How to set the focus on a hidden textbox field using JavaScript?

Question

How can I set the focus on a hidden textbox element?

I tried this:

document.getElementById("textControl_fd_component_JSON_TASK_NStext64").focus();  

But, this does not work here. As alert(document.activeElement.id); returns null in this case.

If I make this field visible, the above script works fine. Any ideas where I am getting it wrong?

Answer 1

If you really need to do this, make the box transparent, not hidden:

opacity:0; filter:alpha(opacity=0); 

Alternatively, if you want to ensure that the user doesn't accidentally click it, just place the input inside a div with

width: 0; overflow: hidden; 

However, there is most certainly a better way to do what you want, maybe using keydown/keypress events.