big deal really if you can't or don't want to include underscore.js.
My first thought was towards debouncing because you mentioned multiple clicks creating multiple events in a short period. Debouncing is used really often for things like type-ahead search or autocomplete to provide a little space between key presses for thinking time.
As others have mentioned it may make more sense to simply disable the checkboxes / click event while your search is running. In that case, try something like this:
function disableClick(elem) {
elem.unbind("click");
elem.attr("disabled", true);
}
function enableClick(elem, onclick) {
// Enable click events again
elem.live("click", search);
// Enable the checkboxes
elem.removeAttr("disabled");
}
function search() {
var boxes = $jquery(".myFilterCheckboxes");
disableClick(boxes);
$.get(...).always(function() {
enableClick(boxes, search);
});
}
$jquery(".myFilterCheckboxes").live("click", search);
Why disable the click event, add the disabled attribute to the checkboxes instead of just a global lock variable? Well, global locks can be somewhat error prone, but more than that, we already have a global object that matters in the DOM. If we just modify the DOM state we get the right behavior and signal to our users that they should chill out on the checkboxes until the search completes.
That said, it probably makes sense with any kind of locking / unbinding scenario to indicate to the user with a loading spinner or something that you're doing work.

You can use a lock pattern:
http://jsfiddle.net/RU6gL/
HTML
<input type="checkbox" onclick="fire()" >CB1
<br />
<input type="checkbox" onclick="fire()" >CB2
JS
function_lock = false
fire = function() {
// First, check the lock isn't already reserved. If it is, leave immediately.
if (function_lock) return;
// We got past the lock check, so immediately lock the function to
// stop others entering
function_lock = true;
console.log("This message will appear once, until the lock is released")
// Do your work. I use a simple Timeout. It could be an Ajax call.
window.setTimeout(function() {
// When the work finishes (eg Ajax onSuccess), release the lock.
function_lock = false;
}, 2000);
}
In this example, the function will only run once, no matter how many times the checkboxes are clicked, until the lock is released after 2 seconds by the timeout.
This pattern is quite nice, because it gives you control opver when you release the lock, rather than relying on a timed interval like 'debounce'. For example, it will work with Ajax. If your checkbox is triggering an Ajax call to do the filtering, you can:
On first click, set the lock
Call the Ajax endpoint. Subsequent clicks won't call the Ajax endpoint.
In the Ajax success function, reset the lock.
The checkboxes can now be clicked again.
HTML
<input type="checkbox" onclick="doAjax()" >CB2
JS
ajax_lock = false
doAjax: function() {
// Check the lock.
if (ajax_lock) return;
// Acquire the lock.
ajax_lock = true;
// Do the work.
$.get("url to ajax endpoint", function() {
// This is the success function: release the lock
ajax_lock = false;
});
}

The issue here is that the checkbox is repeatedly clicked on. You should instead disable your checkbox(which would also disable the click event on the element) when you are processing and then re-enable your checkbox when you're done processing.
The debouncing is a great idea, but you don't always know how long it will take for your processing function to finish.
Here's a simple example using jquery promise to re-enable the checkbox after some processing
http://jsfiddle.net/94coc8sd/
with the following code:
function processStuff() {
var dfd = $.Deferred();
// do some processing, when finished,
// resolve the deferred object
window.setTimeout(function(){
dfd.resolve();
}, 2000);
return dfd.promise();
}
function startProcessing() {
$('#processingCheckbox').attr('disabled', 'disabled');
var promise = processStuff();
promise.done(enableCheckbox);
}
function enableCheckbox() {
$('#processingCheckbox').removeAttr('disabled');
}
$('#processingCheckbox').on('click', startProcessing);

Alternative action if event does not occur javascript/jquery

I have a probably really simple question but did not find anything about this or maybe did not find the right words for my problem.
If have a function to be executed on keypress which also changes my variable A - fine, and it works.
But now I want to give an alternative value to my variable A if the keypress event is not happening.
So I'm looking for the correct command for the naive logic of
if ("keypress event happens") {
A = 1
} else {
A = 2
}
Is there any way to do that in js or jquery with simple true/false checks for the key event?
I've been trying and trying and it did not work once.

Usually, the way one solves this problem is with a setTimeout(). You set the timer for N seconds. If the keypress happens, you cancel the timer. If the keypress doesn't happen, the timer will fire giving you your alternate event.
You probably wrap this in some sort of function that you can trigger whenever you want, but you didn't share the overall context so this is just the general idea:
$("#myObj").keypress(function(e) {
if (timer) {
clearTimeout(timer);
}
// process key
});
var timer = setTimeout(function() {
timer = null;
// key didn't happen within the alltoted time so fire the alternate behavior
}, 5000);

Differentiate click vs mousedown/mouseup

I've read several answers on stackoverflow pertaining to this situation, but none of the solutions are working.
I'm trying to do different things based upon whether a user clicks an element, or holds the mouse down on that element using jQuery.
Is it possible to accomplish this?

onMouseDown will trigger when either the left or right (or middle) is pressed. Similarly, onMouseUp will trigger when any button is released. onMouseDown will trigger even when the mouse is clicked on the object then moved off of it, while onMouseUp will trigger if you click and hold the button elsewhere, then release it above the object.
onClick will only trigger when the left mouse button is pressed and released on the same object. In case you care about order, if the same object has all 3 events set, it's onMouseDown, onMouseUp, then onClick. Each even should only trigger once though.
Details:
http://api.jquery.com/click/
http://api.jquery.com/mouseup/
http://api.jquery.com/mousedown/

Here's one approach
set a variable to true
make a function that will set it to false when called
have a timer ( setTimeout() ) start counting down on mousedown()
on mouseup, clear the timeout, and check if it the variable is true or false
if it is false, call the function you want to happen on click
In any case, set the variable back to true
This will do what you want.
Here's a jsfiddle showing how it might work: http://jsfiddle.net/zRr4s/3/

Here's a solution that supports both clicks and holds:
// Timeout, started on mousedown, triggers the beginning of a hold
var holdStarter = null;
// Milliseconds to wait before recognizing a hold
var holdDelay = 500;
// Indicates the user is currently holding the mouse down
var holdActive = false;
// MouseDown
function onMouseDown(){
// Do not take any immediate action - just set the holdStarter
// to wait for the predetermined delay, and then begin a hold
holdStarter = setTimeout(function() {
holdStarter = null;
holdActive = true;
// begin hold-only operation here, if desired
}, holdDelay);
}
// MouseUp
function onMouseUp(){
// If the mouse is released immediately (i.e., a click), before the
// holdStarter runs, then cancel the holdStarter and do the click
if (holdStarter) {
clearTimeout(holdStarter);
// run click-only operation here
}
// Otherwise, if the mouse was being held, end the hold
else if (holdActive) {
holdActive = false;
// end hold-only operation here, if desired
}
}
// Optional add-on: if mouse moves out, then release hold
function onMouseOut(){
onMouseUp();
}
Here's a demo: http://jsfiddle.net/M7hT8/1/
Originally based on daveyfaherty's solution.
I know this question is from a while ago, but I'm sharing my solution for anyone who finds this via a search.

//last mouse coordinate
var mouseX = 0;
//epsilon interval
var mouseEps = 10;
function mouseDownHandler(e) {
e.preventDefault();
mouseX = e.clientX;
};
function mouseUpHandler(e) {
e.preventDefault();
if (Math.abs((mouseX - e.clientX)) < mouseEps) {
clickHandler(e);
}
};
function clickHandler(e) {
};