Programming Forums > Web Development and Design > JavaScript and Client-Side Browser Scripting

java_roshan · Mar 13th, 2006, 7:19 AM

I have the following javascript in a page

function chgsubmnu(mnuname){
            document.getElementsByName(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#35A695';
}

function resmenu(mnuname){
           document.getElementsByName(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#A69425';       
}

which is supposed to affect the background of this td when the mouse is on it..

(Toggle Plain Text)

    <td name="menu2" id="b2" onmouseover="chgsubmnu('menu2')" onmouseout="resmenu('menu2')">Content</td>

IE returns an error stating the document.getElementsByName(...).style.bgColor is null or not an object?

I am confused....what wrong :-?

DaWei · Mar 13th, 2006, 7:27 AM

IE does not support getElementsByName () for every type of element. I'm not predisposed to Google and find an appropriate list, but I assure you, you can.

Arevos · Mar 13th, 2006, 9:07 AM

Try using document.getElementById instead. That is considered the correct way of doing things if you need to access only one element, which seems to be the case, looking at your code.

Agent 47 · Mar 15th, 2006, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaWei

IE does not support getElementsByName () for every type of element.

Doesn't it? It's just like .getElementById(); 'cept that it returns an array
rather than a single object reference.

That is where the OP has gone wrong. You need to use an index to tell
it which element in the array you are pointing to. In this case:

(Toggle Plain Text)

document.getElementsByName(mnuname)[0].style.bgColor = '#35A695';

Having said that, it would be much simpler to do something like this:

(Toggle Plain Text)

<td name="menu2" id="b2" onmouseover="chgsubmnu(this)" onmouseout="resmenu(this)">Content</td>

(Toggle Plain Text)

function chgsubmnu(mnuname){
            mnuname.style.bgColor = '#35A695';
}

function resmenu(mnuname){
           mnuname.style.bgColor = '#A69425';
}

--47.

DaWei · Mar 15th, 2006, 12:16 PM

I'm guilty of quoting a site without actually double-checking it, Agent. They published a list. It's been a while, maybe a year, but I'll see if I can find it.

java_roshan · Mar 16th, 2006, 7:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Agent 47

Having said that, it would be much simpler to do something like this:

(Toggle Plain Text)

<td name="menu2" id="b2" onmouseover="chgsubmnu(this)" onmouseout="resmenu(this)">Content</td>

(Toggle Plain Text)

function chgsubmnu(mnuname){
            mnuname.style.bgColor = '#35A695';
}

function resmenu(mnuname){
           mnuname.style.bgColor = '#A69425';
}

--47.

Thankyou!
Just one small question...what does 'this' return?
1) in terms of string only the value of id?
or
2) document.getElementById('value')

Agent 47 · Mar 16th, 2006, 9:06 AM

'this' doesn't return anything, it is simply a direct reference to an
element in the page. The equivalent using getElementById() would
be:

(Toggle Plain Text)

onmouseover="chgsubmnu('b2')"

(Toggle Plain Text)

function chgsubmnu(mnuname){
            document.getElementById(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#35A695';
}

DaWei · Apr 18th, 2006, 9:10 AM

I'm resurrecting this thread because "document.getElementsByName" isn't working for me in the case of divs, in the case of IE. Viewing the source shows the collection of divs all having the same name (their ids are different). The value returned is shown by IE to be an object, but its length is zero. Mozilla, et.al., show the correct length (which varies according to a particular person's number of sales). Agent?

Arevos · Apr 18th, 2006, 9:40 AM

According to this site:

Quote:

Before we continue, we should dispel some of the misinformation in a few books and on the Internet: Contrary to what some have said, there is no legal way to use the name attribute from such tags as div or span, according to the W3C HTML 4.01 specs. You must confine the usage of this attribute to such tags as input, img, frame, iframe, form, map, param, meta, object, A, select, applet, textarea, or button.

Whenever I need to identify a family of elements, I use an empty class as an identifier. Classes can be attached to most HTML elements, and they don't have to add any styling. Another advantage is that you can give the same element multiple classes by separating the names of the classes with whitespace.

The standard Javascript library is lacking a getElementsByClassName function, but a quick search on Google will throw up a large number of custom functions with that name. I use the one from the lightweight prototype.lite library.

DaWei · Apr 18th, 2006, 10:03 AM

Thanks, Arevos. I actually read the page you reference this morning, but I like to double-check. I guess I was hoping someone would say, "Well, did you do blah blah?" and point out a simple possible oversight on my part. I'm fresh out of dead chickens, so I suppose the voodoo ainnagonnawoik.

EDIT: FEEDBACK. Wrote my own, woiks like a champ

.

Mar 13th, 2006, 7:19 AM	#1
java_roshan Professional Programmer Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Student of University of Mumbai, Maharashtra State, India Posts: 344 Rep Power: 4	Get this element ! :( I have the following javascript in a page (Toggle Plain Text) function chgsubmnu(mnuname){ document.getElementsByName(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#35A695'; } function resmenu(mnuname){ document.getElementsByName(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#A69425'; } function chgsubmnu(mnuname){ document.getElementsByName(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#35A695'; } function resmenu(mnuname){ document.getElementsByName(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#A69425'; } which is supposed to affect the background of this td when the mouse is on it.. (Toggle Plain Text) <td name="menu2" id="b2" onmouseover="chgsubmnu('menu2')" onmouseout="resmenu('menu2')">Content</td> <td name="menu2" id="b2" onmouseover="chgsubmnu('menu2')" onmouseout="resmenu('menu2')">Content</td> IE returns an error stating the document.getElementsByName(...).style.bgColor is null or not an object? I am confused....what wrong :-?

Mar 13th, 2006, 7:27 AM	#2
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	IE does not support getElementsByName () for every type of element. I'm not predisposed to Google and find an appropriate list, but I assure you, you can. __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Mar 15th, 2006, 12:16 PM	#5
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	I'm guilty of quoting a site without actually double-checking it, Agent. They published a list. It's been a while, maybe a year, but I'll see if I can find it. __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Mar 16th, 2006, 9:06 AM	#7
Agent 47 Hobbyist Programmer Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 122 Rep Power: 3	'this' doesn't return anything, it is simply a direct reference to an element in the page. The equivalent using getElementById() would be: (Toggle Plain Text) onmouseover="chgsubmnu('b2')" onmouseover="chgsubmnu('b2')" (Toggle Plain Text) function chgsubmnu(mnuname){ document.getElementById(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#35A695'; } function chgsubmnu(mnuname){ document.getElementById(mnuname).style.bgColor = '#35A695'; } __________________ "I'm going to become rich and famous when I invent a device that allows you to stab people in the face over the internet"

Apr 18th, 2006, 9:10 AM	#8
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	I'm resurrecting this thread because "document.getElementsByName" isn't working for me in the case of divs, in the case of IE. Viewing the source shows the collection of divs all having the same name (their ids are different). The value returned is shown by IE to be an object, but its length is zero. Mozilla, et.al., show the correct length (which varies according to a particular person's number of sales). Agent? __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Mar 13th, 2006, 9:07 AM	#3
Arevos Programming Guru Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: England Posts: 1,499 Rep Power: 5	Try using document.getElementById instead. That is considered the correct way of doing things if you need to access only one element, which seems to be the case, looking at your code.

Apr 18th, 2006, 10:03 AM	#10
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	Thanks, Arevos. I actually read the page you reference this morning, but I like to double-check. I guess I was hoping someone would say, "Well, did you do blah blah?" and point out a simple possible oversight on my part. I'm fresh out of dead chickens, so I suppose the voodoo ainnagonnawoik. EDIT: FEEDBACK. Wrote my own, woiks like a champ . __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers Last edited by DaWei; Apr 18th, 2006 at 10:17 AM.

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Programming Forums > Web Development and Design > JavaScript and Client-Side Browser Scripting

Get this element ! :(