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The 1st function seems to work fine in both IE and Mozilla Firefox. What is the type of the button? It that submit, reset or button type?
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Hi sunithnair 
Thanks for the speedy responde. 
in my jsp file it is as below...this is a struts submit tab 
 
&lt;html:submit styleId=&quot;searchContactsButton&quot; property=&quot;method&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;bean:message key=&quot;button.searchContacts&quot;/&gt; 
&lt;/html:submit&gt; 
 
...yes maybe thats the problem, it is not a normal 'submit' button is it? 
Please could you give me further expertise as to how to solve this wrt the struts tag. 
There are several different 'buttons' defined in this gui app (which uses struts)...I need to set the focus in different situations, ie sometimes the 'searchContacts' button, another a searchParty button etc etc
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The below functions will do it, use whichever is most appropriate for you. 
 
The first requires you to pass the actual control as a parameter to the function, the second just the control id. &nbsp;The control id is the name you give it in the id=&quot;x&quot; parameter. 
 

<pre><code class="code-10 nolinks" id="code-263850">function setFocusButton(control) { 
 var elID = control.id;
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(elID).focus(),1);
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(elID).select(),1);
 return false;
}
 
function setFocusButton(controlid) { 
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(controlid).focus(),1);
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(controlid).select(),1);
 return false;
}
</code></pre>
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Don't know about JSP, but I assume you'd have to change the button definition as below. &nbsp;Then you can use the first function such as: 
 
setFocusButton(&quot;searchContactsButton&quot;); 
 

<pre><code class="code-1 nolinks" id="code-263852">&lt;html:submit styleId=&quot;searchContactsButton&quot; property=&quot;method&quot; id=&quot;searchContactsButton&gt;
 &lt;bean:message key=&quot;button.searchContacts&quot;/&gt;
&lt;/html:submit&gt;
</code></pre>
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<div>
If you can paste the html source (from view source option in browser) then I can have a look
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<div>
Apologies, I haven't been entirely accurate in my information given...I've also changed my methods to be slightly better. Below is a bit more background to this gui, and my full code. 
 
This GUI consists of 6 different Tabs (-these are part of the same form) 
On each Tab there are different buttons, eg 'Search Contacts', 'Search Parties', 'Search Party by Physical Address', 'Add Registration' etc. 
 
The gui uses Struts and the buttons we define in the jsps as below example: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&lt;html:submit styleId=&quot;searchPartyByPhysicalAddressButton&quot; property=&quot;method&quot;&gt; 
&nbsp; &nbsp; &lt;bean:message key=&quot;button.searchPartyByPhysicalAddress&quot;/&gt; 
&lt;/html:submit&gt; 
 
Depending on which Tab the user has clicked on, I want the focus to be on differing buttons. 
I've now attached the full code...before I gave a shortened version of this which I realize now wasn't probably helful...sorry!. 
 
First, on the search input field the user is in, I call a js method to validate the chars input by the user...then when Enter is pressed by the user, I call a method to determine the current gui tab which the user is on, and then pass the button 'id' to set the focus... 
 
So in fact I don't pass the id of the button from the jsp...I pass it as a variable from the method determineTabAndPassControl(); 
 
I'v now supplied the full code - sorry for the 1st time around when I didn't. 
 
purplepomegranite - sorry so your valued suggestion didn't work, even when I took adapted var elID = control.id to &nbsp;var elID=control 

<pre><code class="code-10 nolinks" id="code-264024">function charCheckAlpha(evt) {
 evt = (evt) ? evt : event; 
 var charCode = (evt.charCode) ? evt.charCode : ((evt.keyCode) ? 
 evt.keyCode : ((evt.which) ? evt.which : 0));
 if ((charCode &gt;= 65 &amp;&amp; charCode &lt;= 90) 
 || (charCode &gt;= 97 &amp;&amp; charCode &lt;= 122) 
 	|| (charCode == 39) || (charCode == 45) 
 || (charCode == 32) || (charCode == 13)) {
	 if (charCode == 13) { //charCode 13 is the Enter key
	 determineTabAndPassControl();
	 }		
	return true;
 } 		 
 alert(&quot;Only alphabetic characters, as well as - and ' allowed in this field.&quot;);
 return false;
}
 
function determineTabAndPassControl() {
 //this is the currently clicked-on tab
 var tabCurrent = document.forms[0].tabToChangeTo.value; 
 if (tabCurrent==6) {
 var buttonId ='searchPartyButton';
 }
 if (tabCurrent==3) {
 var buttonId ='searchContactsButton';
 }	
 setFocusButton2(buttonId);
}
 
function setFocusButton(control) {
 var elID=control;
 document.getElementById(elID).focus();	
}
</code></pre>
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<div>
I could not find the setFocusButton2 function in your code and it would be helpful if you could the html source (from view source option in the webbrowser after the page ir rendered)
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<div>
sorry in the code sent setFocusButton2(buttonId); was a mistake 
it shouldv been of course setFocusButton(buttonId); 
the no 2 one was when I was testing with purplepomegranite's suggestion 
 

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<div>
Hi, I presume the html source from Mozzilla? (in IE code works fine)
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i can't give you the whole page source due to copyrights etc. 
here is the what I've found where the first function is called (taken from the html page source) 
 
&lt;input type=&quot;text&quot; name=&quot;txtSearchSurname&quot; value=&quot;&quot; onkeypress=&quot;return charCheckAlpha(event)&quot;&gt; 
 
I can't see anything else significant to this...I searched &nbsp;the page source before posting my question... 
I think there is something wrong with my returning false...because what I've seen is that the form gets submitted...
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ie, it either is going to the 'default' button when Enter is pressed, which is a Submit button 
in IE the code I've given works perfectly... 
I am going offline for awhile now, but look forward to experts response a little later 
thanks
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<div>
As you are passing the id of the element as identifier, the code below should do it... &nbsp;Though it's quite difficult to test snippets! 
 

<pre><code class="code-10 nolinks" id="code-264059">function charCheckAlpha(evt) {
 evt = (evt) ? evt : event; 
 var charCode = (evt.charCode) ? evt.charCode : ((evt.keyCode) ? 
 evt.keyCode : ((evt.which) ? evt.which : 0));
 if ((charCode &gt;= 65 &amp;&amp; charCode &lt;= 90) 
 || (charCode &gt;= 97 &amp;&amp; charCode &lt;= 122) 
 || (charCode == 39) || (charCode == 45) 
 || (charCode == 32) || (charCode == 13)) {
 if (charCode == 13) { //charCode 13 is the Enter key
 determineTabAndPassControl();
 } 
 return true;
 } 
 alert(&quot;Only alphabetic characters, as well as - and ' allowed in this field.&quot;);
 return false;
}
 
function determineTabAndPassControl() {
 //this is the currently clicked-on tab
 var tabCurrent = document.forms[0].tabToChangeTo.value; 
 if (tabCurrent==6) {
 var buttonId ='searchPartyButton';
 }
 if (tabCurrent==3) {
 var buttonId ='searchContactsButton';
 } 
 setFocusButton(buttonId);
}
 
function setFocusButton(controlid) {
 document.getElementById(controlid).focus(); 
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(controlid).focus(),1);
}
</code></pre>
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<div>
The html source from firefox and IE will be the same anyway. I am not sure why you have pasted the html for the textbox(txtSearchSurname) because you where talking about focusing on buttons(searchPartyButton &amp;&nbsp;searchContactsButton). Check if it has an id attribute to it otherwise the getElementById will not work. 
 
It would be best if you could find a way to generate the id attribute for the html controls in struts. Another workaround assuming that the buttons do not have the id attribute and the button names are unique you could change your code like and make it work. 

<pre><code class="code-10 nolinks" id="code-264375">function charCheckAlpha(evt) {
 evt = (evt) ? evt : event; 
 var charCode = (evt.charCode) ? evt.charCode : ((evt.keyCode) ? 
 evt.keyCode : ((evt.which) ? evt.which : 0));
 if ((charCode &gt;= 65 &amp;&amp; charCode &lt;= 90) 
 || (charCode &gt;= 97 &amp;&amp; charCode &lt;= 122) 
 || (charCode == 39) || (charCode == 45) 
 || (charCode == 32) || (charCode == 13)) {
 if (charCode == 13) { //charCode 13 is the Enter key
 determineTabAndPassControl();
 } 
 return true;
 } 
 alert(&quot;Only alphabetic characters, as well as - and ' allowed in this field.&quot;);
 return false;
}
 
function determineTabAndPassControl() {
 //this is the currently clicked-on tab
 var tabCurrent = document.forms[0].tabToChangeTo.value; 
 if (tabCurrent==6) {
 var buttonId ='searchPartyButton';
 }
 if (tabCurrent==3) {
 var buttonId ='searchContactsButton';
 } 
 setFocusButton(buttonId);
}
 
function setFocusButton(control) {
 var elID=control;
 document.getElementsByName(elID)[0].focus(); 
}
</code></pre>
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<div>
Hi again...still hoping for some help here.. 
Upon further testing (and testing!) I've found that in fact the code suggest (and even the original code) does work to 'Focus' on the button. 
Ie. when the javascript code is called to focus on the Search Contacts button...the button changes from being just grey to being grey and highlighted if you like...or 'focused on'...the button, upon the focus() js code being applied to it gets a little internal dotted border inside it. 
The actual problem I've discovered is that on the enter key being pressed, - BESIDES the fact that the button I'm desiring to be pressed IS focused on, what is happening is that Mozilla calls the default method to be executed Instead of the method attached to the desired focused button. 
Eg. the default method in Struts upon a form being submitted, whether it gets called from the plain Submit button, or via a javascript function thru the form.submit() method, is defaultExecute(). 
The method I am wanting to be called is a different method, ie. so upon pressing the Search Contacts button, the method searchContacts() should get executed, as in Struts that is the method called when that button gets CLICKED on with the mouse. 
So the problem is that although this desired button IS focued on, the actual executed method is not the desired method, but the 'default' method which is executed upon submission of the form... 
Do the experts have ANY idea how to stop this from happening and for the enter (or onsubmit() ) to be able to definitely go to the desired method..! 
Only Mozilla!! IE works totally fine!!
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<div>
Thanks for the update. &nbsp;To close the question you can accept your answer, and you'll also get a point refund. &nbsp;Sorry &nbsp;I couldn't be of more help! 

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<div>
<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
Hi 
The experts have helped me before with a javascript / mozilla issue, I'm hoping for the same timeous brilliant expertise again! 
I am calling a javascript method from a tab on a GUI page in order to try and set the focus to a specific button, which is for a specific situation. 
 
Please see my 2 methods. The first one works fine in IE but not Mozilla 
The 2nd one is my attempt at getting it to work in Mozilla but doesn't work. 

<pre><code class="code-10 nolinks" id="code-263819">function setFocusButton() { // works fine in IE, but not in Mozzilla
 var elID = 'searchContactsButton';
 document.getElementById(elID).focus();
 return false;
}
//my attemt at adjusting this for Mozilla which doesnt work
function setFocusButton() { // works in IE but not Mozilla
 var elID = 'searchContactsButton';
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(elID).focus(),1);
 setTimeout(document.getElementById(elID).select(),1);
 return false;
}
</code></pre>
</div>
</div>

Hi
The experts have helped me before with a javascript / mozilla issue, I'm hoping for the same timeous brilliant expertise again!
I am calling a javascript method from a tab on a GUI page in order to try and set the focus to a specific button, which is for a specific situation.

Please see my 2 methods. The first one works fine in IE but not Mozilla
The 2nd one is my attempt at getting it to work in Mozilla but doesn't work.

Mozilla issue with Javascript - setting focus on a button

JavaScript is a dynamic, object-based language commonly used for client-side scripting in web browsers. Recently, server side JavaScript frameworks have also emerged. JavaScript runs on nearly every operating system and  in almost every mainstream web browser.