How to determine which button submitted a form?

[David Grudl]

Is there a way in HTML5 to determine which button submitted a form from within an onsubmit handler?

[JAB Creations]

Run this from your anonymous onload function; works in IE 5.5+ and all other browsers that don't irk web designers...

Code: Select all

function events_forms(id)
{
if (document.getElementById(id))
{
  //alert(id);
  var forms = document.getElementById(id).getElementsByTagName('form');
  var submit = document.getElementById(id).getElementsByTagName('input');

  for (var i=0;i<forms.length;i++)
  {
   var f = forms[i].id;

   if (window.addEventListener)
   {
    forms[i].addEventListener('submit',function(e,f) {e.preventDefault(); ajax_post_parameters(e.target.id); events_forms_array(this.id);},false);
   }
   else if (window.attachEvent)
   {
    forms[i].attachEvent('onsubmit',function(e,f) {e.returnValue=false; ajax_post_parameters(e.srcElement.id); events_forms_array(e.srcElement.id);});
   }
  }

  for (var i=0;i<submit.length;i++)
  {
   if (submit[i].type=='submit')
   {
    if (window.addEventListener)
    {
     submit[i].addEventListener('click', function(e) {option.name = this.name;},false);
    }
    else if (window.attachEvent)
    {
     submit[i].attachEvent('onclick', function(e) {option.name = e.srcElement.name;});
    }
   }
  }
}
else {alert('Error: no element with the id \''+id+'\' was found.');}
}

alert(option.name);


[David Grudl]

Thanks for your reply. I use a workaround too, but it would be nice if this could HTML5 support better. For example by attribute "form.submitter".

[JAB Creations]

You can't verb with a noun. HTML is the noun construct, CSS modifies nouns as an adjective, and verbs convey actions. When you want to determine the last id or name you are taking an action to achieve a goal.

[David Grudl]

HTML5 is the noun and verb, it specifies a lot of properties of DOM. And form.submitter could be very useful property.

[JAB Creations]

I wouldn't say that what I'm saying is the end of the line fact however when you change (X)HTML or CSS it generally adds more properties to the DOM. Also as various specifications mature the vendor-specific methods and properties tend to be removed in favor of the then standardized counter-parts.

If you want to point out an example in the spec that intentionally goes out of the way to start changing the DOM directly I'd be happy to take a look at it.

zcorpan would be able to follow up on this with a much more decisive answer then I could off hand however.