Please help: On list box change event open new url in current window

[Paul]

Hi,

How do I on the change event of a list box open a new url in the
current window in which the list box resides. I'm not using frames.

Thanks,

Paul

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

Re: Please help: On list box change event open new url in current window

paulsmith5@hotm ail.com (Paul) writes:
[color=blue]
> How do I on the change event of a list box open a new url in the
> current window in which the list box resides. I'm not using frames.[/color]

I assume you mean a select element, not a "list box".

<select onchange="locat ion.href=this.o ptions[this.selectedIn dex].value">
<option value="http://www.google.com" >Google!</option>
<option value="http://www.google.com" >Google again!</option>
</select>

However(!), you should not make a destructive update in an onchange
handler for a select element. People navigating with the keyboard will
not be able to reach anything but the first option. It also breaks with
the expected behavior of a select element: something you change, and
makes it act more like, e.g., a button: something that makes things
happen. It is bad for usability to go against the users' expectations.

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lrn@hotpop.com
Art D'HTML: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/randomArtSplit. html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

Re: Please help: On list box change event open new url in currentwindow

Lasse Reichstein Nielsen wrote:[color=blue]
> paulsmith5@hotm ail.com (Paul) writes:[color=green]
>> How do I on the change event of a list box open a new url in the
>> current window in which the list box resides. I'm not using frames.[/color]
>
> I assume you mean a select element, not a "list box".
>
> <select onchange="locat ion.href=this.o ptions[this.selectedIn dex].value">
> <option value="http://www.google.com" >Google!</option>
> <option value="http://www.google.com" >Google again!</option>
> </select>
>
> However(!), you should not make a destructive update in an onchange
> handler for a select element. People navigating with the keyboard will
> not be able to reach anything but the first option. [...][/color]

Depends. People navigating with the keyboard can use the Alt+$Cursor
key combination to dropdown the list in some UAs when size="1" is used.
Then the `onchange' handler fires only when they confirm their selection
with the Return key.

In ordinary lists you're right: The onchange handler should not be used
there.


PointedEars