Is it possible to retrieve the filename of the file that was dragged into the system using Javascript?

Question

Is it possible to retrieve the filename of the file that was dragged into the system using Javascript?

Is there a method in Javascript to detect the filename of a file when a user drags it in, specifically during onDragEnter and not after it's uploaded?

javascript drag-and-drop filenames

Answer 1

Answer №1

Not all web browsers are compatible with dragging files into a file input field (such as Firefox 4 on OS X), but you can still retrieve the value of the file input on the change event, which should yield consistent results across different browsers.

To check the value of the file input in various browsers, you can do so using the following code:

<input type="file" id="foo" />

Here's how you can achieve this using vanilla JavaScript and jQuery:

// vanilla JS
var filename = document.getElementById('foo').value;

// jQuery
var filename = $('#foo').val();

You would include this code within a change listener, like demonstrated below (example for jQuery on jsFiddle):

function alertFileName()
{
    alert(this.value);
}

var input = document.getElementById('foo');

// not IE friendly; use `attachEvent` instead
input.addEventListener('change', alertFilename, false);

If you upload a file named bar.txt, the value of filename will be:

'C:\fakepath\bar.txt' (Chrome)
'bar.txt' (Firefox 4, Safari)
??? (IE)

I currently do not have access to test in Internet Explorer; feel free to test it yourself.

Answer 2

Not all web browsers are compatible with dragging files into a file input field (such as Firefox 4 on OS X), but you can still retrieve the value of the file input on the change event, which should yield consistent results across different browsers.

To check the value of the file input in various browsers, you can do so using the following code:

<input type="file" id="foo" />

Here's how you can achieve this using vanilla JavaScript and jQuery:

// vanilla JS
var filename = document.getElementById('foo').value;

// jQuery
var filename = $('#foo').val();

You would include this code within a change listener, like demonstrated below (example for jQuery on jsFiddle):

function alertFileName()
{
    alert(this.value);
}

var input = document.getElementById('foo');

// not IE friendly; use `attachEvent` instead
input.addEventListener('change', alertFilename, false);

If you upload a file named bar.txt, the value of filename will be:

'C:\fakepath\bar.txt' (Chrome)
'bar.txt' (Firefox 4, Safari)
??? (IE)

I currently do not have access to test in Internet Explorer; feel free to test it yourself.

Is it possible to retrieve the filename of the file that was dragged into the system using Javascript?

Answer №1

Similar questions

Detecting modifications to the DOM when there are no identifiable IDs or classes

Is there a way to consistently apply default props to a styled component?

Injecting dynamic CSS keyframes via JavaScript to introduce variability into animations

Using jquery to perform ajax queries in sequence

Error message: Discord bot written in JS is unable to read the property 'execute' as it is undefined

Angular factory transforming service

What is the method for obtaining a numerical value from a Renamed Value?

Create type definitions for React components in JavaScript that utilize the `prop-types` library

Ensure that your package.json file specifies Node engine version 8.x or 10.x

Adding Material-UI icons dynamically in a React TypeScript project requires understanding the integration of imported icons

Ways to Verify the Existence of a Value in an Array Using JavaScript

.toggle function malfunctioning

having difficulty sending a post request with Angular

Resetting an object back to its initial value while preserving its bindings in AngularJS

Trapped in a Continuous Observing Loop with MdSnackBar in Angular Material within Angular 2

Issue with component not updating despite waiting for react context

Encoding multiple arrays in JSON using Zend PHP

Ways to troubleshoot and resolve the jQuery error with the message "TypeError: 'click' called"

What is the process for making the default text in a text box appear grayed out?

Troubleshooting FileReader.onload Failure Following Form Submission (POST) in JavaScript