Click links with JavaScript

If you want to click on objects, anchors, table cells or any other html element to emulate the javascript behaviour you can prototype the click function on the HTMLElement object. In the new method we fire the click event on the object. The click event is fired in two different ways (one for IE browser and one for Mozzilla-like browser).

I’ve used this code on a page that use a lightbox/shadowbox gallery. When the page is loaded I fire the click event on the first link of the lightbox gallery.

Watch a demo here.

HTMLElement.prototype.click = function() {
	if (document.createEvent) {
		var evt = this.ownerDocument.createEvent('MouseEvents');
		evt.initMouseEvent('click', true, true, this.ownerDocument.defaultView, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, false, false, false, false, 0, null);
		this.dispatchEvent(evt);
	} else if (this.fireEvent) {
		this.fireEvent("onclick");
	}
}

// usage
// <a href="http://www.barattalo.it" id="linktoclick">auto click</a>
document.getElementById("linktoclick").click();