How to Detect when the user clicks on close button

nanajee · March 4th, 2009, 06:04 AM

Hi,
I want to call a function,when the user clicks on close button ,
for the above problem i tried onbeforeunload and onunload function,by using these function i am able to call a function while user closing a browser,but my problem is the same functions(onbeforeunload and onunload ) are calling when the user trying to change the urls also.
but my requirment is the function should call only when the user clicks on close button.
Thanks in advance
Nanajee

joefawcett · March 4th, 2009, 08:46 AM

You can't reliably differentiate. Knowing whether they closed the browser as opposed to visted a different site is considered an invasion of privacy and outside your remit so you'll need to approach the problem a diffeent way.
What exactly are you trying to achieve?

Old Pedant · March 4th, 2009, 10:04 PM

And what about when the user just types a new URL into the address bar? Or selects a URL from his/her Favorites? Or or or...

The best you can do--and it's not easy but it is possible--is to find out if the user is going to another page (or even the same page) on your site or is leaving your site.

And the way you have to do that is keep track of EVERY SINGLE WAY on the current page that they *CAN* go to another page (or reload same page) on YOUR site.

So what you can do is set a JS variable to false:

Code:

<script>
var stayingOnMySite = false;
</script>

And then EVERY PLACE where the user might (for example) submit a <FORM> or click on an <A HREF> that will keep them on your site, you must CHANGE the flag to true.

Then, finally, in the onunload or onbeforeunload code, you can check that flag and act accordingly.

Now... There are *STILL* some things you can't possibly catch. For example, if the user hits F5 (refresh) or hits the BACK button, you can't "see" those and so you will think the user *IS* leaving your site, even though he/she may not be.

But this is about as close as you can come.

You have to think long and hard about whether this very imperfect level of detectability is worth the effort.