onchange js event fired in WebElement.clear() and WebElement.sendKeys()

[lukeis]

Originally reported on Google Code with ID 214

Browser: Firefox, perhaps others
Version: Firefox 3.0.11
Operating System: Vista

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. HTML Page has a text input with an onchange event
2. Changing the input's value either with clear() or sendKeys(...) fires
the onchange javascript event.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

The browser user behaviour I am trying to reproduce is changing the
text in a text input.   So normally, I can call WebElement.clear() and
then WebElement.sendKeys("...").

The problem comes when the text input has an onchange js event,
because both "clear" and the "sendKeys" trigger the onchange event.
This means, I can't avoid it being called twice.

When I use firefox manually, the onchange event is fired just once,
when I click out of the text field.

What makes the problem even worse, is that sometimes, the application
I'm testing submits the form in the onchange event.   I know it's a
horrible design - but that's what I've got.



What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?

1039 also happens in earlier versions



Please provide any additional information below.

This has been discussed in mailing list item "how to change the value of a
text field when it has an onchange event." and issue 156

Using Keys enum in sendkeys is a good workaround

Reported by jjimjam on 2009-06-26 13:12:35

[lukeis]

Correction:  sendKeys does not trigger an onchange.   You need to click on another
element to trigger it.   This makes it behave just like a browser.  It would be handy
to have the ability to change an Input's text value and for it to automatically and
immediately fire the onchange.  

Reported by jjimjam on 2009-07-09 12:52:02

[lukeis]

HTMLUnit behaves in the same way.    

But Keys (in sendkeys) don't work in HTMLUnit.  My full workaround is now:

if (driver instanceof HtmlUnitDriver)
{
  //HTMLUnit: Keys don't work and clear fires the onChange event!
  //hack is to disable js, call clear and then enable it again
  ((HtmlUnitDriver)driver).setJavascriptEnabled(false);
  element.clear();
  ((HtmlUnitDriver)driver).setJavascriptEnabled(true);
  element.sendKeys(newValue);
}
else
{
  //Firefox.    Clear fires the onChange event, 
  //so send a bunch of backspaces to clear out the input value
  Keys[] keys = new Keys[element.getValue().length()];
  for (int i = 0 ; i < keys.length ; i++)
    keys[i] = Keys.BACK_SPACE;

  element.sendKeys(Keys.chord(keys) + newValue);
}

Reported by jjimjam on 2009-07-09 12:53:26

[lukeis]

Instead of repeatedly typing backspace, can you just select the input's value and then

type some more?

element.sendKeys(Keys.chord(Keys.CONTROL, 'a'), 'foobarbaz');

Reported by jmleyba on 2009-12-17 17:53:31

[lukeis]

This report is quite old. Is this still a problem in 2.0b1?

Reported by jari.bakken on 2011-01-27 01:43:08

• Labels added: Component-WebDriver

[lukeis]

Yes, still behaving the same.  I still have to use the workaround described in comment
2.   The bug title and report aren't very accurate though.

I'm trying to get consistent behaviour between HTMLUnit and Firefox drivers

WebElement.sendKeys(text) doesn't fire onchange().   I'm happy with that.
WebElement.clear() fires onchange() if the input had a value.   Is that right?  It
means I can't use it.

org.openqa.selenium.Keys don't work in HTMLUnit  (e.g. BACK_SPACE and TAB).   That
means I have use the above workaround to change the value of a input.

Reported by jjimjam on 2011-01-27 11:48:54

[lukeis]

Hi jjim...@googlemail.com,
                           I ma new to Selenium. I have used Selenium IDE, and facing
many problem, error. Searched in web but could not get clear notes or idea about the
error or Selenium can u give any notes about Selenium.

Thanks & Regards 
Sakthy
(sakthy1123@gmail.com)

Reported by sakthivel2325 on 2011-08-10 06:04:23

[lukeis]

+1 on this. the Clear() method should not fire any change event until focus is moved
to another element.

Reported by markkemper1 on 2011-09-05 19:25:16

[lukeis]

.Clear should not trigger onchange event. I belive that if just sendkeys would trigger
events it would do the trick. 

I have login page and when I want to login as different user and call .Clear it triggers
validation that username is not defined and SendKeys do not trigger the validation
again. I have made an workaround that unless you want to empty textbox keeps always
at least 1 character within textbox but it is not clear solution.

Reported by milan.vondra on 2011-11-22 14:39:24

[lukeis]

I have tries this with Selenium 2.12 (.Net) and Firefox 7.01 and IE 9 same issues with
both browser 

Reported by milan.vondra on 2011-11-22 14:40:57