anchorOffset property

Retrieves the starting position of a selection that is relative to the anchorNode / baseNode.

HTML5 A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML, Section 7.6.1

Syntax

JavaScript	`p = object.anchorOffset`

Property values

Type: Integer

The beginning position of the selection.

Standards information

HTML5 A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML, Section 7.6.1

Remarks

The Selection.baseOffset alias for this property is only available in Microsoft Edge.

The value that is returned by anchorOffset / baseOffset usually refers to a character position within the text portion of the element.

Examples

The following example shows the anchorOffset value of a selection when you release the mouse button.

C++


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
<!-- this example shows the character offset from anchor node of your selection-->
    <title>AnchorOffset Example</title>        
    <script type="text/javascript">         
      function getAnchorOffset() {
        if (window.getSelection) {                      //only work if supported
           var selection = window.getSelection ();      //get the selection object     
           var anchorOffsetProp = selection.anchorOffset;   //get the offset
           alert ( "Anchor Offset: \n" + anchorOffsetProp.toString());                                 
           }
      }                
    </script>
  </head>
<body>
<div onmouseup="getAnchorOffset()">    <!-- call this function when the mouse button is released -->
      <p>
        Select some text with your mouse within this field.
        When <strong>the left <em>button</em> is released</strong>, a dialog pops up with the anchor offset.
      </p>  
      <p>
        The nested tags <strong>here and <em>there</em> can</strong> demonstrate different offsets as well.
      </p>
    </div>
  </body>
</html>