elementonabort

Elementonabort is a term used in documentation for a hypothetical user interface event that signals when an operation associated with a UI element has been aborted. It is defined to fire after a cancellation action or timeout ends an ongoing task linked to the element, such as a data fetch, file upload, or animation sequence. The event is designed to enable elements and their listeners to perform cleanup and state restoration promptly.

In this model, elementonabort is part of a broader Element Event Model and is distinct from general error events. The event is target-originating, can propagate through the element tree unless stopped, and carries an event payload including the reason for the abort and a timestamp. The event object typically follows a DOM-like interface and may provide methods such as preventDefault and stopPropagation, depending on the implementation.

Payload and handling conventions: The event object usually includes fields like target (the element), reason (string or object), and timestamp. Listeners can examine the reason and initiate cleanup, UI updates, or state resets. In many patterns, elementonabort is used in conjunction with cancellation mechanisms such as abort signals or component-specific cancel flags to ensure proper resource release.

Usage and considerations: Developers attach listeners to the element for this event using a pattern similar to other DOM events. Common use cases include terminating in-progress network requests, stopping media playback, and releasing held resources when a user action or timeout cancels the operation. Since elementonabort is a hypothetical construct, real projects implement equivalent behavior with existing cancellation or custom event mechanisms.

See also: cancellation signals, AbortController, cancelable promises, custom events.