How to create an infinite loop with jquery after .append() and make draggable

Question

I have a series of icons which are dragged onto a canvas / map. When the icon has been dragged - the icon is replaced in it's original position, so the user can drag a second icon (of the same picture) onto the canvas.

I have made it so all items are .draggable() and when the first icon is dragged onto the map I simply use jquery .append() to recreate the icon in it's original position.

My problem is that is creates the second instance of the icons - but doesn't create any more after that - leaving a blank space.

I need this to be an infinite loop so the user can drop as many of the same images as possible onto the canvas.

My code is as follows, I create a randomly generated number to ensure I can assign .draggable() to it:

$('img#icon').draggable({
            stop: function(event, ui) {

                // Show dropped position.
                var Stoppos = $(this).position();
                var left = Math.abs(Stoppos.left);
                var top = Math.abs(Stoppos.top);
                $(this).css('left: ' + left);
                $(this).css('top: ' + top);

                var rand = [randomly generated number];
                var src = $(this).attr("src");
                var cl = $(this).attr("class");
                var id = $(this).attr("id");
                var img = "<img src='"+src+"' id='"+id+"' class='"+cl+" "+rand+"' />";
                $(this).parent().append(img);
                $("img."+rand).draggable();
            }
        });

So with the above, after I have dragged img.rand onto the canvas - this is not replaced in it's original position. Hope this makes sense and help appreciated as ever.

Answer 1

You don't need a infinite loop for this. What you need is to make the canvas droppable. Remove the dragstop function and add your code in the droppable function as:

$('#canvas').droppable({
            accept:'.icons', //remove this if you want to append manually
            drop:function(event,ui){

                      //Code for appending manually if you don't use accept

            }
});

For the series of icons make it draggable as clone so that you can drag 'n' no. of same icon onto canvas:

$('.icons').draggable({helper: "clone"});

For more info on droppable UI refer API DOC.