Question

Hi all i have a function where i have to drag and drop elements here is my code:

$(document).ready(function() {

    var i = 0;
    $("button[id='columnadd']").click(function () {
        alert(1);
            var domElement = $('<aside id="shoppingCart' + i + '" class="shoppingCart"><h2 class="ui-widget-header">Add Menu Items Here</h2><aside class="ui-widget-content" id="droppable"><ol><li class="placeholder">Add your items here</li></ol></aside></aside>');
            i++;
            $(this).after(domElement);
    });

        $(".small_box li" ).draggable({
            appendTo: "body",
            helper: "clone"
        });
});

$('#shoppingCart ol').droppable({
    accept: '.small_box li',
    drop: function (event, ui) {
        alert(1);
        $(this).find(".placeholder").remove();
        $("<li></li>").text(ui.draggable.text()).appendTo(this);
    }
});

here is my html:

    <aside class="small_box">
    <h4>BRANDS</h4>
    <ul>
        <li id ="brand1"><a class="" href="#">Brand1</a></li>
        <li id ="brand2"><a href="#">Brand2</a></li>
        <li id ="brand3"><a href="#">Brand3</a></li>
        <li id ="brand4"><a href="#">Brand4</a></li>
     </ul>
    </aside>

i should be able to drop in at this place <li class="placeholder">Add your items here</li>

var domElement = $('<aside id="shoppingCart' + i + '" class="shoppingCart"><h2 class="ui-widget-header">Add Menu Items Here</h2><aside class="ui-widget-content" id="droppable"><ol><li class="placeholder">Add your items here</li></ol></aside></aside>');

any help is much appreciated

Answer 1

First, please fix your code indentations.

There are some mistakes on your code:

1. var i = 0;
   I think it should be a global variable. So put it outside your $(document).ready(function() {}) block;

2. You create a DOM Element (which is the drop area) upon click and this element is not in your page until you click the trigger. By doing $('#shoppingCart ol').droppable({...}) in $(document).ready(function() {}) block you try to add droppable to an element that even not in your page, so this won’t do a thing.

What you should do is make the element droppable after you create that element and put it on your page. here’s an example:

$("button[id='columnadd']").click(function () {
  // create the element
  var domElement = $('<aside id="shoppingCart' + i++ + '" class="shoppingCart"><h2 class="ui-widget-header">Add Menu Items Here</h2><aside class="ui-widget-content" id="droppable"><ol><li class="placeholder">Add your items here</li></ol></aside></aside>');

  // put it after $(this)
  $(this).after(domElement);
  // at this point you have domElement in your page

  // make it droppable
  domElement.find("ol").droppable({
    // put options here
    greedy: true,
    drop: function (event, ui) {
      makeItDroppableToo(event, ui, this);
    }
  });
});

and this is the function to make your dropped element has its own placeholder

function makeItDroppableToo(e, ui, obj) {
  $(obj).find(".placeholder").remove();

  var placeholder = $("<ol><li class='placeholder'>You can also drop it here</li></ol>");
  $("<li></li>").append(ui.draggable.text()).append(placeholder).appendTo($(obj));

  // this is the same as the previous one
  placeholder.droppable({
    // put options here
    greedy: true,
    drop: function (event, ui) {
      makeItDroppableToo(event, ui, this);
    }
  });
}