Form Element AJAX Spinner Attachment Using jQuery

By  on  

Yesterday I showed you how to attach an AJAX spinner next to a form element using my beloved MooTools. Today I'll show you how to implement that same functionality using jQuery.

The XHTML

<select class="ajax">
	<option value="">-- Select a Site--</option>
	<option value="David Walsh Blog">David Walsh Blog</option>
	<option value="Script & Style">Script & Style</option>
	<option value="Band Website Template">Band Website Template</option>
</select>

<br /><br />

<input type="text" id="my-text" class="ajax" />

Elements with the "ajax" CSS class will be our target.

The jQuery JavaScript

$(document).ready(function() {
	//create image
	$('<img src="move-spinner.gif" id="spinner" />').css('position','absolute').hide().appendTo('body');
	//for every field change
	$('.ajax').change(function() {
		//get element position
		var position = $(this).offset();
		//position image
		$('#spinner').css({ top: position.top , left: position.left + $(this).width() + 30 }).fadeIn();
		//ajax
		$.post('<?php echo $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']; ?>',{
			ajax:1,
			value: $(this).val()
		},function() {
			$('#spinner').fadeOut();
		});
	});
});

We inject the spinner image into the page and reposition it depending on which field is doing the request. Very simple!

Isn't JavaScript fun? Oh yeah...and it makes the user experience better too.

Recent Features

  • By
    Regular Expressions for the Rest of Us

    Sooner or later you'll run across a regular expression. With their cryptic syntax, confusing documentation and massive learning curve, most developers settle for copying and pasting them from StackOverflow and hoping they work. But what if you could decode regular expressions and harness their power? In...

  • By
    Facebook Open Graph META Tags

    It's no secret that Facebook has become a major traffic driver for all types of websites.  Nowadays even large corporations steer consumers toward their Facebook pages instead of the corporate websites directly.  And of course there are Facebook "Like" and "Recommend" widgets on every website.  One...

Incredible Demos

  • By
    9 Mind-Blowing Canvas Demos

    The <canvas> element has been a revelation for the visual experts among our ranks.  Canvas provides the means for incredible and efficient animations with the added bonus of no Flash; these developers can flash their awesome JavaScript skills instead.  Here are nine unbelievable canvas demos that...

  • By
    Pure CSS Slide Up and Slide Down

    If I can avoid using JavaScript for element animations, I'm incredibly happy and driven to do so.  They're more efficient, don't require a JavaScript framework to manage steps, and they're more elegant.  One effect that is difficult to nail down with pure CSS is sliding up...

Discussion

  1. Ben

    Sweet! Thanks David!

  2. great job!.. how to implement it with asp.net?

    thanks

  3. Have you given any thoughts to Select Dropdowns, MooTools, and CSS Print? I’ve been hard pressed to find good resources, and judging from this article I’m guessing you may have something valuable to say. Thanks in advance!

  4. Very interesting list. It’s a great addon to what I’m already doing. Thanks.

  5. thanks, i have a question for u !
    i want to used AJAX load JSON cross orther domain ! has the solution for that ?

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