jQuery UI selectable - making multiple select default

Question

I need to make multiple selection available by default, so the user doesn't have to hold ctrl. Would appreciate some help with this, thanks.

Pegmatite

Answer 1

If you want to use selectable , you might want to use bind meta key with mousedown event. There's already a debate going down here , i just found when i googled.

Gessner

Answer 2

$("#selectable").selectable();
    $("#selectable").on("selectablestart", function (event, ui) {
        event.originalEvent.ctrlKey = true;
    });

Manx

Provide detail please – Awaken

api.jqueryui.com/selectable/#event-start this event fires before any selection, so i simply modify original event object to make it look like the CTRL key was pressed from start :) – Mastoidectomy

Thanks, I've confirmed this works beautifully; no need to hack jQueryUI code, or use an alternative. (I'm using 1.10.x of both jQuery and jQueryUI, but IIUC this will be compatible much further back than that.) – Gena

Answer 3

Well, if you want to modify the selectable code, add an option to the options object at the top (I called mine multi_no_key, and defaulted to false).

Then, look for where var doSelect is declared, it originally looks like this

var doSelect = !event.metaKey || !selectee.$element.hasClass('ui-selected');

And change it to this

var doSelect;
if(!options.multi_no_key)
    doSelect = !event.metaKey || !selectee.$element.hasClass('ui-selected');
else
    doSelect = !selectee.$element.hasClass('ui-selected');

In that same _mouseStart method, look for the following code

this.selectees.filter('.ui-selected').each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        selectee.startselected = true;
        if (!event.metaKey) {
            selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selected');
            selectee.selected = false;
            selectee.$element.addClass('ui-unselecting');
            selectee.unselecting = true;
            // selectable UNSELECTING callback
            self._trigger("unselecting", event, {
                unselecting: selectee.element
            });
        }
    });

And change the conditional to check the option for multi_no_key

this.selectees.filter('.ui-selected').each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        selectee.startselected = true;
        if (!event.metaKey && options.multi_no_key == false) {
            selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selected');
            selectee.selected = false;
            selectee.$element.addClass('ui-unselecting');
            selectee.unselecting = true;
            // selectable UNSELECTING callback
            self._trigger("unselecting", event, {
                unselecting: selectee.element
            });
        }
    });

I tested this and it worked well for me. Below is the entire contents of the selectable js file (version 1.8.12)

/*
* jQuery UI Selectable 1.8.12
*
* Copyright 2011, AUTHORS.txt (http://jqueryui.com/about)
* Dual licensed under the MIT or GPL Version 2 licenses.
* http://jquery.org/license
*
* http://docs.jquery.com/UI/Selectables
*
* Depends:
*   jquery.ui.core.js
*   jquery.ui.mouse.js
*   jquery.ui.widget.js
*/
(function( $, undefined ) {

$.widget("ui.selectable", $.ui.mouse, {
options: {
    appendTo: 'body',
    autoRefresh: true,
    distance: 0,
    filter: '*',
    tolerance: 'touch',
            multi_no_key: false
},
_create: function() {
    var self = this;

    this.element.addClass("ui-selectable");

    this.dragged = false;

    // cache selectee children based on filter
    var selectees;
    this.refresh = function() {
        selectees = $(self.options.filter, self.element[0]);
        selectees.each(function() {
            var $this = $(this);
            var pos = $this.offset();
            $.data(this, "selectable-item", {
                element: this,
                $element: $this,
                left: pos.left,
                top: pos.top,
                right: pos.left + $this.outerWidth(),
                bottom: pos.top + $this.outerHeight(),
                startselected: false,
                selected: $this.hasClass('ui-selected'),
                selecting: $this.hasClass('ui-selecting'),
                unselecting: $this.hasClass('ui-unselecting')
            });
        });
    };
    this.refresh();

    this.selectees = selectees.addClass("ui-selectee");

    this._mouseInit();

    this.helper = $("<div class='ui-selectable-helper'></div>");
},

destroy: function() {
    this.selectees
        .removeClass("ui-selectee")
        .removeData("selectable-item");
    this.element
        .removeClass("ui-selectable ui-selectable-disabled")
        .removeData("selectable")
        .unbind(".selectable");
    this._mouseDestroy();

    return this;
},

_mouseStart: function(event) {
    var self = this;

    this.opos = [event.pageX, event.pageY];

    if (this.options.disabled)
        return;

    var options = this.options;

    this.selectees = $(options.filter, this.element[0]);

    this._trigger("start", event);

    $(options.appendTo).append(this.helper);
    // position helper (lasso)
    this.helper.css({
        "left": event.clientX,
        "top": event.clientY,
        "width": 0,
        "height": 0
    });

    if (options.autoRefresh) {
        this.refresh();
    }

    this.selectees.filter('.ui-selected').each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        selectee.startselected = true;
        if (!event.metaKey && options.multi_no_key == false) {
            selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selected');
            selectee.selected = false;
            selectee.$element.addClass('ui-unselecting');
            selectee.unselecting = true;
            // selectable UNSELECTING callback
            self._trigger("unselecting", event, {
                unselecting: selectee.element
            });
        }
    });

    $(event.target).parents().andSelf().each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        if (selectee) {                            
                            var doSelect;
                            if(!options.multi_no_key)
                                doSelect = !event.metaKey || !selectee.$element.hasClass('ui-selected');
                            else
                                doSelect = !selectee.$element.hasClass('ui-selected');

            selectee.$element
                .removeClass(doSelect ? "ui-unselecting" : "ui-selected")
                .addClass(doSelect ? "ui-selecting" : "ui-unselecting");
            selectee.unselecting = !doSelect;
            selectee.selecting = doSelect;
            selectee.selected = doSelect;
            // selectable (UN)SELECTING callback
            if (doSelect) {
                self._trigger("selecting", event, {
                    selecting: selectee.element
                });
            } else {
                self._trigger("unselecting", event, {
                    unselecting: selectee.element
                });
            }
            return false;
        }
    });

},

_mouseDrag: function(event) {
    var self = this;
    this.dragged = true;

    if (this.options.disabled)
        return;

    var options = this.options;

    var x1 = this.opos[0], y1 = this.opos[1], x2 = event.pageX, y2 = event.pageY;
    if (x1 > x2) { var tmp = x2; x2 = x1; x1 = tmp; }
    if (y1 > y2) { var tmp = y2; y2 = y1; y1 = tmp; }
    this.helper.css({left: x1, top: y1, width: x2-x1, height: y2-y1});

    this.selectees.each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        //prevent helper from being selected if appendTo: selectable
        if (!selectee || selectee.element == self.element[0])
            return;
        var hit = false;
        if (options.tolerance == 'touch') {
            hit = ( !(selectee.left > x2 || selectee.right < x1 || selectee.top > y2 || selectee.bottom < y1) );
        } else if (options.tolerance == 'fit') {
            hit = (selectee.left > x1 && selectee.right < x2 && selectee.top > y1 && selectee.bottom < y2);
        }

        if (hit) {
            // SELECT
            if (selectee.selected) {
                selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selected');
                selectee.selected = false;
            }
            if (selectee.unselecting) {
                selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-unselecting');
                selectee.unselecting = false;
            }
            if (!selectee.selecting) {
                selectee.$element.addClass('ui-selecting');
                selectee.selecting = true;
                // selectable SELECTING callback
                self._trigger("selecting", event, {
                    selecting: selectee.element
                });
            }
        } else {
            // UNSELECT
            if (selectee.selecting) {
                if (event.metaKey && selectee.startselected) {
                    selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selecting');
                    selectee.selecting = false;
                    selectee.$element.addClass('ui-selected');
                    selectee.selected = true;
                } else {
                    selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selecting');
                    selectee.selecting = false;
                    if (selectee.startselected) {
                        selectee.$element.addClass('ui-unselecting');
                        selectee.unselecting = true;
                    }
                    // selectable UNSELECTING callback
                    self._trigger("unselecting", event, {
                        unselecting: selectee.element
                    });
                }
            }
            if (selectee.selected) {
                if (!event.metaKey && !selectee.startselected) {
                    selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selected');
                    selectee.selected = false;

                    selectee.$element.addClass('ui-unselecting');
                    selectee.unselecting = true;
                    // selectable UNSELECTING callback
                    self._trigger("unselecting", event, {
                        unselecting: selectee.element
                    });
                }
            }
        }
    });

    return false;
},

_mouseStop: function(event) {
    var self = this;

    this.dragged = false;

    var options = this.options;

    $('.ui-unselecting', this.element[0]).each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-unselecting');
        selectee.unselecting = false;
        selectee.startselected = false;
        self._trigger("unselected", event, {
            unselected: selectee.element
        });
    });
    $('.ui-selecting', this.element[0]).each(function() {
        var selectee = $.data(this, "selectable-item");
        selectee.$element.removeClass('ui-selecting').addClass('ui-selected');
        selectee.selecting = false;
        selectee.selected = true;
        selectee.startselected = true;
        self._trigger("selected", event, {
            selected: selectee.element
        });
    });
    this._trigger("stop", event);

    this.helper.remove();

    return false;
}
});
$.extend($.ui.selectable, {
version: "1.8.12"
});
})(jQuery);

Lumbago

Answer 4

i needed something like it once.

Here is a nice example about how to do it. I think it may give you some ideas.

http://www.joelanman.com/static/examples/multiple_selection/

Here is the tutorial link as well

http://www.joelanman.com/2009/03/simple-multiple-selection-with-checkbox-lists-and-jquery/

Gessner

I guess that would mean building your own thing, I was looking to use the jqueryui.com/demos/selectable so I can take advantage of that functionality. I just need to make CTRL behavior the default one. – Kellikellia

Links are dead. – Veranda

Answer 5

honestly, I just did a find/replace for 'c.metaKey' and replaced it with 'true /* edited */' on the jqui script... Dirty, but effective.

Pericles