# How to tell when outside of component is clicked

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-tell-when-outside-of-component-is-clicked/103008>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** perspective\
**Created:** [February 27, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-tell-when-outside-of-component-is-clicked/103008 "2025-02-27T20:42:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

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**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Furlani](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/benjamin_furlani/32/66084_2.png) [@Benjamin\_Furlani](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Benjamin_Furlani)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/how-to-tell-when-outside-of-component-is-clicked/103008/2 "2025-02-27T21:54:55Z")

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~~I did a little inspecting and it would seem that there is not `tabIndex` specified on the containers so they cannot accept focus like something normally would be able to like your input.~~

 

Interesting that they have `onFocus` and `onBlur` as options though... Maybe I am missing something.

~~@paul-griffith or @Kevin.Herron is there a reason `tabIndex` is not an exposed property for users to be able to control? Especially with the containers presenting the option of focus and blur?~~

Edit:  
This is an option in the meta section:

> [@Focus on a icon when clicked](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/focus-on-a-icon-when-clicked/87349/4):
>
> Lots of knowledge to lay down here... For an element (Component) to receive focus, it must have an emitted HTML tabindex attribute. Icons do not have this. Most displays don't. Some do (Tables, Dashboard, Tag Browse Tree) because those Display components actually contain an input. So as of today, there is no way to apply/force focus onto most of our display components. We just happen to be working on a feature for 8.1.39 which allows for specifying a tabIndex prop as part of the META category…

Meaning if you just add tabIndex in the `meta` section of the component props that it will allow focus and your _dropdown_ should work like you 'd expect since it wont' lose focus when clicking items within itself.

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