Find if a textbox is currently selected

javascript jquery textbox focus

20,290

Solution 1

Since you have found document.activeElement, you can check its nodeName.

if (document.activeElement.nodeName == 'TEXTAREA' || document.activeElement.nodeName == 'INPUT') {
    // ....
}

Something like that.

Solution 2

Ok, just figured it out. Here's what I did:

function checkFocus() {

  if ($(document.activeElement).attr("type") == "text" || $(document.activeElement).attr("type") == "textarea") {

  //Something's selected

  return true;

 }

}

Solution 3

Extending the accepted answer by a check for editable HTMLDivElements:

if (document.activeElement.nodeName == 'TEXTAREA'
    || document.activeElement.nodeName == 'INPUT'
    || (document.activeElement.nodeName == 'DIV'
        && document.activeElement.isContentEditable)) {
    // …
}

Solution 4

$('#yourTextAreaID:focus');

would not work. :) But

$('#yourTextAreaID').focus(function(){
    // do something
});

would excecute the //do something code when the element receives focus.

Solution 5

$('#target').focus(function() {
  alert('Handler for .focus() called.');
});

Also Try:

alert($("*:focus").attr("id"));

http://jsfiddle.net/4KVvV/

View more solutions

20,290

Author by

Leticia Meyer

Updated on July 17, 2022

Comments

Leticia Meyer almost 2 years

How would I find if a textbox (or textarea) currently is in focus? I don't care to know which one it is, I just need to know if one is in focus (has the cursor in it). How would I do this with javascript and jquery?
Leticia Meyer over 13 years

Ok, but at any given time (not neccesarily when the user clicks a textbox) how would I check if any textbox has focus?
Sikshya Maharjan over 13 years

Given that the OP doesn't care "which one it is," I'd suggest amending the selector to: $('textarea:focus, input:text:focus')...
Leticia Meyer over 13 years

I just found document.activeElement. How would I check if that is a textbox or textarea?
JakeParis over 13 years

@David Thanks, that's cleaner.
lonesomeday over 13 years

I don't recognise the :focus pseudo-selector, and nor does the API or a quick test...
Sikshya Maharjan over 13 years

@lonesomeday, interesting catch: since it works under CSS I'd never thought to question whether or not it worked under jQuery.
Leticia Meyer over 13 years

Thanks, but how do I get the jQuery object from document.activeElement?
Leticia Meyer over 13 years

Someone mark this as the answer, it says I have to wait 2 days. :)
Sikshya Maharjan over 13 years

you're the only one who can mark this as the answer. Also, take a look at the Stack Overflow Markdown help-page, for guidance on how to format your answers, particularly code samples.
lonesomeday over 13 years

Note that this will work on all modern browsers, but it will not work on many outdated browsers. Have a look at this answer for a technique to overcome this.
JakeParis over 13 years

as @lonesome pointed out above, :hover is not a real jquery selector. I thought it was too, but when I checked the documentation, I couldn't find it mentioned.
Lenar Hoyt over 7 years

This does not check for editable HTMLDivElements. See my answer below.