onfocus (HTML attribute)
| Depr. | Version |
|---|---|
| No | HTML 4 |
| IE5.5+ | FF1+ | SA1.3+ | OP9.2+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full | Full | Full | Full |
Syntax
Description
The
onfocus attribute captures the moment when an
element receives the focus of the user’s attention. This is determined to
be the point at which a user clicks inside an element that can be
activated or manipulated, such as a form input element or select element, both of which are used for
data entry purposes, or an a
element, which can be activated with the
Return key.
Typically, this attribute is used to highlight the section of the
page that currently has focus—a useful usability enhancement, particularly
for people with low vision—or to provide additional information. For
example, when a user’s completing a form, additional help text can be made
to appear alongside the form input that currently has
focus.
Example
The
input below uses the onfocus
attribute to trigger a piece of JavaScript. This script performs a little
magic with the content found in the title attribute
when the user tabs to that particular form input, or places the cursor
inside the text field:
<input type="text" title="Date format = DD/MM/YYYY"
onfocus="revealTitleHelp();" name="dateofbirth"/>
Value
This attribute has no fixed value.
It’s up to the author to decide on the scripting that’s included here, be
that a call to one or more defined functions, or a simple
alert() statement.
Compatibility
| Internet Explorer | Firefox | Safari | Opera | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 9.2 | 9.5 |
| Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full | Full |
Every browser listed supports this attribute. However, it should be avoided as it encourages the mixing of content and behavior.
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