JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<a href="#!"><img src="smiley1.png" alt="{smiley001}"><img src="smiley2.png" alt="{smiley002}"><img src="smiley3.png" alt="{smiley003}"><img src="smiley4.png" alt="{smiley004}"><img src="smiley5.png" alt="{smiley005}"></a><br>
<textarea id="comments" cols="50" rows="10"></textarea>

JavaScript

selected = '';

$('img').click(function(){
  console.log($(this).attr('alt'));
	selected = $(this).attr('alt');
});

$('#comments').click(function(){
	insertAtCaret('comments',selected)
  // Clear the selection so it isn't copied repeatedly
  selected = '';
});

function insertAtCaret(areaId,text) {
    var txtarea = document.getElementById(areaId);
    var scrollPos = txtarea.scrollTop;
    var strPos = 0;
    var br = ((txtarea.selectionStart || txtarea.selectionStart == '0') ? 
        "ff" : (document.selection ? "ie" : false ) );
    if (br == "ie") { 
        txtarea.focus();
        var range = document.selection.createRange();
        range.moveStart ('character', -txtarea.value.length);
        strPos = range.text.length;
    }
    else if (br == "ff") strPos = txtarea.selectionStart;

    var front = (txtarea.value).substring(0,strPos);  
    var back = (txtarea.value).substring(strPos,txtarea.value.length); 
    txtarea.value=front+text+back;
    strPos = strPos + text.length;
    if (br == "ie") { 
        txtarea.focus();
        var range = document.selection.createRange();
        range.moveStart ('character', -txtarea.value.length);
        range.moveStart ('character', strPos);
        range.moveEnd ('character', 0);
        range.select();
    }
    else if (br == "ff") {
        txtarea.selectionStart = strPos;
        txtarea.selectionEnd = strPos;
        txtarea.focus();
    }
    txtarea.scrollTop = scrollPos;
}