Action From An Alert Box

[Slartybartfast]

I have a link that when clicked does something on another machine, and it
all works fine.
<a href=http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier>Do That
Thing</a>

But I thought it might be a good idea to verify the user is wants to do it
(and didn't click on the link by accident), so I added the following
javascript:


<script language="JavaS cript">
function doit() {
if(confirm('Do you really want to do that thing?'))
{ decision.value =
'http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier;' submit(); }
}

</script>



<a href="javascrip t:doit()">Do That Thing</a>

The alert box pops up fine, but I've tried a bunch of different things and I
can't get the link to work when the user clicks on the OK button.

Can someone please give me an idea what's wrong?

[Charles Banas]

Re: Action From An Alert Box

i'll try preempting the experts and see how i fare. :)

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 18:08:13 GMT, Slartybartfast <webmeister@hot mail.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
> I have a link that when clicked does something on another machine, and it
> all works fine.
> <a href=http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier>Do That
> Thing</a>
>
> But I thought it might be a good idea to verify the user is wants to do
> it
> (and didn't click on the link by accident), so I added the following
> javascript:
>
>
> <script language="JavaS cript">
> function doit() {
> if(confirm('Do you really want to do that thing?'))
> { decision.value =
> 'http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier;' submit(); }
> }
>
> </script>
>
>
>
> <a href="javascrip t:doit()">Do That Thing</a>
>
> The alert box pops up fine, but I've tried a bunch of different things
> and I
> can't get the link to work when the user clicks on the OK button.
>
> Can someone please give me an idea what's wrong?
>[/color]
try doing it this way:

<a href="http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier"
onclick="confir m('Do you really want to do that thing?');">Do That
Thing</a>

since confirm() returns true or false, true will allow the link to continue
and false will abort it.

now. let's see what i did wrong. i know i missed something. :)

--
Charles Banas

[Richard Cornford]

Re: Action From An Alert Box

"Charles Banas" <none4u@myplace .net> wrote in message
news:opruktp9rc ccvy18@news.cab leone.net...
<snip>[color=blue]
><a href="http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier"
>onclick="confi rm('Do you really want to do that thing?');">Do
>That Thing</a>
>
>since confirm() returns true or false, true will allow the link to
>continue and false will abort it.
>
>now. let's see what i did wrong. i know i missed something. :)[/color]

You forgot to return a value from the onclick handler. With out a return
value the navigation will not be cancelled:-

onclick="return confirm('Do . . . thing?');"

Richard.

[Charles Banas]

Re: Action From An Alert Box

On 27 Aug 2003 20:55:30 +0200, Lasse Reichstein Nielsen <lrn@hotpop.com >
wrote:
[color=blue]
> The experts would add a "return" in front of the call to "confirm" :)
>
> ... onclick="return confirm(...)"
>[/color]
pah. i knew it. i always forget something. :)
[color=blue][color=green]
>> now. let's see what i did wrong. i know i missed something. :)[/color]
>
> To know what it is that you do not know, is a kind of omniscience.
> /L[/color]

too bad i'm not God, eh.

--
Charles Banas

[Jim Dabell]

Re: Action From An Alert Box

Slartybartfast wrote:
[color=blue]
> I have a link that when clicked does something on another machine,[/color]

GET methods are supposed to be "safe". They are not meant to change state
on a server.

<URL:http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec9.html#sec9. 1>
<URL:http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/forms/methods.html>

Have you considered using a form with POST?

[color=blue]
> and it all works fine.
> <a href=http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier>Do That
> Thing</a>[/color]

For some value of "works fine". It's incorrect HTML and can cause problems:

<URL:http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/qattr.html>

Also, somebody owns remotedomain.co m - example.com has been reserved for
examples of this nature.

[color=blue]
> But I thought it might be a good idea to verify the user is wants to do it
> (and didn't click on the link by accident), so I added the following
> javascript:
>
>
> <script language="JavaS cript">
> function doit() {
> if(confirm('Do you really want to do that thing?'))
> { decision.value =[/color]

What does 'decision' refer to?

[color=blue]
> 'http://www.remotedomai n.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier;' submit(); }[/color]

What does 'submit()' refer to? And don't you want the preceding ;' to be
';?


[snip][color=blue]
> <a href="javascrip t:doit()">Do That Thing</a>[/color]

The FAQ explains why this is a bad idea:

<URL:http://jibbering.com/faq/#FAQ4_24>

[color=blue]
> The alert box pops up fine, but I've tried a bunch of different things and
> I can't get the link to work when the user clicks on the OK button.[/color]

You want something like this:

<form action="http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/task.cgi?identi fier"
method="post" onsubmit="retur n confirm('Are you sure?');">
<input type="submit" value="Do that thing">
</form>

If you are concerned about the fact that you have a button instead of a
link, please read this:

<URL:http://tom.me.uk/scripting/submit.asp>


--
Jim Dabell

[Slartybartfast]

Re: Action From An Alert Box

Thank you guys. It works like a charm.

As for the POST vs. Get; it makes sense. I'm looking into it. Thanks. I