(a) TIMTOWTDI =. there is more than one way to do it
(b) TIOOWTDI =. there is only one way to do it
i do not know if the case for this issue is (a) or (b), above.
The follow links may apply to this discussion:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/DOM/window.onbeforeunload
MSDN beforeunload | onbeforeunload event
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec-LC/history.html#unloading-documents
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec-LC/history.html#beforeunloadevent
... Note: There are no BeforeUnloadEvent-specific initialization methods.
please note: i am not discussing SO article 276660 "How can I override the OnBeforeUnload dialog and replace it with my own? which is about the text that the end-user sees in the dialog box; i found SO article 276660 via the first reply to this discussion: suggestion: change default for are you sure that you want to navigate away from this page? from OK to Cancel
My issue with how various browsers behave is the need to prevent the end user from losing her/his typed data because she/he accidentally clicked away from a page; such a disaster can easily occur if she/he happens to press the space bar shortly after the dialog box has been displayed; "disaster" may seem like a very strong word unless you are the end user who has just lost an hour or two of typing.
i. is JavaScript the only way to prevent this?
ii. is there some way to tell the end users' browsers to make Cancel the default?
Clarification (i hope): in a Windows O/S dialog box, it is possible to tell the Windows O/S which button to highlight as the default; for example, if the message were something like "delete all of my files", a default of "OK" is a bad idea.
SO frequently saves my text as i'm composing a question; other forums do not do the same.
i'm guessing that if my laptop were to crash as i'm writing this message then SO would give me some way to recover close to the point where i am at this moment.
Will someone please tell me whether there are one or more ways with regards to browsers, and, if there are, where to find more information?
imho, setting the default dialog box button to "OK" is far too dangerous because accidentally hitting the space bar could cause a lot of grief.
Thank you.
