Question

Why isn’t this code working?

http://sandbox.phpcode.eu/g/5db40.php

<form>
   <textarea></textarea>
</form>
<script>
$(function(){
    $("textarea").keydown(function(e){
        if (e.keyCode == 9){

                     $("textarea").selectionStart.append("    ");
                     e.preventDefault();
        }
    });
});
</script>

You have to press TAB on textarea

Problem is that it doesn’t do/append four spaces and it does default browser action (switch to adress tab in Chrome)

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Related to this question, try:

$(function () {
    $("textarea").keydown(function (e) {
        if (e.keyCode == 9) {
            e.preventDefault();
            var $this = $(this);
            var pos = $this[0].selectionStart;
            $this.val($this.val().substring(0, pos) + "    " + $this.val().substring(pos));
            $this.setCursorPosition(pos + 4);
        }
    });
});

And add the JQuery from this post.

new function($) {
  $.fn.setCursorPosition = function(pos) {
    if ($(this).get(0).setSelectionRange) {
      $(this).get(0).setSelectionRange(pos, pos);
    } else if ($(this).get(0).createTextRange) {
      var range = $(this).get(0).createTextRange();
      range.collapse(true);
      range.moveEnd('character', pos);
      range.moveStart('character', pos);
      range.select();
    }
  }
}(jQuery);