How can I override the OnBeforeUnload dialog and replace it with my own?

Question

I need to warn users about unsaved changes before they leave a page (a pretty common problem).

window.onbeforeunload=handler

This works bu

Answer 1

While there isn't anything you can do about the box in some circumstances, you can intercept someone clicking on a link. For me, this was worth the effort for most scenarios and as a fallback, I've left the unload event.

I've used Boxy instead of the standard jQuery Dialog, it is available here: http://onehackoranother.com/projects/jquery/boxy/

$(':input').change(function() {
    if(!is_dirty){
        // When the user changes a field on this page, set our is_dirty flag.
        is_dirty = true;
    }
});

$('a').mousedown(function(e) {
    if(is_dirty) {
        // if the user navigates away from this page via an anchor link, 
        //    popup a new boxy confirmation.
        answer = Boxy.confirm("You have made some changes which you might want to save.");
    }
});

window.onbeforeunload = function() {
if((is_dirty)&&(!answer)){
            // call this if the box wasn't shown.
    return 'You have made some changes which you might want to save.';
    }
};

You could attach to another event, and filter more on what kind of anchor was clicked, but this works for me and what I want to do and serves as an example for others to use or improve. Thought I would share this for those wanting this solution.

I have cut out code, so this may not work as is.