The DataTransfer.clearData()
method removes the drag operation's drag data
for the given type. If data for the given type does not exist, this method does nothing.
If this method is called with no arguments or the format is an empty string
, the data of all types will be removed.
This method does not remove files from the drag operation, so it's possible for there still to be an entry with the type "Files"
left in the object's DataTransfer.types
list if there are any files included in the drag.
This method can only be used in the handler for the dragstart
event, because that's the only time the drag operation's data store is writeable.
Syntax
DataTransfer.clearData([format]);
Parameters
format
Optional- A
string
which specifies the type of data to remove. If this parameter is an empty string or is not provided, the data for all types is removed.
Example
This example shows the use of the DataTransfer
object's getData()
, setData()
and clearData()
methods.
HTML
<span class="tweaked" id="source" draggable="true"> Select this element, drag it to the Drop Zone and then release the selection to move the element. </span> <span class="tweaked" id="target">Drop Zone</span> <div>Status: <span id="status">Drag to start</span></div> <div>Data is: <span id="data">uninitialized</span></div>
CSS
span.tweaked { display: inline-block; margin: 1em 0; padding: 1em 2em; } #source { color: blue; border: 1px solid black; } #target { border: 1px solid black; }
JavaScript
window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () { // Select HTML elements var draggable = document.getElementById('source'); var dropable = document.getElementById('target'); var status = document.getElementById('status'); var data = document.getElementById('data'); var dropped = false; // Register event handlers draggable.addEventListener('dragstart', dragStartHandler); draggable.addEventListener('dragend', dragEndHandler); dropable.addEventListener('dragover', dragOverHandler); dropable.addEventListener('dragleave', dragLeaveHandler); dropable.addEventListener('drop', dropHandler); function dragStartHandler (event) { status.innerHTML = 'Drag in process'; // Change target element's border to signify drag has started event.currentTarget.style.border = '1px dashed blue'; // Start by clearing existing clipboards; this will affect all types since we // don't give a specific type. event.dataTransfer.clearData(); // Set the drag's format and data (use event target's id for data) event.dataTransfer.setData('text/plain', event.target.id); data.innerHTML = event.dataTransfer.getData('text/plain'); } function dragEndHandler (event) { if (!dropped) { status.innerHTML = 'Drag canceled'; } data.innerHTML = event.dataTransfer.getData('text/plain') || 'empty'; // Change border to signify drag is no longer in process event.currentTarget.style.border = '1px solid black'; if (dropped) { // Remove all event listeners draggable.removeEventListener('dragstart', dragStartHandler); draggable.removeEventListener('dragend', dragEndHandler); dropable.removeEventListener('dragover', dragOverHandler); dropable.removeEventListener('dragleave', dragLeaveHandler); dropable.removeEventListener('drop', dropHandler); } } function dragOverHandler (event) { status.innerHTML = 'Drop available'; event.preventDefault(); } function dragLeaveHandler (event) { status.innerHTML = 'Drag in process (drop was available)'; event.preventDefault(); } function dropHandler (event) { dropped = true; status.innerHTML = 'Drop done'; event.preventDefault(); // Get data linked to event format ยซ text ยป var _data = event.dataTransfer.getData('text/plain'); var element = document.getElementById(_data); // Append drag source element to event's target element event.target.appendChild(element); // Change CSS styles and displayed text element.style.cssText = 'border: 1px solid black;display: block; color: red'; element.innerHTML = "I'm in the Drop Zone!"; } })
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
HTML Living Standard The definition of 'DataTransfer.clearData()' in that specification. |
Living Standard | |
HTML 5.1 The definition of 'DataTransfer.clearData()' in that specification. |
Recommendation | Initial definition |
Browser compatibility
The compatibility table on this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.
Desktop | Mobile | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
clearData | Chrome Full support Yes | Edge Full support 12 | Firefox Full support Yes | IE ? | Opera Full support Yes | Safari Full support Yes | WebView Android Full support Yes | Chrome Android Full support Yes | Firefox Android Full support Yes | Opera Android Full support Yes | Safari iOS No support No | Samsung Internet Android Full support Yes |
Legend
- Full support
- Full support
- No support
- No support
- Compatibility unknown
- Compatibility unknown