html embedded in javascript...further embedded in html!

blondie83

I'm not the best at java or javascript - but I've spent most of today trying to learn the later to help me on a bug I'm trying to fix. The problem is a lack of graceful degradation - if a user comes onto this web page I'm working on, and doesnt have JS enabled in their browser, then goes to press a particular button nothing happens. (basically cos the onclick thing uses a javascript function).

Now I figured then best was to do this was to make the button invisible to the non-JS enabled peoples (its nothing essential), by defining it between <script> tags. This was all well and good, and I eventually managed to make the button pop up agan and all, but I can't seem to link it to the javascript function anymore. The initial code was:

<input type="button" value="hide settings" id="windowsettingsbutton" onclick="javascript: return showhide('windowsettings');" />

The javascript code I have written for the same button is:

document.write('<form><input type=button value="Hide Settings" id="windowsettingsbutton" onclick="showhide(windowsettings);"></form>')

I've tried every variation of single and double quotes under the sun, but for some reason the showhide function just isn't working - when the button is clicked nothing happens. I've looked this up too, but feel I'm probably looking in the wrong places. As you may have guessed I'm not a programmer, I'm an engineer, and I'm posting up to see if anyone can point me in the right direction! I don't want an outright answer because it annoys me when people post up simple questions they could have worked out for themselves - but some pointer or a link or two would be great if anyone has any :cool:

Time Magazine

In the first one you have the parameter of the function in inverted commas, in the JavaScript equivalent there are no inverted commas.

It's been years since I've coded, but isn't that the difference of returning a string and returning a variable?

blondie83

I thought so too, but when I do put 'windowsettings' in apostrophes (as shown just there), in the javascript version, the button completly dissapears on the webpage This depressed me as it took me a while to get the javascript button in the first place, so i took the commas out!

Time Magazine

Is windowsettings a variable or a string?

Time Magazine

This function works fine for me on Firefox:

[PHP]
<script language="JavaScript">
function showhide(msg)
{
alert(msg)
}
</script>


<script language="JavaScript">
document.write('<form><input type="button" value="Hide Settings" id="windowsettingsbutton" onclick="showhide(\'windowsettings\');"></form>')
</script>
[/PHP]

blondie83

That worked perfectly...I'm trying to figure out how mine went wrong now! Clearly the apostrophes, didn't realise you could use the backslashes like that - ah I've a lot to learn with this! Anyway many thanks for your help Ibid, its greatly appreciated Any chance of a name so I can refrence you?

edit: Just got it from your profile there so you can ignore that!

Time Magazine

No problem . Just another example of how economists are, in fact, the most talented and helpful people on the planet .

And g'way out of your references, don't worry about that .