The setPointerCapture()
method of the Element
interface is used to designate a specific element as the capture target of future pointer events. Subsequent events for the pointer will be targeted at the capture element until capture is released (via Element.releasePointerCapture()
or the pointerup
event is fired).
Note: Pointer capture will cause the target to capture all subsequent pointer events as if they were occurring over the capturing target. Accordingly, pointerover
, pointerenter
, pointerleave
, and pointerout
will not fire as long as this capture is set. For touchscreen browsers that allow direct manipulation, an implicit pointer capture will be called on the element when a pointerdown
event triggers. The capture can be released manually by calling element.releasePointerCapture
on the target element, or it will be implicitly released after a pointerup
or pointercancel
event.
Pointer capture allows events for a particular pointer event (PointerEvent
) to be re-targeted to a particular element instead of the normal (or hit test) target at a pointer's location. This can be used to ensure that an element continues to receive pointer events even if the pointer device's contact moves off the element (such as by scrolling or panning).
setPointerCapture(pointerId)
This example sets pointer capture on a <div>
when you press down on it. This lets you slide the element horizontally, even when your pointer moves outside of its boundaries.
<div id="slider">SLIDE ME</div>
div {
width: 140px;
height: 50px;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
background: #fbe;
}
function beginSliding(e) {
slider.onpointermove = slide;
slider.setPointerCapture(e.pointerId);
}
function stopSliding(e) {
slider.onpointermove = null;
slider.releasePointerCapture(e.pointerId);
}
function slide(e) {
slider.style.transform = `translate(${e.clientX - 70}px)`;
}
const slider = document.getElementById("slider");
slider.onpointerdown = beginSliding;
slider.onpointerup = stopSliding;