Introduction
We've all seen sites that feature drop down lists that automatically take you to your selection without you needing to make the cumbersome and lengthy step of hitting a "Go" button. If you've ever wondered how they do this then as you probably expected it's very simple.
What on Earth am I talking about?
Picture a drop down list as follows:
We often see a button next to the list that the user should press in order to actually activate there selection:
The user selects the value from the dropdown, hits Go, and the choice is made. By using javascript we can have the list notify us when a change is made, and we can essentially hit that Go button for the user. Not only do we save the use all the hassle of clicking on a button, we also get a handy reduction in the amount of screen real estate used.
How do we do it?
A typical dropdown list is instantiated using the following:
<select name=select1>
<option>Value 1</option>
<option>Value 2</option>
<option>Value 3</option>
</select>
(Give or take some attributes). What we do is add an attribute that instructs the page to call our handler for when the list selection is changed.
<select name=select1 onchange='OnChange(this.form.select1);'>
Our handler will look up the value that has just been selected, and navigate to an appropriate URL. An example of this is shown below:
<SCRIPT LANGUAGE=javascript>
<!--
function OnChange(dropdown)
{
var myindex = dropdown.selectedIndex
var SelValue = dropdown.options[myindex].value
var baseURL = <Some value based on SelValue>
top.location.href = baseURL;
return true;
}
</SCRIPT>
What if the user isn't using JavaScript?
We use the <noscript>
tag to help us. We provide a Go button for the list, but only show it if JavaScript is not present:
<select name=select1>
<option>Value 1</option>
<option>Value 2</option>
<option>Value 3</option>
</select><noscript><INPUT type="submit" value="Go" name=submit1></noscript>
Chris Maunder is the co-founder of
CodeProject, DeveloperMedia and ContentLab, and has been a prominent figure in the software development community for nearly 30 years. Hailing from Australia, Chris has a background in Mathematics, Astrophysics, Environmental Engineering and Defence Research. His programming endeavours span everything from FORTRAN on Super Computers, C++/MFC on Windows, through to to high-load .NET web applications and Python AI applications on everything from macOS to a Raspberry Pi. Chris is a full-stack developer who is as comfortable with SQL as he is with CSS.
In the late 1990s, he and his business partner David Cunningham recognized the need for a platform that would facilitate knowledge-sharing among developers, leading to the establishment of CodeProject.com in 1999. Chris's expertise in programming and his passion for fostering a collaborative environment have played a pivotal role in the success of CodeProject.com. Over the years, the website has grown into a vibrant community where programmers worldwide can connect, exchange ideas, and find solutions to coding challenges. Chris is a prolific contributor to the developer community through his articles and tutorials, and his latest passion project,
CodeProject.AI.
In addition to his work with CodeProject.com, Chris co-founded ContentLab and DeveloperMedia, two projects focussed on helping companies make their Software Projects a success. While at CodeProject, Chris' roles included Architecture and coding, Product Development, Content Creation, Community Growth, Client Satisfaction and Systems Automation, and many, many sales meetings. All while keeping his sense of humour.