# How to set the focus to a specified field in a form **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [December 5, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907 "2008-12-05T02:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/1 "2008-12-05T02:51:49Z")
This is probably a general HTML question, but I’ll ask it here anyway. Is there any way to set the focus to a specific field in a form generated in a view? The little I’ve found on so far suggests that I need to add some javascript to do this. I can go figure out how to do that, but it seems like it should be the sort of thing that could already be built into Rails. –wpd ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:51am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/2 "2008-12-05T10:51:21Z")
this one requires prototype (for textfield with id “searchtext”): without prototype it would be something like this: document.formname.fieldname.focus(); ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/3 "2008-12-05T12:28:14Z")
On Dec 5, 10:50 pm, Thorsten Müller [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > this one requires prototype (for textfield with id “searchtext”): Does that work for you in Internet Explorer? It didn’t for me. I’m currently using a partial to hold my form-focus JavaScript and I pass it the ID of the field I require focus for. #/views/shared/\_form\_focus.html.erb Then I call that in a view (in this example to pass focus to the field with id first\_name): \<%= render :partial =\> ‘shared/form\_focus’, :locals =\> {:focusField =\> ‘first\_name’} -%\> For more discussion about this solution, see [http://forums.htmlhelp.com/index.php?act=Print&client=printer&f=12&t=5399](http://forums.htmlhelp.com/index.php?act=Print&client=printer&f=12&t=5399) ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/4 "2008-12-05T12:48:11Z")
> Does that work for you in Internet Explorer? It didn’t for me. I’m > currently using a partial to hold my form-focus JavaScript and I pass > it the ID of the field I require focus for. Sorry, can’t say for sure. At least not after reading the thread you linked. If I got this right, the problem you mention happens only, if some other javascript (like alert) is executed same time. But I can’t test it right now. ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/5 "2008-12-05T14:25:46Z")
On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 4:50 AM, Thorsten Müller [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)wrote: > this one requires prototype (for textfield with id “searchtext”): Thank you. That did it (for me with Firefox). –wpd ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/6 "2008-12-05T18:10:56Z")
And remember, kids, it's never too late to pick up bad habits. :-) The "language" attribute of the script tag has been deprecated for, oh, what, like TEN YEARS now? Just sayin' ... -- Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/7 "2008-12-05T18:13:17Z")
On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 12:09 PM, Hassan S. \< removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid\> wrote: > And remember, kids, it's never too late to pick up bad habits. :-) The "language" attribute of the script tag has been deprecated for, oh, what, like TEN YEARS now? Just sayin' ... Ok, As one of the “kids” to whom you refer (albeit a rather old, hairy “kid”), what would be the good habit I would want use instead? –wpd ---
**Author:** ![oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@oldbug](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/oldbug)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-set-the-focus-to-a-specified-field-in-a-form/154907/8 "2008-12-05T18:42:35Z")
2008/12/5 Patrick D. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > what would be the good habit I would want use instead? Short answer: Longer answer: read the spec – that is, develop the habit of looking up the tags you’re using rather than relying on potentially incorrect or out-of-date online references – [http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/](http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/) Running your pages through the W3C validator will also point out problematic markup, and frequently prevent a lot of styling and JS headaches. ## FWIW, Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid