Question

Toggle Visible Problem in Javascript

Asked by: Tipstar

I am having a problem with toggling the visible property of a div element. which holds a hidden table. imgToggle is an image in a table row whose OnClick runs this javascript function. I know it's running because the table is visible briefly. I can't seem to see any obvious errors here, like dumb tyops, uh typos. I have also tried explicitly setting the div.style.display to 'block' or 'inline' without result.

(This same function is used elsewhere in our company and I am trying to recreate it for a new application).

Thanks for your help.

function toggleBanner(){
			 
var div = document.getElementById('Data');
var i = document.getElementById('imgToggle'); 

if(div.style.visibility == 'hidden'){ 
div.style.visibility = 'visible';
div.style.display = '';
i.src = 'Images/minus.gif';
			} 
else {
div.style.visibility = 'hidden';
div.style.display = 'none';
i.src = 'Images/plus.gif';
}
}
	
		
</script>

                                  
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Asked On
2009-11-06 at 12:23:31ID24879183
Tags

javascript

,

asp

Topics

JavaScript

,

Active Server Pages (ASP)

Participating Experts
4
Points
250
Comments
26

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Answers

 

by: JimUPosted on 2009-11-06 at 12:30:28ID: 25762762

Are you sure toggleBanner isn't getting called more than once?  Maybe put an alert() in there so you can see how many times it's being called (or use Firebug/VisualStudio or other debugging tool to set a breakpoint).

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-06 at 12:52:11ID: 25762928

That was what i first thought too but it is definitely only called once. I added an alert to the function - it doesn't display and the hidden div no longer flashes. So I commented out evreything except the alert but it does not show. What's going on?

 

by: JimUPosted on 2009-11-06 at 13:00:34ID: 25763006

Your small snippet of code you have provided works fine.  There is probably something else going on that we can't see.  Can you post the code you used with the alert box?

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-06 at 13:17:13ID: 25763131

It's not the alert. I got that to work (just one of them dumb typos). The function fires only once, table is visible while alert is open then disappears.

 

by: JimUPosted on 2009-11-06 at 13:29:24ID: 25763232

From what I can tell there are no obvious problems with the code you have provided so far.

 

by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-06 at 13:44:52ID: 25763344

is your layout this way?

<script type="text/javascript">
function toggleBanner()
{
	var div = document.getElementById('Data');
	var i = document.getElementById('imgToggle'); 
	if(div.style.visibility == 'hidden')
	{ 
		div.style.visibility = 'visible';
		i.src = 'Images/minus.gif';
		i.alt = 'minus';
	} 
	else 
	{
		div.style.visibility = 'hidden';
		i.src = 'Images/plus.gif';
		i.alt = 'plus';
	}
}
</script>
<img id="imgToggle" src="Images/plus.gif" alt="plus" onclick="toggleBanner();"></img>
<div id="Data" style="visibility:hidden;">
	My Div
</div>

                                              
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by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-06 at 14:11:56ID: 25763528

More or less

    <div>
        <table>
        <tr><td>
            <img id="imgToggle" src="Images/plus.gif" alt="plus" onclick="toggleBanner();"</td>
        
        <td>Click</td>
        </tr></table>
    </div>
    <div id="Data"  style="display: none; visibility: hidden">
        Table Goes Here
    </div>

                                              
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by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-06 at 22:02:47ID: 25765165

ok,
use either display or visibility property.,

refer to my previous post
you have your div this way
<div id="Data"  style="visibility: hidden">
       Table Goes Here
</div>

it will work.

let me know.

 

by: WanderJahrePosted on 2009-11-07 at 10:08:00ID: 25767315

As JimU has already commented, your snippet of code seems to work properly as given.

However, the behavior you describe (the image flashing briefly on then off) may be a result of your setting the 'Data' div display style to an empty string in line 8. Are you sure that, in the original program (not the copy that has been pasted into the code snippet box of this page), a space or even a non-printing character has not crept in somehow?

While kadaba recommends using either display or visibility, you may want to use both. For example, you may want to use the display property to enable your 'Data' div to expand or collapse at the same time its visibility is toggled.

But you should avoid setting the display property to an empty string. This may produce different effects in different browsers. Instead, use the specific display style you need for the 'Data' div when you make it visible, for example, 'block', 'inline', 'inline-block', etc.

So try changing the assignment of line 8 to "div.style.display = 'block';" instead of using an empty string.

Hope this helps.

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-09 at 12:03:12ID: 25779411

Well, actually I had tried that too. I used 'block' instead of the empty string, again without success. Unfortunately I have other problems now and can't even get the app to open a browser. (Probably should post this one in a new question)

 

by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-09 at 12:07:41ID: 25779471

did you try my suggestion,
you could either use display or visibility property
what exactly did you try to do? are you sure we cannot help you out further?

also you could split the points yourself...

http://www.experts-exchange.com/help.jsp#hs=8&hi=100

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-09 at 12:20:37ID: 25779577

yes I did. but until I can get the app to run again there's nothing I can do. If you guys want to wait that's okay by me. I just wanted to give you something for your efforts so far.

 

by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-09 at 12:29:31ID: 25779686

oh alright not a problem. let us know once you are up and running. you could close this question by assigning the points yourself.

You could open a new related question once you are ready, so that we will know you have posted a new question linked to this one.

Thanks for appreciating the efforts put in here.

Good day.

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-09 at 15:15:29ID: 25781104

ok, it's back up.

the div code is:
<div id="schoolData" style="display: none; visibility: hidden">
I've attached the entire function.

<script type="text/javascript">
	function toggleBanner(){
	alert("start");
        var div = document.getElementById('schoolData');
			var i = document.getElementById('imgToggle');
			if(div.style.visibility == 'hidden'){
				div.style.visibility = 'visible';
				div.style.display = 'block';
				i.src = 'Images/minus.gif';
				t.value=1
				alert("Set to vis"); 
			} 
			else {
				div.style.visibility = 'hidden';
				div.style.display = 'none';
				i.src = 'Images/plus.gif';
				alert("set to Hide");
               
			}
		alert("End");
		} 
		
</script>

                                              
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by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-09 at 21:37:53ID: 25782662

as I mentioned before you could use display or visibility property.
any reason why both?

visibility would hide the element but it will still occupy space , this is not the case with display.

I took the layout you mentioned before and attached the script, Its working fine.
There must be something else which might be  triggering so as not to make this work.

<script type="text/javascript">
        function toggleBanner()
		{
			var div = document.getElementById('schoolData');
			var i = document.getElementById('imgToggle');
			if(div.style.display == 'none')
			{
					div.style.display = 'block';
					i.src = 'Images/minus.gif';
					i.alt = "minus";
			} 
			else 
			{
					div.style.display = 'none';
					i.src = 'Images/plus.gif';
					i.alt = "plus";
			}
		} 
</script>
	<div>
        <table>
        <tr>
			<td>
				<img id="imgToggle" src="Images/plus.gif" alt="plus" onclick="toggleBanner();"></img>
			</td>
            <td onclick="toggleBanner();" style="cursor:pointer;">
				click
			</td>
        </tr>
		</table>
    </div>
    <div id="schoolData"  style="display: none;">
        Table Goes Here
    </div>

                                              
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by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-10 at 09:49:09ID: 25787834

well, i just tried your suggestion i.e. just toggling the display property but still no go. I guess the "something else" is what we are trying to find out.

 

by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-10 at 09:55:14ID: 25787899

fine, can you post the complete source code?

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-12 at 15:26:04ID: 25810008

Kadaba et al - OK I got it to work using your example. the problem, which was entirely my fault, was that the code I sent you was not the code in the file. I had copied from a previous version unwittingly where I had used an asp image button instead of the image: i.e
 <asp:ImageButton ID="imgToggle" runat="server" ImageUrl="images/plus.gif" OnClientClick="toggleBanner('schoolData')"  />.
Once i switched to <img....> everything worked.
So sorry for the run around. But of course this begs the question why it didn't work using the image button doesn't it?

 

by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-14 at 03:01:03ID: 25820177

asp not my area of work right now...
but yes should have worked... since you are using onClientClick that would execute on the client
but since its runat server which could possibly generate an ID different from what is there...
I mean  ID could have been different when rendered .. which I am not sure
just a thought though.

toggleBanner('schoolData',this.id) -- try this way and check if this would solve(re write the function a lil bit)

I hope this might give you an insight to it.

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-16 at 09:18:03ID: 25831922

If I understood your suggestion correctly I should pass both the div and the image button to the function, and  re-write the function to accept 2 arguments. (see code)
 
Same result. The image button causes the table to show briefly, the img works.

I think I might re-submit this question in with an asp tag.

Here;s the function:
<script type="text/javascript">
		function toggleBanner(id,btn){ 
            var div = document.getElementById(id);
			var i = document.getElementById(btn);
			if(div.style.display == 'none') {
						
				div.style.visibility = 'visible';
				div.style.display = 'block';
				i.src = 'images/minus.gif';
	            i.alt="-";
			} 
			else {
				div.style.visibility = 'hidden';
				div.style.display = 'none';
				i.src = 'images/plus.gif';
                i.alt = '+';
			}
		}
</script> 
And the image button: 
<asp:ImageButton ID="imgToggle" runat="server" ImageUrl="images/plus.gif" OnClientClick="toggleBanner('schoolData','imgToggle')" CssClass="images1" Height="11px" Width="11px" />

                                              
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by: kadabaPosted on 2009-11-16 at 09:37:20ID: 25832076

yes instead of
OnClientClick="toggleBanner('schoolData','imgToggle')"
try this way
OnClientClick="toggleBanner('schoolData',this.id)"

I am not sure what kind of Id gets generated.

Yes please feel free to post a new question with asp.net zone.

Sorry I haven't been of much help.

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-16 at 10:07:43ID: 25832355

Sorry no go there either. I think I'll close this now, assign the points and reopen the question under ASP. Thanks for your help.

 

by: b0lsc0ttPosted on 2009-11-16 at 10:09:06ID: 25832369

Make sure it is ASP.NET not ASP!  They are different.

bol

 

by: b0lsc0ttPosted on 2009-11-16 at 10:10:34ID: 25832383

By the way ... if you did not get an answer then the appropriate option to close this is delete.  You can do that by using the Delete Question button/link at the top of the question.  If the answer wasn't complete but did help or work partially then accept the relevant comments.

bol

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-16 at 10:10:53ID: 31651211

provided a solution to the problem by using a different object but still need to figure out why thwe orioginal didn't work.

 

by: TipstarPosted on 2009-11-16 at 10:12:29ID: 25832406

ok got it .thanks!

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