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Posted on • Originally published at codexdindia.blogspot.com

Handling Image Loading Errors - img tag onerror

Know More :- https://codexdindia.blogspot.com/2024/02/handling-image-loading-errors-img-tag.html

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The onerror attribute in an HTML <img> tag is an event handler attribute that allows you to specify a script to run if an error occurs while loading an image. This can be useful for handling situations where an image fails to load, such as when the image URL is incorrect or the image is missing.

Here's the basic syntax for using the onerror attribute with an <img> tag:

<img src="image.jpg" onerror="imgError()">
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In this example, if the image "image.jpg" fails to load, the imgError() function will be called. You can define the imgError() function in a <script> tag in the same HTML document or in an external JavaScript file:

<script>
  function imgError() {
    // Code to handle the error, such as replacing the image with a placeholder
    console.log('Image failed to load');
  }
</script>
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You can also pass some information to the error handling function using this, which refers to the <img> element itself. For example:

<img src="image.jpg" onerror="imgError(this)">
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Then, in your JavaScript function:

function imgError(img) {
  // Access properties of the image element
  console.log('Error loading image: ' + img.src);
  // You can also replace the image source with another image
  img.src = 'placeholder.jpg';
}
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Example with a Placeholder Image

Here's an example where we use the onerror attribute to replace a missing image with a placeholder:

<img src="image.jpg" onerror="this.src='placeholder.jpg'">
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In this case, if "image.jpg" fails to load, the onerror attribute changes the src attribute of the <img> tag to "placeholder.jpg", which will then load instead.

Security Considerations

It's important to be cautious when using the onerror attribute, especially if the value is dynamic or user-controlled, as this can potentially lead to security vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Always validate and sanitize any user input before using it in an onerror attribute or any other attribute that executes code.

Alternatives

If you're working with more complex error handling, such as loading images asynchronously or needing more robust error handling, you might consider handling image loading errors using JavaScript event listeners rather than the onerror attribute directly. Here's an example using an event listener:

<img id="myImage" src="image.jpg">

<script>
  const image = document.getElementById('myImage');
  image.addEventListener('error', function() {
    console.log('Error loading image: ' + image.src);
    image.src = 'placeholder.jpg';
  });
</script>
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This script achieves the same result as the onerror attribute but allows for more flexibility and control in handling image loading errors.

Handling All Images

If you want to target all <img> tags on the page to handle potential loading errors, you can modify the code to use querySelectorAll('img'). Here's the updated example:

HTML:

<img src="image1.jpg">
<img src="image2.jpg">
<img src="image3.jpg">
<!-- Add more img tags as needed -->
<script src="script.js"></script>
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JavaScript (script.js):

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
  const allImages = document.querySelectorAll('img');

  allImages.forEach(function(image) {
    image.addEventListener('error', function() {
      console.log('Error loading image: ' + image.src);
      image.src = 'placeholder.jpg';
    });
  });
});
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In this updated code:

  1. We remove the replaceable class from the <img> tags in the HTML.
  2. In the JavaScript code:
    • We use querySelectorAll('img') to get all <img> tags on the page.
    • Then, we use forEach to loop through each image.
    • For each image, we attach an error event listener. If the image fails to load, it will replace the src attribute with 'placeholder.jpg'.

This code will apply the error handling to all <img> tags on the page. Remember to replace 'placeholder.jpg' with the path to your actual placeholder image.

Using Object Fallback

<div class="image-container">
  <object width="100%" height="100%" data="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTI5ZTNkYWQtNDg2Mi00MTBmLTliMGItNTI5YWI5OTZkM2Y2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzU1NzE3NTg@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,47,500,281_.jpg">
    <img src="https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p10449498_i_h10_aa.jpg" alt="Fallback Image">
  </object>
</div>

<!-- Other content -->

<!-- CSS Styles for Object with Fallback Image -->
<style>
  .image-container {
    width: 100%;
    height: 500px;
    /* Set the height of the container */
    position: relative;
    /* Required for children positioning */
  }

  .image-container object,
  .image-container img {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    object-fit: cover;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
  }
</style>
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Top comments (3)

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shrihari profile image
Shrihari Mohan

If you dont want to use Javascript you use the <object> tag

<object data="https://picsum.photos/id/237/200/300" class="image-container">
  <img src="https://picsum.photos/200/300" />
</object>
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banmyaccount profile image
Ban My Account

Nice - This will work good with little bit of modification in css

<div class="image-container">
  <object width="100%" height="100%" data="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTI5ZTNkYWQtNDg2Mi00MTBmLTliMGItNTI5YWI5OTZkM2Y2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzU1NzE3NTg@._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,47,500,281_.jpg">
    <img src="https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p10449498_i_h10_aa.jpg" alt="Fallback Image">
  </object>
</div>

<!-- Other content -->

<!-- CSS Styles for Object with Fallback Image -->
<style>
  .image-container {
    width: 100%;
    height: 500px;
    /* Set the height of the container */
    position: relative;
    /* Required for children positioning */
  }

  .image-container object,
  .image-container img {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100%;
    object-fit: cover;
    position: absolute;
    top: 0;
    left: 0;
  }
</style>
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shrihari profile image
Shrihari Mohan

Thanks for extending!