I wanted to use a script to change the mouse pointer on my website using JavaScript. It's better done by CSS but my requirement is of a script that can be distributed to many people to embed in the head section of their websites. Through CSS, this can be manipulated by
html
{
cursor: *cursorurl*
}
How to do the same in JavaScript?
JavaScript is pretty good at manipulating CSS:
document.body.style.cursor = *cursor-url*;
//OR
var elementToChange = document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0];
elementToChange.style.cursor = "url('cursor url with protocol'), auto";
or with jQuery:
$("html").css("cursor: url('cursor url with protocol'), auto");
Firefox will not work unless you specify a default cursor after the imaged one!
Also remember that IE6 only supports .cur and .ani cursors.
If cursor doesn't change: In case you are moving the element under the cursor relative to the cursor position (e.g. element dragging) you have to force a redraw on the element:
// in plain js
document.getElementById('parentOfElementToBeRedrawn').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('parentOfElementToBeRedrawn').style.display = 'block';
// in jquery
$('#parentOfElementToBeRedrawn').hide().show(0);
working sample:
document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0].style.cursor = "url('http://wiki-devel.sugarlabs.org/images/e/e2/Arrow.cur'), auto";div {
height: 100px;
width: 1000px;
background-color: red;
}<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<body>
<div>
hello with a fancy cursor!
</div>
</body>
</html>
Look at this page: http://www.webcodingtech.com/javascript/change-cursor.php. Looks like you can access cursor off of style. This page shows it being done with the entire page, but I'm sure a child element would work just as well.
document.body.style.cursor = 'wait';
document.body.style.cursor = 'cursorurl';
Body may have margin, so better solution will be:
document.documentElement.style.cursor = 'pointer';
