Which is the more appropriate option to use in JavaScript: "this" or "event.target"?

Take a look at the simple demonstration below. It showcases a div element that will disappear when clicked.

<div id="three" onclick="toggle2(event);return false;" style="background:#303; color:#FFF;">

function toggle2(e) {

    var textx = (e.target) ? e.target : e.srcElement;
    textx.style.display = "none";

    console.log(e.target);
} 

Here's my question: What difference does it make if I replace

<div id="three" onclick="toggle2(event);return false;" style="background:#303; color:#FFF;">

with

<div id="three" onclick="toggle2(this);return false;" style="background:#303; color:#FFF;">

Both of them seem to work fine for the example shown above...

Answer №1

It is quite possible that they are identical. This determination hinges on the structure of the HTML code. In this particular scenario, this will consistently represent the div element. On the other hand, event.target indicates the specific element where the event was initially triggered.

If the element lacks child elements, then the two references will always coincide. However, if you have a construction like this:

<div id="three" onclick="toggle2(event);return false;" style="background:#303; color:#FFF;">
    <span>Line 1</span>
    Line 2
</div>

then there may be a distinction. Clicking on Line 1 will result in event.target pointing to the span element, causing only that element to disappear.

Unless your intent specifically involves referencing the originating element of the event, it is more intuitive to utilize this.

Answer №2

Typically, the e.target is used when "e" represents the event being passed as a parameter.

When you pass "this" as a parameter, it refers to the specific DOM node hosting the Javascript method. In this case, "this" points to the div element.

Since there is a click event attached to the div, clicking on it triggers an event, allowing both "this" and e.target to function accordingly.

Furthermore, while "this" always points to the div itself, "e.target" will pinpoint the exact element within the div that was clicked.

Answer №3

In my opinion, passing this as an argument in the onclick event might not always be necessary. Instead, you can directly use this within the function.

Answer №4

The current event in question is the one that is currently being activated. In a web browser, events start from the specific element where the event was triggered and then bubble up through its parent elements until it reaches the root of the document. For more information, you can read about event bubbling and capturing here.

In the provided scenario, the current event is referring to the click action, with the event.target indicating the div itself and this pointing back to the original div. If a child element is added to the div and clicked on, the event.target will now be the child element while this still references the initial div.

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