[RESOLVED] document.title with HTML entites

devinemke

consider this:

<html>
<html>
<head>
<title>test</title>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">

function change_title(arg)
{
	if (arg == "ampersand") {document.title = "this &amp; that";}
	if (arg == "and") {document.title = "this and that";}
}

</script>
</head>
<body>

<a href="#" onclick="document.title = 'this &amp; that';">ampersand</a><br>
<a href="#" onclick="document.title = 'this and that';">and</a><br><br>

<a href="#" onclick="change_title('ampersand');">ampersand (function)</a><br>
<a href="#" onclick="change_title('and');">and (function)</a><br>

<?php

?>

</body>
</html>

the first pair of links toggle the title of the document between using ampersand (&) and using the word "and". the second pair do the same thing but by calling a function. can anyone explain why when using the second example the title tag always displays the literal "&" and not "&"? thanks.

bradgrafelman

devinemke wrote:
can anyone explain why when using the second example the title tag always displays the literal "&" and not "&"? thanks.

In the first example, you're inserting the Javascript code into an HTML attribute, thus the attribute value is getting parsed for HTML entities such as &.

In the second example, you've placed the & sequence into the Javascript code itself, and to Javascript that's nothing more than an ampersand followed by the letters 'amp' followed by a semicolon.

devinemke

thanks for the reply. can you explain then how change document.title including HTML entities using a javascript function (rather than embedding in an HTML attribute)? thanks.

bradgrafelman

devinemke;10959063 wrote:
HTML entities using a javascript function

That's actually not possible with any buit-in Javascript function. See this page for reference as well as a solution.

johanafm

Use the function you have presently, but change the & to &

	if (arg == "ampersand") {document.title = "this & that";}

What bradgrafelman wrote in his first post, but as a code example:

<script type="text/javascript">
function showChar(htmlChar) {
	var javascriptChar = '&';
	alert('html character: ' + htmlChar +"\njs character" + javascriptChar);
}
</script>
<input type="button" onclick="showChar('&amp;');" value="Showing 2 &amp;s"/>

output

html character: &
js character: &

devinemke

thanks to you both for the help