Implement MooTools’ Elements.addEvent in jQuery

By  on  

One thing that I've always disliked about the jQuery JavaScript framework is its syntax for adding event listeners to elements. The way to add a click event to an element using jQuery is:

$('#myElement').click(function() {
	//do work
});

I love OOP so the above code tells me that a click is being triggered, not that it's going to add a listener to the element. There's nothing wrong with jQuery using that syntax; I simply don't prefer it. What I do when I need to work with jQuery is Moo-ify its syntax when I can. Here's how you can implement MooTools' "addEvent" syntax in MooTools.

The jQuery JavaScript

jQuery.fn.addEvent = jQuery.fn.bind; //updated

We add the "addEvent" function to the jQuery.fn object. Pretty simple.

The Usage

$(document).ready(function() {
	$('#myElement').addEvent('click',function(){ alert('w00t'); });
});

Looks a lot like MooTools, no? If you like jQuery's syntax of .click() type events, read my post: Implementing jQuery-Like Event Syntax in MooTools

Recent Features

  • By
    How to Create a RetroPie on Raspberry Pi – Graphical Guide

    Today we get to play amazing games on our super powered game consoles, PCs, VR headsets, and even mobile devices.  While I enjoy playing new games these days, I do long for the retro gaming systems I had when I was a kid: the original Nintendo...

  • By
    Responsive and Infinitely Scalable JS Animations

    Back in late 2012 it was not easy to find open source projects using requestAnimationFrame() - this is the hook that allows Javascript code to synchronize with a web browser's native paint loop. Animations using this method can run at 60 fps and deliver fantastic...

Incredible Demos

  • By
    CSS Vertical Center with Flexbox

    I'm 31 years old and feel like I've been in the web development game for centuries.  We knew forever that layouts in CSS were a nightmare and we all considered flexbox our savior.  Whether it turns out that way remains to be seen but flexbox does easily...

  • By
    Image Reflections with CSS

    Image reflection is a great way to subtly spice up an image.  The first method of creating these reflections was baking them right into the images themselves.  Within the past few years, we've introduced JavaScript strategies and CANVAS alternatives to achieve image reflections without...

Discussion

  1. More concise :

    jQuery.fn.addEvent = jQuery.fn.bind;

  2. Well put Pierre…well put.

  3. I too prefer verbs like el.setStyle v. el.css. But swapping syntax would totally goof me up!

  4. I don’t get it, why not just use

    $('#myelement').bind('click', function() {...});
    

    It’s even shorter than ‘addEvent’

  5. I agree with Corey, $().bind is exactly what you’re looking for…

  6. Bo Hunter

    I would have to agree, this is nothing more than an alias.

  7. Mysteriously enough in jQuery version 1.4 I get this:

    $(“#website_stock”).addEvent is not a function

    When I set it as just click(fn) it works in Firefox, but not in IE8. It doesn’t return any errors – just the functions do NOT run whatsoever. Same with the bind() option – works in FF on mac, not on IE8.

  8. Pradeep

    Hi David,
    In this site, the two sides with name older and newer and toggle in-out,how to implement it please send me the complete demo with code if possible.
    Thanks in advance

Wrap your code in <pre class="{language}"></pre> tags, link to a GitHub gist, JSFiddle fiddle, or CodePen pen to embed!