JavaScript Examples Bible - UserWorks Technologies

getSelection()
Chapter 4 ✦ The Document and Body Objects (Chapter 18)
NN2 NN3 NN4 NN6 IE3/J1 IE3/J2 IE4 IE5 IE5.5
Compatibility ✓ ✓
Example
The document in Listing 18-15 provides a cross-browser (but not IE5/Mac) solution
to capturing text that a user selects in the page. Selected text is displayed in
the textarea. The script uses browser detection and branching to accommodate the
diverse ways of recognizing the event and reading the selected text.
Listing 18-15: Capturing a Text Selection
Getting Selected Text
var isNav4 = (navigator.appName == “Netscape”
&& parseInt(navigator.appVersion) == 4)
var isNav4Min = (navigator.appName == “Netscape” &&
parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4)
var isIE4Min = (navigator.appName.indexOf(“Microsoft”) != -1 &&
parseInt(navigator.appVersion) >= 4)
function showSelection() {
if (isNav4Min) {
document.forms[0].selectedText.value = document.getSelection()
} else if (isIE4Min) {
if (document.selection) {
document.forms[0].selectedText.value =
document.selection.createRange().text
event.cancelBubble = true
}
}
}
if (isNav4) {
document.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEUP)
}
document.onmouseup = showSelection
Getting Selected Text
Select some text and see how JavaScript can capture the selection:
ARTICLE I
Continued
251
document.getSelection()