HTMLElement.prototype in Internet Explorer

[Jason Keirstead]

Is there a way I can add a setter/getter to the HTMLElement prototype
in internet explorer?

This, for example, works fine in Mozilla:

HTMLElement.pro totype.__define Setter__("fooba r", function (sFoobar)
{
alert( sFoobar );
});


Of course my method I want to add is more complex, the question is is
there any way at all to do this in IE6?

[Martin Honnen]

Re: HTMLElement.pro totype in Internet Explorer



Jason Keirstead wrote:
[color=blue]
> Is there a way I can add a setter/getter to the HTMLElement prototype
> in internet explorer?
>
> This, for example, works fine in Mozilla:
>
> HTMLElement.pro totype.__define Setter__("fooba r", function (sFoobar)
> {
> alert( sFoobar );
> });
>
>
> Of course my method I want to add is more complex, the question is is
> there any way at all to do this in IE6?[/color]

There is no
HTMLElement
exposed in IE's object model, there is no prototype for host objects
exposed in IE's object model, and the JScript engine doesn't support
__defineSetter_ _ as that is a JavaScript 1.5 extension to the ECMAScript
standard.


--

Martin Honnen

http://JavaScript.FAQTs.com/

[Grant Wagner]

Re: HTMLElement.pro totype in Internet Explorer

Martin Honnen wrote:
[color=blue]
> Jason Keirstead wrote:
>[color=green]
> > Is there a way I can add a setter/getter to the HTMLElement prototype
> > in internet explorer?
> >
> > This, for example, works fine in Mozilla:
> >
> > HTMLElement.pro totype.__define Setter__("fooba r", function (sFoobar)
> > {
> > alert( sFoobar );
> > });
> >
> >
> > Of course my method I want to add is more complex, the question is is
> > there any way at all to do this in IE6?[/color]
>
> There is no
> HTMLElement
> exposed in IE's object model, there is no prototype for host objects
> exposed in IE's object model, and the JScript engine doesn't support
> __defineSetter_ _ as that is a JavaScript 1.5 extension to the ECMAScript
> standard.[/color]

Although the following is possible:

<script type="text/javascript">
var type, elements;
if (((type = typeof document.getEle mentsByTagName) == 'function' ||
(type == 'object' && document.getEle mentsByTagName) ) &&
!!(elements = document.getEle mentsByTagName( '*'))) {
var i = elements.length ;
while (i--) {
elements[i].setFoobar = function(sFooba r) {
alert(this.node Name + ';' + sFoobar);
}
}
}
document.body.s etFoobar('this is a test');
</script>

Yes, I understand it is not the same as defining a setter for the
HTMLElement.pro totype, but it does allow you to attach a method to every
element on the page, and it works in IE6SP1, Gecko-based browsers (Firefox,
Mozilla, Camino, Netscape 6+) and Opera 7.54. It even works in Opera 6.05,
although nodeName returns "undefined" so it is of limited usefulness there.

Of course any new elements added to the page programmaticall y will not have
the function as part of it's prototype, although you could add the function
when you construct the element:

var myDiv = document.create Element("div");
myDiv.setFoobar = function(sFooba r) {
alert(this.node Name + ';' + sFoobar);
}

That condition would probably be clearer written as:

var type = typeof document.getEle mentsByTagName;
if (type == 'function' || (type == 'object' &&
document.getEle mentsByTagName) {
var elements = document.getEle mentsByTagName( '*');
if (elements) {
// ...
}
}

Lastly. Of course my code can have a dramatic impact on performance on a
complex page. However, I have my doubts that you would need a setter on
*every* HTML element on the page, perhaps you would only want it on 3 or 4
nodeNames. In that case, it would probably be best to retrieve
document.getEle mentsByTagName( 'div'), 'td', 'a', etc for only the nodeNames
you actually need the setter attached to.

--
Grant Wagner <gwagner@agrico reunited.com>
comp.lang.javas cript FAQ - http://jibbering.com/faq