jQuery Set Cursor to Beginning of Input Field on Focus

Question

I have an input field <input value="@website.com" type="text" name="email" id="email"> and I want to make it so when a user focuses on this field, it will move the cursor to be before the @website.com.

I have the following Javascript/jQuery code but it does not seem to work:

$(document).ready(function() { $("#email").focusin(function(){ $("#email").focus(); $("#email")[0].setSelectionRange(0,0); }); });

It seems like the .focus() keeps calling the focusin() function.

I know $("#email")[0].setSelectionRange(0,0); is the proper way to move the cursor to the front but how do I bind it to when the field has focus?

Edit: So when I use:

$("#email").focus(function(){ $("#email")[0].setSelectionRange(0,0); });

It sets the cursor to the beginning when I tab into the field but not when I click in.

Edit2: This is different than enter link description here because that just gets the caret position whereas I am looking to set the caret position.

If you and console.log() before $("#email").focus(); above check the console, you will see that you're creating and infinite-loop by doing a .focus as the focusin event fires, resulting in maximum call stack size exceeded error. — Alex
– Alex, Commented Jul 11, 2018 at 22:12
First... $("#email")[0] is an abomination. You force jQuery to create an object... Then you use its [0], which is the same as document.getElementById("#email"). All more about this element that was added in the jQuery object, you disclose it. -- So that is syntaxically a "doh!" — Louys Patrice Bessette
– Louys Patrice Bessette, Commented Jul 11, 2018 at 22:13
Possible duplicate of Get cursor position (in characters) within a text Input field — Louys Patrice Bessette
– Louys Patrice Bessette, Commented Jul 11, 2018 at 22:16
In the above comment of mine, you disclose it. should have been read you discard it.;) — Louys Patrice Bessette
– Louys Patrice Bessette, Commented Jul 11, 2018 at 23:16

Ben Botvinick · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-11 22:29:40Z

This will bind the focus AND click events of the input field to the function. Hope this helps!

$('#email').on('focus click', function() { $(this)[0].setSelectionRange(0, 0); })

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script> <input type="text" placeholder="Enter your name" autofocus> <input type="text" id="email" value="@website.com">

Or, without jQuery...

document.getElementById('email').addEventListener('click', moveCursor); document.getElementById('email').addEventListener('focus', moveCursor); function moveCursor(event) { event.target.setSelectionRange(0, 0); }

<input type="text" placeholder="Enter your name" autofocus> <input type="text" id="email" value="@website.com">

That works. Well done. You can use $(this)[0].setSelectionRange(0,0); instead by the way.

Guillaume Georges · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-11 22:18:25Z

Do you really need jQuery for this?

document.getElementById("email").addEventListener("click", moveCursor); document.getElementById("email").addEventListener("focus", moveCursor); function moveCursor(event) { event.target.setSelectionRange(0,0); }

<input value="@website.com" type="text" name="email" id="email"></input>

Louys Patrice Bessette · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-11 23:06:41Z

Whatever you want to perform with a cursor needs a field focus anyway.

Here is an old chunk I use. I even named it cursor.js in a sub-directory... I took it from many places I guess.

It's a get/set cursor position. It takes a JS element. .oO($(el)[0] for syntax loose..)

var isOpera = !!window.opera || navigator.userAgent.indexOf(' OPR/') >= 0; // Opera 8.0+ (UA detection to detect Blink/v8-powered Opera) var isFirefox = typeof InstallTrigger !== 'undefined'; // Firefox 1.0+ var isSafari = Object.prototype.toString.call(window.HTMLElement).indexOf('Constructor') > 0; // At least Safari 3+: "[object HTMLElementConstructor]" var isChrome = !!window.chrome && !isOpera; // Chrome 1+ var isIE = /*@cc_on!@*/false || !!document.documentMode; // At least IE6 function GetCursorPos (field) { // Initialize iCaretPos = 0; if (isIE){ // Set focus on the element field.focus(); // To get cursor position, get empty selection range oSel = field.createTextRange(); // Move selection start to 0 position oSel.moveStart('character', -field.value.length); // The caret position is selection length iCaretPos = oSel.text.length; } if (isChrome||isSafari){ iCaretPos = field.selectionStart; } if (isFirefox){ iCaretPos = field.selectionStart; } return iCaretPos; } function SetCursorPos (field,Pos) { // Set focus on the element field.focus(); if (isIE){ field.selectionStart=Pos; } if (isChrome||isSafari){ field.setSelectionRange(Pos,Pos); } if (isFirefox){ field.selectionStart=Pos; } return; }

About browser-friendly considerations, there is:

.selectionStart -- Chrome/Safari/Firefox
.setSelectionRange(Pos,Pos) -- Chrome/Safari/Firefox/Internet Explorer
.createTextRange() -- Internet Explorer

An inspiration I used upthere long ago: partial (compared to the above) SO answer

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jQuery Set Cursor to Beginning of Input Field on Focus

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