Catch browser's "zoom" event in JavaScript

Is it possible to detect, using JavaScript, when the user changes the zoom in a page? I simply want to catch a "zoom" event and respond to it (similar to window.onresize event).

Thanks.

Solution 1:

There's no way to actively detect if there's a zoom. I found a good entry here on how you can attempt to implement it.

I’ve found two ways of detecting the zoom level. One way to detect zoom level changes relies on the fact that percentage values are not zoomed. A percentage value is relative to the viewport width, and thus unaffected by page zoom. If you insert two elements, one with a position in percentages, and one with the same position in pixels, they’ll move apart when the page is zoomed. Find the ratio between the positions of both elements and you’ve got the zoom level. See test case. http://web.archive.org/web/20080723161031/http://novemberborn.net/javascript/page-zoom-ff3

You could also do it using the tools of the above post. The problem is you're more or less making educated guesses on whether or not the page has zoomed. This will work better in some browsers than other.

There's no way to tell if the page is zoomed if they load your page while zoomed.

Solution 2:

Lets define px_ratio as below:

px ratio = ratio of physical pixel to css px.

if any one zoom The Page, the viewport pxes (px is different from pixel ) reduces and should be fit to The screen so the ratio (physical pixel / CSS_px ) must get bigger.

but in window Resizing, screen size reduces as well as pxes. so the ratio will maintain.

zooming: trigger windows.resize event --> and change px_ratio

but

resizing: trigger windows.resize event --> doesn’t change px_ratio

//for zoom detection
px_ratio = window.devicePixelRatio || window.screen.availWidth / document.documentElement.clientWidth;

$(window).resize(function(){isZooming();});

function isZooming(){
    var newPx_ratio = window.devicePixelRatio || window.screen.availWidth / document.documentElement.clientWidth;
    if(newPx_ratio != px_ratio){
        px_ratio = newPx_ratio;
        console.log("zooming");
        return true;
    }else{
        console.log("just resizing");
        return false;
    }
}

The key point is difference between CSS PX and Physical Pixel.

https://gist.github.com/abilogos/66aba96bb0fb27ab3ed4a13245817d1e

Solution 3:

Good news everyone some people! Newer browsers will trigger a window resize event when the zoom is changed.

Solution 4:

I'm using this piece of JavaScript to react to Zoom "events".
It polls the window width. (As somewhat suggested on this page (which Ian Elliott linked to): http://novemberborn.net/javascript/page-zoom-ff3 [archive])

Tested with Chrome, Firefox 3.6 and Opera, not IE.

Regards, Magnus

var zoomListeners = [];

(function(){
  // Poll the pixel width of the window; invoke zoom listeners
  // if the width has been changed.
  var lastWidth = 0;
  function pollZoomFireEvent() {
    var widthNow = jQuery(window).width();
    if (lastWidth == widthNow) return;
    lastWidth = widthNow;
    // Length changed, user must have zoomed, invoke listeners.
    for (i = zoomListeners.length - 1; i >= 0; --i) {
      zoomListeners[i]();
    }
  }
  setInterval(pollZoomFireEvent, 100);
})();