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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-06-06T03:34:59+00:00

The value of my submit button is being lost if submitted via javascript in

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The value of my submit button is being lost if submitted via javascript in Chrome v19. It works in IE8, IE9 and FF12. I have the following page that exhibits the problem:

<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
    function submitorder()
    {
        document.openord.TYPE.value='Submitted using javascript';
        document.openord.submit();
    }
</script>
</head>

<body>
<pre>
The contents of $_REQUEST are:
<?php var_dump($_REQUEST); ?>
</pre>

<form method="post" action="showParms.php" name="openord">
    <input type="hidden" name="TYPE" value="Submitted the regular ol' way">
    <input type="hidden" name="NAME" value="Frederick Q. Larson">
    <input type="submit" name="TASK" value="Submit with Javascript" onclick='submitorder();'>
    <input type="submit" name="TASK" value="Normal Submit">
</form>
</body>
</html>

Click the “Normal Submit” and you’ll see a value for TASK like this:

The contents of $_REQUEST are:
array(3) {
  ["TYPE"]=>
  string(29) "Submitted the regular ol' way"
  ["NAME"]=>
  string(19) "Frederick Q. Larson"
  ["TASK"]=>
  string(13) "Normal Submit"
}

Not so with the “Submit with Javascript” button:

The contents of $_REQUEST are:
array(2) {
  ["TYPE"]=>
  string(26) "Submitted using javascript"
  ["NAME"]=>
  string(19) "Frederick Q. Larson"
}

In IE and FF, when clicking “Submit with Javascript” you see:

The contents of $_REQUEST are:
array(3) {
  ["TYPE"]=>
  string(26) "Submitted using javascript"
  ["NAME"]=>
  string(19) "Frederick Q. Larson"
  ["TASK"]=>
  string(22) "Submit with Javascript"
}

Any idea why Chrome is having a problem with this?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    If all you want is to submit the form with a parameter changed through JavaScript, then 

    function submitorder() {
    document.openord.TYPE.value='Submitted using javascript';
}

    is sufficient, because the form will automatically be submitted when the user clicks on the submit button.

    “Correct” behaviour

    According to the Specification, section “4.10.22.4 Constructing the form data set”:

    The algorithm to construct the form data set for a form form optionally in the context of a submitter submitter is as follows. If not specified otherwise, submitter is null.
    . . .
    3. Loop: For each element field in controls, in tree order, run the following substeps:
        1. If any of the following conditions are met, then skip these substeps for this element:
        . . .
        •   The field element is a button but it is not submitter.

    This algorithm is used when a form is submitted (specification reference).
    Apparently, since no button was clicked, the submitter is empty, hence no submit element.

    In Firefox, the button which initiates the function which submits the form seems to be flagged submitter. Calling the function without a (form submit) button shows the same behaviour as in Chrome: http://jsfiddle.net/3fwcr/1/.

    When event.preventDefault(); is added to the button’s click event, then the form also submits as in Chrome: http://jsfiddle.net/3fwcr/2/.
    Apparently, Firefox’ default submission is still triggered, even though the form is already being submitted (seems to be against the specification: “If form is already being submitted (..), then abort these steps” (“these steps” = form submission)).

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