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onfocus Event

❮ DOM Events ❮ FocusEvent

Example

Execute a JavaScript when an input field gets focus:

<input type="text" onfocus="myFunction()">
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More "Try it Yourself" examples below.


Definition and Usage

The onfocus event occurs when an element gets focus.

The onfocus event is most often used with <input>, <select>, and <a>.

Tip: The onfocus event is the opposite of the onblur event.

Tip: The onfocus event is similar to the onfocusin event. The main difference is that the onfocus event does not bubble. Therefore, if you want to find out whether an element or its child gets the focus, you could use the onfocusin event. However, you can achieve this by using the optional useCapture parameter of the addEventListener() method for the onfocus event.


Browser Support

Event
onfocus Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes


Syntax

In HTML:

<element onfocus="myScript">
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In JavaScript:

object.onfocus = function(){myScript};
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In JavaScript, using the addEventListener() method:

object.addEventListener("focus", myScript);
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Note: The addEventListener() method is not supported in Internet Explorer 8 and earlier versions.


Technical Details

Bubbles: No
Cancelable: No
Event type: FocusEvent
Supported HTML tags: ALL HTML elements, EXCEPT: <base>, <bdo>, <br>, <head>, <html>, <iframe>, <meta>, <param>, <script>, <style>, and <title>
DOM Version: Level 2 Events

More Examples

Example

Using "onfocus" together with the "onblur" event:

<input type="text" onfocus="focusFunction()" onblur="blurFunction()">
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Example

Clear input field on focus:

<!-- When the input field gets focus, replace its current value with an empty string -->
<input type="text" onfocus="this.value=''" value="Blabla">
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Example

Event delegation: setting the useCapture parameter of addEventListener() to true:

<form id="myForm">
  <input type="text" id="myInput">
</form>

<script>
var x = document.getElementById("myForm");
x.addEventListener("focus", myFocusFunction, true);
x.addEventListener("blur", myBlurFunction, true);

function myFocusFunction() {
    document.getElementById("myInput").style.backgroundColor = "yellow";
}

function myBlurFunction() {
    document.getElementById("myInput").style.backgroundColor = "";
}
</script>
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Example

Event delegation: using the focusin event (not supported by Firefox):

<form id="myForm">
  <input type="text" id="myInput">
</form>

<script>
var x = document.getElementById("myForm");
x.addEventListener("focusin", myFocusFunction);
x.addEventListener("focusout", myBlurFunction);

function myFocusFunction() {
    document.getElementById("myInput").style.backgroundColor = "yellow";
}

function myBlurFunction() {
    document.getElementById("myInput").style.backgroundColor = "";
}
</script>
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❮ DOM Events ❮ FocusEvent