Tutorials

jQuery event.pageX Property

Posted in jQuery Tutorial

Updated on Nov 21, 2024

By Mari Selvan

👁️ 35 - Views

⏳ 4 mins

💬 1 Comment

Photo Credit to CodeToFun

🙋 Introduction

jQuery offers a wealth of properties and methods that streamline the process of handling events and manipulating the DOM. One such useful property is event.pageX, which provides the horizontal coordinate of the mouse pointer relative to the entire document when an event occurs. This property is invaluable for tasks that require precise mouse position tracking.

In this guide, we’ll explore the event.pageX property in detail, with practical examples to illustrate its usage.

🧠 Understanding event.pageX Property

The event.pageX property in jQuery returns the X (horizontal) coordinate of the mouse pointer relative to the top-left corner of the document when an event is triggered. This property is often used in mouse event handlers to determine the exact position of the mouse pointer.

💡 Syntax

The syntax for the event.pageX property is straightforward:

syntax.js

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event.pageX

📝 Example

Displaying Mouse Coordinates:

One of the simplest uses of the event.pageX property is to display the mouse coordinates on the screen as the user moves the mouse. Here’s an example:

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Mouse Coordinates</title>
    <style>
        #coordinates {
            position: fixed;
            top: 10px;
            left: 10px;
            padding: 5px;
            background-color: #f0f0f0;
            border: 1px solid #ccc;
        }
    </style>
    <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="coordinates">Move the mouse!</div>
    <script>
        $(document).mousemove(function(event) {
            $("#coordinates").text("X: " + event.pageX);
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

In this example, the mouse coordinates are displayed in a fixed position on the screen as the mouse moves.

Tracking Mouse Movement Over an Element:

You can also track mouse movement over a specific element. This is useful for creating interactive elements like custom tooltips or draggable items.

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Track Mouse Movement</title>
    <style>
        #trackArea {
            width: 300px;
            height: 200px;
            border: 1px solid #000;
            margin: 20px;
            position: relative;
        }
        #tooltip {
            position: absolute;
            padding: 5px;
            background-color: #ffeb3b;
            border: 1px solid #000;
            display: none;
        }
    </style>
    <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="trackArea">
        <div id="tooltip">Tooltip</div>
    </div>
    <script>
        $("#trackArea").mousemove(function(event) {
            var tooltip = $("#tooltip");
            tooltip.css({
                top: event.pageY + 10 + "px",
                left: event.pageX + 10 + "px"
            }).show();
        }).mouseout(function() {
            $("#tooltip").hide();
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

In this example, a tooltip follows the mouse cursor as it moves over the #trackArea div.

Implementing Clickable Areas:

You can use event.pageX to determine where a click event occurred, which can be useful for interactive maps or image hotspots.

index.html

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<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Clickable Areas</title>
    <style>
        #image {
            width: 500px;
            height: 300px;
            background-image: url('your-image.jpg');
            background-size: cover;
            position: relative;
        }
    </style>
    <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id="image"></div>
    <script>
        $("#image").click(function(event) {
            alert("Clicked at X: " + event.pageX + " Y: " + event.pageY);
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

In this example, clicking anywhere on the image will display an alert with the exact coordinates of the click.

🎉 Conclusion

The event.pageX property in jQuery is a powerful tool for capturing the horizontal mouse position relative to the document. Whether you're displaying mouse coordinates, creating interactive elements, or implementing clickable areas, understanding and using event.pageX effectively can enhance the interactivity and user experience of your web applications.

By mastering this property, you can create more engaging and responsive web interfaces.