Can't reference instance names containing square brackets

Given I have loaded the following HTML page, and all external resources are present:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <script src='ckeditor/ckeditor.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
    <script src='js/application.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
    <title>Newswrap</title>

  </head>
  <body>
        <form action='' method='post' name='dirty_text'>
          <textarea cols='80' id='dirty_text[body]' name='dirty_text[body]' rows='10'>
            Some text
          </textarea>

          <script type='text/javascript'>
            //<![CDATA[
              CKEDITOR.replace( 'dirty_text[body]',
                  {
                      fullPage : true,
                      toolbar : 'Basic'
                  });
            //]]>
          </script>
        </form>

  </body>
</html>

I should be able to run this in a javascript console:

CKEDITOR.instances.dirty_text[body].getData();

..and have the value of the textarea returned.
Instead, I am told by the js console (firebug) that:
'body is not defined'

Is it not possible to use square brackets in editor names?
If it is, how would I have to rewrite the above?

Mon, 09/20/2010 - 19:45

hanscz

Joined: 20/09/2010

Posts: 3

Re: instance names with square brackets fail on getData

An ugly workaround, if there is only one editor on the page:

for ( var i in CKEDITOR.instances ){
   var currentInstance = i;
   break;
}
var oEditor   = CKEDITOR.instances[currentInstance];
oEditor.getData();

Not very clean, though.

Any ideas? Feel like I'm missing something obvious here.

Mon, 09/20/2010 - 20:11

hanscz

Joined: 20/09/2010

Posts: 3

Re: Can't reference instance names containing square bracket

Some further rummaging around revealed that this actually works:

CKEDITOR.instances["dirty_text[body"].getData();

That can't be the right way to go about it. Or?

Mon, 09/20/2010 - 21:38

alfonsoml

Joined: 31/12/2006

Posts: 3735

Re: Can't reference instance names containing square bracket

You must use that latest syntax because the previous ones are interpreted as trying to access a property in the dirty_text and that property depends on the value of a variable named body.
It's just javascript syntax.