Default Form Values with jQuery

Here's a useful jQuery snippet that clears the default values of form fields on focus and refills them if no text is entered. It uses the attribute called defaultValue which stores the original value of a form field.

$(document).ready(function() {
   $('input[type=text]').focus(function() {
      if($(this).val() == $(this).attr('defaultValue')) {
         $(this).val('');
      }
   })
   .blur(function() {
      if($(this).val().length == 0) {
         $(this).val($(this).attr('defaultValue'));
      }
   });
});

For example, assume you have a field like this:

<input type="text" value="Search..." />

When the page loads, the text field will have "Search..." filled in. When you focus on it, this text will disappear (assuming it hasn't already been edited by you). When you leave focus without typing anything, the text will reappear.

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Author: Steve

Steve is the owner of UlraMega Tech. He is a freelance Web designer and developer who specializes in PHP and AJAX development.