javascript - Is there a [universal] way to invoke a default action after calling event.preventDefault()?

Question

This question is for the purposes of developing jQuery plugins and other self-contained JavaScript snippets that don't require modifying other script files for compatibility.

We all know that event.preventDefault() will prevent the default event so we can run a custom function. But what if we want to simply delay the default event before invoking it? I've seen various, case-specific ninja tricks and workarounds to re-invoke the default action, but like I said, my interest is in a universal way to re-trigger the default, and not deal with default triggers on a case-by-case basis.

$(submitButton).click(function (e) {

    e.preventDefault();

    // Do custom code here.

    e.invokeDefault(); // Imaginary... :(
});

Even for something as simple as form submission, there seems to be no universal answer. The $(selector).closest("form").submit() workaround assumes that the default action is a standard form submission, and not something wacky like a __doPostBack() function in ASP.NET. To the end of invoking ASP.NET callbacks, this is the closest I've come to a universal, set-it-and-forget-it solution:

$(submitButton).click(function (e) {

    e.preventDefault();

    // Do custom code here.

    var javascriptCommand = e.currentTarget.attributes.href.nodeValue;
    evalLinkJs(javascriptCommand);
});


function evalLinkJs(link) {
    // Eat it, Crockford. :)
    eval(link.replace(/^javascript:/g, ""));
}

I suppose I could start writing special cases to handle normal links with a window.location redirect, but then we're opening a whole new can of worms--piling on more and more cases for default event invocation creates more problems than solutions.

So how about it? Who has the magic bullet that I've been searching for?

Answer 1

Take a look at this one:

You could try

if(!event.mySecretVariableName) {
   event.preventDefault();
} else {
   return; // do nothing, let the event go
}

// your handling code goes here
event.originalEvent.mySecretVariableName = "i handled it";

if (document.createEvent) {
   this.dispatchEvent(event.originalEvent);
} else {
    this.fireEvent(event.originalEvent.eventType, event.originalEvent);
}

Using this answer: How to trigger event in JavaScript? and the jQuery event reference: http://api.jquery.com/category/events/event-object/

Tag the event object you receive so if you receive it again you don't loop.