auto-focus on field on iPhone

**timstring** · 10-31-2012 11:22 AM

Does iOS 5 allow for autofocusing on a field?

**Ashley Sheridan** · 10-31-2012 11:53 AM

How do you mean autofocus on a field? Have you tried using Javascript to focus on the element from an onload event?

**timstring** · 10-31-2012 08:45 PM

I mean that the cursor is already in the form field and the keyboard already up. here's the code:

Code:

<input type="txt" name="TechEntry" autofocus/><br />

This works inside the Safari 5.0.6 on my desktop, but not on the iPhone.

and I have also tried:

Code:

<body onload = 'setTimeout(function(){
    input.focus();
},500);'>

and it doesn't work on my desktop

and

Code:

<body onload='setTimeout("document.Login.txt.focus()",750);'>

and it don't work either

I will admit that Java is over my head for the moment

In my research, I have found that focusing on a field is impossible, but the newest article I found was from last year. I'm just wondering if Apple changed their minds with iOS 5.

***Weedpacket*** · 10-31-2012 10:56 PM

Here's a post from someone with the same issue. An excerpt from the recommended answer:

As of iOS 5, handlers triggered by synthesised click events are allowed to trigger focus on input elements.

Originally Posted by timstring

I will admit that Java is over my head for the moment

Not to worry, JavaScript is a hugely different language.

**Ashley Sheridan** · 11-01-2012 02:51 AM

The two Javascript examples you gave won't work on any browser, let alone an iPhone, and I'm not sure why you are putting the timeout in there either, as you're calling the code from the onload event, which means the DOM has loaded by then, so there's no need to wait.

Try something like this:

Code:

<body onload="document.getElementById('autofocus_field').focus()">
<input type="txt" name="TechEntry" autofocus/>

**timstring** · 11-01-2012 11:03 AM

Ashley, I put the 'setTimeout' commands because they were the two examples i found that I could understand. I am not understanding the 'onload' statement. I know I'm supposed to put the field name somewhere in the code. I tried replacing the 'autofocus_field', but it doesn't work on mobile Safari either.

Weedpacket, I had dredged up that page in stackoverflow.com. It's over my head. His example doesn't work on my desktop nor my iphone. He doesn't give any code for his web page, and I can't figure out his script from looking at the source code in Safari.

**Bonesnap** · 11-01-2012 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by timstring

Ashley, I put the 'setTimeout' commands because they were the two examples i found that I could understand. I am not understanding the 'onload' statement. I know I'm supposed to put the field name somewhere in the code. I tried replacing the 'autofocus_field', but it doesn't work on mobile Safari either.

Weedpacket, I had dredged up that page in stackoverflow.com. It's over my head. His example doesn't work on my desktop nor my iphone. He doesn't give any code for his web page, and I can't figure out his script from looking at the source code in Safari.

The onload statement is simply telling the browser that when the page loads, do this, whatever this may be. In your case, put focus on a particular field.

This code should work:

HTML Code:

<body onload="document.getElementById('focus-field').focus();">
    <input type="text" id="focus-field" />
</body>

Note the argument for "getElementById" and the ID attribute of the input field. They're the same, as you might expect.

**Ashley Sheridan** · 11-01-2012 12:10 PM

Oops, I forgot to add the ID in on my last example!

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