Div object null

[CMaso]

I'm having a problem with a simple script. I declare a function at the top of my page that will populate a div down the page. Immediately below is the div tag, and then below the div tag I call the function. I figure (wrongly, it seems) that having the div before the function call ensures that the function won't run before the div exists.

<script>
     function populateDiv(id) {
           var objDiv = document.getElementById(id);
           objDiv.innerHTML = "This is text for the div";
     }
</script>

<div id="myDiv" />

<script>
     populateDiv("myDiv");
</script>

The code above generates a js error, saying that "objDiv" is null. So I added an attachEvent to call the function onLoad, instead:

<script>
     function populateDiv(id) {
           var objDiv = document.getElementById(id);
           objDiv.innerHTML = "This is text for the div";
     }

     window.attachEvent('onLoad', populateDiv('myDiv'))); 
</script>

<div id="myDiv" />

But this still generates the same error; objDiv is null.

Adding to my confusion, it works if I trigger the function call with a button instead:

<script>
     function populateDiv(id) {
           var objDiv = document.getElementById(id);
           objDiv.innerHTML = "This is text for the div";
     }
</script>

<input type="button" value="Click here to populate div" onClick="populateDiv('myDiv');">

<div id="myDiv" />

I don't want to have to trigger the function with any human action; I want it to run automatically when the page loads. I figure it's a timing thing; I could put in a time delay of some kind, but that seems like a hack. What can I do, and why is the code breaking in the first two instances?

Thanks,
CM

[Dormilich]

problem in box #1: when the <script> is executed, the <div> element is not yet closed. (<div/> only works in XHTML served as XHTML, which is not supported in IE)

problem in box #2: the event is named "onload" (not sure if IE is case-insensitive here) and attachEvent() wants a function reference to be given, not the return value of the function (that means that the function runs before page load). use an anonymous function wrapper.

[sunfighter]

Divs are not code like this:

<div id="myDiv" />

They are coded like this:

<div id="myDiv"></div>

Your first code box works. I have no problem with it.

[felgall]

Originally Posted by Dormilich

(<div/> only works in XHTML served as XHTML, which is not supported in IE)

It is supported in IE9+ but only when the page is really served as XHTML (it isn't supported in any browser where the page is served using the HTML MIME type)..

The only reason it doesn't work in IE8 is that IE8 and earlier do not support XHTML - which is why so many people still serve their pages as HTML even though they have an XHTML doctype.

[CMaso]

Originally Posted by Dormilich

problem in box #1: when the <script> is executed, the <div> element is not yet closed. (<div/> only works in XHTML served as XHTML, which is not supported in IE)

Ah, so that's why - I did discover that while experimenting with the code. Also (using IE8) that it wants the div to contain something; I just used an &nbsp;.

Originally Posted by Dormilich

problem in box #2: the event is named "onload" (not sure if IE is case-insensitive here) and attachEvent() wants a function reference to be given, not the return value of the function (that means that the function runs before page load). use an anonymous function wrapper.

Ok, so the code should look like this?:

window.attachEvent('onload', function() {populateDiv('myDiv');});

[CMaso]

Yes, I found that the attachEvent code in my post above does work.

Now, I need to do what I'm really looking to do, which is use ajax in populateDiv(). Fun with browsers...

Much thanks all.