In JavaScript can I make a “click” event fire programmatically for a file input element?

Question

I\'d like to make a click event fire on an tag programmatically.

Just calling click() doesn\'t seem to do anything or at lea

Answer 1

For those who understand that you have to overlay an invisible form over the link, but are too lazy to write, I wrote it for you. Well, for me, but might as well share. Comments are welcome.

HTML (Somewhere):

<a id="fileLink" href="javascript:fileBrowse();" onmouseover="fileMove();">File Browse</a>

HTML (Somewhere you don't care about):

<div id="uploadForm" style="filter:alpha(opacity=0); opacity: 0.0; width: 300px; cursor: pointer;">
    <form method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
        <input type="file" name="file" />
    </form>
</div>

JavaScript:

function pageY(el) {
    var ot = 0;
    while (el && el.offsetParent != el) {
        ot += el.offsetTop ? el.offsetTop : 0;
        el = el.offsetParent;
    }
    return ot;
}

function pageX(el) {
    var ol = 0;
    while (el && el.offsetParent != el) {
        ol += el.offsetLeft ? el.offsetLeft : 0;
        el = el.offsetParent;
    }
    return ol;
}

function fileMove() {
    if (navigator.appName == "Microsoft Internet Explorer") {
        return; // Don't need to do this in IE. 
    }
    var link = document.getElementById("fileLink");
    var form = document.getElementById("uploadForm");
    var x = pageX(link);
    var y = pageY(link);
    form.style.position = 'absolute';
    form.style.left = x + 'px';
    form.style.top = y + 'px';
}

function fileBrowse() {
    // This works in IE only. Doesn't do jack in FF. :( 
    var browseField = document.getElementById("uploadForm").file;
    browseField.click();
}

Answer 2

This worked for me:

<script>
    function sel_file() {
        $("input[name=userfile]").trigger('click');
    }  
</script>

<input type="file" name="userfile" id="userfile" />

<a href="javascript:sel_file();">Click</a>

Answer 3

just use a label tag, that way you can hide the input, and make it work through its related label https://developer.mozilla.org/fr/docs/Web/HTML/Element/Label

Answer 4

Try this solution: http://code.google.com/p/upload-at-click/

Answer 5

This will now be possible in Firefox 4, with the caveat that it counts as a pop-up window and will therefore be blocked whenever a pop-up window would have been.

Answer 6

$(document).one('mousemove', function() { $(element).trigger('click') } );

Worked for me when I ran into similar problem, it's a regular eRube Goldberg.