How Can You Track Input Changes in Text Fields in Real-Time?

Tracking Input Changes in Text Fields as You Type

Unlike the common misconception, input type="text" onchange event is triggered upon leaving the control (blurring). To track changes as they occur, consider leveraging HTML5's oninput event.

Benefits of oninput:

• Feels like onchange without losing focus on the element.
• Widely supported across browsers, including mobiles, except IE8 and below.

Implementation:

For browsers other than IE, simply add an event listener for the oninput event:

document.getElementById('source').addEventListener('input', inputHandler);

For IE8, include an event listener for onpropertychange as well:

document.getElementById('source').addEventListener('propertychange', inputHandler);

Additional Considerations:

While oninput is reliable for most cases, it has limitations for certain inputs:

• Select options: Firefox/Edge18-/IE9 do not fire oninput for select option changes.
• Right-click pasting: Using onkey* events is not ideal, as content changes can occur through right-clicking and pasting.

In these scenarios, a possible workaround is to perform the change tracking manually using a setTimeout function. While not as elegant, it can still capture changes effectively.

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