Javascript variable is assigned as [object HTMLDivElement] rather than string?

Question

My DOM skills are weak and I can't work out why a javascript variable is assigned this object pointer value rather than the string value itself.

Short story is that I am making an AJAX call for some screen data and it returns html and populates a div.innerHTML with the following :

 <input id="page_tag_add_input"></input>';

    <span class="page_tag_add"><a href="#" onclick="var newTag = document.getElementById('page_tag_add_input').value; doTagXhr('add_tag.php', newTag); alert(newTag);">Add</a></span>

The doTagXhr function is a YUI connection manager AJAX call.

When the user clicks add, firebug shows me that the newTag variable is stored as "[object HTMLDivElement]", yet when the alert(newTag) javascript kicks in (above), it shows the value correctly as the input text string?? I've exhausted Google searches :-(

Are there any gurus out there that can point me in the right direction? Thanks.

meder omuraliev · Accepted Answer · 2009-08-29 23:19:17Z

1

You're assigning newTag to a DOM Element property. I think you've mistaken what Firebug reports it as, that code indicates it's clearly not an element reference, and unless you're manipulating it in the xhr function ( which you didn't paste the code to ) then it's still a string.

Edit:

<script type="text/javascript" src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.3/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script>
    function doTagXhr(page, input) {
    window.input = input;
    $.ajax({
        url:page,
        type:'POST',
        data:input
    });
    }
</script>
<input id="page_tag_add_input" value="test">

    <span class="page_tag_add"><a href="#" onclick="var newTag = document.getElementById('page_tag_add_input').value; doTagXhr('regex.php', newTag); alert(newTag);">Add</a></span>

This always stays a string. I don't know what else it could be other than your xhr function that's reassigning the variable.

edited Aug 29, 2009 at 23:19

answered Aug 29, 2009 at 23:07

meder omuraliev

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4 Comments

Darrell Over a year ago

Thanks for the prompt answer. Sorry, maybe I worded that wrong. When I refer to Firebug, I mean to say that I can see the newTag param that is being POSTed and it is sending the string "[object HTMLDivElement]" rather than the value of the input field that I want.

Darrell Over a year ago

But yes, your comment about assigning a variable to the DOM Element property sounds interesting. Even if I don't declare a variable and put the getElementById directly into the function call, i.e.: doTagXhr('add_tag.php', document.getElementById('page_tag_add_input').value) I get the same issue... hmm? More pondering needed. Also more coffee.

meder omuraliev Over a year ago

can you post the code to your xhr function? i replicated what you are trying to do and I'm not experiencing what you are. It has to be that XHR function.

Darrell Over a year ago

Lifesaver! User error on my part. My doTagXhr function had an overlap with tag name variables and it was picking up the contents of another html item. Thank you very much!!

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