Get textarea text with JavaScript or jQuery
JavascriptJqueryHtmlTextareaJavascript Problem Overview
I have an iframe that contains a textarea, like so:
<html>
<body>
<form id="form1">
<div>
<textarea id="area1" rows="15"></textarea>
</div>
</form>
</body>
</html>
I want to get the textarea text in the parent page. I've tried this:
var text = $('#frame1').contents().find('#area1').val();
But an empty string is returned. However, if I put a value within <textarea> tags this value is returned successfully:
<textarea id="area1" rows="15">something</textarea>
How can I get the value of the textarea from the page which contains the iframe?
Javascript Solutions
Solution 1 - Javascript
Reading the <textarea>'s content:
var text1 = document.getElementById('myTextArea').value; // plain JavaScript
var text2 = $("#myTextArea").val(); // jQuery
Writing to the <textarea>:
document.getElementById('myTextArea').value = 'new value'; // plain JavaScript
$("#myTextArea").val('new value'); // jQuery
Do not use .html() or .innerHTML!
jQuery's .html() and JavaScript's .innerHTML should not be used, as they do not pick up changes to the textarea's text.
When the user types in the textarea, the .html() won’t return the typed value, but the original one -- check the demo fiddle above for an example.
Solution 2 - Javascript
To get the value from a textarea with an id you just have to do
$("#area1").val();
If you are having more than one element with the same id in the document then the HTML is invalid.
Solution 3 - Javascript
You could use val().
var value = $('#area1').val();
$('#VAL_DISPLAY').html(value);
Solution 4 - Javascript
Get textarea text with JavaScript:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<body>
<form id="form1">
<div>
<textarea id="area1" rows="5">Yes</textarea>
<input type="button" value="get txt" onclick="go()" />
<br />
<p id="as">Now what</p>
</div>
</form>
</body>
function go() {
var c1 = document.getElementById('area1').value;
var d1 = document.getElementById('as');
d1.innerHTML = c1;
}
Solution 5 - Javascript
Try this:
var info = document.getElementById("area1").value; // JavaScript
var info = $("#area1").val(); // jQuery
Solution 6 - Javascript
Try .html() instead of .val():
var text = $('#frame1').contents().find('#area1').html();
Solution 7 - Javascript
As Darin Dimitrov said, if it is not an iframe on the same domain, it is not possible. If it is, check that $("#frame1").contents() returns all it should, and then check if the textbox is found:
$("#frame1").contents().find("#area1").length should be 1.
If when your textarea is "empty", an empty string is returned and when it has some text entered that text is returned, then it is working perfect!! When the textarea is empty, an empty string is returned!
Here there is one way. It is not very pretty, but it works:
Outside the iframe you will access the textarea like this:
window.textAreaInIframe
And inside the iframe (which I assume has jQuery) in the document ready, add this code:
$("#area1").change(function() {
window.parent.textAreaInIframe = $(this).val();
}).trigger("change");