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web api instance method

MouseEvent: initMouseEvent() method

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The MouseEvent.initMouseEvent() method initializes the value of a mouse event once it’s been created (normally using the createEvent() method).

[!WARNING] Do not use this method anymore as it is deprecated.

Instead use specific event constructors, like MouseEvent(). The section on Creating and dispatching events gives more information about the way to use these.

Events initialized in this way must have been created with the createEvent() method. This method must be called to set the event before it is dispatched, using dispatchEvent().

Syntax

initMouseEvent(type, canBubble, cancelable, view,
                     detail, screenX, screenY, clientX, clientY,
                     ctrlKey, altKey, shiftKey, metaKey,
                     button, relatedTarget)

Parameters

  • type

    • : the string to set the event’s type to. Possible types for mouse events include: click, mousedown, mouseup, mouseover, mousemove, mouseout.
  • canBubble

    • : whether or not the event can bubble. Sets the value of bubbles.
  • cancelable

    • : whether or not the event’s default action can be prevented. Sets the value of cancelable.
  • view

    • : the event’s AbstractView. You should pass the window object here. Sets the value of view.
  • detail

    • : the event’s mouse click count. Sets the value of detail.
  • screenX

    • : the event’s screen x coordinate. Sets the value of screenX.
  • screenY

    • : the event’s screen y coordinate. Sets the value of screenY.
  • clientX

    • : the event’s client x coordinate. Sets the value of clientX.
  • clientY

    • : the event’s client y coordinate. Sets the value of clientY.
  • ctrlKey

    • : whether or not control key was pressed during the Event. Sets the value of ctrlKey.
  • altKey

    • : whether or not alt key was pressed during the Event. Sets the value of altKey.
  • shiftKey

    • : whether or not shift key was pressed during the Event. Sets the value of shiftKey.
  • metaKey

    • : whether or not meta key was pressed during the Event. Sets the value of metaKey.
  • button

    • : the event’s mouse button.
  • relatedTarget

    • : the event’s related EventTarget. Only used with some event types (e.g., mouseover and mouseout). In other cases, pass null.

Return value

None (undefined).

Examples

const event = document.createEvent("MouseEvents");
event.initMouseEvent(
  "click",
  true,
  true,
  window,
  0,
  0,
  0,
  80,
  20,
  false,
  false,
  false,
  false,
  0,
  null,
);
document.body.dispatchEvent(event);

Specifications

SpecificationsStandards references are available on the canonical MDN page.

Browser compatibility

Browser compatibilityCompatibility data is available on the canonical MDN page.

See also

  • MouseEvent() constructor, the modern standard way of creating a MouseEvent
  • initEvent() is a simpler method serving a similar purpose. It is also obsolete and shouldn’t be used any more.