javascriptmouse-cursorcustom-cursor

Change the mouse pointer using JavaScript

I wanted to use a script to change the mouse pointer on my website using JavaScript. It's better done by CSS but my requirement is of a script that can be distributed to many people to embed in the head section of their websites. Through CSS, this can be manipulated by

html
{
    cursor: *cursorurl*
}

How to do the same in JavaScript?

Solution

  • JavaScript is pretty good at manipulating CSS:

     document.body.style.cursor = *cursor-url*;
 //OR
 var elementToChange = document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0];
 elementToChange.style.cursor = "url('cursor url with protocol'), auto";

    or with jQuery:

    $("html").css("cursor: url('cursor url with protocol'), auto");

    Firefox will not work unless you specify a default cursor after the imaged one!

    other cursor keywords

    Also remember that IE6 only supports .cur and .ani cursors.

    If cursor doesn't change: In case you are moving the element under the cursor relative to the cursor position (e.g. element dragging) you have to force a redraw on the element:

    // in plain js
document.getElementById('parentOfElementToBeRedrawn').style.display = 'none';
document.getElementById('parentOfElementToBeRedrawn').style.display = 'block';
// in jquery
$('#parentOfElementToBeRedrawn').hide().show(0);

    working sample:

    document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0].style.cursor = "url('http://wiki-devel.sugarlabs.org/images/e/e2/Arrow.cur'), auto";
    div {
  height: 100px;
  width: 1000px;
  background-color: red;
}
    <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

  <body>
    <div>
    hello with a fancy cursor!
    </div>
  </body>

</html>