Passing HTML string to JavaScript function

Question

I have a value that I'm currently accessing and passing to a JavaScript function through an onclick.

<a href="#" onclick="openTextWindow('<%=myVar.varDefinition.getText()%>');">Text</a>

An example value that I'd receive from the getText method is shown below.

<h1>My Header</h1><br />My text

This value is then passed to my openTextWindow method.

function openTextWindow(inText) {
    myWindow = window.open('','','width=500, height=300');
    myWindow.document.write(inText);
    myWindow.focus();
}

For some reason, the value stored in inText doesn't match the string with HTML tags that I showed above. It ends up looking like this.

"<lt/>h1<gt/>My Header<lt/>/h1<gt/><lt/>br /<gt/>My text

When inText is written to myWindow, I want that new window to render with the text My Header within a styled header and My text on a line below that. I've tried replacing and escaping characters with no luck. Any ideas on how to fix this or a better way to accomplish what I'm trying to do? Thanks!

<%=myVar.varDefinition.getText()%> This is neither js nor html. — Virus721
– Virus721, Commented Aug 29, 2013 at 15:37
Sorry, I figured this was a problem that would need to be solved in JS so I didn't include JSP in my tags. — Adam Selene
– Adam Selene, Commented Aug 29, 2013 at 15:39
I have no idea what <%=myVar.varDefinition.getText()%> is supposed to be replaced by, because i don't know jsp, and because people who do probably need more context informations. — Virus721
– Virus721, Commented Aug 29, 2013 at 15:57

Diodeus - James MacFarlane · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-29 15:39:42Z

3

You can stash your HTML in a hidden DIV or textarea, then grab that from your function instead of trying to pass it inline.

<a href="#" onclick="openTextWindow('DIV1');">Text</a>
<div id="DIV1" style="display:none"><%=myVar.varDefinition.getText()%></div>

JS:

function openTextWindow(divName) {
    var inText = document.getElemenyById(divName).innerHTML;
    myWindow = window.open('','','width=500, height=300');
    myWindow.document.write(inText);
    myWindow.focus();
}

answered Aug 29, 2013 at 15:39

Diodeus - James MacFarlane

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1 Comment

Adam Selene Over a year ago

I started adding some of this in but I have to run to lunch. I'll let you know how it works out! Thanks.

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