Enter triggers button click

Target button, not form submission!

Inside a form, an Enter key press activates the first button or <input> with a type of "submit". Oops! To side-step this:

• Set your button's type to "button". This takes it off the browser's auto-submit list.
• Rearrange your form's DOM structure. The submit button should go first (in code), then use CSS to give it the desired visual position.
• Avoid typeless <button> tags as these default to type "submit".

<!-- Invisible but works like a charm -->
<button type="submit" id="mySubmitButton" style="position: absolute; top: -9999px;">Submit</button>
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document.getElementById('myForm').addEventListener('keypress', function(event) {
  if (event.key === 'Enter' && event.target.nodeName !== 'TEXTAREA') { // Not in a textarea? Good.
    event.preventDefault(); // Stop! Wait. Not so fast. 
    document.getElementById('mySubmitButton').click(); // Submit button, do your thing!
  }
});
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More button control with event handlers

For finer control over how the Enter key behaves inside forms, here's what you can do:

• The magic wand here is event.preventDefault(), which stops the form from giving in to its natural submission tendencies.
• Programmatically assert your authority with form.submit() if all your conditions are met.
• Listen to the 'keypress' event on select input fields and make Enter key submitting 'opt-in'.

form.addEventListener('keypress', function(event) {
  if (makeMyDayCheck(event)) { // Checks if Clint Eastwood is involved
    event.preventDefault(); // Now, where were we?
    form.submit(); // Make my day!
  }
});
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Leverage your HTML5 specification knowledge

Sifting through the HTML5 specifications helps in understanding the default behavior of forms and how different button types interact with the Enter key. This can help avoid browser compatibility issues and fine-tune your form submit process.

An experimental journey

Nothing beats learning quite like experimentation. So, I encourage you to tinker around with an example link, exploring different scenarios of form behavior when the Enter key is pressed.

Always account for edge cases

Paying attention to possible edge cases will save you future headaches. Here are a few scenarios to consider and hack around:

• Multiple submit buttons: Control the one activated by Enter.
• Dynamic forms (e.g., AJAX): Bind event listeners after form elements are loaded.
• Focus management: If inputs are within modals or tabindex elements, your Enter key interaction may need some tweaking.

Is user feedback considered?

Responding to user feedback might just reveal some unexplored edge cases, provide a fresh perspective or bring to your attention possible improvements. Keep the code snippet flexible and consistently update it to ensure wide acceptability.