# Disabling observe\_form AJAX request on submit button click?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/disabling-observe-form-ajax-request-on-submit-button-click/152429>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 3, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/disabling-observe-form-ajax-request-on-submit-button-click/152429 "2008-11-03T21:39:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![weyus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/7ab992/32.png) [@weyus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/weyus)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 9:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/disabling-observe-form-ajax-request-on-submit-button-click/152429/1 "2008-11-03T21:39:43Z")

</div>

All,

I have a form that is using observe\_form to periodically check for  
modifications to the form and submit an AJAX request. It works really  
well.

However, by watching Firebug output, I notice that the AJAX request  
always fires when I click the submit button, and even when nothing has  
changed on the form.

Is there any way to suppress the firing of this AJAX request when the  
submit button on the form is clicked?

Thanks,  
Wes

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![weyus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/7ab992/32.png) [@weyus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/weyus)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/disabling-observe-form-ajax-request-on-submit-button-click/152429/2 "2008-11-03T21:49:59Z")

</div>

Hijacking the click handler by adding this:

:onclick =\> ‘this.form.submit(); return false’

to the submit\_tag() call for the submit button seems to work well.

Wes

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![weyus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/7ab992/32.png) [@weyus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/weyus)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/disabling-observe-form-ajax-request-on-submit-button-click/152429/3 "2008-11-05T07:56:11Z")

</div>

I had a similar thing with a form whithout a submit button. I wanted  
to use form observer. The form only had select fields (and an  
autocomplete field).

If I hit enter, the form gets submitted, even if the cursor is in the  
autocomplete field. Never did quite figure it out but got round it  
by using field observers instead. It seemed like the focus  
iinternally in the form was in a virtual submit button. If I add a  
normal text field, the problem goes away.

Tonypm