Highlight multiple path elements within SVG <g> on event action

Question

I have an SVG which has multiple path elements contained within a group (it's a map with multiple islands). I want all the islands (each represented by a path within the group) to be highlighted when the user initiates an action such as onclick.

I can get each element to highlight by doing this:

<script  type="text/ecmascript">
<![CDATA[
    var _undo_render_hash = new Object;

    function onAreaClick(evt) {

        // Undo previous highlight ...
        for(var i in _undo_render_hash) {
            document.getElementById(i).setAttribute("style", _undo_render_hash[i]);
        }

        // Reset undo stack ...
        _undo_render_hash = new Object;

        // Highlight this ...
        var change = evt.target;
        _undo_render_hash[change.id] = change.getAttribute("style")
        change.setAttribute("style", "opacity:1; stroke:green; stroke-width:3");
    }
]]>
</script>

And then in the document having something like this:

<g id="Comhairle_nan_Eilean_Siar" onclick="onAreaClick(evt)">

        <path d="M218.641,49.68c-7.79,6.53-14.651,13.989-19.681,23.28c5.158-0.089,5.851,5.187,10.561,5.52
            c7.229,0.514,8.971-7.178,15.359-8.88c0.016,1.914-0.065,5.869-0.96,7.92c-3.403,7.813-18.518,2.504-25.199,1.2
            c-2.494,4.745,2.057,11.877-2.16,14.4c-3.206,1.918-8.535-0.242-10.08,3.6c-0.606,1.507-0.103,3.258,0,4.8
            c1.748,1.852,4.421,0.283,6.72,0c1.417,2.63,0.715,6.368-2.88,6c0.886,2.395,3.484,3.076,3.6,6.24
            c-4.017,1.442-10.129-0.689-14.159,0.72c0.559,1.287,3.194,1.784,3.6,3.601c0.75,3.359-3.252,6.585-3.12,10.08
            c-4.764-1.083-9.61,3.419-14.16,2.88c-2.724-0.322-3.863-2.384-5.76-4.08c-0.331,1.269-0.527,2.673-1.44,3.359
            c-2.143,0.743-4.523-0.247-5.76-1.199c-1.449,1.431-3.391,2.368-4.8,3.84c1.44,3.359,4.801,4.798,5.76,8.64
            c-3.942-0.331-10.234-3.217-14.88-2.88c-6.333,0.46-3.063,7.522-0.479,10.32c-2.172,2.07-5.325,0.009-7.681,0.239
            c-4.061,0.398-8.587,6.609-11.279,9.36c-3.73,3.812-6.437,7.813-10.561,9.84c-1.912-4.06-3.364-6.849-6.479-9.6
            c-3.927-3.466-10.139-4.854-10.08-11.04c3.815,0.022,4.96,2.719,6.239,5.28c6.865-1.135,5.284-10.717,14.16-9.841
            c0.157-1.276-1.402-3.928-0.479-6c4.959-2.283,13.127,3.235,17.52-0.72c-0.652-0.853-0.797-2.692-1.2-4.32
            c-0.391-1.582-1.24-3.078-0.96-3.84c-6.283-5.527-17.934-6.946-26.159-11.04c-2.425-1.206-6.217-2.982-5.04-6.72
            c4.851,0.01,9.509-0.931,9.119-5.76c-0.326-4.061-5.008-4.486-7.68-6.72c-0.909-2.646-1.201-5.376-1.68-8.16
            c-0.46-2.676-1.58-5.595-1.2-8.16c0.578-3.899,5.171-6.548,3.36-10.8c1.446-0.008,2.471,0.408,4.08,0.239
            c0.734-4.944,1.731-9.628,4.56-12.479c7.463,4.137,13.87,9.33,17.76,17.04c2.904-1.336,4.214-4.267,5.76-6.96
            c3.43,1.182,9.073,2.812,9.841-0.96c1.174-5.771-7.64-13.473-3.841-19.2c1.145-1.725,4.916-3.022,7.44-4.32
            c2.276-1.17,5.278-3.83,7.68-3.84c0.969-0.004,2.588,1.384,3.841,1.44c3.428,0.153,8.889-3.59,11.76-6.24
            c6.317-5.831,14.279-9.8,22.319-13.68c4.311-2.081,8.819-3.566,12-6c2.371-1.814,3.864-4.521,5.521-6
            c0.204-0.044,0.227,0.094,0.24,0.239c2.891,1.724,5.448,4.414,8.16,7.681c2.588,3.118,5.115,5.628,5.279,9.359
            C221.368,34.817,211.062,43.433,218.641,49.68z"/>
        <path d="M44.16,169.2c1.14,1.858-0.598,3.167-0.24,5.52c0.411,2.7,3.443,4.906,6.24,5.04
            c8.161,0.392,14.983-9.597,23.04-9.12c1.205,1.26,2.406,2.029,2.4,3.36c-0.01,1.919-2.489,2.896-2.4,4.56
            c0.055,1.041,1.147,2.174,1.92,2.641c4.312,2.598,13.878-0.731,17.28,2.88c0.164,4.52-5.563,9.653-5.76,2.159
            c-1.912,0.602-2.41,1.726-4.32,1.681c-4.39-0.104-6.364-7.368-10.561-7.44c-1.626-0.027-3.817,0.905-4.079,3.12
            c-0.598,5.049,5.754,6.326,7.68,9.601c-2.523,7.254,7.267,4.608,11.76,4.8c0.29,4.37-3.093,5.066-5.52,6.72
            c-4.387-5.06-17.802-5.835-23.04-0.96c5.834,3.937,12.206,8.58,22.08,7.68c0.258,1.184,1.034,1.846,1.199,3.12
            c-2.392,2.849-7.622,1.498-11.76,1.68c-2.038,0.091-4.323,0.584-6.24,0.24c-2.577-0.462-4.418-2.99-6.479-3.359
            c-4.983-0.896-7.753,2.42-12.24,1.92c-3.857-2.997-3.507-8.639-5.76-12.721c-3.031-5.492-10.032-7.792-18.24-6.479
            c-2.548-2.172-4.34-5.101-7.2-6.96c4.087-2.713,2.958-10.643,5.28-15.12c5.915-2.263,6.876,9.052,13.68,7.92
            c4.908-0.816,6.09-10.913,11.04-12.479C44,169.2,44.08,169.2,44.16,169.2z"/>
        <path d="M60.48,224.88c-1.123,3.356-5.712,3.248-7.44,6c-0.189,4.43,5.952,2.528,8.16,4.56
            c-5.562,1.186-12.328-0.868-18-1.439c-0.145-6.089-5.911-1.854-9.12-2.641c-2.348-0.574-4.384-6.269-2.64-8.88
            c2.262-3.386,14.088-4.188,18-1.2c1.309,1,0.646,2.567,2.64,3.601C54.909,226.023,58.178,223.486,60.48,224.88z"/>
        <path d="M38.88,238.561c1.151,5.955,11.284,5.267,9.36,12.72c0.696,1.465,2.814,1.506,4.56,1.921
            c-0.191,1.327-2.382,0.657-2.64,1.92c0.414,4.786,3.711,6.688,3.84,11.76c-1.044,1.436-2.94,2.019-5.279,2.16
            c-0.516,5.726-1.513,10.968-7.2,11.52c0.217,3.38,3.585,5.16,4.08,8.88c0.644,4.846-0.931,7.977-4.32,9.84
            c-0.208,4.385,8.039,3.485,7.44,7.44c-0.272,1.796-5.073,2.562-7.921,2.64c-5.482,0.151-10.604-1.434-12.479-4.8
            c-4.678-8.392-3.109-23.416-3.12-35.279c6.781-5.746-2.917-23.356,2.64-29.761C29.915,237.129,35.103,237.705,38.88,238.561z"/>
        <path d="M15.84,322.801c1.478,2.442,2.316,5.523,3.601,8.16c-4.067,0.868-7.218,5.468-11.76,5.279
            c-2.323-0.096-2.966-1.522-5.521-1.68C5.635,329.556,9.217,324.657,15.84,322.801z"/>
    </g>

However, only each one of the islands lights up. I'm just getting to grips with SVG - please can someone advise how to structure the document so that each element within the group will have the action applied to it?

Answer 1

Here is a simple example showing how you can use CSS classes on the parent group to easily style the individual elements:

<!DOCTYPE HTML> 
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en"><head> 
  <meta http-equiv="content-type"
        content="application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8" /> 
  <title>SVG Styling via CSS Classes</title> 
  <style type="text/css" media="screen"> 
    body { background:#eee; margin:2em }
    svg { display:block; border:1px solid #ccc; background:#fff; margin:auto }
    .islands * { stroke-width:2px; stroke:#700; fill:#620; fill-opacity:0.5 }
    .over    * { stroke-width:4px; stroke:#930; fill:#ff0; fill-opacity:0.9 }
  </style> 
</head><body>
  <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" baseProfile="full"
       viewBox="-350 -250 700 500" width="800px" height="600px"> 
    <g class="islands"><circle r="70" /><circle cx="150" cy="20" r="50" /></g>
  </svg> 
  <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[
    var svg  = document.getElementsByTagName('svg')[0];
    var svgNS = svg.getAttribute('xmlns');
    svg.addEventListener('mouseover',function(e){
      var g = e.target.parentNode;
      g.setAttribute('class',g.getAttribute('class')+' over');
    },false);
    svg.addEventListener('mouseout',function(e){
      var g = e.target.parentNode;
      g.setAttribute('class',g.getAttribute('class').replace(' over',''));
    },false);
  ]]></script> 
</body></html>

You can see this as a working example on my site:
http://phrogz.net/SVG/css-driven-styles.xhtml

To answer your original question, you would do something like the following:

function onAreaClick(evt){
  var island = evt.target;
  var parent = island.parentNode;
  var others = parent.getElementsByTagName('path');
  for (var i=0,len=others.length;i<len;++i){
    others[i].setAttribute(...);
  }

Variations might include using parent.childNodes, or using direct presentational attributes (e.g. others[i].stroke='#0f0';) instead of setting the style attribute as a string.