Question: ```
<html>
 <body>
  <script type="text/javascript">

   function smth() {

    if (document.getSelection) {
    var str = document.getSelection();
    if (window.RegExp) {
      var regstr = unescape("%20%20%20%20%20");
      var regexp = new RegExp(regstr, "g");
      str = str.replace(regexp, "");
    }
    } else if (document.selection && document.selection.createRange) {
     var range = document.selection.createRange();
     var str = range.text;
    }   

    alert(str);
   }
  </script>   

    <iframe id="my"  width="300" height="225">
   .....some html ....
    </iframe>      

    <a href="#" onclick="smth();">AA</a>
 </body>    
</html>

```

with `smth` function i can get selected text from some div, but it doesnt work with iframe.
any ideas how to get selected text from iframe ?

Answer: 
> 
> document.getSelection
> 
> 
> 

Is on the outer document. To get the selection of the document in the iframe you need to grab the inner document:

```
var iframe= document.getElementById('my');
var idoc= iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document; // ie compatibility

idoc.getSelection()

```

Note however that WebKit does not support `document.getSelection()` *or* `document.selection`. Try replacing it with `window.getSelection()` which works in both Firefox and WebKit, but returns a selection object (a collection/wrapper around Ranges), which needs stringing:

```
var idoc= iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document;
var iwin= iframe.contentWindow || iframe.contentDocument.defaultView;

''+iwin.getSelection()

```

I'm not sure what the point of this is:

```
if (window.RegExp) {
  var regstr = unescape("%20%20%20%20%20");
  var regexp = new RegExp(regstr, "g");
  str = str.replace(regexp, "");
}

```

`RegExp` is basic JavaScript dating back to the very earliest version; it will always be there, you don't have to sniff for it. The URL-encoding of multiple spaces is quite unnecessary. You don't even need RegExp as such, a string replace could be written as:

```
str= str.split('     ').join('');

```
Following code will return the selected text.

```
function getSelectedText(frameId) { 
    // In ExtJS use: 
    // var frame = Ext.getDom(frameId); 
    var frame = document.getElementById(frameId); 

    var frameWindow = frame && frame.contentWindow; 
    var frameDocument = frameWindow && frameWindow.document; 

    if (frameDocument) { 
        if (frameDocument.getSelection) { 
            // Most browsers 
            return String(frameDocument.getSelection()); 
        } 
        else if (frameDocument.selection) { 
            // Internet Explorer 8 and below 
            return frameDocument.selection.createRange().text; 
        } 
        else if (frameWindow.getSelection) { 
            // Safari 3 
            return String(frameWindow.getSelection()); 
        } 
    } 

    /* Fall-through. This could happen if this function is called 
       on a frame that doesn't exist or that isn't ready yet. */ 
    return ''; 
}

```

Hope this will help to someone.