Supported Events and Target Elements

Every event is not necessarily supported by every element; in fact, the differences between Navigator and Internet Explorer are rather significant. Navigator is the limiting factor here as it supports only a limited number of events on a limited number of elements. The table below is an ambitious attempt to summarize the events and target elements support in one or both browsers. Information listed in blue applies only to Netscape, information listed in red applies only to Microsoft, and information in black applies to both. A number of the Explorer events support a large number of target elements -- in these cases a link is provided which will take you to the fully detailed Microsoft reference page.

Table 1. Comprehensive Summary of Supported Events and Target Elements (Navigator 4.0 and Internet Explorer 4.0)

Event	Target Element	Cause
Abort NS, IE	image	User aborts the loading of an image by clicking a link or the Stop button.
AfterUpdate IE	bdo, htmlarea, text, rb, rt, ruby, textarea	When an element which is bound to data (i.e. data binding) has been updated; that is, received new data from the dataset.
BeforeUnload IE	frameset, window	User takes action to exit page; this event triggers just prior to actual exit of page and just prior to the Unload event.
BeforeUpdate IE	bdo, htmlarea, text, rb, rt, ruby, textarea	When an element which is bound to data (i.e. data binding) is about to updated; that is, receive new data from the dataset, but has not yet done so.
Blur NS, IE	window, frame, all form elements ... more for IE4.	User removes input focus from window, frame, or form.
Bounce IE	marquee	When the behavior property of the marquee object is set to "alternate" and the scrolling content of the marquee reaches one side.
Click NS, IE	button, radio button, checkbox, submit button, reset button, link ... more for IE4.	User clicks (left) mouse button.
Change NS, IE	text field, textarea, select list ... more for IE4.	User changes value of field.
DataAvailable IE	applet, object, xml	As data is transmitted from a source object this event periodically triggers. Each trigger signals that new data has arrived from the source.
DataSetChanged IE	applet, object, xml	The dataset reflected via its source object has changed such as when the dataset initially becomes available or the object is altered to reflect a new dataset.
DataSetComplete IE	applet, object, xml	The dataset bound to a source object has completed transfer, either successfully or unsuccessfully.
DblClick NS, IE	document, area, link ... more for IE4.	User double-clicks (left) mouse button; in Navigator, not supported on Mac.
DragDrop NS	window	User drags and drops a file from the operating system onto the browser window.
Error NS, IE	image, window link, object, script, style	Attempt to load a document or image causes an error.
ErrorUpdate IE	bdo, htmlarea, text, rb, rt, ruby, textarea	When an element which is bound to data is updating but cancels in mid-stream due to an error this event triggers, rather than AfterUpdate.
FilterChange IE	... many...	When a visual filter applied to the target element has completed.
Focus NS, IE	window, frame, all form elements ... more for IE4.	User brings input focus to window, frame, or form.
Help IE	... many....	User hits the F1 key from within the browser window.
KeyDown NS, IE	document, image, link, textarea ... more for IE4.	User initially depresses a key on the keyboard.
KeyPress NS, IE	document, image, link, textarea ... more for IE4.	User continues to keep key depressed; event fires repeatedly while key remains depressed.
KeyUp NS, IE	document, image, link, textarea ... more for IE4.	User releases depressed key.
Load NS, IE	document applet, embed, frameset, img, link, object, script, style, window	Page completes loading into the browser.
MouseDown NS, IE	button, document, link ... more for IE4.	User initially depresses (either) mouse button; event occurs prior to a MouseClick which requires button to be released.
MouseMove NS, IE	window or document, only during event capturing. ... more for IE4.	In Explorer, fires when user moves mouse while over a target element; In Navigator, only fires when event is captured (see Event Capturing section).
MouseOut NS, IE	area, layer, link ... more for IE4.	User moves mouse pointer off a target element.
MouseOver NS, IE	area, layer, link ... more for IE4.	User moves mouse pointer over a target element.
MouseUp NS, IE	button, document, link ... more for IE4.	User releases depressed (either) mouse button; event occurs prior to a MouseClick.
Move NS	window, frame	User moves the window or frame to a new place on the screen.
ReadyStateChange IE	applet, bdo, document, embed, fieldset, img, link, object, script, xml	Each of the target elements contains a readystate variable which reflects information about the current state of that object. This event triggers when this state changes.
Reset NS, IE	form	User resets a form.
Resize NS, IE	window, frame ... more for IE4.	User resizes the window or frame; in Explorer, event also fires when a target element's size is about to change, such as due to page re-layout.
RowEnter IE	applet, object, xml	When an element which is bound to data and is also a data provider experiences a change in a row of data values, indicating that new data is available on this row.
RowExit IE	applet, object, xml	When an element which is bound to data and is also a data provider changes the current row of data being accessed; triggers prior to the row change itself.
Scroll IE	applet, bdo, body, div, embed, htmlarea, map, marquee, object, select, table, textarea	User moves the scrollbar within the target element.
Select NS, IE	text, textarea htmlarea	User selects, or highlights, data in a form input field.
SelectStart IE	...many....	User begins to make a highlighted selection in the target element. Triggers before the Select event.
Start IE	marquee	When the scrolling marquee element begins its next loop after its initial scroll.
Submit NS, IE	form	User submits a form.
Unload NS, IE	document frameset, image, window	User exits the page either by clicking a hyperlink or navigating elsewhere.

Defining Event Handlers: Variations
Events in JavaScript: An Inside Look
Properties of the Event Object