getSelection() - getNative() returns [object Object]

I am having the same problem with getting selected text from IE. Have you found a solution?

I got it to work watching firebug closely!

Make a selection in the editor (object named 'editor') and refer to it.

This will display the text under the selection:

 var start_element = editor.getSelection().getStartElement();
 alert(start_element.$.innerHTML);

There are also a lot of other properties of '$'
Like start_element.$.href,
start_element.$.className
start_element.$.style.fontWeight

Or to retrieve an 'onclick' event in the current selection:

for (i=0; i<start_element.$.attributes.length;i++ ) {
 if (start_element.$.attributes[i].name.indexOf('onclick')>-1) {
   alert(start_element.$.attributes[i].value);
 }
}

I think there should be a better (more functional) way but it works!
There is a lot to be learned though...

_currentActiveEditor.window.$.document.getSelection()

this will give you the selected text. but you will not get HTML tags.

The trick is using the getOuterHtml function. I had the same problem with not getting any HTML with the getNative() function. If you do something like:

CKEDITOR.instances.instanceName.getSelection().getStartElement().getOuterHtml()

You'll get all the HTML that's selected. And it's cross-browser (unlike the actual javascript outerHTML method).

Hi all, I'm providing here a more robust solution as an alternation.

/**
 * Retrieve HTML presentation of the current selected range, require editor
 * to be focused first.
 */
CKEDITOR.editor.prototype.getSelectedHtml = function()
{
   var selection = this.getSelection();
   if( selection )
   {
      var bookmarks = selection.createBookmarks(),
         range = selection.getRanges()[ 0 ],
         fragment = range.clone().cloneContents();

      selection.selectBookmarks( bookmarks );

      var retval = "",
         childList = fragment.getChildren(),
         childCount = childList.count();
      for ( var i = 0; i < childCount; i++ )
      {
         var child = childList.getItem( i );
         retval += ( child.getOuterHtml?
            child.getOuterHtml() : child.getText() );
      }
      return retval;
   }
};

Hi Garry,
i really appreciate the prototype

CKEDITOR.editor.prototype.getSelectedHtml


but it does not work on IE7 and i guess also to old version.

I looked and the "getSelction" retrieve a NULL :-/

Any suggestion!

Here is a piece of code that makes you select text in both IE and FF (doesn't matter what version)

       
g = CKEDITOR.instances.editor; // Your ckeditor
if (CKEDITOR.env.ie) {
   selection = g.getSelection().document.$.selection.createRange().text;
} else {
   selection  = g.getSelection().getNative();
}   
alert ( selection );

Hope it helps you,

Cheers

megabob32 wrote:
but it does not work on IE7 and i guess also to old version.
I looked and the "getSelction" retrieve a NULL :-/
Any suggestion!

Note that the editor document should hold focus to make this function work.

Nielsdv wrote:Here is a piece of code that makes you select text in both IE and FF (doesn't matter what version)

       
g = CKEDITOR.instances.editor; // Your ckeditor
if (CKEDITOR.env.ie) {
   selection = g.getSelection().document.$.selection.createRange().text;
} else {
   selection  = g.getSelection().getNative();
}   
alert ( selection );

Hope it helps you,

Cheers

maybe in IE6,you should user
CKEDITOR.instances.txtContent.getSelection().getNative().createRange().text;
in Ff,you should use
CKEDITOR.instances.txtContent.getSelection().getNative();